Pella Conference: 1990
Table of Contents
John 10
Address—E. Tonn
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Bill, Julie.
Be here with Jason Pella.
And.
I'd like to be able to.
Extend our breeze from Denton, TX. You gather to the Lord's name there.
And I really feel.
Deep breath in my soul.
Weight of feeding the flock of God. What a solemn thing it is to stand before God's beloved children and.
Not give them something for their souls.
Well, delighted is to have an object set before your heart, and souls in my own that will endure for all eternity.
So if we could begin, we'd like to start to sing together #238.
Our shepherd is the Lord.
Certainly the brother and sister who wrote that must have enjoyed much Davis Line in the 23rd Psalm of ours.
Lord is our shepherd, My shepherd, the living Lord who died with all his fullness, can afford. We are supplied inexhaustible supply of blessing and riches and grace and glory from our wisdom. Living Lord Shepherd, He is the Lord.
Possibly one of you start to him, and we would not get into the unpleasant situation in my start, and one that you might not know the tomb. So if one of you would start the tomb, I would appreciate it.
Our shepherd.
And Lord.
Could God?
Forever.
Live.
For her, we are the one.
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I have a.
Written to any of you which I don't want to do.
You would probably have heard an opening line, something to the effect of greetings.
In our.
Savior God's precious name, who is worthy of our eternal praise and who has suited us to sing that phrase and has given us the precious privilege of beginning that phrase here below. How delightful it is to be occupied with one to know Him who is worthy, Who alone is worthy.
Eternal praise.
Oh, what a mercy that we have been brought into the company of Saints.
Those redeemed by His precious Blood, that will be the singers unto our Lord Jesus Christ all eternity. Wonderful marvelous grace. Shall we look to the Lord as God's help well.
I suppose everyone in the room is aware that we have been over to Davenport together.
For a few days.
And half seeking to.
Learn a little something more of how to care for and nurture.
And feed the precious cloth of the.
And what an awesome responsibility it is to undertake to give you something that will feed your soul, lift your soul above the dreary circumstances.
Daily life and enable you to have a brighter prospect of soon being with and seeing the Lord Jesus place and then being exercised about what might help us along that direction.
The Lord has directed me to the 10th chapter of John that was read to us yesterday.
Just at the end of the meetings, it's been a very precious portion of my soul.
To have our precious Lord Jesus Christ set before us as that Good Shepherd that laid down his life for the sheep. Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life or his friend.
And we are His friends. While we have not always been friendly toward the Lord Jesus Christ, we had to await that moment when God and grace reached our hearts with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and called us by that gospel to the attaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So how glad we are that he has indeed come to where we are and found us in the ditch, wounded, bruised, ready to die, and picked us up.
Out of those awful sinkholes of sin and heal our sin sick souls and put a song in our hearts pick us up and establish our going and giving us that eternal song even praise to our God. And so as we speak for a few minutes on together on the 10th of John, a trust that's the Spirit of God will take these few remarks, make the Lord Jesus Christ more precious to your soul and to mind than he has ever been.
That we might grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as our dear brother the apostle Peter has encouraged us that we should do so. Let's look then to John, chapter 10. We'll read a little and seek by God's Knights with grace to magnify that blessed man that this chapter brings before our souls.
Very, very, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door and the sheepfold, but climb us up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
That he that entered them by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the border opener, and the sheep hear his voice.
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And he called his own sheep by name.
And he needed the mother, and when he put forth his own sheep, he goeth before them.
And the sheep followed him, for they know his voice.
The stranger they will not follow.
Will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.
This forever spoke Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were.
Which he spoke under.
Then Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
I am the door of the sheep.
All that ever came before me of thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not follow them. I am the door by me. If any man is there in, he shall go in and out and find pasture.
Please come up not but to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that he might have life, and that he might have it more abundantly.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life or the sheep he that is in hiring.
And not the shepherd, whose own own the sheep are not. See if the wolf coming and leave with the sheep and clear, and the wolf catches them and scatter the sheep iron and clear because he isn't hiring and Carol not for the sheep.
I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine, as the Father knoweth me.
Even so, though I default, I lay down my life. Or the sheep and other sheep come by which are not of this whole them also must I dream. They shall hear my voice, and they shall be one bold, one flock actually, and one shepherd. Therefore just my love, Father, love me because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down to myself. I have power to lay it down and.
Have power, take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.
You'll stop there because we have already read more.
And it is possible for us to enter into in a few minutes that we have together. You're aware of the remainder of the chapter in which the Lord Jesus Christ makes it so plain that.
That a sheep of Christ shall never know, never perish, but that the Father and the Son being one.
Secures for all eternity those for whom our blessed Lord Jesus God.
Very now saying to you he that ends knocked by the door of the sheep climbeth up some other way, the same as a Deacon arrival, we have our Lord Jesus Christ set forth here as coming to.
To that nation.
That was so dear to his heart.
In the 12Th of John we here.
One named Caiaphas prophesying that one man should die for the nation, that the nation perish not.
And we have our Lord Jesus Christ in this early verses coming into that.
She is full of Israel that God had called out from the nations and hedged about with the law and with his ways.
And the nation not receiving him this.
Is the closest to John's Gospel gets to Matthew's Gospel. I'm sure there are those in this room that could explain better than I how that comparison of the Gospels.
Matthew sets before us the Lord Jesus Christ coming to the nation, particularly the nation, Israel as their Messiah, as Emmanuel coming into the into the nation itself, gone with his people to deliver them from those Gentiles oppressors. The Romans under whom?
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They had been brought to ******* and so we have.
Him there coming right into the nation itself as their king, and so consequently the genealogy in Matthew. Once that's the legal lineage of David resting upon the Lord Jesus Christ, so that he could be the Messiah, King of Jews. But here we have him entering in by the door.
He came with all of their credentials of Messiah. He came according to the word of God, as that one prophesied of old that he should come, that God would raise up a shepherd for Israel, and he entered with all the qualifications and legal credentials to be their game. And so we have him coming here in by the door by the word of God. He came according to the word of God according to the prophetic scriptures.
As that blessed one who would deliver them and who alone could deliver them. And we know the sign history of that. They said we will not have this man to rule over us. They said away with him crucified. They said we have no king but Caesar, more content with a wicked gentile.
Than the Messiah.
Precious king of the Jews. So he came according to the word, and came in by the door, and to him the Porter opened, when the true king came, that messenger that God sent before his face, voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. The Kingdom is at hand. So the Spirit of God witnessed through John, and at his at the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That this man was indeed the Messiah.
This was God with his people coming into their very circumstances to bring them all blessings past God promised by God, we read in the first.
Chapter of Second Corinthians I believe it is. I never can remember what is the first chapter of Second Corinthians or the 2nd chapter of First Corinthians when the ascend of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he that he all of the promises of God are in him gave and him Amen.
And so we have the Lord Jesus Christ as he who is the in whom the promises of God originated, and he who consummates all of the promises of God we see in the eighth verse of Romans chapter 15.
That the Lord Jesus Christ became the minister of the circumcision that is a servant of the Jewish nation for the truth of God to confirm the promises made under the Father. So in this chapter we have the Lord Jesus coming right into the sheepfold of Israel with God had called out of himself and hedged about with His wall.
To protect them, to make himself known in their midst. And we have.
The Baptist by the Spirit of God pointing to that man. This is indeed the Messiah. This is he that should come, the true of whose I'm not worthy to unloose. And so we have the Lord Jesus Christ coming into the midst of his own, and the door being open, so that according to the very Jewish scriptures that were given to them, they could know of certainty that this was indeed their Messiah, and everyone that came before was a thief in a robot.
Thieves. Have there been all? We know that the great thief, of course, is that enemy of our souls himself. The devil is the thief and a robber. He is the destroyer. He is the adversary. He is the liar from the beginning. And who would not stand in the truth to get in John Chapter 8. And so all who came before our blessed Savior came, were of their father, or took the character of that enemy of the souls of men.
That plunge us into eternal darkness with himself being himself eventually to be cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. And so we see the Lord Jesus coming, and all others are imposters.
We think of poor Adonaija, David's son, who would have made himself king.
An imposter.
Not the man that God would have to sit on his throne and others also for Absalom, that willful Son assets before us, that willful Son to come in the coming days. A man of sin, exhaust himself above all, is called God and would cast.
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Would tear down all the people that would follow the Lord Jesus Christ. These are imposters and they have the character of that great imposter, the devil.
Who is the father of the mall? So all that came before the Lord Jesus Christ and all that come after him that purport to be something.
Are not the true shepherd of the sheep. There are those coming that will have great power like the man of sin to whom we have made mention, and they will do wonderful things. The Lord Jesus said, if they say that Christ is here, don't believe them, don't go there. Or if he is there because the signs of Messiahship are not rock in those antichrists. And John tells that many antichrists are in the world.
Peter tells that evil men and seducers shall act worse and worse. That's John. Paul tells Timothy that.
But the word from Peter is that many false teachers are already gone out into the world.
So there are imposters here, and they would desire to distract us from the real shepherd of our soul, shepherd and Bishop of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the company of that special people that God separated unto himself.
There were goals that were his own.
There were those that were his own. Think of Anna, that widow lady of many years, who departed not night nor day from the temple, and Simeon, who, when he saw that babe in his arms, could save the whole. Now now let thy servant depart in peace, For mine eyes have seen the salvation of Jehovah. And so there were those in Israel. And John the Baptist called out that godly Remnant.
That identified with the righteous judgment of God and accepted it for themselves, and were baptized, taking their place in confession of sin, in order to anticipate the coming of this blessed man Who.
We have now the history coming right into the fold and leading his own up.
We have the blessed verse that we have so often quoted, the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst.
It has always been the purposes of God and the purposes of God.
To gather souls to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the 49th chapter of Genesis when Jacob was passing.
Along his blessing to his children when he came to Judah.
The Lord giver shall not depart.
From his sheep.
Do the 40 million Genesis, 4910.
The scepter shall not depart from Judas, nor the Lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
10th verse Deceptor shall not depart out of Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet.
Until Shiloh come, and with him shallow gathering of the people being so, so the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has forever been the object of the Father's heart, and it has always been the purpose of God to gather his own to that blessed person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when the Lord Jesus Christ comes here in our chapter, he comes into the sheep hole and he.
Put it for his own sheep now that carries right on through into the church, period, when these dear Jewish disciples.
Who gathered out of that wicked nation to form that godly remnant to identify with Messiah in this world?
And it goes right on through unto the very end of Judaism, when God pronounced his anathema on that system by the destruction of Jerusalem in 7080 by the wicked man Titus, the Roman emperor. And the last word to those blessed little Jewish believers, and to all of us is Hebrews 1313. Now therefore let us go forth unto him without the camp.
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Reproach for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. He was crucified outside of the city, and now we go forth unto him. So God has always had before him that blessed man the Lord Jesus Christ. Proverbs chapter 8 tells us. I was daily.
His delights I grew up before him as a tender plant that prophetic word gives us. And he was daily his delights and the delights of the Lord Jesus as Son in eternity past, Where were the sons of men? And so we have And then coming here into the fold of Israel, and putting forth his own, and calling them by name, I think, a dear Mary of Magdalene, out of whom?
The Lord Jesus had cast 7 deaths.
The dear woman.
Fully under the power of the Evil One, and foster that we spoke of.
For a heart soul welded to the Lord Jesus Christ that when they lay him in the tomb.
Would almost appear that she spent the night there.
In the company of where she last saw that man, our Lord Jesus Christ, and when he appeared to her so overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, that she did not recognize him, she supposed him to be the gardener. And if thou hast borne him hence, tell him that I may go and take him.
Away. And then he said there.
And she knew it was he, and she recognized that it was the Lord Jesus when he called her by name. Or is it delightful that he has called us by name? Think of Lazarus. What would have happened, beloved, if he had not said Lazarus come forward? We'd have the resurrection right there if he had not called Lazarus by name. And so we have the delightful blessing and privilege of being called by name by that blessed man who knows us all.
His own He had later, even as he knows the problem. So he calls us by name, and he calls his name upon us. And oh, what a weighty responsibility it is for us to bear the name of our Lord Jesus Christ before those that witness our lives in the sea. We are sometimes the only representation of Christ that anybody goes around us will ever see.
Your epistles known and read of all men.
And all how it speaks to my heart. What kind of a letter am I writing to my next door neighbor? And what kind of a letter am I writing to those dear Saints of God with whom I am gathered? Is there that consistency in me of going on quietly in my soul, so that my darling children and my neighbors children and my brother's children will want to follow in my footsteps? All we need to cover and develop that consistency of godly walk so that they are those around us that can see?
The value of the life and communion, and want to take up the path of faith. And I feel in my own soul that those of my dear children that have not taken up the pathophyte, I feel it deeply beloved that had I had that godly consistency, it might have made the pathway of faith a bit more appealing to my dear children. And so he put forth his own, and he crawled somebody before they know his voice.
Have I their beloved things cultivated?
A Listening to the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is where we have this voice. He tells us in the 5th chapter of John that the hours coming whom the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and lay that here shall live. So each one of us who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior has heard His voice saying, Come to me always at labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And we have heard his voice that against life in our soul.
And so thankful for that, but have I developed the habit of listening for the voice of my Lord Jesus Christ as I read His word every day.
This is a little bit of a side issue.
But I'm going to repeat it because of its value. I got this from a calendar leak.
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And especially for you, dear young men and young women, they said. I'm going to give you the simplest and the best way for studying the Bible.
And that is to read everything, Read it prayerfully and meditatively.
To see what is the Lord saying to me today.
And that was suggested to my thought in connection with hearing the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the little piece went on to say, what may appear to a beginner to be a great accumulation of knowledge of the Scriptures is nothing but the day by day building so that the word of God forms your thoughts.
How much are my thoughts formed by the word of God? Because I've been listening to the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, a stranger they will not hear.
Well, beloved, how well we all know.
That there is enough that which will listen to the voice of the stranger.
But the Word of God teaches us.
That that evil principle that lies within my bosom.
That would readily take up a voice of a stranger has been condemned of God. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, has condemned sin in the flesh, so that in me that would listen to the voice of a stranger. And how many times have we had to bow our heads in humiliation and confession of sin because of a book or a magazine?
Or a video or whatever that we have picked up along the way and heard in it the voice of a stranger and found a response in these poor, cold, thankless parts. We have to do that, don't we? Occasionally, but oh how glad we are. But that old principle of rebellion against God and hatred against his Son has been condemned because of the Lord Jesus Christ died to put away sin once.
And he is alive unto God forevermore, so a stranger they will not follow. So may it be our happy portion, dear ones, to be able to shut the gate to each pathway of a strangers leading, and follow with a single eye the Lord Jesus Christ, who has gone before us all the path the Saints are treading, trodden by the Son of God, all the sorrows they are feeling, felt by him along the road.
So beloved, we do not travel an unblazed trail. I think of The Pioneers coming through the country and we went up this Springdale State Park in Indiana with the deer, St. Francisville Saints a couple of times, and the mountains and the trees and the rocks. How did they ever get through the country? I think they had to view their way through with the maps.
But the point is we do not have a few out the way. The way has been made plain.
Because our blessed Savior has gone before, leading the way, and having blazed the trail, we can now follow in His footsteps, and elitist indeed, away from those paths of strangers and right up to the portals of glorious stuff where we shall be with the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity. And we don't know the voice of strangers. We know His voice, and may it be our happy portions of it, to cultivate delight.
And hearing the voice of our precious, precious savior.
That voice that gave us life, and it's that voice that will provide for us.
A guide with certainty right up into his own blessed presence, where he sits at the right hand of God. But he says, I am the door of the sheep, I am the door by me. If any man enter him, he shall be saved. He shall coming in, go in and out. Find me passkey.
He needed me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul the green pastures and still waters of the providing of the Shepherd, and it is that that he desires that you and I should have a little word was mentioned.
Recently as to worship and service.
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I was. I had an opportunity once to go to a jail, to preach.
And I asked the brother if he might go with me. And here is what he said. All of that sort of thing has to be the fruit of community.
That made a profound impression on me. All of that sort of thing has to be the fruit of communion. So here we have the door. And those who go in, they go in and find pasture. They go in and out and find pasture and how necessary it is that we go in in the strength of community.
In order to be able to go out and serve and seek to bring others in to the flock of God, our young brother Gordon Frazier yesterday spoke of in all these things, we are more than conquer.
You know the portion from the end of Romans 8 that he read. And as he spoke for the first time ever in my soul I thought this thought he said. He made the point that it does not say over all these things. We are more than comfortable in these things. We are more than conquerors, because we are in them. In communion with God. Came to my soul, Bless my soul immensely, our dear a brother who has gone ahead of us to the glory once said.
It is better to be in the furnace, as were the Hebrew children, than to be delivered from it.
His point was this deliverance is only power.
In the furnace is community the only thing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego lost in the furnace were the ropes that bound.
They gained the invaluable presence of the Son of God in the furnace of it. So it's better to be an overcomer in all of these things, the tribulation and the and the claim, and the pestilence and the sword, being in them in communion with the Son of God, and therefore more than conquerors over them.
It's better to be in them in community than to have deliverance from them. Oh, how good it is of our God that he gives us the opportunity to go in and out and find pasture. There is food for my soul in this book, beloved.
And I can tell you without any hesitation or embarrassment, it is the only place.
In this world that the Newman will find subsidies.
Feed the flock of God. The only way I can feed the flock of God is to bring the Lord Jesus Christ before them from the pages of this eternal birth. So file and plant in it, and reap the benefit that for your soul and mind by being occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ of the pages of this book, a brother has said.
The more you know about this book, the more you know about Christ. If I had the perception to turn over into some of these difficult portions, even to read, if I had the perception, the spiritual insight, I have no doubt I define the Lord Jesus Christ in those pages. Just a little illustration. It might help. Take the Prince of Judah who was the standard bearer that went out in front of the camp of Judah when the Tabernacle moved.
May ask them Nathan.
Was the Prince of Europe when the Song of Solomon was written.
We've enjoyed that expression many times, the cheapest of 10,000 words missing. So if I had the perception to read this book carefully enough, I would find even in those genealogical repetitions, sometimes gems are blessing for my soul that point to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we need to be going in and out and finding pasture. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his wife for the sheep. Verse 11.
What more could not do than he had done? He did the same thing with Israel.
What could he do that he hadn't done? And so when a man gives his life, he's given everything he can give. And here we have the Good Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, laying down his life for the sheep.
And I want to comment on that in connection with what we have in the.
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81St No man taketh it from thee, no man taketh it from me, but I'll lay it down to myself.
It says in the 12Th chapter of John's Gospel in verse 24, except the corn wheat fall into the ground and die and bite us alone.
The Lord Jesus Christ, that holy man born of a virgin, could have ascended to glory at any moment of his lifetime without dying.
There was nothing in him that excluded him from glory. Who is in the bosom of the Father. John 118.
Is in the bosom. He was here in this world, beloved, but he never left the bosom of the Father. He was always in the affections of the Father while he was here, and he could have arisen and gone right back to glory without dying, except he chose to lay down his life for you and me. I lay it down with myself that I might take it again. This command must have I received, and I'm going to change the reading slightly.
Along with the Father, in those deep eternal councils of grace and blessing, the Godhead devised the scheme so that the Son could come into this world and be a man, as we quoted from the third verse of Romans 8 Like unto sinful flesh, coming as close to you and me.
As is possible to conceive in the likeness of sinful life.
He received the authority for such activity along with the Father in internal counsels of grace within the Godhead.
Like a wonderful thing, this commandment received I alone, this authority along with alone. And so when he came, it was in order that he might have you and me with himself. And so the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Know the past too great, no sacrifice too dear.
Who died?
For that blessed one who desired you and me in company with himself throughout the countless ages of eternity, and the purpose of God, that you and I should be like him.
Necessitated that he lay down his life for the sheep. The only way you and I have ever entered those portals of glory is for the Lord Jesus Christ of God. We were in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Sunday School this morning, and in that book we read at the time of that no man has authority over his own spirit.
That was reasoning under the sun. That was before the revelation of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, because when he came here is a man who had control of his spirit, the time of death.
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. He dismissed his spirit. You know I may not do that, but the Lord Jesus Christ dismiss his spirit to his Father, and that is so precious to me because of it, because it tells me this.
In the 13th chapter of John's Gospel and the beginning of the very first verse, it says having loved his own, he loved them until the end.
That is, through all of those three hours of darkness consciously the Lord Jesus Christ bearing in His own holy body your sins, and mine having loved his own, He loved them right through the whole 3 hours of darkness to the end.
Having realized in the conscious faculty of his intellect, he bore in his own holy body your sins and mine.
Requiring that God forsaken my God, my God, why has God forsaken me?
Then knowing that all was finished, as he said, it is finished Forward into thy hand. I commend my spirit in the 4th chapter. Matthew. We have the Lord Jesus Christ tempted by the devil, and he answered the enemy by the word of God. It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord not thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
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Here in the end.
In absolute confidence in his Father we have him telling you and me the word of God, not only is to live by, is to die by, we can stay with this book 11 Till the moment of the departure of our spirits to be with Christ, but he in full confidence that all is accomplished.
Knowing that he had done the Father's will to say it's finished and in perfect confidence commend his Spirit to God, knowing that he would be received of his Father because he had done his will even today, obedient unto death, was slain that blessed Son of God, and so in laying down his life.
Not the soldiers, not the wicked men with cruel hands that slew him, but he laid down his life.
Well, time is running on. I am the Good Shepherd and no marching and unknown of mine as the Father knows me. That is really the way that Senate should be. I am known of mine as the Father knows me. Isn't that precious? I know my sheep and I know my known of mine is the problem of me. Time is soon at hand. Very soon I feel in my soul, and I'm sure others in this room feel a swing when we shall know.
Even as we are known for we shall see Him face to face. All tenders is removed, never up, another error fall, never a wandering mind anymore. We'll be seeing our Lord Jesus Christ face to face and then we will surely know Him as the Father knows Him.
Well, let me just make a comment or two, as the other people have eyes which are not this full.
We are about to reach the very pinnacle the highest point of revelation hinted at here, made good in the Apostle Pauls ministry. In the second chapter and 3rd chapter of the Epistle to the Atheists, other sheep have out When the Lord Jesus Christ came into that Israelite disposal, he actually said to his disciples.
Go not to any save the lost sheep, lost sheep of the House of Israel.
And the Gentiles? What? He said.
But go to the squash the House of Israel. That was his concern when he came that we know from subsequent revelation.
What we have here?
We have hints of it throughout the Gospels. The Cyrus Venetian woman pleading with the son of David, over whom she had no claims, to whom she had no right that he would, that he would heal her daughter, he said. It is not meat that I should take the children's bread and feed the dogs. This is where we were beloved. We were without God and without Christ in the world having no hope. We were Gentiles.
To whom nothing is said about Messiah. And even through the Old Testament history there is no blessing for the Gentile outside of the company of God's people Israel. They had to be proselyted and brought in and circumcised. God blessing. But here we have other sheep have a oh, how delightful that we are in the thoughts of Christ. Them also must I bring and there should be 11. They shall hear my voice and there should be one fold and one flop.
Of between Jew and Gentile, he had made one new man. We are now no difference. No difference between you and Gentile. There's no difference between barbarian and Cynthia. No difference between male and female. We're all one in Christ. The new man, the body of Christ on earth, the head in heaven, joined together by the Holy Spirit, made one body in Christ and fellow members one of another.
We are members one of another and these this is all suggested in the other Sheep have eyelid. There might be 1 flaw. Oh how faithful to God is the enemy's work that has scattered the point of God again.
Time doesn't commit, but I have just had a wonderful revelation of my own soul. That man in every case of responsibility committed him not only failed as we have been taught, but he failed in the worst way he could possibly fail. And some I committed to your your meditation. Adam could only have failed in one way, and that was disobedience. And that's the worst way he could have failed. And that's the way he did fail Israel.
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One God was the revelation given to them, and the worst way they could fail is to fall into idolatry. And that's what they did.
The Church is 1 body committed to us that blessed truth to hold and to give expression to in the breaking of bread, as we did this morning, meeting together on the ground of one body so as to show the world that the assembly is indeed one. The worst way it could possibly have sinned is to fall into sectarianism. That's what happened, divided into 1003 thousand 4500 sites. But there is one flaw. They're all one. I met a man.
That is now cattle. And when I challenge him about eternity, about his soul, he said. And he was a psychologist, and this set me really on edge immediately. I hear Franks every day for the sunshine.
And for my daughter, and for the wonderful country God has given us to live In my thinking, that man is giving me the typical line of a psychologist. But most of all, he said, I thank him for sending his son.
Be my state.
Along with him, immediately there's a brother in Christ. A fellow member. Isn't that delightful? Well, 11 Shepherd one flock that there might be 1 shepherd in one flock. And therefore does my father love me. And I want to close with that line. But before I do close, I want to read the 5th chapter.
And verse.
One for the Father loveth the son, for the Father loveth the son.
And showed him all things that he himself do.
And will show him greater works than these, that he may Lord the Father, loveth the Son, and show them all they love. But here we have and listen carefully their hearts.
A new Ave. opened into the heart of God for the expression of love to his beloved Son. Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down my life for the sheep, as some come into this world, obedience, dependent, submissive affection, unto his God and his Father, and faithful witness, the Father in love with the Son. But because I lay down my life, a new spring is open.
As it were in the heart of the fall, by which he can express affection.
Or blessed one that has always been the delight of his heart. Yes, the purchase of you and me that opened up that spring of affection between the Father and the song. Therefore, does my Father love me because I lay down my life issue? Well, let's sing together before we go Hymn #40.
No, it's not all racist. Shepherd shedding for us highlights blood in this broken bread. We own these brews for us and put the shade. There is the sun laying down his life, the shepherd laying down his life in the broken and bruised body. The death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hymn #4 speaker.
All the great operation.
Drivers should I blow up my life?
In real world.
All good friends.
The Gospel by Isaiah
Gospel—L. Kenny
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We're here tonight, but a great job to consider good news, good news. The world around us knows very little about good news.
We hear so much of tumult, of wars, rumors of wars.
Violence.
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions.
Tornadoes.
Hurricanes.
Many things that show not only that which is a public scene, but that's what we know of trouble parts, drug abuse, alcohol abuse.
Moral sin and evil, by which this world knows a great deal.
But there is good news tonight. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
But the Word of God tells us, affirms very clearly, that all of sin can come short of the glory of God.
So how wonderful it is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save you. We can say that with assurance as well as me.
We can give thanks and praise to him because he's done it. He's done it all.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sins. Let's sing about that precious blood #31.
#31.
Precious, precious life.
That has breathing. That's all that brightness is made.
Rebecca, pardon. Now we're at property.
Life and more and my friend of deep and start of gold, Jesus Christ shall fly and make everyone.
It's not at all unusual.
And this this week.
Someone that our family knows personally this past week is someone that our family knows personally.
What to be with the Lord Jesus? The world would say that person died.
Yes, her body.
Which we viewed.
A young woman, just over 30, mother of two children.
But as I've already inferred a few new prices of safety, she didn't pass through the valley of death in fear.
She went peacefully because she knew where she was gone.
Because sadness. It tucked up my heart as I viewed the face of one right now in in her childhood, I have known her as one who was a good friend of our family, especially one of our daughters.
But the decision in her life had been finalized.
Values. She was no longer able to make decisions as far as this Earth is concerned.
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Had she not put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ prior to that time, it would have been out into out of the darkness. You see, we don't have a choice beyond the veil of death. We must make that choice now.
God has made a way in his infinite love and grace so that we could be caught into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
You can know what it is to have that sweet to settle feast.
Tonight, as we trade with regard to the Gospel, we prayed for some dear children of God by faith who are ill, one or more of whom they pass into eternity before another year.
What about you? What about you?
The world would say.
Satan would say, whisper to your heart. Not tonight.
There are those who would say why you think serious thoughts all the time. Let's have fun, enjoy the moment.
Live for the day or whatever.
Don't listen. Don't listen to that because God has set a time in which.
Time will run out. We talked about that in Center school a little bit this morning. Time will run out. The sand and the glass will. The last drain will drop for you and for me either. That glorious opportunity, that wonderful occurrence that will take place perhaps yet tonight, I don't know.
In which there will be that call from heaven. The Lord Jesus is going to come again, for we who have been thought of the precious blood that he spilled from here.
He has repeated all so that we might be able to hear that shout. You know, there were occasions recorded in this book where God has spoken.
God has spoken audibly.
But The thing is, not everybody understood what was said.
In the case of the apostle Paul, when the Lord spoke to him, oh, they thought there was a thunderfly.
They may think that when a child comes from the glory from the Lord, Jesus catches away his breath.
But that won't be the case at all. There'd be lots of missing persons.
Missing purpose the persons from this room.
About the world, not the glory. Yes, some who won't be there.
But they won't be missing in the sense that they have any place there. Your place in line is reserved there by the blood of Christ if we put our faith and trust in His finished work. You can do that tonight.
We may pass, as I mentioned before, through the article of death.
We don't.
Young ones are over and it's because of that they think it's very urgent. But we consider seriously what Broad has to say about sin.
And the awful penalty of it.
And what thought has done?
So that we need not bear that penalty.
Most of us didn't know that story very, very well.
Some of the ones who are young may know it very well, but have you said yes to you?
I can recall very well having heard the Gospel many, many times in my childhood, young childhood.
And I remember saying, well, not tonight. I remember thinking that I didn't say it out loud, am I? I remember hearing and trembling and yet saying, I'm not ready yet. Don't really have to do that. All right, What's another way?
I had ideas of my own.
I really fear considering those who are older who have never trusted in Christ, and you know, if I have many ideas at the age of six or seven as to some other way to get to heaven than God's way, what must it be to one who's older?
Man, by his wisdom does not admit to God.
The wiser, again in his words things, the more apt we are to rationalize, to think otherwise, to go some other direction.
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So there comes a question now, while you're young, if you're not young, come now because you can't do it any younger.
Today is the day of salvation. We have no guarantee about tomorrow or even the next breath. We live from breath.
Want to read a little bit? Traps? Just take a little bit of a.
Walk through the Gospel.
The Gospel according to Isaiah.
Some have referred to this as the 5th Gospel. In a sense, we could say it's the first from the standpoint that it was written before the four gospels of the New Testament.
But God.
Chose to give much life to those who who were in this scene as much as 800 years before the Lord Jesus tried in this sin.
The properties there was used for that purpose. So there are many others and we can find, just as have been said so many times, that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
It's a volume that is together.
The two weave together to you who are the Lords. Don't think neglect the reading of the Old Testament, but on the other hand, don't neglect the reading and the study of the New Testament that you might have light as to how it applies. That's how we understand the Gospel, seeing here in the book of Isaiah, and it's here that we have that expression.
Which is repeated in its essence in one of the verses of our opening hymn.
Isaiah 1 verse 18 says come down, let us reason together, saith the Lord.
By your sins be a star that they shall be a flying snow rather be red like Crimson they shall be, says Wolf.
Hotmail.
God in his word has said there is none. Righteous. No, not one.
They have all gone out of the way.
You said in another place, it's not by works of righteousness.
There is nothing that we can do in ourselves. Please God.
I find it amazing that one who could have heard the Word has heard the word of God and even my own heart and I do reflect on that.
But think that they could please God by keeping the law.
No, it it, it isn't that one.
Well, I was just and holy and good. The Lord Jesus confirmed and fulfilled it. That you and our people, Should we do what works? Yes. Should we be good to people? Yes. Should we?
Care about one another? Yes.
But not to get saved.
Because you have trusted in Christ, you're part of the body of Christ and your testimony to Jesus or you're left.
Get online as you save you and can't testify.
Therefore, your work is removing.
There, but filthy rabbits.
No strength, no value.
The return of the saw.
I want to just mention a verse. You need to turn to it. I just don't trust myself in the book of Jeremiah. It's chapter 2, chapter 2, verse 22, and I'll just read it.
Though thou wash thee with nature, and take thee much. So yes, that iniquity is marked before me. Say it, come on.
Scrub yourself as clean as you can.
No, I heard the story once of a man who.
Having his lifetime taken many lives, much much blood.
And I don't know why he was allowed to continue to live, but something happened in his mind as he went along and he tried to do something to get rid of the guilt that he realized he had because of the blood of men that he has shed. So he was constantly washing, constantly washing.
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What a silly thing to do.
Good idea.
But that's a physical. I'm talking about the position.
Pilot tried to cleanse himself from the guilt of.
Letting an innocent man be cruelly taken and crucified.
He said I wash my hands in this matter.
So it works. He couldn't do that. He was guilty. And you're guilty of the blood of Christ in a sense, if you refuse God's offer of mercy.
But you refuse the sacrificial blood of the Lord Jesus to cleanse you. I was in a man's office.
A couple of months ago and in our conversation I found that he had been in a part of the country where missionaries are working.
Ken, his wife, attended what he called the church service there frequently where are different people would preach from Sunday to Sunday.
And he seemed to be receptive. And yet I can tell very quickly in this conversation, even without asking, that he had not personally trusted in Christ as his Savior.
And he said we talked about a certain ones who said, oh, they're always talking about the blood, always talking about the blood. Oh, I don't see why they have to do that. They quickly changed the subject, didn't give me a chance to even say.
He didn't want to talk about it. I think he knew immediately.
But what I wanted to say?
But without shedding the flood is no mission.
No punishment, God said. It's real. We need him to be totally preoccupied with that.
But God has said it.
It's precious like the there's a verse on the back there that I can see easily. You can turn around redeemed with a precious blood of Christ.
Why shouldn't we talk about it?
It was precious to God.
It is registered. It is registered and you.
Is with that, with that that we've been playing. It's not by the mini Washington, It's not by the attempts with one thing or another. And I don't want to take too much time in it, but I do want to read just a few verses in the first chapter of Isaiah and then to get on through just to pick up a burst or two here and there.
Hear the word of the Lord is something that we see here, and I don't want to focus it.
Verse 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord, I am full of?
The burnt offerings of Rams and fat of beasts. And I delight not in the blood of bullets and of lands. For as he goes.
When you come to appear before me, who has required this is your hand or to tread our my quotes? Bring no more being oblation. Just don't bring your good works is what he's saying here.
Incense is an abomination to me. The new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies that cannot away with it, is iniquity. Even the solemn meeting, even those things which are the greatest attempt on your part.
Let's back up and just point out that the sacrifice of.
Animals and the use of the incense was directed of God.
In the Mosaic law, it wasn't the wrong thing to do, but why is it condemned here? It's because the heart wasn't touched. It wasn't just a an outward thing, it was a repetitious thing. There are those who repeat prayers. There are those who profess to be Christians who attach a particular importance to to a string of beads, and they think that prayers are repeated as they go over those.
There are those who attach a prayer to a wheel and they turn it around in their own many times.
That's the kind of thing let's talk to God here. It's vain.
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And others will say, well, I'll do that kind of a foolish thing. I'll, I'll come to meet me. I'll be sure I get the meeting all the time. I'll impress people with that.
Is it good to come to meeting?
But it's no good if all you're doing is just trying to impress somebody here.
Is your heart warm? Are you drawn by the person of the Lord Jesus? Do you realize your need for fellowship or teaching from the Word of God?
That's the reason to come, as the Lord would have us to be together around Himself.
To show off to somebody, No, give Him glory, praise, and so He can bless us, so He can encourage us, so that He can teach us his legs. Can you get that by yourself? Some, some.
But he knew our need to be. So I said don't forget, don't forsake the getting the assembling of yourselves together as a manner of some age. Getting off the subject I want to get back.
So the Gospel according to Isaiah.
On the reader verse, before I get on with that again, this is a little a little walk, a little walk through Isaiah. And along the way there's some special Nuggets we want to take a look at.
A flower here and there.
There are stark reminders of death along the way.
And then at the end of it, we see what God has done. Behold that God has done well.
Verse four of chapter 5 gives us something that I think I ought to just mention. What could I have done more to my vineyard not as likened and is Speaking of it here, the people chosen of him for an earthen testimony, the children of Israel. And he says one more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it. Wherefore when I looked at it, should bring forth grapes.
For wildlife.
Why wild things?
Why sin? Why rebellion?
Why disobedience?
Is what does The heart wasn't touched, wasn't changed.
Oh yes, there were one here and there.
God leaves a remnant, raises me, He does. He leaves a testimony. And there were those when the Lord Jesus came into this earth as a man. There were those who gave glory and praise. The shepherds joined in in the marvel, and they went to see this, this one who was to give peace on their goodwill to men.
Yes, there was an act, dear Anna, who visit herself in the temple, but not in a vain way. She gave glory to God, and she was there when the Lord Jesus was brought in, just a pain, and she gave glory and praise to Him.
Yes, there were a few, but the many joins in that terrible course.
At the end of the path or nearly the end of the path which said crucify, crucify away with you. We will not have this Mandarin over us.
Your hearts the same as that. If you haven't trusted in the Lord Jesus all you say no, no, no, I haven't done that. I don't mean that just because I don't accept that.
Well, that's the way God looks in You have despised God's remedy. You've despised the blood of Christ, the land of God.
Well, let's go on. What about this awful condition? Is there any hope for this awful condition? Let's turn over to Isaiah 28.
Isaiah 28, verse 16.
God will not.
They turned aside from his determination to blast.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God. Verse 16 Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a trade stone, a sure foundation, whoops, a crank stone, a precious cornerstone is your foundation.
00:25:16
He that believeth shall not encase. I'm going to use a little term here, but I think he's meant.
He that has delivered shall not have to flee.
From danger, from judgment.
Let's let's look for just a minute at those verses in first Peter.
That talks about the the Lord Jesus as the stone, because that's the connection that we would make here. That's the connection that's of value here.
We have a you know, there, there is a story in in the word of God, there are many, many stories.
But if we only read them as stories, we missed the point.
It's history. Wonderful history. Secular world says why that's wonderful. We have all of that history.
If you holding me to this history, you have missed the point.
Behold the man.
Christ Jesus came into the world.
Theme from cover to cover, the Lamb of God.
The Son of God, the Son of Man, the man Christ Jesus, the one who was hanged there on the cross for your sins. And Mark didn't stay on the cross. Yes, he was put in the tomb, didn't stay on the tomb.
Raised the third day, now seated at the right hand of the Father, ever living, to make intercession for you and for me.
But that intercession can apply to him. Until you have trusted in Christ, you have to accept God's office.
Oh yes.
Chapter 2.
Of first Peter.
Verse 6.
By far also it is contained in the scripture Behold by landslide, Chief Cornerstone.
Seriously, the connection here, don't you? It's not at all unusual. There are many, many places where Old Testament is referred to and quoted, and a lesson brought from. That's the value here. That is part of the value. But what does it point to? Who does it point to? Behold, I lay in sign a new, a cheap cornerstone elect precious. And he that believe upon him shall not be confounded unto you, therefore which be me?
It was precious.
Or, as another meeting is, is the precious nest is the essence of the precious?
But unto them that we should be disobedient, they don't accept him Is bestowed the stone which the builders disallowed. That was one that mob cried away with him we will not have him to reign over us. The same is made the head of the corner.
And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Even to them which stumble at the word, they disobedient.
Or they've also been. But we who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior can read on down there and find out what He has brought us into. And you can join us if you haven't already trusted in the Lord Jesus.
By simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and then you become a chosen generation of royal priesthood.
And on and on. It's prepared, it's ready. It's yours if you want it. But refuse Christ and his bloodshed on the cross of the cross of Calvin and lose it all.
Judgment is what lies in heaven. Isaiah 32.
And let's let's pause at the second verse of class chapter 32.
A man notice we have the stone. I'm going to go.
Grab a man.
Jabir is a hiding place from the wind and a covered from The Tempest and as rivers of water, in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock where he met.
I crashed up a garden here in Isaiah and I want to just read it because it is so precious as it points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son.
00:30:09
Just we will be going on there from the 32nd chapter, but I want to just read this this marvelous scripture that I know that all of you who have trusted in Christ and it may be always here, but let's revel in this together unto us. Verse six of Chapter 9 unto us a child is born.
Unto us a son is given.
And the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called one.
Counselor, the light of God.
The everlasting Father or father of everlasting age. Another reading, The Prince of Peace.
Such a man is Jesus.
Yes, he was such a man, but let's bear in mind that now, on high in the glory, he still is a man.
Qualified yet? Does he have?
Human flesh? No, he never did.
He has a glorified body now and He wants to give them to you and to me. It's ready for Him.
Because that's the way we will enjoy him without the difficulties that come in because of the sinful flesh or boundary today.
For the glory life, get ahead of myself. Let's go to the 30.
Rather, let's move on to the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. We won't get through and this quick little race through Isaiah unless we keep moving. I'm reminded of something that I've just put in here. I know that some of the kids sometimes don't follow too closely, but I'm reminded is we're taking this hurried trip through the Gospel of Isaiah.
I'm reminded of one time that our family took the trip and that we were really enjoying that trip and we decided along the way that we would go through.
Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone National Park had many, many beauties in it.
You can't believe we got through that from six hours.
We took a lot of pictures, but we sure didn't see much.
We didn't stop and enjoy.
And you know, we can go through this in 45 minutes.
But we will get my.
But I just trust that we can get a few Snapchats here and there. See, we've been able to enjoy some of those snapshots even since years since that trip and say, yeah, that was good. We laughed about it a little bit. Really kind of funny.
It was worthwhile going through, and I hope you can say it was worthwhile going through this incredible garden. Much, much better than Yellowstone or Yosemite or any other beautiful place. I can name a few that I know about that don't mean much to you.
Because we haven't been, but we can take this little trip. And that's that's the beauty of glorifying the one who is the central theme of this whole book and especially here of Isaiah, the Lord Jesus, Isaiah 42.
The first first.
Behold, my servant, who might be uphold, might be left in whom my soul delighted. I put my spirit upon him.
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry nor lift up in our classes. Voice to be heard in the street.
Andrews grieved. Shall he not grave? And the smoking flax will he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment and true truth.
Where we get the enigma?
Sorry kids, that's a big word. We get that which doesn't really match up one to another.
It doesn't seem like it can be that. He can be one who doesn't cry or lift up or or break something that's very feeble or blow out something, a candle that's really not going at all, but it's just smoking.
Makes no waves, and yet what does it say? He brings forth judgment unto truth. You can understand why natural man would be looking for one who was coming in power and glory. But then you see this neat and lonely one.
00:35:15
Jesus of Nazareth is the one who spoken US fields.
He's also the Lord of glory, and he's the one who will reign supreme.
Soon, soon judgment will come on this thing before.
Our Lord Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of both of these. He has already come in as the meek and the lovely one. Don't go to all. Not making words, we have used the time and yet making a mark.
Which is indelible.
And thus we have hope, and seeing that has no hope.
We have peace in the world which is does not have peace.
You say, Oh well, we have peace. I dare you to go down the block and knock on a few doors and ask them, is this a happy home? Is this a home where it's without any anxieties?
We'll find them as one dear brother said, Speaking of a of a larger town than this one. He was talking of Tacoma, WA at that time. He said if you could know all of the sorrow in that city, it'll break your heart. You wouldn't be able to to tolerate.
Now in this world, they don't have peace, they don't have satisfaction. There is no hope.
But here we have behold, my servants, who are not who I hold.
Let's turn to the 43rd chapter.
And that the 25th quiz is.
Here we have a bleak picture, in a way.
Which so far really haven't had any, other than the fact that there is this one who is coming, who was coming at that time. He was to be the judgment. Yes, all He was coming is below his subject 1 But still, what does that do for me? You see that God is talking some more. He says I even I am here the blood about by transgressions for my own sake.
Yeah, just just watch them for my own sake, and will not remember thy sinners.
What is it? What a marvel it is.
Just say to realize that God has said, I will blot out your sin.
We've already talked about how we did it, but let's pause a little bit and consider that as we've gone through this, we suddenly, right here, we have this in the midst of things where if you were to read all of the verses in between, you see that there's so much about judgment. There's so much about sorrow. There's so much about that which God is going to bring in because of sin.
As far as the turn of the flight.
Any robots as he has already. I will not remember since while let's go off the 45th chapter as in verse 22.
God wants us to look to him. He says look at me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am gone and there is none else. The purpose of God in eternity past was to have companionship.
He said it is not good for man's dwell alone at the creation of of.
Of math after it was created and then created a main form. Oh, that's a wonderful picture, but that's what it is in the picture.
And the fact that it's a picture of Christ and the truth. The church is made-up of every blood by soul, every believer. Everyone is trusted in Christ.
It's got purpose to fellowship with.
But he said.
Welcome to me. What do you say? He didn't want the children of Israel sacrifices of animals, thought it created them all. He he could have had those.
Were they to follow up? Yes, they were to follow it. But more than that, he wanted their hearts.
One of the commandments was the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul with all thy mind.
00:40:04
I can't even claim that I've done that.
No, I love them, Yes.
But I'm not sure as I think about what that commandment says, if I even never loved it in that relationship. But thank God he has run me with his words of love.
To him by faith and so.
Yes, there's none else, but let's look at 49th chapter.
How is it done?
Behold, I have driven thee upon the palms of my hands.
Our Lord Jesus.
As those sparks feel in his hands.
The Thomas was reviewed after the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead. Thomas wasn't there when he first revealed himself to the disciples. You remember that. Perhaps some of you may not remember that. I don't want to assume it. One of the disciples, Thomas wasn't there when he he was there a second time. Oh, in the case he said, well, I don't believe what you said about it.
Yes, please, unless I see him and I actually see those stars in his hands and in his soul.
This is a figment of your imagination. Is about what sin?
So when the Lord Jesus revealed himself again to them and they were all together.
The Lord Jesus said.
Put your hands.
Thomas Confession.
I think we'll have a similar experience. Yes, we believe by faith we haven't seen the Lord, but still.
Long wonder.
We'll see what it's just about.
To buy us back from the depths of hell where we deserve to go because of our sin. A grave in the atomic bones in my hands. That's what the Lord Jesus has got fulfilling what this told us right here, Isaiah 50.
And verse 7.
It could be that I should have mentioned this before, but we're just taking a walk along here. But let's back step a little bit when we find here.
But the Lord said this expression which was really characteristic of the Lord Jesus, He said I have set my faces at home.
I bring that in Luke nine we get an expression as it relates to the Lord Jesus going to Jerusalem.
He was on his way to Jerusalem. They would let him go to one of the towns in Samaria because he was headed to Jerusalem.
You know what later.
He knew he was going to die on the cross.
And along the way he was going to suffer at the hands of men whose creature suffer at the hands of those that he loved.
He was going to have to suffer these punishment of God against your sin and mine.
You know, could you shrink from it?
Oh, you can stay in the garden where he prayed. You know the Lord Jesus prayed in the garden before they took him to go through their mock judgment and just crucified. They said that.
Where he said the Lord Jesus said.
Let this cup pass from me talking about the judgment that goes before I really let this cup pass from.
Nevertheless, not that we.
He was perfectly perfect in obedience.
Oh, a savior. I have set my faces afloat. And then he did. His presence, His hands were graven with that which it took her to save, to save me, to save you, 5214.
Cannot put the phone through here without looking at the scene.
It is almost that which we would say is too terrible to look upon.
Yet believers who?
Remember the Lord Jesus, in the circumstance of his death, in a sense looked on this terrible scene.
00:45:00
Travel scene Let's talk to as many of our scientists.
His visit was so hard, milder than any man, and is far more than the sons of men.
The comment has been made by those who have studied the language here and they say that what really is meant is the power of that one, and it's the form of Christ is visage that with which he was recognized was.
Marred beyond recognition as a human being.
He went through that.
Information.
What he loves you, he wants. He died so being you.
And then I just looked over verse five of the next. It's a continuation of the same You were wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes heal.
For him he shall see. I read the latter part of it here. He shall see of the travail of his soul.
I'm not seeing exactly what I want. Verse 11. Verse 11. First part. I thought he saw it. Thank you for bearing with me. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.
God is satisfied with Jesus. I am satisfied as well. Yes, that's true.
God is satisfied with the work of Christ, and Christ is satisfied.
With your name, he paid the price such a lot. Can you refuse him? Can you turn away and say I'm not ready yet?
And you say I'm too young to understand that.
I'm too young to understand that, but I'm not too young to believe.
You, if you can understand what we're talking about about.
So the cry goes out. Let's take a look at the first verse of 55th chapter. Oh everyone that firstly, how about the pathway here we've been redeemed. Oh everyone that thirsty come into the waters and he would have no money. Come, he buy and he come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Have that much of joy, that which is satisfaction, that which refreshes.
It's all there. You take a price, use the phone.
5959 How about for you and for me?
This is why we still are signing forth this wonderful good news. They hold. The Lord's hand is not chosen. The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot be.
He can hear you.
Tonight, he loves to hear.
He wants to hear words such as.
Belongs to your words such as.
Guitar shopping test with thy mouth the Lord Jesus of Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God was raised in from the dead.
You'll be safe, that's what. It's safe, but let the heart man believe it into righteousness.
And with the mouth confessions movement established.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ now or they have the opportunity and then tell us.
No, no, we don't make all the calls, but God makes calls to your and you can make your call to you.
You can know him, who to knows?
We know him, Joyce.
That he has given us all of what's what we reviewed and much more.
Because it's all in place.
Our savior is denizen of Hindi. Oh, we can't hear.
There is that time in which there will be no more opportunities.
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Except Christ, as you say.
That's not the one I hoped for, and I'm not sure that the one I had in my mind is here.
The 67.
#67.
Christ is coming. Are you writing?
Robert may be here now. Morning. There's a day and one day in the sky.
Who wants you, therefore for you.
Lord, welcome.
All the water, it won't have been when you're living there. Live in the beginning of life.
Bless the blessed friends with sorrows, everything and woe, and all where Christ in heaven.
And he comes with greatest heroes.
John 13
Address—E. Tonn
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Greetings began to beloved.
Righteous name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who himself alone is worthy.
Of armed praise and glory.
Who by Manchester, Greece, that suited you and me?
Remembers that force.
And shall join in his praise for all eternity.
Or delightful thought.
That we have been delivered from the authority of darkness, the Kingdom of darkness translated into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.
All for mercy, no love of God that reached us in our deep need, bound us when we were lost, as long as three take us some out of that horrible pit, set our feet upon it off.
The song in her heart and the praise of our God.
Shall we begin with 107?
Oh Jesus, Lord is joined though by path or shame, and woe for us so we can talk all finished. As I work at home, thou reap us now the fruit and spoil. Exhausted by our God, our blessed saves entered into the very arsenal of a strongman.
Defused his.
Arch weapon, and by death destroying him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and set us free so that we now can sing.
Only had once bound before the crown. Glory now.
See all the stroke, Lordy Now we sing Thy please ours eternal songs please word let alone M 107.1 rather than like to begin at 14.
Lazy.
God we save you. Praise God.
Save There are no flies.
Worthy.
And thy name?
Believe me.
We cry a man like cry on flower.
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Like.
Your name?
Love. Love me, love you.
Know what I was far away from?
So yes, don't tell us.
I was at Los Angeles conference in 19 and 69 and 70. That's a long time ago, isn't it?
And our brother, Paul Jabadon.
Only probably the most in the room, not all.
Add the responsibility for the gospel on the evening.
And I can still hear in my soul the echo of his solemn voice. I've had a sense of responsibility on my soul all day.
And I can certainly tell you, beloved, that in exercising my soul before God.
What could I give to my beloved brother, who so kindly take another evening to come and hear the word? What can I give them that would be of eternal value? I recall another dear servant of Christ, who was given the responsibility just for a few minutes.
At a young people saying.
20 minutes, he said. He prepared. His words were something like this, I thought.
What could I speak about in 20 minutes? He said. The thought came to my soul. I'll speak with Christ. That made an indelible impression on my soul and soul. Beloved, tonight I would seek to speak to you of place and to magnify the blessed man that loved you and loved me, gave himself for me die, that you and I might be eternally blessed.
He made members of his body, members one of another, to wait together for his return. So would you please look with me for a few minutes? The 13th of John.
John, Chapter 13.
There are some very broad principles and a few details. As the Lord leads and enables, we would like to speak of the precious Son of God. Eternal song became a man owned as some in manhood owned as some in resurrection, so that that having gone to the cross as a man raised as a man seated at God's right hand.
As a man coming as a man to receive us unto himself, the human manhood with us for all eternity. What a blessed all and our blessed Savior being a man. Jimmy Wigramus, deported to have said that not the Son of God become a man, be ashamed of the one. But how blessed it is that we can be occupied with one like ourselves, who is holy, harmless.
Undefiled separate from Synergy.
And made higher than the heavens. Such is our blessed Savior, as He sits at the right hand of the majesty on heart, the right hand of strength and power, to bring us all the way through this wilderness unto himself. John chapter 13. Please now before the peace of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should be part of this world. And with the Father having loved his own, which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
And suffer being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon son, to betray him. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from cause, and what to God he rises from supper like aside his garments, and took the towel, and girded himself.
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And after that he poured water into a basin, began to wash his disciples feet, and to wipe them to the towel. Or with his girded then cometh he to Simon Peter. And Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered him, said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee on, thou hast no part with me.
Simon Peter said him again.
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands, my head, Jesus Heaven. And he does wash. He's not safe. Wash his feet, but it's clean. Everything and ye are clean but not all. Or he knew he should betray him. Therefore he said, you're not all clean.
So after he had washed their feet and had taken his guns and sat down again, he said to them, Know you what I have done to you? You called me master Lord, and you say, well, so I'm so I am dividend. Your Lord and master have washed your feet. Ye also ought to want one another to deeply give an example. He should do this I have done to you. Very, very. I say to you, the servant is not greater than his Lord Ethan, is he?
That's the cent greater than he that sent him. Did he therefore know these things? Happier he if you do them.
I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. Even eateth bread with me hath lifted up his eel against me. Now I tell you, before it comes fast. Before that, when it comes to fast, you may believe that I am he very, very, I say to you, He that perceiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me. He that receiveth me, receiveth and sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said.
I say to you that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one to one another, doubting of whom he split. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Simon Peter therefore beckoned him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. And then he then lying on Jesus breast, said unto the Lord, Who is it? Jesus entered he It is with whom I shall give a salt, when I have dipped it.
Q Jesus answered, It is to whom I shall give this up when I have dicted, and when he addicted off, he gave it to Judas's character for some assignment.
And after the stop Satan entered into him, then set Jesus unto him that thou doest do quickly and oh man.
At the table new or what entities speak this to it? Or some of them thought because you just had a bag of Jesus said unto him, by those things that were we have need against the feast, but that he should give something to the poor.
And then having received the stop, he.
He then, having received the soft, went immediately out, and it was night. Therefore when he was going out, Jesus said, Now as a Son of man glorified, and God glorified in him, If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straight away glorify him. Look at children. Get a little while on my with you.
And I said unto you, unto the Jews, whether I go, you cannot come. So now I say to you a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Unless you, all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.
Peter said unto him, Lord, whether to go spell. Jesus answered him, Whether I go, thou canst not follow me out, thou shalt follow me afterwards. He just said unto him, Lord, why can't I? Why cannot I call it be? Now I lay down my life as I see Jesus answered him, What? I'll lay down my life for my sake, Very, very last name to thee the **** shall not prove till thou has denied me race.
Believe me, you love him.
There is far more than can be taken up.
And a little while together in this 13th chapter, so I'm going to, with the Lords, help take out a few.
Instances that we have read and seek to give to you what the Lord has made very, very precious to my soul. From this chapter I spoke briefly about the Lord Jesus Christ having loved us until the end. I would just like to add to what I said as to that having loved us through all of the hours of darkness, He still loves us unto him that loveth us we get in the first chapter of the Revelation chapter, verse 5, unto Him that loveth us.
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And hath washed us from our sins in his own blood.
We He loved us until the end, and he loves us in the glory. And so the love of the Lord Jesus Christ is that with which the Apostle John by the Holy Spirit would occupy us at the very outset of this very vital chapter in John's Gospel.
Jesus knowing verse three, that the Father had given all things into his hands.
When the Lord Jesus Christ came into this scene and took his place publicly as a servant of God, servant of Jehovah and his baptism, the Holy Spirit having come upon him in the form of a dove, giving us absolute certainty that the Lord Jesus Christ needed no redemption because of his sinless holy character, he.
Was aware that the Father committed all claims unto his hands.
Now as we read of him in First Peter chapter 3.
Having been exalted angels and authorities and powers.
To him. And so we see the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conscious of all things, having been delivered into his hands and aware.
That all things are now.
Put under him now the book of Hebrews tells us that we do not yet see.
All things put under him, but we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor.
Until his enemies He made their footstool of his feet. Chapter 2, verse nine. So the Lord Jesus Christ passed through this scene in the consciousness that all things were his hands, all things had been committed to him of the Father. And does not that magnify his grace? And going on with those wicked Jews that were rejected and cast him out, going on with this poor man's Judas Iscariot, who was himself an imposter?
And a liar and a thief. And so we see the Lord Jesus Christ, conscious of having received all things from the Father, going on in grace and grace with all of that, because he said he came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And this is just a feeling that I have, but I'll pass it on for your meditation and see what you make of it. But I really feel that even Judas.
Until what we read here, when the enemy entered into him, had he in simple faith embraced the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, he still could have been saving, but that we we don't like to deal. In hypothesis or what we might say in what might have been in Scripture, we know that the Psalmist prophesied that one would betray the Lord because one brother has said there had to be a Judas, but the Judas Iscariot did not have to be healed.
It could have been any impostor, but Judas, having been in company of the disciples, put himself in a situation as being there, unreal, so that he could be chosen to be the one who would betray the Lord Jesus Christ. So he rises and supper and lays aside his garments and took a town.
And in poured water to basically began to wash the disciples feet.
Well, I have felt this in my own soul and I trust that each one of you can relate to this expression. There are two things we may say without controversy about the basin. One is that it is empty and another is that it was clean.
And all beloved, if you or if I are to be you.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. To minister Christ to his Saints, we are going to have to be empty vessels. There is no room in God's house for any man save the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is absolute necessity that holiness becomes the House of God forever and all. How we have to hang our head in shame that we are not as pure as we might be if we walk a little more closely.
00:20:21
With the Lord Jesus Christ, I cannot impress upon my own soul the necessity, as I should, of keeping oneself cure. Paul said to Timothy that he should be an example of the believers in a number of things, one of which was in purity and one of the cleansing elements dear parts of for us is a constant reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ may appear at any moment.
He that hath his hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. If I am conscious of the Lord Jesus Christ momentary return, what is going to be my attitude for all of the defining elements with which I come in contact in this scene? Oh, it's going to be to avoid those so I'll not be found in contact with them when that breasted man appears. I just point up this thought for you for your consideration.
When the wicked servant.
Said in his heart the Lord delayeth his coming.
He began to eat and drink with the drunk and to beat the maid servants and then servants. It is when we lose the expectancy of the Lord Jesus Christ in our soul that he could momentarily return. What happened to the Church of God the arms when they lost the hope of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? The world came in with the flow like a flood.
And settle down in this scene, Pergamos Price wedding once joined the Grace and brought the world in to its bosom. And so when the hope of the return.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the basin gives us a picture of you and me.
If we're going to be used of Christ to minister himself to one another.
We must be careful as to our conduct and be careful as to our doctrine.
And be pleading for himself and be emptied of self. Oh, how much of self we have to judge. And God grant us grace to judge ourselves. I've often said there is a simple formula for going on in peace with my brethren.
Forgive you, brethren, all you can, and judge yourself.
And what we go?
And that's as simple as that. Forgive your brother, judge yourself and walk with God and there will be peace in the assembly. So we have this basin to remind us of the necessity of personal purity and self abnegation. I have a beautiful little article at home that I wish I could hand out to each of you, The title of which is The Moral Security of the Low Place.
Though I've resisted the proud, God sets himself against the proud.
And he giveth grace to the Lord. So if we're going to be used of God and oh how we do covet those better gifts are being used minister Christ to his beloved people. We need to have that personal purity and that emptiness itself. And of course we see the loving care of the Lord Jesus Christ for his own.
He washed his safety.
Now the Lord said to Peter, what I do now you do not know, but you shall know hereafter. We know there are sects, and Christendom is actually still practiced literal foot washing. But obviously what the Lord says to Peter that you don't know what I'm doing now, but you will know. We remember from the 14th chapter of John and the 16th chapter of John where the Spirit of God is.
Announced as coming that said that when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth that tells us There's believers. That the Epistles are the completion of the revelation of God, the Holy Spirit coming and bringing the Church into existence on the day of Pentecost, giving us the apostles and prophets of the New Testament on which the assembly is built.
There from the apostles and prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the cornerstone, we have the complete revelation of God, nothing more to be revealed. And when various sects and various so-called prophets come up with novel ideas as new revelation, we can go to Colossians chapter one and verse 25 and see. For it is given unto me to complete the word of God when the apostle went back to Jerusalem.
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In the second chapter of Galatians he said those that seemed to be somewhat added nothing to me. That is to say that the revelation of the gospel and the Church that the Apostle Paul received had nothing added to it by Peter and James and those who were with the Lord while I was here. And so we can be confident that.
Afterwards means simply when the Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth, we would understand something above the Lord Jesus Christ meant and refreshing the Saints and the souls.
In the washing of the feet. And I'm going to give you what I have felt in my own soul to be the washing of the feet. It's simply this. It is the ministry of Christ in the new place where he is gone.
By one another to one another, the Spirit of God, taking the precious word of God in you, and ministering Christ to my soul to enable me to pass through this seed with my beloved brethren in fellowship and communion with God, the Lord Jesus Christ, said to Peter In this we've noticed in the chapter that.
When Peter.
Was told, If I washed thee not, thou hast no part with me. It means simply this, Beloved, if the defilement of this scene is not removed by the ministry of Christ through the word of God, we cannot have fellowship with Christ.
So if my matchless grace God has brought you and me together in the Assembly of God, so that every joint of supply functions in that assembly for the building of self building up one of another, then we can minister Christ in the new position where he's gone through the precious word of God by the Spirit.
And so, refresh our souls to enable us to walk through this scene. It's more than priesthood, it's more than advocacy. It does not deal with failure. It deals with the removement, removal of the filament from the contracted bill for this scene just by virtue of being in it, the ministry of Christ to take away those things that were hindered communion. So Peter is told that if we do not, if the Lord Jesus doesn't wash the feet, there can be no heart with him, no fellowship.
No communion with Christ if the defilement of the scene is allowed to remain and that defilement is removed through the ministry of Himself from the glory. You see, the whole position of the Lord Jesus Christ in this so-called upper room discourse is that the work is done, he's gone back to the Father and he is now at the right hand of God and ministering to his own from that place. And so when we speak of Himself.
We the Apostle Paul, says that if a man knew Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know be him no more, he is not here. What did they say? The angels when they came to the tomb. Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He's risen, Christ has gone on high. And there it is where we put the Saints in touch with him, and minister himself in that position where he's gone. So we see that.
If we don't have that cleansing from the word of God, minister to one another of Christ where he is.
There is no fellowship with him. Well, the Lord, Peters then said. You know Peter and his impetuosity, his eagerness to have what the Lord could give him, while he says, not my hand, my feet only, but my hands and my head wash me all over when the Lord says no need for that Peter.
They they're washed, need not save. But they have they that are cleansed, need not have save, their feet washed. And that tells us this, beloved.
Turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 6.
They that are washed need not say have their feet washed either. Cleanse chapter 6 verse.
9.
No ye not.
In righteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, be not deceived, and there is the list of all these ungodly people or thieves, nor covenants, and versed in or Bronchards and revelers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the king of the law. Now listen and such.
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Were some of you?
That you're washed.
But you're washed.
You are sanctified that you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our bones. What were we when He picked us up?
Centers of the Gentiles, some extortioners, some blasphemers.
Sound worse, such for some of you. And, beloved, if you think for a moment that your heart and mind is not as capable of any of those sins, we need seriously together into the presence of God as of what we were. But such were some of you. But now are you watching? And so we have been washed. We read in Titus that the operation of God is the.
Washing of regeneration.
And renewal by the Holy Spirit, and so that what is enjoined on us in a practical way from the second verse of Romans chapter 12 phenomenon third verse be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and.
All to memory, a 65 year old memory doesn't work like it once did. I'm sorry chapter 12 and verse 3.
Verse 2. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect by the renewing of your mind. The Holy Spirit is coming into our souls to give us new life, a pure life, a holy life, having therefore received, exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Peter tells us in his first epistle.
And so we have the Lord Jesus Christ telling us he that is washed needeth not saved to wash his feet, but is clean everywhere, and ye are clean.
The Holy Spirit, beginning divine life by the word of God, gives us a divine nature. But ye have the mind of Christ.
But the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians old things were in bad shape at corn, and you know what they are.
I mean denying that the resurrection is passed and drunkenness and immorality and brother, taking brother to law and one saying I'm appalled these are bad things, but what does he say?
And you have a mind of grace.
Colossians tells us that when Christ who is our life, we have the light of Christ. I am crucified with, Christ falls. As to the Galatians, nevertheless I live yet not I, The Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live. This life that you and I now are exhibiting to everyone around us, is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, which we live not.
According to the old man, but in the energy and power of the Newman by the Spirit of God, so that the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, that is, a faith that has the Son of God as its object, enables me to pass this scene now to the honor and glory of God by the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. So you're clean.
Oh, the perfect wisdom and knowledge of God. Proverbs tell us that there is no wisdom or counsel or understanding against the whole.
And here we see the Lord Jesus Christ exhibiting attributes of God's head as a man and say not all clean. Can you look on your fellow man and read the state of his soul?
Oh, there are indications in my life and yours that give our brethren evidence of what we might be. But how perfect was Judas behavior? Why, he deceived every one of them, even as we noticed he was it was thought that he was going to buy something for the knee of the peace or to give something to the poor. Such an imposter with such perfect behavior, such entering in out related to the life of a disciple that even the disciples himself didn't know of whom the Lord Jesus Christ faith when he said one of you as a betrayer.
And so we see attributes of Godhead in this blessed man, because he was gone. The Jews, the Jews and the John fired were ready to kill him, because he made himself equal to God.
00:35:07
In saying that God was his father and that he was the Father's son. So we see the blessed man knowing the very betrayer, you're clean, but not all. So after you'd wash their feet and taking the garments and sit down again.
He said no, you know what I've done. So we have talked about what he did and refreshing them and moving the department from them while they were in his seam.
Now verse 14, because this is where we get a practical application. It says it then your Lord and master. If I then your Lord and master, have watched your people, ye also ought to watch one another sleep.
What was the posture of the Lord Jesus Christ as he engaged in this very mundane operation?
He was on his knees before his disciples.
Having taken off the towel with which he was girded, so I have often said beloved, and I wish I could say I have done it. Never fear to bear yourself in humility before your brother.
That him that is least among you, the servant of all the Gentiles lorded over their wars, it shall not be so with you. Of he that shall be greatest among you shall be servant of all. That is how it is amongst us, brethren. And if I do not have grace from God to humble myself before you, and to walk quietly and softly before you, then I will not be able to serve you in the ministry of the word, if I have not served you.
In humility, submitting ourselves one to another. If our Lord and Master has taken that little place at the feet of his disciples, what in the world should become us as those who seek to serve one another?
I've given you an example that you should do as I have done unto you. This is a delightful blessed privilege to go to your brethren and minister Christ through the word to encourage them in the pathway. What does Paul say of Elissa for us? He awe refresh me. There was a foot washing he off refreshment. May God give the House of omniscience mercy.
Reward at his coming long as he sought him out and the office depression now here too. And I want to make mention of this because those of us that have the public responsibility sometimes often relegate our beloved sisters to a place.
That is beneath the dignity that belongs to them in the assembly.
A widow was not to be put on the assembly roll.
Who had not met certain qualifications, one of which was having watched Saints Feet.
Having refreshed the people of Rome, the ministry of ministry, Christ to one another.
Is not exclusive to granted to men. Turn to the Book of Philippians, chapter 4.
9 have been guilty in my own dear wife and thinking.
Florida of her on occasion, as we all have failed in this respect. The Philippians Chapter 4.
Verse 3.
And I am freak thee also true yoke fellow.
Help those women which labored with me in the gospel.
Women who labored with me in the gospel.
Plymouth also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.
I'm almost ashamed to tell you this. I've heard ministry of this verse.
That referred to this help in the gospel as going with the apostle to do his laundry.
I reject that category.
Philip had, who was an evangelist, had four daughters who brought the same.
And so we have.
00:40:01
Dear sisters, I know of one personally who went for years with messages of God's love every week and gave out hundreds of copies of the messages to dear children, and I have no doubt that we will see many precious souls and glory as a result of that faithful testimony.
Stand on the street by the school day, week after week, give out hundreds of the messages of God's love helping in the gospel.
How, then, is that ministry that sometimes only a beloved sister can give? Think of Lydia, the first convert in Europe. You and I, being blessed, belong to that dear woman, as it were, as our mother, because she is the first convert from the gospel of the grace of God going into Europe, from Europe to Britain to North America.
That's of course, how wonderful. So we do not relegate this ministry of Christ in the position that he has gone.
To those of us who have public responsibility.
9 verse 16.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither is he that is he sent greater than he that sent him, If you know these things, happier than you if you do.
Dear brother, whose name I could call and you would recognize, has preceded us into the faith and preceded us to glory, once said, Your salvation does not depend on your obedience.
But your happiness does.
If you know these things, happy are ye. If you do them, oh, how blessed it is. Isn't it to be occupied in the things that we know to be that which pleases our God and Father, that which pleases the Lord happy? Or the point I wanted to express also is that the servant is not greater than his Lord.
I was walking out of the store one night.
And a man that I didn't know too well. I knew he worked in the store with me.
Said to me, How is the world treating you?
And that's one of those rare occasions that the Lord enabled me to speak faithfully.
And I said with animosity I trust.
What he said. I said, when I seek to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and I fear if the world treats me well, I am not being faithful to him that the world rejected the servant is not greater than his Lord.
We cannot expect.
Good treatment from the world. And I'm sorry to say to you, dear ones, sometimes we do not receive good treatment from our brother, sometimes we make.
A world out of the approval of our brethren, and so we sometimes have to bear.
Lots of things, even from those who are fellow companions.
In this path of suffering here below. But we are in the suffering time. We are not in the reigning time. That's one of the things that the apostle charged the Corinthians.
Uranium is cage. I will let you get rain. You could say, well, he'd be raining too. But this is a suffering time. This is a time when we have to accept the indignities, the injustices, the things that are not right, we suffer them.
And we defer them to that day.
When the Lord Jesus Christ will set it right, He himself did not retaliate. When he suffered, He threatened not, but committed himself to Him, the judges righteously. How long must you endure some of the trials in which you find yourself?
Maybe to a gentleman seat there are little bit of it. Think of this that every trial, every circumstance, that's uncomfortable in this scene for you. Born for his name will receive full recompense in that day. And I think of the judgment seat and that doesn't come out of this, but I just mentioned it in the passing as the captain of our salvation.
Looking over the victorious truth, everybody at that place is a victory. You know none of the wicked will be at the judgment seat of Christ. They appear at the great white throne. And so here is the captain surveying his victorious truths.
00:45:10
Each one getting the battle rhythm on his chest for display in that day when he will ring and set things right in this scene. Are you aware of dear ones that every morning?
Everything that offends shall be removed from the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can, we, we can. We, as He would fall, admonishes. The Thessalonians, prays for them that they should be directed into the patience of the Christ. That is, they should wait in patience and endurance for the setting. Things right here. Behold, as he waits to receive the fruit of the purveyor of his soul, he sees it now and is satisfied. But ah, when he possesses, that's when he will.
Set things right.
Well, we're not above the master, so we don't expect any better treatment than he got. If we do, we'll be disappointed.
And he speaks of Judas not upset about him.
But there is this much I would like to point out about this.
And I think it instructs us in the way that we ourselves should deal with evil. If you read what we did read together, it would appear that it was almost as though the Lord.
Could not bring himself.
To reveal the wickedness of fortunes.
But I get we do get this, that the Lord Jesus couched his words in such a manner as to challenge every heart and conscience. Is it? I, one of you will be pleased on how I feel it in my soul.
No, there is a demon, Nothing of that sort. And how slow we should be. We love it, you and us, in the assembly.
To point out the false.
All we hope have them, and some of them may be really wrong.
But until the wrong becomes wickedness.
We have to bear many things. Love that is divine we get in the 13th and 1St Corinthians endure of all things and parable things. How long must I bear a room that has been done to me?
Well, I think we follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ here. We be very, very slow to divulge anything of bad behavior of our brethren.
Because it appears that it's like having to pull it out of there, so to speak. And so he puts it in language that would challenge your heart and mind.
Now there's another delightful thought that I would like to pass on here before our time is completely gone.
There was 1 leaning on the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And he refers to himself as a disciple that Jesus loved.
If the Lord Jesus touched his words as to Judas in such a manner.
As to challenge the conscience of each one present.
In this expression, the disciple whom Jesus loved.
We see the word of God being couched in terms that each one of us, by faith, can apply it to ourselves. Oh, I'm a disciple that Jesus loved.
It's not merely an example of humility on John's fire. It is that it's nice to see humility in another. But it's the word of God being put into language, beloved, that you and I can apply it to ourselves and make it good to our own soul. I'm a disciple. Everyone that you say that I'm a disciple whom Jesus loved. We were speaking today. Or maybe it was last evening about the love of the Lord Jesus the Sinner, and I made the comment to somebody that I had read before.
Not a Sinner in hell that will be there unloved.
The poor rich young ruler, That's kind of the paradox, isn't poor rich young ruler went away.
That Jesus left while he was departed. He loved him So beloved we can say that we are that disciple or a disciple that Jesus loved. I noticed this in reading another translation of this portion. It said of that disciple leaning on The Who is in the bosom of Jesus. And immediately my mind proves John 118 of the Lord Jesus Christ that says who is in the bosom of the Father.
00:50:13
And so the thought came to me to thrill my soul that we enjoy that same intimate relationship with our blessed Savior that he enjoys with his Father, who is in the bosom of the Father, who is in the bosom of Jesus. All that the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ might be made real in my heart, so that my heart might be attached to Him.
Where we could speak on and on, especially as to the own familiar friend lifting up his heel against him, but I would just like to skip down to the 31St verse after fortune went out and it was met.
Think of it because it was night eternally for that poor man who was an impostor and would betray the Lord Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. But now this is Son of Man glorified.
Now is the Son of Man glorified? That means simply this, beloved.
The only glory of man is obedience to God. And now here is 1 obedient of the death, the glory of that man displayed in his perfect obedience, and going in obedience to death. And that the author, death of the cross now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him every footstep that the Lord Jesus Christ took in his seed.
The story to go.
Every breath he breathed was glory to God, glorified him in death, He glorified him in life.
And so if the Son of man is obedient to death, he is glorified God, Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. And if that's the case, if the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience with glory, thy God in his death as to sins and sin, says in God will strictly glorify him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straight away glorify himself.
Immediately.
After the On the third day, the tomb was opened and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Touch me not, I have not yet ascended into my Father, and your Father, my God and your God. So the Lord Jesus Christ was glorified by God in an added glory to the glory that he had before he came into the scene. He had gone, had glory then. He has now the added glory of a perfect man, having gone in perfect obedience to the death of the cross and been exalted for a work well done. So God the Lord Jesus now has added glory of a Lord man, and he shall be a man for all eternity.
And finally, just remarked as to Peter's failure, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Said that the cop shall not grow unto wowness. Denied me race, but not you have been trouble. Here is Judas Iscariot betraying the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is one of his own, denying that he knew him in the world. He shall have tribulation that nods your heart. Be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. And so we have the delightful privilege of resting solidly in the occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ. In that place that he's gone. We have the precious, priceless privilege.
Of ministering Christ to one another.
So as to enable us to pass through this scene the glory honor of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shall we sing that in 156, I think?
Praise ye the Lord again. Again the Spirit strikes. The Lord touches thee our hearts, in vain we praise. We praise the Lord. Clean every whip, thou saidst it. Lord shall want suspicion. Work thine surely as a faithful word thine. The finished work. 1:56, please.
Appreciate the Lord.
And the Spirit.
Where?
Horses and make me pray.
We pray.
Our hearts in place, me brave.
00:55:06
Rejoicing.
The word.
Now is bringing our joy.
In there.
Seven Pillars
Address—L. Kenny
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.
Could we start a meeting tonight with the same #172?
172 He'll teach us more of live less ways.
Thou holy Lamb of God and fixing rudest in my graves.
As those who did, I love 172 and very simple.
Locate us more.
Than I want to grow.
God and why?
Ray, that was great.
One of the things that.
We noticed from time to time in driving around the countryside here in the Midwest in particular.
But there isn't a whole lot. But not from time to time we see a house which has pillars in front of it, pillars that hold up the porch. Or maybe they're just decorative, as some of us know. There there is. There are kinds of architecture in which the pillars hold up the very building where we live. We don't use pillars for houses very much, but pillars very much are necessary in holding up of of.
Large buildings.
Structures which are made either for manufacturing or for the housing of people, and so forth.
And they have to stand up under some very strong and vigorous stresses.
Not the least of which that could occur is that of an earthquake.
As you know, not too far South from where I live there in Western Washington, they had that severe plate and the San Francisco area, and it proved that some of the newer buildings had certainly been built well to withstand the kind of stresses.
And the forces that were put on those buildings during that time of tremendous shaking.
I wasn't there. I followed with great interest and concern. Prayerful concern is that great event occurred. And of course we were concerned about the souls of those who are suffering, the souls of those who passed from time into eternity. But.
We.
I have experienced a couple of fairly severe earthquakes and I know that terror that can strike the heart when the earth trembles. We think that things are very stable and strong about us and we especially have that expression that is gotten from the Latin I believe, which says Tara perma Terra Firma, which talks about the the firmer. Well, those who have gone through the shaking of the earth in the time of an earthquake does it? It can be very, very non affirmative.
00:05:27
I had no idea that the steel reinforced pantry could move as much as I saw it moving at one occasion several years ago and still stayed again.
I was thankful I did. I was on the 4th store with the building that was built of that kind of material. I don't know if it would last to another one.
We can be thankful for buildings that are built well.
But we can be much more thankful that there is a building of God not made with hands.
That building which Abraham looked forward to that that place where he said, you know, we haven't the builder and makers job and that which we look forward to is our established place in the glory. But you know, by by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus, we know what it is.
To have that sweet and settled place in the Lord's testimony here on earth, not an earthly people, a heavenly people, The earthly people was the Jew, the children of Israel, is what I should say.
We by the grace of God, Gentiles redeemed, by the grace of God, brought into a place of immense blessing and the the.
The Church itself is secure, it is defined of our Lord is is growing out of humanity.
Selecting out a body, a bride for Christ. And that's the switch.
The testimony for heaven. But we're here. We're here to give testimony to God, testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who is the sure foundation.
We get much of that in the Word of God, as to Christ is the one who is the chief cornerstone.
A thing like this are very important as we consider them and especially as we consider the household of faith of which you and I are part. I trust all of us here are just to be sure that we know that there is that one way for us to to be sure of our place in the glory, and that's by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the finished work, His shed blood there at the cross of Calvary and our confession of faith.
We're reminded in scripture of this building. I'm reminded that we have those things which the Lord has given us as solid support, solid support.
And the figure that we get in Scripture about that many times has to do also with pillars. That's why I mentioned and talked a little bit about pillars. Like to refer you to a verse that turns out if you wish. But I'm only going to read the one verse in Proverbs 9:00, which gives us this expression. Wisdom at billing for house. She has few now her seven pillars.
And I submit to you that we're given a furtherance of that picture.
In the two pole setting forth of four Dickson planes referred to as dangerous and sometimes pillars.
Let's refer to Acts 4.
For one verse.
These are familiar scriptures to most of us, but the purpose tonight is just to remind ourselves and also for some who perhaps are younger, to especially just get some of the.
Aspects of the support that the Lord has left you and for me, those things which we might tell pillars of the Church also might just simply say that for Christian living as well. We have two aspects that which has to do with our corporate testimony.
And that which has to do with you and me as individuals.
And we get these an acts to the 4th.
The 4th chapter is the first verse that I would like to just mention and this one we get.
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What is said of the early church, we might say this was said about that which is very earliest of the church. The Spirit of God had just been given. He had come down there at the what is called Pentecost, and we have that record a couple of chapters before this. And now we have this as it relates to how the people went on, how these dear children of God, those who went before us, a long way before us, but we would seek to follow.
In the same fashion.
Verse 42 Acts 4 and they and to go back in the earlier part of it we find that he's with the believers. There were some 3000 added just prior to this this church that to this verse and they continued steadfastly.
In the Apostles, doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread.
And in prayer.
Plus 4 + 4 What I would like to call and select to you are fillers to your and me. The Apostles Doctrine Fellowship. Fellowship was one another. The word fellowship carries with it very closely that idea of communion and it makes us think of what it is to be in communion and agreement with God as to His thoughts regarding the Lord Jesus and our pathway here.
And then breaking breath, their large remembrance. He asked us to remember him, and we would do so, and in prayer.
Then if we turn over to Jude or a thought which has some similarity to it, but it is really different if we look at this this chapter in or that, this little book, this little epistle and.
We find in the latter part these two verses which.
Give us something else as it relates to and what some withdrawal anchors and again I'm going to refer to them as Phillips.
Verse 20 of Jude. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith.
Praying in the Holy Ghost.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.
Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ under eternal life.
Now there is a common link in these for which I'm referring to the killers. In this case, these solid points of of support.
And that's prayer.
Your loves that prayer is mentioned in both of these.
I recognize my own failure to spend as much time as prayer as.
Would really be to our Lords Florida and for my blessing I covered to spend more time.
Because it's of infinite value to spend time communing with our Lord through the the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ and the functioning of the Spirit of God as we do pray.
It's a marvelous length with God Himself. It's not that fearful repetition of things which is empty. It's that of the communion of the heart.
With the follow.
And whether his Son or Lord Jesus.
It is that which links us from which happens. Yes, we have other names, but that's one of the precious words that anyone can engage in. It was said recently. I was listening to a conversation and it was about a a sister in the Lord in her 90s.
She was referred to as a prayer lawyer. You see, prayer is something we can engage in when we can do nothing.
Physical. Physical student.
We are younger.
Need to spend more time. Those who are on in years spend more time. I think the word of God emphasizes it here so that if they were to take these two sections together and we were to consider the fact that we have the apostles doctrine, we have the fellowship, the need for fellowship, the need to be together.
Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as a matter of some image.
Even in the early church there were those who said I don't need to be together with with other Christians. I can be a testimony all by myself to those around and I can commune with the Lord. But he would never have us to stand alone without the the fellowship and the consolation that comes from being with others.
00:15:22
Our I was I had a conversation this past weekend with Earl Ensign, who I think most of you know.
And you possibly know also that he is he and his wife have more recently taken in his father to care for him, his father dysfunctionally blind. And in telling me a little bit about the burden and yet the privilege that they that they have there, they said one of the things that is a little ironic said, you know, for 40 years, I've kind of come and gone as I wish to. I have been my own person and we and my wife and I.
Have not really had to tell anybody where we're going. But now, you know, when we go somewhere we say, well, Dad, we're going to be going to the store for a little while. Or rather didn't tell them the story. Just said we're going out for a little bit and he says where are you going?
And then they say, well, we're going to such and such a place, It's not a secret.
We will be back watching.
You see, he feels a loneliness. He feels what it is to be alone and dependent.
Recognize we have dependence even when we we shouldn't feel our dependence even when we're not alone. But there was a picture to be of one who tells me whoever felt needed. And thank God it is. It is answered in part by our brethren.
Breaking the bread notice and this is interesting, as important as the remembrance of the Lord is, and we sometimes hear that expression that really all of the Lord has asked us to do is to remember Him.
Notice here, it's not the first of either of these passages. It's not the first one that's mentioned.
That doesn't mean it's less important, but the whole idea is they're all important.
We've heard the if you don't get that with seven pillars, as it were, if you had seven pillars holding something up, it wouldn't depend on one not being there. But you've of course heard the analogy of the three legged stool. Some of us have sit on a three legged stool and know what it is to try to stay up. If one's gone, you don't stay up very well.
It's the fact that all are important. Well, in this case.
Important.
They are really those features, those aspects of what the Lord has provided for the for the Church.
For the right of Christ, your honor, for us to go on to continue.
Where and pray. As I said before, it shows up in both and and I the word prayers is used in the one piece and the other one is saying.
And then we have the other aspects which have to do with building up in faith.
We sometimes, sometimes again by reading the word and prayer we can be build up in the state, but here again we need others to do that.
We we need to be careful about others. We've had an emphasis, some of us this past weekend.
On the subject of shepherding, we need to build up and shepherd, and we need to be built up and shepherd in.
Is something that needs to go always and sometimes those who shepherd when they're asked, well, who you go to as well. I go with the law. Well, I trust they also have somebody.
In the flesh, who can join in? Their names relate to the Shepherd.
Oh, keeping in the love of God.
That which would hold us, hold us.
And it's he has.
Opened up, He has displayed, He has shown forth his love to us when we least deserved it. We couldn't deserve it at all.
And it's that divine love which which is not conditional.
We can hardly feel love which is truly unconditional. I'm not saying we can. Some of you are such especially maybe you really can't, but I but I recognize myself that it's very difficult not to have the matter of someones.
00:20:07
My being able to express my affection to them if they don't show something in response.
Options system.
Any process with the courts of love.
And looking for the version of that.
Well, I like to see him that the fact that we have the becoming of our Lord Jesus coming of our Lord Jesus. The whole expression here is looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ and between life. Now this is not at all intended to say that we wait until we pass into eternity either through death or the the rapture in order to get eternal life. No, No 50 doesn't say that, that if we were to take this by itself, it might mean you might think it best.
But if you have your faith and trust in Christ tonight that you already have eternal life, it's not that which will be achieved at the end of the day going into it in in a more real way, in a sense, because we'll pass the time into eternity, but we will no more genuinely have eternal life. But there will be of course that purchase that that gathering to himself of the purchased possession.
It is the work of the efficient, the letter to the Ephesians. We have that expression. It was seated in heaven and Christ.
That's an accomplished, subtle fact.
What we also have the truth that we must go on a day of.
All right, let's go back and examine now these seven pillars just a little bit more. I'd like to have us get a little bit more of an outline of the apostles doctrine. If we turn over to First Timothy three, we get the introduction to it.
First Timothy 3.
And verses 15 and 16.
Verses 15 and 16 of First Timothy 3.
Give us this instruction. It has to do that with the apostle Paul expressing to Timothy, he says, I want you to know how to conduct yourself.
And here's how, if I tear along the thumbnail, how thou art us to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, and without controversy. Great is the mystery of God. Let us God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit. See the vengeance preach unto the Gentiles.
Believe on in the world.
Received up into blood.
These the expressions that we have here are worth meditating upon taking much time. It won't be that isn't my purpose to spend a great deal of time on any one thought here, but to give us the scriptural basis at least a a line of things, realizing that I I may not at all have gotten everything that's here. Don't pretend to have gotten it. But here again, it's that which can be the answer to our hearts sometimes when we struggle.
Along the pathway we meet disappointments, we meet those things which are difficult for us because of physical problems along the way where we find that our brethren disappoint us. We we find that the testings of people around, we find that our own heart failed. We fail in testimony, we failed to to show forth Christ to those who are around, let alone our own family. And we need to have a basis from scripture as to.
What it is that holds us up, I realize that it's finished with the price that holds us up and all, but has given us these aspects to consider and to cause us to to realize that there is the multiplicity, there's the Word of God, there's the fellowship one with another, there is that which is remembrance of the Lord and so on. But let's consider here for just a little bit.
What was the Apostles doctrine? Well, in part at least, it includes these factors, and that is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.
There are many around us who would try to shade that just a little bit, and then all the way over to the point at which they deny that entirely.
00:25:04
I had a person a few years ago try at length to convince me, because he was so convinced in himself that that the Word of God taught that Jesus was.
Didn't exist prior to the time in which he was conceived there in in the Virgin Mary and then formed in the flesh.
The Word of God proved to us, establishes to us that He was from eternity and goes on to eternity. I want to just remind ourselves of those first verses in the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
Because this this chapter is so rich and there's more than I'll ever get to in this, but I want to pick up just this little nugget and to apply it and see that this tells us that really the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal. He was an eternity past. He is and he will be an eternity future. He is today the unchanging and unchangeable one as he did he become flesh. Yes, we say, holy chief. No, this didn't change.
The fact is that He was God, manifest in the flesh, and He is now.
Then seated in the glory, the man in Christ Jesus. And I'm going to get ahead of myself a little bit because I'll touch on this again.
And that is that, that he is at the right hand of the Father.
The other years making a decision for you and me.
That's precious. That's precious, you say. Well, I heard that before I went around, but it's it's just precious to realize that he is the eternal Son of God. It's in him that we live and move and have our being.
Well, there is. I want to read these verses and we'll get one other factor, and that is that He is the creator of God.
John one verse one in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehend Vietnam.
Well, the darkness could not, not, could not perceive God. And yet He moved, He accomplished, and He created. And it's here that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. And there are those who would try to put the article A here in this verse and would say that the Word was a God.
Absolutely not. Never. It is not so. I'm not a linguist, but those who are assured me the fact that the article A did not show up in the languages in which the scriptures will end.
Not possible.
And we get it as many other places. But but he is.
He walked and overwhelming and He is the creator of God. He is the one by whom all was created, as we have here. All things were made by Him and so forth.
And He is indeed the Creator. So we have him as this eternal Son of God. He is the Creator. We do indeed have the fulfillment of the prophecy that we get in Isaiah or out of seven. And I'm just going to last that one verse and then on. So I wouldn't suggest you turn to it, but it's Isaiah 10 and four, seven and 14.
And we have this statement. Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. And if we were to turn the 1St chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we especially get that setting forth of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus.
And the fact that.
They they she verse 21 of that chapter says she shall bring forth the Son and thou shalt call his name of Jesus and he shall save his people from their sins. God with us Savior Jesus and then we have him set forth and truly the the fulfillment of that prophecy. He was virgin born. That's must you know there are some things as we meet other Christians that.
We sometimes can enjoy the fact that we both have been fought with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and we can enjoy some some things of the scripture and we can kind of not get too badly stopped in our conversation and enjoyment of press with them, except for when one of these points is violated.
00:30:09
As it relates to the personal work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must not give ground because each of these passes are vital to Him being the one who Goddess, Goddess and the one that is who we have said.
And if we're a lot later down in John chapter one, we find again the expression of the Lamb of God. You see his eternal Son, He's the creator. He was virgin born.
And he is God's substitute.
God's substitute for the Lamb of God, and as we have in verse.
29.
John saith Jesus thy coming and saith and behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world and then over in 36 we get just that expression. Behold the Lamb of God. Yes, it is worth his vital his person is all consuming and fills the horizon and so here in the second verse it's yes, the verse 29 we do have that he takes away the away the sun of the world, but.
We have just the focus and help place himself build the horizon even as the land of God, as the land of God.
Then.
Recognize the finished work of the Lord genius, including including the shedding of his blood and we have from so many passages of Scripture that that it's the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son that cleanses us from all sin is in first John there, but it's without shedding the blood as we have it in the Hebrews and then elsewhere without shedding a flood is no remission, no permission, and it is the blood of the the Lamb of God that cleanses.
And then we have.
As also vital in terms of the apostles doctrine, the fact that the Lord Jesus was in the grave, He was in the grave for three, three days. And I think it might be worthwhile to turn to Matthew chapter 12 for just a moment and see how the Lord viewed that ahead of time and he spoke of in that chapter 12, verse 41.
To actually.
Exported.
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's valley, so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And then we have our Lord going on in in this particular passage, and we get that that.
Of greater than Jonas is here and then we have that which relates to the king queen of the South. The public's attention is the fact that a greater than those or if you're greater than Solomon, the king of the South came to see Solomon. She came a long ways and some of us sometimes won't go across the street as it relates to something of the Lord Jesus.
But we have.
Assigned an honorary 39th was here to connect it. The Lord Jesus said an evil and adulthous generation seeks after a sign. They wanted something to prove that that they that he was Messiah and there was no sign shall be no sign given it but the sign of the prophet James. And as Jonas was three days and three nights in the in the quail belt, so the Son of man was three days and three nights period.
Then I want to combine. There is a special reason for doing it, except that I really think Scripture makes us think of all three at the same time. And that is the fact that the Lord Jesus is yes, he spent those three days in the grave that he rose from the dead. He has now gone through the glory. He is gratified to agree, and He's coming again.
Let's stay tie together. You see, he couldn't come again if he hadn't risen.
And those, those must be there. So Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6.
I.
00:35:06
Starting at verse five, starting at verse five, we get knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that is, with Christ in the body of sin, that the body of sin might be destroyed.
Let's see everyone back up. I said five and then I went to 2nd.
If we have been planted together in the license of His death, or vector diversified, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, and that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is free from sin. Now if we will be done with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead, that no more death hath no more dominion over him. For that he died. He died in the same once, but in that he live it. He liveth under God. He satisfied God as to question of sin and our guilt.
And he is risen from the grave, and.
Then in first Peter chapter 3.
First Peter, chapter 3.
We have our Lord risen. His resurrection is vital to the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ and that which relates to your salvation and mind. If we if Christ be not raised, we are of all men most miserable, we're reminded.
His resurrection is vital first. Peter 322. We get that next.
Christ, the latter part of 21.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is in the right on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. To Him be all the glory. Now at this time he is not fully glorified, but he will be at this time He is glorified and he is at the right hand of the Father, and He's the One, the living One.
Who is the reminder to the Father that we are in Him, we are in Him?
We've been given not only the adoption of sons, but we're seen as complete in Him. And another aspect of is that Christ is not complete without us.
His love must have an object.
You, each one of us are objects of his love. I want to get on to that. There's something more that I want to get to, but in in Acts chapter one, I won't turn to it. You're familiar with the fact there that the Lord Jesus ascended into the glory in the sight of many many softened all.
And they that the angels who appeared then said, As you've seen him go, so shall he come.
He's going to come back the same way in the thought, that's how long and you're still coming.
Perhaps that's that's our hope, but I want to get on with that in a little bit too.
What we've been talking about these last few minutes, these aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ, his person in his work and are tying together our our grace coming together in him at least expresses much of what we have in the apostles.
OK.
Fellowship, fellowship, there's much in Scripture as it relates to fellowship. And I just want to read two or three of these because they they bring us to realize from the Word of God how important it was to the early church. And in Acts 4, we get that particular aspect brought out. In fourth chapter of of Acts, we get in.
A few verses here, starting the 1St 32.
We don't necessarily have the same state of the church today, but we have we have here the events and the the actions of these who were part of that early church. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.
That's real fellowship, field communion. Neither said any of them that out of the things that he possessed with his own, but they had all things common and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
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The rest has to do with that common condition as to food and vegan and property and all. We know that that is something that is not continued, but it was the perfect communism, if you will, and the only time that it even worked a little bit. But in this scene, that kind of thing cannot work. As the world at large knows today. Those areas where 40 years and more there has been an attempt. Actually, it's more like 60 years in some parts.
To make communism work on the world. It has failed. It has failed miserably. Why? Because of the nature of man, which is not motivated to go beyond what they have to do unless there is reward.
Thank God our reward is tied up in the glory and what we do here should reflect that. We look forward to that.
I'm not at all saying we should be able to make that work, but it is something which, sadly enough, doesn't let's. What we see here is that which has to do with fellowship, and you and I can enjoy fellowship. We can see that the Lord Jesus.
New and set He knew our hearts, he knows your heart and mind and he knows what you need and he knows that we need fellowship. I just want to read chapter 15 of John 15 because it's our Lord Jesus saying henceforth I call you not servants for the servant know if not what is Lord doeth, but I've called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father. I may notice made known to you. The reason for bringing this in is that we have.
A fellowship between the Father and the Son that communion you have common thoughts you have common a commonality and inflation are not able to understand. He said I am the Father alone, and yet they were too. The Godhead is one and yet to our our three and one that's divine. I don't say that we can really understand it. We can see types and pictures of it in nature, but the point is, is divine.
Don't ever expect as one who is a dear brother in the Lord, that you wouldn't know.
Is has expressed it this way, he said. Oh, you say you don't understand these things as to the nature of God.
Do you really think that God could fit in that little box your mind?
If he could, he wouldn't be divulged.
So don't worry that you don't understand the nature of the police.
Draw an eye through Christ himself, see Him with the affection of your heart, and go forward.
There's a person person here. Again, I'm turning to so many. I don't ask you to turn to them because I I recognize that I'm going to be moving from one to another fairly quickly.
First First Corinthians, the 1St chapter verse nine, we get this expression that God is faithful by whom you were piled into the fellowship.
Of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, recognize that his fellowship with Him.
And that fellowship with each other. You can't have true fellowship outside of Christ.
None in the world uses that expression. They say, well, and I'm really startled. Me, I just, I'm really disturbed when a man of the world used that term when he said, well, let's go out to dinner and we'll have a little fellowship together.
In the world's things, you cannot make free fellowship. Yes, the world together has what they consider common thoughts to fellowship, particularly in the sense that we're talking about a few, is not possible unless it be in the sense of fellowship with the savior and fellowship one with another to fellowship includes surprise.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 14.
Verse 14 here we are getting to that which has to do with you and the in a practical sense day-to-day, and that is this is a negative side. It's not the positive. It says being not unequally up together with unbelievers for that fellowship have righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what time for it hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that believeth with an infidels and what agreement had the temple of God with items.
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For ye are the temple of the living God. We're talking about separation.
From the world and his goals, we thought the separate in the sense of being taken out of the world. We have contact with people in the world. So I'm talking about those things which have to do with linking this together, whether it be in the case of marriage or business or other associations which are the world substitute for fellowship. I submit that is something for exercise. Exercise is the heart and consciousness.
In the want to move on to the next aspect. Here we have the apostles doctrine, we have fellowship, we're breaking. We have the Lord Jesus putting the stamp of the seal, his stamp of approval, a seal of approval on the remembrance there in in Luke chapter 22 where our Lord Jesus met with his disciples at that.
Day of the Passover.
And they sure they remember the Passover more, more than that, he said. This dude in remembrance of me.
This year, in remembrance of me, an incredible and wonderful privilege for you and me. It's not as I mentioned earlier, perhaps it isn't one that we put as a a most important. I think we do well to recognize that these are all pillars. I do recognize that it's the correct response of your heart and mind to what the Lord Jesus has asked us to give the 11 and I might say this to one of you who may not have yet answered to the Lord's request.
Why not? Do you love him? Have you trusted him as your savior? Is your response to that of saying yes? I'm so thankful that he died for me.
You're 11 enough to imagine.
So that he would have us to remember him, he said until I until I come.
Don't have that opportunity once years ago, and the glory won't be remembrance because we'll have this person won't be in need to remember. In the same sense. We will not forget to remember that either, nor will we fail to do it. And we have much to encourage us in that regard. We'll find, as was mentioned by those two, going to Emmaus.
They were on the road to Emmaus and the Lord Jesus went and walked with them and after a little bit of their having the two telling the Lord Jesus what happened because he asked though he knew and was there, they said.
He then opened the Scriptures to them. He spoke of himself starting at Moses and all the prophets and all the way through. He's there. And then as they told about this later, you remember he was made known to them at the time when he booked her.
Besides that, that's what I think that's the bottom right. And they said they, they in telling the disciples when they got back to Jerusalem, they said how he was made known to them, a person of prayer. We see our Lord Jesus Christ in, in a way that we can never see him in any other way. The gospel is wonderful. I'm so thankful because we wouldn't have any claim without the gospel. But once we're brought in, then we, we have many, many privileges as Christians, as believers, and we have much to encourage us along the way.
But I have to admit, there's nothing really any greater than.
That which causes our hearts to flow out and love and please and worship as we remember Him.
I better move on times. There's so much more that we're familiar with these scriptures. Prayer.
Where James 5 and verse 16 is the one which speaks to his exactly the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man of anything much. There are those things which are groundings which cannot be uttered, those things which are which the Spirit of God takes and applies the way they ought to be. There are causes, there are situations we don't know how to pray about. There are those that that are lost, that we long to be saved. We want them to be saved. We can pray about that.
But there are those that have their health has failed, they have are in tremendous suffering. Yes, we want to have their suffering eased. We would like to have them healed, but we really don't know what the Lord's mind is. We ask. We ask for this ask this will be done.
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A prayer. Effectual, fervent prayer is specific.
It is personal.
And it is that which is a communication of what our hearts need is to our Lord.
And we should do it much. And it would Well, I worked at times in my life when I thought, well, I can run out of things to pray about.
I think it's not possible to run out of things. The Apostle Paul in talking about prayer, he said the prayer not ceasing, he said, but I have a job to do. Yes, even while you're on the tractor you can pray. But I'm at the job at the office. I can pray. Do I have? Am I able to get on my knees and close my eyes? No. But God hears me. He hears you when you express the need of the heart before him in the name of Christ.
Use it. He values it, he values it.
Sometimes I wonder why.
Because I know He's sovereign, but He values hearing you pray and me because it demonstrates our dependence and realization that He is able. He is the one who is able.
Building up in faith, I just want to mention the chapter that I referred to and think of as the the chapter which is the Hall of Fame of the Facebook Hebrews Chapter 11. And the first verse of that is the one which talks about faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
You and I need to be building each other up in the faith. We need to be encouraging each other.
As we are together in fellowship, not just having a nice time together, but those things which are are building, encouraging and perhaps challenging each other with what the word of God has to say. These are things that we need.
I want to move on.
Because I want to read several verses about love.
In love.
In the love of God.
Is the 7th of these, or rather it's the sixth of these separate subjects that are are given to us. The pillars I want to read and hear again. Don't bother to turn to it, but it's in.
Jeremiah 31 and three, we get this expression. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. That's from God himself. I have loved thee with an everlasting man.
Ponder that bit deeper body.
Their volumes in it.
I've gone in with loving time, therefore with loving parents and I've drawn this. We have that marvelous verse, John Q16 that talks about the love of God. And then if we go on to the first epistle of John, we get so much there and I just want to leave two or three verses that are.
Are so pungent with with meaning and is so. And I don't mean that in the negative sense, I mean strong. Strong in the sense.
And and marvelous verse eight I'm going to read in first John chapter four. He that loveth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is not if if you exclude love by feelings of of bitterness or hate or of dislike for another human being.
Love is that the the communion with God is is effective and it's not demonstrating the nature of God. The essential nature of God is love, just the kind of thing on a verse three of chapter 3 verse one says, and it's as though the Spirit of God says, I really want you to look at this. I really want you to get hold of it. He says, behold what manner of love but father hath bestowed upon us.
That we should be called the sons of God.
Therefore, the world not it, not us, not because it knew him not. And then to read a few more verses over in the 4th chapter of the same official going on from verse nine, God is love. Picking up verse eight. If this was manifested, the love of God toward us because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that He might live, we might live through him hearing His love, not that we left off.
But that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved of God, so loved us.
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Also, we are also to love one.
Was called to affection to each life, not unreal.
Come out of the scene got into at anytime. If we love one another, God will attend us and his love is perfected in US, hereby knowing that we dwell in him and in us because he had given us pleasant spirit and and so on. There's more, but I'll stop with that because I want to look just a moment.
And what I think to be the thought of the last point, which is looking for the mercy.
To how to get the the entire.
Expression Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. I think that's our one to return.
In the first First Thessalonians chapter four we get the.
Literal statement of the rapture, the coming of our Lord Jesus to catch away his Saints and.
He is at the end of that, he says. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. It's the heart of his coming. It gladdens our heart that drives away sadness and bids cares to part.
You can't end the contemplation of this kind of a subject without pondering that and considering.
I'd like to close with just a little bit of a quote.
And only a part of this really fits.
What it has to do with we who are, by the grace of God, gathered to the name of our Lord Jesus.
We need to be reminded of just what we have been considering.
This quote is from one of the letters, and I don't quote from him very often because I don't think he would like for himself to be quoted very often.
He wished that our hearts return to Christ.
The gospel we may and must rejoice in.
But it only makes the testimony of brethren outside the camp more necessary than ever.
But it must be real.
Artist in love, you know. Must have a real test.
For the world about unto other Christians.
Not hiding in the corner.
So not blowing the trumpet, and this is not part of the quote. Not blowing the trumpet from the corner either.
It must be real.
May they indeed be waiting for the Lord.
And as men that wait for the Lord.
His love is not wanting, it isn't lacking. If you are waiting, If we're seen as those who are waiting for our Lord, His love is going to be manifest.
May we, in first love to him, be waiting for him.
He cannot do so much.
And we should be found watching as much as we can.
Be ready, but in the meantime.
He's left us here to show for the clouds.
The apostles doctrine which we get in the word of God, especially in the epistles, the fellowship on with another for breaking your bread prayers, building up one another in faith, keeping in the love of God personally and with each other as I'm looking for our Lord Jesus Christ soon to come. You're a little violent. He's a shout out will come and will not be.
Psalm 86
Address—J. Kilcup
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.
Singing #159.
All things that God or man could wish.
And Jesus richly met me not to our eyes is like so dear, no earthly pride, so sweet.
For many, his name still cheer our hearts and shed his fragrance. There, the sweetest bomb of every womb, a cure of every care #159 my brother Lee started.
All things that are.
Translated.
Like.
That's the.
Last evening.
Pick up a Personality of Scripture of a man by any requirement of us, you remember who.
Had been won by the great race of God.
And he has given up everything for because of this great grace that I've gotten hold of him.
I'd like to take out tonight another man.
Who might illustrate to us?
How possibly we?
Are.
Thought of God to enjoy this great grace.
Maybe the different exercises and the different feelings that we go through.
Believers, I think this could be illustrated in a 86 song. Please return to the 86 of.
Of the song.
This is a prayer of David.
To yearn so mightily to be what God wanted him to be, and to have God be the preeminence in his life.
And he begins by.
One says, Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me, for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am holy. All thou art thou my God, save thy servant who trusteth in thee.
Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I cry unto thee, I rejoice or rejoice the soul of thy servant, For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all those who call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplication.
In the day of my travel I will call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me among the gods. There is none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any worse like unto thy works.
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name, for thou art great and doest wondrous things, for thou art God alone.
Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth. Unite my heart to fear thy name.
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the Lord's head.
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Oh God, the progression against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before him.
But thou.
Oh Lord our God, full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and funniest in mercy and truth.
Oh turn unto me, and have mercy upon me. Give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of an enemy.
Show me a token for good that they who hate me may see it and be ashamed because now Lord has helped me and comforted me.
The first verse of the song is the foundation for everything.
In our life to be.
Experience more of the grace of God, and that is.
He said I am poor and easy.
At the end of self I realized that in myself I cannot go on, I can't make it.
And if you will hold this place and turn over to Matthew 5.
I just like to read a verse or two there to illustrate further what we have here.
In the 5th chapter of Matthew and the.
Third verse.
He said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is a Kingdom of heaven.
The first beatitude here, this is the first one lies at the basis of all the others.
And surely nothing can be so necessary to one who has to do with God as poverty of spirit.
When all is done from me, when all gone from us, When we are nothing at all.
Then all comes to us from God.
First, the attitude here is being emptied of self. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
He's saying is the I suppose the the attitude or the Spirit here is I want nothing now but Christ.
Really in order to as far as a condition of soul has to do with blessing.
As we experience the poverty of spirit, then, he says.
There's the Kingdom of of heaven. And so this word, bless it by the way, is a very powerful word to them who were listening to Jesus at the time. It meant divine joy and perfect happiness. Blessing, that's what it meant to them and said, if you wanted to know the blessedness of the Kingdom.
You be poor in spirit.
Nothing of self, of Christ. And so David, turning back to our chapter, David had a sense of this.
The need of emptying himself.
And so he said, I am poor and needy as I believe we are speaking the other night.
The great fatal.
Attitude that creeps in our souls upon our souls is.
When we become independent, that is we we lack the sense of need.
You remember we, I think, drew attention to the latest scenes. Who said they had needed nothing? They had needed nothing.
And so they were neither hot nor cold, and the Lord said he'd spewed him out of his mouth.
They had sunk into an attitude independent skirt.
They no longer felt a need of looking to God, and you and I have progressed in our spiritual life only as we experience the poverty of soul. That we need more. We need more of the book, we need more of Christ, we need more fellowship. We yearn that there's a spiritual hunger. And later on in the 5th chapter of Matthew, the Lord Jesus said blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
For they shall be filled. And so as we feel the need, as we the spirit of God, would create that hunger and thirst far beyond missing a meal or missing getting a little thirsty because of a dry day. But it's a soul hunger that cannot be satisfied. It will not be satisfied but for more price.
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Bless themselves so verse two, he says. Preserve my soul, for I am holy. Oh thou, my Lord, save thy servant who trusted in thee.
He knew that there was one to whom he was committed, who would preserve him, For he hadn't called him out as his own. He said, I am holy, I belong. I've been separated to thee.
And thou art my God, not a personal relationship he had with God.
And of course, she had nothing of the revelation that you and I have.
As to the price.
But I love his personal relationship.
I think three or four times over in this chapter he refers to himself as thy circuit, a serpent.
You know that's a.
That's an oddly expression.
In the first chapter of Joshua, when Joshua was given his marching orders, Moses had died.
Five times over. In that short chapter, the Lord refers to Joshua as the servant the servant.
He was, as it were, telling Joshua what I'm looking for is someone who has the character of a servant.
Someone who is like Clay, whom I can mold and conform to what I want him to be.
And that's what I think is up in the heart of every true believer to be a servant of the Lord Jesus.
We don't mind being.
Called a servant, of course, until people start treating this like 1.
Maybe we don't like it so well, but I think the features and the characteristics of a servant, the true servant.
Serves despite the circumstances or despite the response of those who may be served because it's done in the spirit of Christ.
But he said, be merciful unto me, oh Lord, for I cry unto thee daily. He felt his his daily need of looking to the Lord. There was no hit or miss, a sense of need in his soul. It was a constant burning issue that he really looked to the Lord daily. And you know, we could illustrate turning to a couple in scripture, Samson for one, Joseph for another.
Who were constantly it says daily being tried, the enemy approached a member in Joseph case the conifers wife is trying to seduce him daily and this is going on in the lives of believers constantly a daily seduction to we at Luneston away wieners away from a walk of Christ.
So he had a daily look to the Lord Joseph to preserve him from this entrapment.
And God answered. His is pleased. I remember he fled. We all need a good supply of fleas. When trials come, temptations come, the seduction comes, we flee. We don't sit around or stand around and talk. And I do maybe think we can handle the situation.
And.
My experience with many and constantly many who have fallen into the moral.
Soon, for one thing, almost inevitably, they say the same thing. I thought I could handle the situation. I thought I could handle it and it could not. You cannot.
You need you need to look to the mark daily to preserve it. In the case of Samson, you remember he by Delilah. He was two seduced daily and finally he caved in.
So Samson was carried away with a lust of his heart. He was not a dependent man. He was a lustful man of characterizing through his whole history.
So we have this be the cry of our soul to daily be cast upon the Lord to keep us, and to use us for his glory. Notice in verse four he said, Rejoice the soul of my servant, for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
We said make my heart glad.
And he's saying, as it were, to him alone. I love for my happiness, for my joy.
Oftentimes we looked in wrong places for our joy. We look within and we find we can't be too happy about what we see. But we look to to him who can fill us full of joy, the Scripture says.
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The joy of the Lord is our strength.
And as we as we enjoy him, there is joy given to us and we go on. You remember in the book of Nehemiah, it's just there when they were on the broad wall, there was a singing of the and the trumpets blowing and there was praise going up to God on the broad wall. And that's when they were there filled with joy and the sound was heard afar off. What I'm trying to say is that it seems that the one of the aspects of joy in our lives is that of separation.
When we're on the wall of separation, we'll enjoy, I believe what it means, the joy of alarm.
Cannot, by mixing with this poor world and seeking to satisfy our hearts here and expect to know the joy of the Lord. And there's another aspect of joy when you turn to the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy.
A very vital principle.
Deuteronomy 28th and verse 47.
Because.
Thou service not the Lord thy God with joyfulness.
For the ones of all things, therefore.
Shell style serves on enemies whom the Lord shall send against it.
I just love John like you to know here that.
I believe here we have the deep significance of joy in the Christian life. It's hardly, I believe, understood.
Because they they were going through their rituals, because they were doing what they maybe Santa should do, but they lacked that spirit of joy.
And so he brought judgment on it. He.
Chastisement. It's a lesson to you and me. Blow it that as we go through our Christian life, I think we make this application that it had better be in the spirit of joy.
Because joy is the evidence of the condition of the abiding personal presence of the Lord Jesus.
And.
It certainly is proof that God does indeed satisfy.
And that for living and living and serving him is a delight to the soul that ought to be manifested in your life and mine.
I believe that we can only effectually serve him as we enjoy him.
That's only as we enjoy.
And I believe the oil of joy.
As we experience that obedience and worship and service.
All run very smoothly.
In the context of the Assembly, when in when that spirit of joy is manifested in the hearts of His people? Well, may there be more of this in our lives. There is nothing about us, and there's nothing within us that will fill our hearts with joy.
They have to look to Christ and Him alone. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Well, that's this whole subject in itself, the subject of joy. I remember one time speaking on that My brother came up the next day and he had a Pino. I don't know how many times you would appreciate this. He had a print out of several pages of scriptures in of containing the word joy. The book is full of joy.
And he shared that with me.
And so that indeed, as we understand what the price has done for us, and what are you doing for us? And what are you going to do with us, boy? Why, our hearts have to be filled with joy. There's only one thing that can spoil that and it's a 3 letter word. And that's sin.
Single veil our joy.
And so if they seek by the grace of God, to keep.
Accounts with him. I believe we have a more of a joyful spirit, and you know, in a world that we're living in, is full of so much trouble, so much evil, or so much sorrow, and you see a life going on joyfully.
That is one of the strongest testimonies as to the reality of Christ and the soul that you will ever see.
00:20:04
As I believe, Why it says that in Psalms 40 that he has put a new song in our mouth. He even prays unto our God. And then he shall see it and fear the Lord and trust in him. And he shall see the song of our whole, of our heart, of our souls, not of our lips, but the thought is the song of our hearts.
And so as we feast on Christ, as we enjoy Christ, as we depend on him live a life of dependence. I think that will become the the warp and wolf of our lives, the joy of the Lord. Now you notice in verse 5. For thou, Lord art good and ready to forgive, and plenty is to mercy unto all those who call upon day. You notice here, Lord are good.
Good at giving and good at forgiving.
F sorry, why?
David knew that how good God was and how ready he wants to forgive and how merciful he was. You know, this is a spirit declared ready to forgive. This is something that you know is divine in the 17th chapter of Luke when.
They asked the Lord how many times to forgive and he says 7 * a day. If they come and repent he says well you forgive seven times a day. They said next verse says Lord increase our faith.
In other words, if I have repeated forgiveness was too much for them and they realized they needed more faith.
And that's something that's united. We need that spirit that in the Ephesians 4 speaks about that be kind, tender, heart, forgiving toward one another even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you. That's our standard. Think of the tenderness, the tenderness and the love of God in presenting Christ to our hearts. Got to forgive, he said. Quick to forgive, quick to forgive. And you know, plenteous and mercy upon all those that qualify on day. He knew the forgiveness, the merciful heart of God.
And you know those around us not to see that on you and me too, in the 12Th chapter of Romans, that speaks there of some gifts and possibly the greatest gift.
Possibly could be where it says this.
Show mercy with cheerfulness.
Sometimes they feel, well, I'll show mercy. But we do it budgeting. They don't really deserve it, but I'm going to be.
Large hearted and controlled mercy, but the scripture says the gift.
Are showing mercy with cheerfulness. Is upon.
That's something to think about.
Now you know, in verse six, give dear O Lord, unto my prayer I attended, and attend to the voice of my supplications.
And so he keeps seems to underline his conscious sense of conscious need here.
Attend to the voice of my supplication. He was pleading to God for these things, he said. In the day of my trouble, I will call upon thee, for thou will answer me.
You see my need in his answer. Make him alone. I believe glorious, and destroys sets aside all other trusts.
He said, My truck, they have my trouble. I've caught one, for thou will answer what confidence this man had in his daughter in my God.
You know, confidence is a very tender plant and it's something that is developed very slow.
But over a period of time David had learned he could have full confidence in his God. He said, Among the gods there is none like unto thee, oh Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works. None could compare with the person in the work of his God.
You guys compares them with the the gods of this life others have. We don't know of course as he did, how others are heathens about them would worship their gods. But another thought is 2 gods. Someone has said that whatever has my attention is my God.
Whatever I have my attention, whatever I'm concentrating on is my God.
That's a thought too.
So we may say, well, I.
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I don't know.
Above worshiping an inanimate object.
But you may be worshipping concentrating on something else.
Might be our home, it might be our family, it might be my bank account, it could be a number of things.
There are my God.
So he he would have the 1St place. As he's I think is emphasizing here there's none above him. There ought to be nothing above the person of Christ and his worth.
He goes on a safer hour grace and do his wondrous things. Thou art God alone.
Is he? He was well aware of what God was doing and how supreme he was. Now verse 11 is a key verse in this chapter.
I'd like you to notice it very, very closely, because it is everything.
He said, Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth.
Unite my heart to fear thy name, first of all, he said. I'm teachable.
Teach me that way. Not only do I want to teach it, but I want to walk in it.
You know, there's nothing like having a teachable spirit.
You know.
As childlike as child, we come to a meeting and we hear somebody who start to speak. Oh, I've heard that before.
Oh, I've heard that many times. I've read that chapter.
A lot of times that's a death knell to being taught. I don't think there is any portion of the word of God that we have learned all about it.
And we never know what God is going to have for us. Some morsel, some nugget that we need.
In our particular state of soul. And so he has this beautiful, teachable spirit.
And I have that. Are we teachable? I believe that one of the the essence of a teachable spirit could have to come first of all from what the words of Job when he said God maketh my heart soft.
When our hearts are soft, then that's open to those seeds of truth, of wisdom, of the Word of God that he has for us. But we must have a sophomore. And I, beloved, I believe the soft heart comes only from being very near to the person of Christ.
Dear old brother, now with the Lord used to say, nearness of Christ makes me sweet.
Well, nearness to Christ. They make us sweet Christ, but it also, I believe, makes us teachable.
It makes us teachers, and so we know.
Because the truth, you say, as I walk in, the truth is going to manifest.
A personal promise that would be I'll be being conformed to his, to the Lord Jesus. And that is the the bottom line in all that we do and all that we learn as far as truth goes.
And that it conformed me to the Lord Jesus. Another aspect of truth is David said in another place. He said, Order my steps in thy word, I'll get this, and not let any iniquity have dominion over me.
Under 19 Psalm and above the third verse, it's the word of God that is a bulwark against iniquity, sin in our lives.
Again, we say that anything, anyone that keeps us away from this book is our enemy.
Is our enemy.
So we may unite be so jealous.
Of our time in this book.
That we will.
Have it the priority of our lives. Now the second part of this verse, he says, Unite my heart to fear thy name. That is this, he says. Give me an undivided heart. Reunite my heart. Give me an undivided heart.
In Hosea, about the 10th chapter in the second verse.
The prophet is saying because your heart is divided.
You'll find many faults among you.
Because your heart is decided. You know how good to have a united heart.
Give me an undivided heart.
Well, that's a heart. That's again, that's the molded and conformed by the grace of God. Well, maybe this be a prayer to each of our hearts that are not being divided that would be totally committed to.
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The Lord Jesus, we all fail. The one that's standing here knows more a failure than you do.
But we do know that he is quick to forgive.
We have a lot of fresh starts.
And we can come to him in our need, and he will answer.
He's a gracious God. He doesn't see Jim Choker come again and say Gabriel take a club to this man. This is the 20th time he's been here on the same problem. He confessed this 50 times last week and 100 times a week previously. Deal with him.
He doesn't respond that way to us at all.
His lover love toward us never changes. Never.
And once we have not anything that can between us, we can compress it and get back into fellowship.
May we accomplish this?
Undivided heart.
Now in verse 12, I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify that name forever more.
When my heart is one, I will give him all that's a thought of verse 12.
Now that I have an undivided heart, I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart.
Nephew.
When he has it all.
Undivided parts. Then there will be established notice, not a part of well. First I will glorify the name for every more, every this eternal gratitude of our souls.
For this undivided.
Something.
I would hope that I'm reading this scripture tonight, that this one as well as you sitting there.
Would be given a divine discontent.
Of your knowledge and understanding.
The Lord Jesus and His Word.
We did create an appetite in our souls. Again, I say that divine appetite, divine discontent. So no more Christianity is a paradox. The more we know of Christ, the more we realize how little we do know. The nearer we walk with Him when, the more we realize how far from Him we are.
But you know the.
Nothing left, so for nothing less.
In love with Christ and I believe the thought.
In the 8th chapter of Romans, when it speaks there of power souls, we've grown within ourselves for the redemption of our body. We groan not only to be released from this this curation world, it is indeed growing, but to be in the presence of our real Jesus.
That's the only ultimate satisfaction of the soul.
That is hungry and thirsty after God, that is undivided, and his heart is full of praise for him. He says in verse 13. For great is Thy mercy toward me, And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell or fuel. He realized, you see that the the depth of the mercy that he had been brought into. And again I would. I like to refer to that first of.
But rooms 12/1.
Picture of the mercies, he said. I beseech you by the mercies of God, that you the OfferUp your bodies as a living sacrifice and the mercies of God, he says. There is the means by which you're going to offer up your body as you contemplate the mercies of God.
Have you ever done that? Have you ever sat down on a blank page to just list it all the mercies of God?
Is justification the hope? The promises?
You can go on and on. And it's those promises that have power over our wills, you see, so that we can say to the Lord as a word. Here's my boss.
Such as theirs?
And that's the only instrument we have that he wants is our bodies, because it has that. He has it all.
Well, so he had a great understanding of the mercies of God and power over him. Now he goes, he takes up another aspect here.
In verse 14 he said, Oh God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before them. You see, what are you saying? I believe here is that they would not have persecuted him. They would have not tried to molest him, the servant of God. If they had cared one way for the master, if they had known God, they would not have as.
00:35:26
Tried to.
Attack him or to destroy him. He said that a lot of part of that fourteenth verse, they have not set the before and they were ignorant as well. They don't fear God and are not afraid to commit cruel and violent acts against those who do fear God.
And that is happening in our world, and it may happen even more so before the Church is taken out of this world.
I don't know how much you may know about the New Age movement, but.
It is sweeping worldwide and is a tremendously powerful force.
One of its leaders has said this.
We will tolerate Christianity or we will tolerate any religion.
As long as they do not claim a special revelation.
And if they claim a special revelation, they will be a hindrance to their health and prosperity of this world.
Now this comes from not one, but I know at least one other two leaders of the of the New Age movement who feel that if there's any religion that claims a special revelation, it will be the hindrance to peace, prosperity and health of this world.
You know of any religion so-called and has a claim to the special revelation. There's about 1:00.
With Shannon.
In the eyes of these people, and they are well meaning people, they feel that Christianity is the biggest problem on earth today for a one world government or a world of peace.
Because we plan to have.
Special regulation.
And so it could be, it could be.
That as things move along, they will try to deal with those who are hindrance to peace.
And you can understand from their point of view that we could not be tolerated if we are the the problem.
So David Davis understands here that they had no thought of God. They cared not about God, and so they turned on God's people.
Verse 15 But thou, O Lord, art of God, full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and funniness, and mercy and truth. Now this is 1 wonderful verse, and what a contrast between verse 14 and verse 15.
As we think of the world and this attitude toward God's people, look at the heart. Pardon me. Look at the heart of God here.
Are we sorrowful? Notice it. Are we sorrowful? He is full of compassion.
Are we contending with temptation? His grace comes to our aid. He's gracious. He's gracious.
Do we air? Notice he is patient with us. He is long-suffering.
As we sin, well, He is plenteous and mercy.
Are we rushing on his promises? Well, he will fulfill it with abundant truth.
And see what a full verse this is.
This is the heart of God this verse 15.
I don't know. It may be one of the best versions in the scripture describe the features of the Godfather.
Now notice verse six FD.
Turn unto me, and have mercy upon me. Give thy strengthen to thy servant, and save the Son of I. Am he said one look, and to his face.
Will turn the darkness into day. Will turn into me. He wanted to see the face of God.
I like to illustrate this. Could you turn over to me, with me to Megan to Averse the year Welcome.
2nd Corinthians 317.
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Second Christian 318 But we all.
With open face, beholding, as in a glass or mirror, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of God.
There are 7 distinct features of this verse that I'd like to just briefly.
Look at it, because we do not have time to spend more than that.
But first of all it says but we are that is the true believer. A true believer now is what with an open or unveiled face under 2. The second feature that is sin causes the veil between our eyes and our faces in the Lord. And when we confess forsake the sin, we have an open faith, so we all believers.
With an open or unveiled face. Thirdly, Beholding, as in a glass. That is the word of God.
We as believers with an open face, but we're the God.
What the glory of the Lord? Well, that is meaning his moral Excellency and I believe and.
In the In the Bible we in the Word of God, we gazed upon the perfection of his character, the beauty of his works and His ways. We see all that in this in the mirror here.
And then?
Fifthly are changed into the same image. We become like him, and as we are changed by beholding, the more they're beholding, the more they're changing.
And the more we occupy with him, the more we like him we become and next.
Obviously the change is from glory to glory, that is, from 1° of glory to another. The change does not take place all at once. It's a gradual change of our character. I believe it's a process of continuing as long as we behold him.
And we know that one day we're going to be conformed to the very image of the Lord Jesus. So the transformation of our character is affected by the 7th aspect of this verse, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. So the Holy Spirit produces likeness to Christ in all those who gave by faith upon the Savior, as He is revealed to us in the scriptures and so.
Why do we contemplate him so low?
Why do not we spend more time in casing upon this morning?
You remember in the book of Psalms on the Psalm and that the bride chief of.
She surveys the bridegroom from head to foot.
And her conclusion was this. He is all together flowing.
Or maybe the loveliness and.
The preciousness of Christ ravished our hearts.
Then we'll experience some of the things that David speaks up here and what we try to express tonight as to the joy, the dependence, the fullness, the understanding of forgiveness and understanding to of showing mercy with cheerfulness.
But, he said. Oh, turn to me. I just want a look.
It'll turn my night in today.
And then he said in the 16th verse.
Having mercy on him. And he said, and he said, Give thy strength to thy servant.
And save the son of uncanny.
He realized his strength had to come from another. Now God does the impossible, but he does expect us to act for him now. I'd like to demonstrate that by turning to the second book of Samuel for just.
An illustration there.
Second Samuel. I believe it's about the 8th chapter.
Second Samuel.
8.
I'm just going to draw your attention to some verses here that speak of what we're trying to illustrate. In the first verse, it says that David smoke and subdued David took.
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Notice what David is doing. Second verse and he smoked third verse and he smoked 4th, 1St David Hook and the fifth verse David slew. You see who fought the battle David did. But notice verse six in the latter part of verse 6 and the Lord preserved David.
Whether so ever he wanted.
Verse 14.
Butterfly and the Lord preserved David with his forever. He was the thought, being this beloved who fought the battle. David did. Who gave the victory God did, gave it to, could not do God's part, but neither would God do David's parts. And so it was working together, workers together, God's power and protection. And they would be faithful in this case, swinging the sword. And so maybe we look to God for the necessary.
Strength to act faithfully for him. And David had an understanding of this here.
And verse 17.
Verse 17 Show me.
He says A token or a sign for good.
That they who hate me.
May see it and be ashamed, because thou Lord has helped me recover it.
Now what a testimony before the world is. The is the victorious Christian life in all our circumstances. Oh, he said, Let others see your grace and your mercy toward me. That might be a testimony for you because thou Lord is helping me. Let others see Jesus in me and you for his sake. That's what David will say. Let others see your work in means.
For yourself, beloved may that be.
The cryo heart tube that we made too many desire as there might be some evidence, some feature in your life and mine, that others can say that is because of who's he is, not who he is, but who's he is.
He belongs to Jesus.
Yeah, brethren. See these features that David cried for.
Felt his knee. He felt his need of mercy. He felt it. Saw that he cried daily, he rejoiced. He said Rejoice the the soul of I said he wanted it and nothing less than the joy of his heart. Remember in the 51St chapter of this song, when he is crying out his repentance, that he speaks there of having lost his joy, he said, Restore unto thy servant Thy joy, sin had come in, You know, that's the most expensive thing in the world.
Three letter word.
It is, there's no.
There's no limit.
To how much that cost you and me in our relationship with God? Well, maybe we recognize it in our life and.
These people, men and women, in prayer, as this man was, and may we have that undivided heart.
That we may be able to.
We give full praise with all of our heart from him and glorify his name, and be teachable too, that when we go to the word of God or we here administered, we may pray. Lord, open my heart.
Teach me what you have me to learn today.
I like more of Christ teacher and I think that should be the Of course the goal of our our reading, the scriptures, administrating whatever it might be, is to conform me to Christ. To learn more of Christ we we must learn more of Christ. If we go to the scriptures for any other reason, it'll make us big headed and difficult to get along with. But when we go with the to the scriptures with an open heart that David did this year.
To be taught, then I believe we'll have that soft heart that David, that the job spoke of and said God makes stars soft.
And that's hard that you can work with.
And as he goes on his sleeping and he.
Stole the heart of God as to his compassion, his more gracious his graciousness, his long-suffering, and his mercy and truth. So the Lord may these things be made good to her hearts as we as it was made to David.
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An undivided heart. Forgive me.
May we say 172?
Or teach us more of that less ways, the Holy Lamb of God, and fix and root us in Thy grace, as those redeemed by blood. Old tell us often of Thy love of all one grief and pain, and let our hearts with joy confess. That tense comes all our game. Number 172.
Great enough, a desire and a hunger that will not be pulled or deceived by the things in this life, but.
Have an eye on that better country, you know, the third chapter of Second Timothy says. The character of our day, the time we're living in just before the return of Christ will be that the deception, and I suppose never had a.
Ezra 8:15-36
Address—G. Hayhoe
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141.
Deep eternal council before the world was made, before its key foundations, on nothing that were laid, thought purposed us for blessing, and chose us in his Son to Him to be conformant, when here our course was run 141.
In our forest was wrong.
I'd like to turn this afternoon to the book of Ezra.
Five books before the Psalms.
Ezra, Chapter 8.
Getting at the 15th verse.
And I gathered them together to the river that run up to a Haba, and there boldly intense 3 days. And I viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. Then said I to Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemia, for El Nazim, and for Gerald, and for El Mason, and for Nathan, and for Zachariah, and for Michelle, chief men also for Joreb and for El Nathan, men of understanding.
And I sent them with commandment unto it, or the chief at the place Gaspaya, and I told them that they should.
Say unto Edo unto his president, and epidemics at the place castafia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the House of our God.
By the hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Cherubaya, with his sons and his brethren, 18 and Hashikaya, and with him Cheshire, the sons of Merri, his brethren, and their sons. 20 Also of an ethonyms of David and the Princess had appointed for the service of the Levite, 220 Nathan Ms. All of them were expressed by name.
Then I proclaimed the fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require the king, band of soldiers, and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto our God, saying, the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, but His power and his wrath is against all limb that forsake him.
So he fasted, and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us.
Then I separated 12 The chief of the priests, Cherubaya, Ashabaya, and ten of their brethren with them, and wait unto them the silver and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the House of our God, which the king and his counselors, and his Lords, and all Israel their present had offered.
I even weighed unto their hands 650 lbs of silver and silver vessels, and 100 tons and of gold, and 100 tons also 20 basins of gold of 1000 grams, and two vessels of fine copper precious as gold.
And I said unto them, Ye are fully unto the Lord, The vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are a free will, offering unto the Lord God. And your Father's. Watch ye and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests, and the Levites, and the chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the House of the Lord.
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So took the priest and the Levites, the weight of the silver and the gold, the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem under the House of our God.
Then we departed from the river of Havana on the 12Th day of the first month to go up under Jerusalem in the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
And we came to Jerusalem and abode there three days, And on the 4th day was the silver and the gold, and the vessels weighed in the House of our God by the hand of Miramoth the son of Uriah the priest. And with him was Eliezer, the son of Phinehas. And with them was Jazzabad, the son of Joshua. And Noah died, the son of Benui Levites, by number and by weight of everyone, and all the weight was written at that time.
Also the children of those that have been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings under the God of Israel, 12 bullets for all Israel 90, and six Rams 70, and seven lambs 12 goats. For a sin offering all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.
And they delivered the King's commissions, And the kings let under the King's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river, And they furthered the people and the House of God.
Probably believe the two books that we have here together, Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament, our answer to the time in which we live. We know that God allowed his people, Israel, to be carried into captivity because of their sin. They had departed from the Lord, and the Lord allowed them to be carried into Babylon. Babylon, we know, brings before us confusion. That's the meaning of the word. And so we were carried there, and they were slaves in the land of Babylon.
We know that we read about Daniel and his friends and how they were faithful to the Lord in spite of everything. And so we know that even during the ages when the truth of the Church was lost, there were many who were faithful to the Lord and.
Through those dark ages there were those who really desired, the Lord sings. But then God granted a recovery, and in answer to the prayers of Daniel, we know how the God, the God turned the heart of the king of.
Assyria and he was, he granted them permission to go back from the captivity back to Jerusalem.
I believe it answers to what God in his grace has done in these last days, and that is.
He has gathered those who desire to be at his center around himself in these last days, and it was I have a real exercise to take this journey All the way back to Jerusalem. We find that there was more than one group came back, but when they did, they identified themselves with one another and sought to give the Lord His rightful place. And So what a privilege we have rather than these last times.
Who gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Certainly there is weakness. There were only a very small number in comparison to the.
Number that were in the nation of Israel, but they valued the place where the Lord had put his name.
And in the early part of this book we find that when they came back, they rebuilt the altar and the temple. And then in the book of Nehemiah we have them building the wall around the house.
For when we have learned what it is to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus that results in separation, just as we have in, just as we have in First Corinthians chapter 10, it brings before us what the Lords table really is. It says we, being many, are one bread, one body, for we are all partakers of that one brain. And once we have learned this blessed truth, that there is one body.
And that we came together as members of that one body, by its exceedingly precious to us and to the heart of God.
But it results in separation.
And so we find that after bringing before us in First Corinthians 10 the Lords table, and in First Corinthians 11 we have the Lords supper. Perhaps you've noticed that in First Corinthians 10 the loaf comes first and then the OR the cup comes first rather and then the loaf, whereas in First Corinthians 11 it is the opposite, because as we learn the truth of the Lord's table, surely we feel so unworthy in ourselves.
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But then we think of that precious blood that gives us boldness like it says in like it says in Hebrews chapter 10, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
And then when we see our perfect acceptance, then we can gather and break bread as members of a group, but as members of the body of Christ. Once we have learned that precious truth, how precious it is that we can gather in this way and often compared it to rehab. You know, Rahab was a harlot, and she lived there in that city of Jericho, but she had faith and she took the spies in and then.
She put the scarlet line in the window, and when the judgment fell upon Jerry Cole, there was no judgment came upon her house. All those that were under that scarlet line, they were perfectly safe. That brings before us the value of the blood. But then we find that there's something more to the story. She actually was brought into the royal line of Israel. She married a man named Salman, and her name is in the lineage of Christ given to us in Matthew chapter one.
And so she could sit down at his table. And I've often said if she sat down to his table and looked across the table and said it's wonderful to be a forgiving harlot, I think he would say, boy, that's for you. That way I see you as a bride of my choice. I see you as the one I love. It is a lovely Brandon to sit at the Lord's table and know that we're not just forgiven sinners. That's blessed the truth. But we're in a place of nearest, so precious.
That we can sit there and know that we are in the nearest possible place as members of his body. That after that then we would never think of her wanting to go back to where she was before. He would see why separation would take place when she had been brought in such a marvelous place of nearness.
And that's our place, brethren. We're members of the body of Christ. Every child of God is a member of the body of Christ. But all don't enter into and enjoy this as you meet them. They speak of being members of a certain group or church or something, but to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus as members of the body of Christ.
How precious this ought to be. And this is the ground, the only ground of separation. So we find in this book of Ezra there were those who came along and wanted to build with them, And they said, now we ourselves will build in the house to the Lord, because God would have us to gather according to His word. You remember even the disciples, when the Lord asked them to prepare the Passover that he might eat with them, they didn't say well.
We can find a place. That's a common thought in many people's minds. Go to the Church of your choice. But they said, Lord, where wilt thou that we prepared? And then He gave them instructions. And so they listened to those instructions, and they found the place. And it says, when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 12 apostles with him. After his resurrection, again he He appointed a place where he would meet with them.
And it says when they saw him, they worshipped him. But someday, and so in this book of Ezra we find them this remnant that had come back. Some had already come back before, but there are a few interesting things in this little company that came back in the time of Ezra, and beginning of this 15th verse it says. And I gathered them together to the river that runeth to a habit, and there abode we intend.
Three days.
I believe this brings before us our Pilgrim character. We often sing.
We're pilgrims in the wilderness, are dwelling as a camp created. Things, though pleasant, now bear to us death and Peter. In his epistle, he speaks of them as pilgrims and strangers. Pilgrims, because we're on our way home. Strangers because this is not our home. This world is not our home. And so Babylon was a very beautiful city.
It was one of the seven Wonders of the world, and yet it wasn't their home. Their home was up there in God's land, in in the land of Israel, in the center of where they were going. But the Lord had put His name, and so they dwelled in tents. 3 days does not make you think of the measure of our separation. We sing Thy cross has severed ties which bound us here. And when you think of the three days, you think of the Lord Jesus and the cost of our salvation.
00:15:03
It says he was a Christ, died for our sins. It was buried. And he rose again the 3rd day according to the scripture. And so there they were, intense. And this is our true character here in this world. This is not our home. We're waiting for the time when we'll hear the summons to the Father's house, and that's our home. And the Lord will then find his rest, the rest of God, our rest to come, our place of liberty.
So they were reminded of this, leaving a beautiful city like Babylon and now dwelling in tents. Why would they do it? Why would they leave that place and want to take this Pilgrim condition? Well, it was because they wanted to go back to God's land. They wanted to go to the place where the Lord had put his name.
Well, he knew the people that were there, and he says, and the priests and found there none of the sons of Levi.
No, the sons of Levi were the ones who were given to Aaron to help in the service of the House of the Lord. You mentioned a little bit this morning about.
How Aaron appointed to everyone his service and to everyone his burden. That was the Levites. And if you recall, the Levites were taken in place of the first born who had been spared the time that the judgment fell on Egypt. God had spared the first born in every home where the blood was sprinkled.
And so instead of taking everyone of those first forms, they were just little children, he said. I'll take the Levites.
One tribe. And they will replace those who were spared, and they will be devoted to my service. And so we're told, brethren, you're not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body so that we are really not our own. We belong to the Lord. We're bought with a price. And so the Levi's, every one of them, were given their service and their burden. But isn't it strange here that when he viewed these people who were going up to Jerusalem?
There were none of the sons of Levi, and I believe this shows us that what we need is more willingness to be devoted to the Lord. How easy it is, rather than for us to put our own interests first. To think, I want to do this and I want to do that, and not the key of the Lord Jesus, the place that he ought to have that in all things He might have the preeminence. And here was a nice little company. Growing back to Jerusalem was very lovely, but there was lack of devotedness.
There were priests because every believer is a priest, you know, he's made us a Kingdom of priests.
Were royal priests and were holy priests holy priests to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices? And was a joy this morning to hear different ones praising and thanking the Lord. That's our privilege. Us holy priests, even sisters, although not doing it in in the place of leadership, still they're doing it in their hearts.
And so we're given that privilege, and there were royal priests to show forth the praise us.
Of him who's called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Our lives ought to show that we really belong to the Lord. But we see here that there were Levites lacking. Remember when the Lord Jesus was here, He said, Pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would thrust forth laborers into his harvest. We don't appoint people in choosing and set them forward to service of the Lord gives to each one who asks him.
From Saul of Tarsus was saved. He said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? He didn't say. Well, I'm just thankful I am sheltered from judgment, he said. I want to do something in return for what the Lord has done for me. Well, this was lacking here. There were none of the sons of Levi. So he sent and asked Eliezer to go and see if there were some who would come forward. And so it tells us about different ones.
It says in the end of the 16th verse Jorab and Al Nathan, man of understanding.
And it says here that.
17th verse I told him that they should say unto it or unto his brethren the nephews, if the place casifieth, that they should bring us ministers, that means servants for the most of our God. And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi. So here we see that the Lord answered this desire, and he provided.
Not only those who are Levi's, but men of understanding. We have a little vote that this morning.
We go back. I think it's in First Chronicles.
00:20:06
I could spend 13 to 14th chapter.
12Th Chapter First Chronicles 12.
And verse 32.
And of the children I'm in the car, which were men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. The heads of them were 200, and all their brethren were at their commands in the 38th verse. All these men of war that could keep Frank came down with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and all the rest of Israel also of Israel over one heart, to make David king.
This was a very happy time of restoration after the death of Saul. And we find these different ones and says about the men of Issachar, they were men of understanding who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. And so we have to desire that the Lord would raise up all the one else who can be a help, because we need those who are willing to serve like the Levites. And it's nice when there are those who are devoted.
Who realized the time in which we live? What is the time in which we live over heaven? The Lord's coming is needed very near.
Says there were those who said, my Lord, Delayeth is coming and that that can get into our hearts. We always plenty of time we've got to look after our own things. But isn't it lovely to see those who are men of understanding, those who see that character of the times in which we live and seek to live? Christ, even in 1990?
I admit it's more difficult. I know that it's much harder for our grandchildren as they grow up in this age than it was for those who live perhaps 50 years ago. But the Lord can give us understanding, help us to meet the difficulties of the day in which we live. And so he responded to this desire, and these men answered and came and then tells us, also in the 20th verse, also of the method names.
David and the Princess had appointed for the service of the Levites 220 nephronyms. All of them were expressed by name. It's generally thought that these methods were the descendants of those who deceived the Gibeonites, who deceived David during who deceived Joshua rather when they came into the land. And it tells us that Joshua made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the people of God.
But in the goodness of God, these people.
Instead of being resentful, they realized that they had a place of privilege to be among the people of God.
And so they became very devoted to the Lord's people. Isn't that very lovely, to see this? Often God works in those who perhaps weren't by relationship among the people of God. But as they come among them, they become so devoted they sometimes put us to shame. I've seen those who come in from outside, who are often but those of us who are brought up in the truth to shame. And so it tells us here that there were actually 220 of them came.
And all of them are expressed by name. I always liked that little expression by name tells us about the Lord Jesus. And as the Good Shepherd, he calleth his own sheep by name, and laid it them out. Sometimes you might do something for the Lord and feel it. Nobody notices it, but the Lord took notice there. And every one of these 220 They were expressed by name, if I might put it in this way, they had their place on God's own law.
Because God it says, He that honoreth me, I will honor he that despise of me shall be lightly esteemed.
And then in the 21St verse, then I proclaimed a fast There at the river of Ahava. See, they had already been there in tents for three days, waiting for others to come and join and be a help to them.
And then it tells us about this fast. Well, we know that fasting perhaps in the Bible more generally applied to food, but I believe it has a very broad expression in the Bible. And that is, it means self denial, self denial, many, many things that we perhaps would like to do, but we put them aside in order to give the Lord His rightful place. We all know the little song that says take time.
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To be holy and often said, we will never have time for the Lord unless we take time. We never have time to read your chapter in the morning. You never have time to do those little extra things, or perhaps even get out to the meetings. Unless you take time, the enemy will always suggest so many things to be done just when there's an opportunity to do something for the Lord. And so fasting might apply at times to doing without food.
Implies, I believe, to self denial.
Do you remember when the Lord visited the House of Martha and Mary? It tells us that Mary sat at Jesus feet and Martha complained. She said that just do not care that my sister has left me to serve alone. And sometimes people have given the impression that Martha was a very working kind of a person.
Occupied, perhaps, the service, whereas Mary was more the one that would sit at Jesus feet. But, you know, I believe that if you read the context carefully, you'll see that it says there that Martha left. It says Mary said rather, that Martha left her to serve alone. And I believe that if you think of it carefully, actually the two were working when the Lord came to the house. But Mary sat down. She said, oh, you might never have an opportunity like this again.
Let the work go on and sit down. The Lord is visiting our house today. And so she sent them. And Martha said, oh, but the work is so important, it's got to be done. And so she missed an opportunity. And the Lord had to say, Mary hath chosen that good part. He didn't say the better part, that good part which shall not be taken away from her. And let me say again, and I think we've all experienced this, that you never have time to read the things of the Lord. You never have time to pray, never have time to Lord sing, unless you make time.
And so here we find that they fasted. There was self denial.
And it says that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us and for our little ones, and for all our substance. Fine fasting is often associated with prayer because we feel that there are needs in this life, in spiritual things, that are very important, a right way for us. In a world full of confusion, it's often hard to find the right way, isn't it?
In all kinds of things, there are many dear Christians who love the Lord dearly, But we haven't really asked the Lord for a right way. They choose for themselves, but we should be willing to deny ourselves in order to find the right way wherein we should walk.
People find it hard to give up. Things say I couldn't give this up, but I couldn't give that up. And so we missed the right way. And it's first for us, and then for our little ones, and then for all our substance. How important the message for us as parents.
A right way for us. And that's what those who are older, perhaps those who occupy a place of service among the people of God, because.
Paul spoke about being end samples to the flag. We need to be in samples to the flock because, you know, when I was a young person, I observed those who were older, and when I found those whose hearts were set on the Lord's things, it was an example to me. It encouraged me when I thought other young people who wanted to follow the Lord.
An encouragement to me. And so it begins with ourselves. Jehovah's pointing his finger at others, but at last from governing. The presence of God put his finger to himself. And it wasn't until he did that if he really got restored. And then the Lord gave him twice as much. That's what he had before.
So we're waiting for ourselves and then for our little lungs, our children, our observers. They know where our hearts are. They know the things that really interest us and what we really care most for. And if they see that the Lord's things are not important to us, then it's going to leave an impression on them.
They sought a right way for themselves and for their little ones, and then for all of their substance, that is, all that we have really belongs to the Lord. Not only our bodies, which were told that we should present as a living sacrifice, but everything that we have. I believe that's what it means when the Lord said to the young man who came to him, and he said, Sell all of thou hast, and give to the poor, and come follow me.
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It means that we literally take and dispose of everything that we have, but rather that there's a change of ownership before we're saved. We consider everything's our own. We say this is my house, my car. I can do what I like, but it's my money. But afterwards, save everything we have has changed ownership. It belongs to the Lord and we're like, we're like treasures for Him. It was a case I knew about who had accepted the Lord as their sin of your and she was so desirous of honoring the Lord.
She had a fair amount of money personally, and she said I'd like to give it all to the Lord. I'd like to put it all in the box on Thursday morning, give it all to the Lord. And she said this to a brother and thought he answered it very wisely. He said if you do that, you make us your steward for everything you have.
Said, you should give what you feel left on Thursday morning, but you're the steward of what you have and you didn't need that money to do something for the Lord. And so she just put what she felt she should on Wednesday morning. But she became a steward of what she had. And knowing her personally, I believe that she has sought to be a good steward of Jesus Christ. Isn't that nice when you think of this so that it was for ourselves, our little one?
And for all our substance.
So we belong to him. Every bit that we have belongs to him.
For I was ashamed to require the king, a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way yes, we find.
A certain amount of that going on today as we find Christians trying to bring about moral reforms while all banding together and standing together and trying to.
Change the order of things in the nation and so on. We have to leave a lot of things like that.
We are just think the right way for ourselves. A Christian is not here to set the world right. You can't do that. There's a day coming when the Lord will set it open right. The Bible says I will overturn, overturn, overturn it and it shall be no more. And until He shall come, who's right here? And I will give it to him. We as Christians don't need to form societies and groups to try and set the world right. We never can. The Lord Himself the true king.
The one who someday is going to take all the Kingdom into this world and set everything in order. As we read in Revelation, the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. But while it is here, why he didn't attempt to set things right.
It isn't until a Father's time. Then the Father will say, ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth with thy possession. And if things happen in the nation that disturb you, perhaps in the educational system and that, and we you and I as Christians can't change the course of this world, but we can live Christ in the midst of it, and that is our responsibility. That's what the Lord has called us to.
So he didn't go and try and get force them to help him against the enemy. He counted upon the Lord. It says, We have spoken unto the King, saying, the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this. And he was entreated. Others he turned to the Lord. You know we can turn to the Lord.
My sister once said to us, you know, she said. When I send my children to school, I always ask the Lord to give them a good T-shirt because he knows he's in control when the Lord Jesus.
Rose from the dead as we mentioned, and met with his own in that appointed mountain within 28th chapter of Matthew, it says. When they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted. And what was the Lord's answer?
He said, All power is given unto me in heaven, and.
The Lord is still in control. The most High still rules in the Kingdom of man. And he can turn a King's heart. He can turn a teachers heart, he can turn an employers heart. What a blessed thing it is to be a Christian. And now these things. So they just committed this whole thing to the Lord. Were there no enemies in the way? Were there not those who were quite powerful who might have stolen the vessels that they were carrying? Yes there were. I'm sure plenty of them.
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But where was their confidence in the law? In the Lord? We have a marvelous resource. When difficulties arise, when problems arise, whether it's in the assembly or whether it's in business or whatever, we have one who's in control. I call diverse again the most high rules in the Kingdom of man, and all power now in resurrection is given to him in heaven and in earth. And Peter and his epistle said he's gone up on high angels and authorities and powers.
Being made subject.
To him, he could change any situation if it were his will and that's why he says casting all your care upon him for he care for you.
Well, now they start out in this journey in the 24th verse. And there were 12. There were 12 tribes in Israel, and so there were 12. And it says in 25th verse, and weighed under them the silver and the gold and the vessels, even the offering of the host of our God, which the king and his counselors and his Lords, and all Israel their present had offered.
We were speaking a little bit this morning of charge that was given to Timothy as well as to the early church, it says.
Timothy was told to hold fast the deposit of truth that had been committed to him and then the Lord in addressing the churches in Revelation more than once says Old Fast that has already hold fast till I come. You know there's a deposit of truth committed to us as gathered to the Lord's name.
That we are responsible to hold. We don't expect the world to hold the truth, but there is a responsibility to the assembly. It says in First Timothy chapter three that the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth and God has committed the truth to us and we are responsible to hold it.
Were not to let it slip, we're thankful for those take a stand for the truth in connection with the person and the work of Christ especially. But not only that, all the truth of God. Because it's not our truth, it's God's truth committed to us.
To carry as a responsibility through this world, and I believe that these vessels are weighed out to these people are a picture of that. There's the gold and the silver and the brass. The gold brings before us divine righteousness and we need to stand firmly for the person of Christ. There are those that we know deny his eternal sonship. There are those who don't believe that Jesus is God.
There are those who teach that Christ could sin, and they're not holding the deposit of truth that's given to the church to hold. And it's our responsibility, brethren, not to allow any of those things, what we might call foundation truth, not to let them swim. Thank God for those who stand up for it. The Scripture says, if the foundations we destroy, what can the righteous do? And if we're willing to in any way give way or look lightly on those who would deny it the person or the work of Christ.
By to destroy the whole foundation of Christianity, that which on which our eternal hope stands.
So the gold I believe things before us, the person of Christ. And then the silver we know is a picture of redemption. You know the reason we know that gold is a picture of divine righteousness? Is that what they are? And all the holy vessels of the temple were made from pure gold.
Gold. But the silver was obtained from the redemption money in order to be numbered among the people of God in Israel, everyone who was numbered had to pay 1/2 shekel of silver after the shekel of the sanctuary, and it was a figure of redemption. And you remember the time of David attempted to number the people, and he didn't collect the half Sheffield. And so God brought judgment and to try and number yourself among the people of God.
Apart from the redemption that's in Christ, Jesus will only be judgment. There are many, many people who make a profession, But if they're not sheltered by the blood which is the way of redemption, it's not now silver and gold, but the precious blood of Prince. Because that's given up. We have given up the very foundation. That's what saves us from the judgment the redeemed in heaven are singing. Thou art worthy for thou hast slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood.
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Out of every kind of tongue of people and nation. And then the brass brings before us. That's what the debris and alger was made from. It was made from brunas. And there was the sacrifice. There was a sacrifice. And it's most important that we should see that the Lord Jesus has borne all of judgment. There was that was the first thing if you had approached that Tabernacle in the wilderness.
All around there are white hangings, but when you came to the door, there was the blue, and the purple and the scarlet and the fine twine. And then as soon as you entered before you would be the brazen altar, the place where the sacrifice was made.
Tells us about these two vessels of fine copper, precious gold. Well, how important, then, the person of Christ.
Redemption and what it cost him to go through this. That's why we gather here this morning to remember in our feeble way something of what it cost the Lord Jesus to bear the judgment in our place. And we often sing in that little hymn, oh Christ, what burdens bow thy have.
Our Lord is laid on thee. Thou stood us in the center staff, that they are all I'll for me. Friend of mine, whom I knew in a business way, told me he went over to Germany one time to see the passion play, and he was telling me how interesting it was. And I said, but Mr. Baker is the most important part of that you didn't see. And he said, well, you know, he was there for it. And I said, nobody saw what happened in those hours of darkness.
The sun withholds its rays of light, the cloud. The heavens are clothed in shades of night, while Jesus wins the glorious spike on the cross. It was in the hours of darkness. The nails in his hand were placed there by men at the lower Jehovah laid on him.
The iniquity of us all who have blessed to know those things, how precious they are to our hearts, to know, often tell a little story about.
Man who was dying, he wasn't too well instructed in the things of God, although he loved the Lord and said to his oldest child, did you put your sins on Jesus? And she said yesterday. And he went through the whole family until he came to the youngest one in the family and said to her, And if you put your sins on Jesus, dear. And she said, no daddy, God did that.
Learned something in her Sunday school. The teacher had taught her the truth of God. If I was called upon to put my sins on Jesus and I forget something, maybe some of the things that I didn't think were too bad are sin and God's sake. But what gives me peace is to know the Lord that's laid on him in the iniquity of the soul. That's the brazen olive. That's the brass. And when the temple was built, it says the weight of the brass was.
Couldn't be numbered.
What the Lord had to suffer we will never know, but we thank him for that glorious cry. It is finished. Well. All these were given, and they were told in the 28th verse. And I7 To them ye are wholly unto the Lord, The vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are a free will offering under the Lord God of your Father's. Watch ye, and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and the chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the House of God.
Now this was a very dangerous journey. Their enemy, as we were saying, would like to have robbed them on some of these vessels or even if they didn't rob them of the vessel to even take part of the gold from it. Because some of these vessels, perhaps you could take part of it off and get some of the gold and turning the vessel, But it didn't weigh the same as when they started. And I often think of the application of that, that you and I may say, well, yes, thank God we're holding to that truth.
But we could sometimes ask ourselves, do these things have their proper weight with us? Instance, I could say that I believe in the Lord's coming, and I believe that he's going to come with a shout and gather all his own to be with himself. And I could say I hold that as a doctrine. But I could also ask myself, does it really have its proper weight with me? Is it just a doctrine that I hold or is it a real thing in my life? And so they were given these vessels and they were waved to them.
00:45:12
Everyone was written down. It was given to him. And you know, some have been given more than others. Even among the people of God, there are babes. They're a young man and they're fathers. There are those who are perhaps very young in the things of God, and they have a blade hold of as much, but they are not as responsible as those who have learned a lot more of the truth of God. You don't expect the same from a child as we do from an adult.
When Samuel was put there to serve in the House of the Lord, I'm sure that a lot of things he didn't understand.
But his mother made him a new cult every year. She expected growth. And it's nice to see children, young people, see them growing in the things of God. But to every one of us are given different responsibilities, and we are responsible to stand for the truth that has been committed to us. And so they brought them up. Now this wasn't a very easy journey, said in the 31St, 31St verse. Then we departed from the river on the hot on the 12Th day of the first month to go under Jerusalem.
And the hand of our God is upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and have such as lay in wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem thereabout 3 days. Well, you know, it's only with the Lords help brethren, that we can stand for the truth.
That's always a comfort to me when difficulties come in among the Saints. The Bible says when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. And in the time of the First Division that took place in Israel's history, it tells us that the Lord would preserve a light in Jerusalem for his servant David's sake. None of us could boast and say, well, I'm just more faithful than others and that's why.
I'm not giving up. It's the Lord alone that can keep us. It's the Lord that preserves the testimony he's preserved, A testimony to the truth of the one body of the church and its heavenly calling, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus here in Pella. And I'm sure there isn't a brother here that would say it's because I was so thankful. It's the Lord who took care of this little company as they carry those vessels. Let's not have confidence in man within the Lord.
Curse. It is the man that trusteth in man, but blessed is the man that maketh the Lord His trust. And we were older. As difficulties arise, we just turned to the Lord and count upon him, and seek to encourage those who were young to stand for him whole to the deposit of truth that God has committed to us. But at last in the 32nd verse they came to Jerusalem, and I like to think of that in the in its application as a heavenly Jerusalem.
Tells us in Hebrews chapter chapter 12 That we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem and that's where we're coming and that's where we're on our way. We're going to meet in that heavenly Jerusalem. And I enjoy a little thought that's expressed here. Tells us in the 15th verse they have owed intense 3 days, but now they come to Jerusalem and they have all their three days. And it was read to us this morning in the 5th chapter of Revelation.
And at last they redeemed upon the heaven. They're up there in the heavenly Jerusalem. And what are they doing?
It tells us how they it says, And they knew. It sang a new song, saying, thou art worthy, for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation.
When they get there, there's no mention of the moving in the vessels at first. The first thing they did when they got there is Praise the Lord for women in there.
And now there's going to be the judgment seat of Christ, and there's going to be a manifestation of our lives. But when we get there, the first thing will be praise that you brought together. And he's brought us there in wondrous grace and all through that precious blood. So the three days brings before us again.
The word of Christ. We won't be pilgrims and strangers. There We'll be at home in Redmond. We'll be at home. I believe one of the first things we'll think of when the end of the Father's house, that for the first time we can rise for him. We can relax. We're at home. There's nothing that we're going to have to worry about or think about. Just enjoy the presence of the one who redeemed us. And it won't be just a few like this afternoon, but every Redeemer will be there.
00:50:11
Every voice will be in perfect harmony. What a prospect we have before us.
But then after on the 4th day, it tells us they start to weigh these vessels. Now when we get there, as I say, well it's been compared like this that you go to a schoolyard and all the children are outside and playing in the schoolyard and all of a sudden that bell rings.
And they all go in. Why do they go in? Because they belong to that school, even if they haven't learned their lessons very well. They go in because they belong to the school. But after they get in and there is a little question about what they have done, have they learned the lesson and saw there will be a review of our lives not for judgment upon us. Brethren, let's be clear about that. The judgment seat of Christ is not for judgment on us. It's on our works.
Just the same as we often have a judge spoken of in two different ways.
Even in our everyday society, you might go to a courtroom and there's a penal judge there. He's there to impose a fine or some sentence or something of that nature. He's he's there to punish people. And then he might go to a craft show. And the same person who was a judge in the courtroom here, he's judging people's work. He's not there to punish anybody. He's there to give rewards or how the work has been done. And so the judgment seat of Christ is for believers.
If for those who have already entered and have sung the redemption song in heaven. And then there'll be a review of our lives. And it says if any man's work be burned, they'll suffer loss. It'll be a loss. You can have a saved soul, but along still a long story. Blood is an example of it. Lot was delivered out of sight. The Angel said to him, We can do nothing till I become fitter. None of the fire that fell, touched, touched life. He was safe from all that.
But he had a lost life. He had a lost life. And the Lord doesn't speak of those things, a faithfulness that would be rewarded in his life. But Abraham, he walked by faith. And so this ought to encourage us, brethren, to walk by faith. There's going to be a manifestation and not a cup of cold water, not a thought upon his name. Not anything that's done for the Lord in love and obedience will be forgotten. It will be fully rewarded.
The judge might overlook something in a craft shelf, but the Lord will never miss anything.
People sometimes have a gesture and they put your name down when you visit the house, but they don't. They can't put their name down, your name down when you think, when you think about them, they don't know that, but our Lord does. He knows when you even think about them. And he makes a note about it and it says.
It says that the book of remembrance for those that thought upon his name for a little wonderful thing, this is so. These vessels were all brought there now and weighed in the 34th verse by number and by weight of everyone and all the weight was written at that time. There's a manifestation of how they did in carrying the vessels. They got safely there, but now there's a manifestation of how they carry these vessels.
And so this ought to encourage us, brethren. We know we're going to be there for redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ, but ought to encourage us to live to please the one who has redeemed us.
And then we find worship in the 35th verse also those that were carried away, that would come out of the captivity, offered burned offerings under the God of Israel, 12 bullets for all Israel 90, and six rhymes 70 and seven land 12. He thoughts, All this was a bird offering unto the Lord. I just like to say a little bit about this here. First of all, there were 12 bullets for all Israel.
Actually the ones that returned were out of the two tribes. They were out of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. But it says they offered 12 bullets for all Israel. And this shows us, you know that even if there's only a few that are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, every one of the redeemed belongs to him and everyone and saw the 12 bullocks. It says if you were to turn to Leviticus, he would find that the.
Offerings are brought before us in the first chapter, and there were different offerings. There were bullets, men, there were animals out of the flock. And then there were turtle loves or young pigeons that in the boat rings before us. The largest sacrifice of praise, the burnt offering that could be offered.
00:55:17
And so here we find the bullet which was the largest one. Isn't it lovely that in heaven our phrase will be perfected? Don't be some who prays with in a deeper way than others. Everyone will praise him out of a full heart. The bullocks here were for all Israel. Faith always takes in the whole family of God. And then 90 and six Rams. This again the ram was the ram of consecration.
And perhaps this 90 and six, which was 12 * 12 * 8, it brings before us. Eight is new creation. In the Bible there were seven days in the week and the 8th day was new creation. The Lord said He would rise again the 8th day and so they pardon me that when I say that the 8th day he appeared to them, It says on the eighth day after his resurrection.
And so it brings before us the thought of new creation. And the ram was the ram of consecration. We're not always consecrated to the Lord now, but then we will be. And then there were 12 adults for the sin offering a reminder for Israel offered the adult on the Day of Atonement. The high priest offered a goat on the Day of Atonement. And here we find the whole 12 tribes were recognized.
It was all through the work of Christ. Oh, how blessed to see these things brought before us all. This was a burnt offering unto the Lord. I just like to say in closing it, a few words about the burned off. And because I think the burnt offering is very precious, should be very precious to our hearts.
You know when you read about the sin offering, it's the thought of the putting away of sin before God. But when you read about the burnt offering, it brings in the thought of what? How God was glorified in the work of his Son. And sometimes just to give an illustration, helps.
Suppose and I had a death, but I'm not able to pay and a friend of mine comes along and says Gordon just give me the bills and I'll pay the debt for you. And he goes and pays the debt for me and brings back a receipt and it's mark paid in full. I can rejoice I'm out of debt.
I look at it and I say it's wonderful to be clear of death, but I haven't learned to know whether my predator likes me or doesn't like me. All I know is that he has received a satisfactory payment and God has a payment, a satisfactory payment for sin. So let's think of it this way. Supposing it's my creditor himself and he sees that big debt on his books and he says to his son, would you be willing to sell your house?
To raise the money. To take this debt off our books. Now, if you'll do that, we'll take it off our books. But I'll send a receipt to Gordon Hayon. I'll mark on it, paid in full through the kindness of my son. Now, in both cases, the debt is paid. As I look at the receipt, I know that it's paid. But isn't it a lot more to learn? To know the heart of my brother and brethren? God wants us to know of his heart. He's not only received a satisfactory payment, but the Father sent the Son to be the savior of the word.
And when you and I think of this on Lord's Day morning when we gather, and we think, oh, what love is in the heart of God, that it was his own Son when he sent, and it was his own Son who paid the debt, Surely it fills our hearts with worship and friends. And so the burnt offering brings before us what the work of Christ is as a revelation of what's in the heart of God. And that's why he finds his delight to have us speak little of his son. Don't you think? If I wanted to thank my predator, he'd want me to speak well of his Son and say, well, you have a wonderful son that would be willing to do that, to tell out your heart to me.
We've seen a little hymn sometimes by the old God invited. We look unto the sun till thy soul delighted you all thy work.
Isaiah 55
Gospel—G. Hayhoe
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Is the same.
Now.
There's lightning.
And justify Brave saved by my class by reading.
Her. There's just a state, therefore.
Me.
Play there until.
Sinners like me.
Jamming in the black form.
His praise the best says. Let's say therefore me instead.
Of your house standards like me?
Checking his life for my grandson. This is a savior, Courtney.
Today, there are many.
Snare.
Say the merits like me.
Share me his life for my grandson.
This is the savior for me.
Morning from the Lord.
Right. I'd like to look tonight at the 55th chapter of Isaiah, Isaiah, chapter 55.
For everyone that thirst that come me to the waters, and he that hath no money, come he buy and eat, yeah, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherever do you spend money? For that which is not bread? And you're a laborer for that which satisfy it not hearken diligently unto me. And Ichi that which is good.
And let your soul delight itself in fatness, incline your ear, and come unto thee.
Here and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David being all I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. The old thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that do not be shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the holy One of Israel. For he has glorified thee, Seek ye the Lord, while he may be fouled.
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Calling upon him while he is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God. For He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, These are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain come up down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but water is the earth, and maketh it bring forth some bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where unto I send it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be LED forth with peace.
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the Myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Well, the prophet Isaiah has often been called the gospel prophet because I believe that there are more verses in the book of Isaiah than any other place in the Old Testament, bringing before us God's great salvation, His pardon, and what he has for those who will come and accept this great salvation. You know, in the first chapter we read that lovely invitation.
Come on and to me. Come, come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.
Be a scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. We know, too. The 53rd chapter of Isaiah, with all its wonderful gospel unfolding, tells us there about the Lord Jesus, that he was wounded. For our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. And yet in this same book we have.
A great deal about coming judgment, but perhaps that's the reason why there's so much about God's willingness to pardon. Because, you know, dear friends, God does not want to be a judge. He wants to bless. The Bible says God is not knowing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So great is his love that any baby that dies before the age of responsibility goes to heaven. Because that word of Christ on the cross was so glorious, so complete, that any who don't refuse God's will.
Will come in the blessing. But those who refuse his will, they make their own choice, so to speak, and decide that they would rather have his judge, have him as their judge, and meet his judgment, and receive the pardon that he so freely offers. And this Gospel meeting is only another opportunity God gives us.
To announce the wonders of his love and his great salvation. And it's our prayer that if there's anyone here that is not saved, that has not yet received this pardon, to receive it. Now how sad. If you should reject his offer of salvation and see him there on that great white throne with those marks in his hands and feet inside, and know that he wanted to pardon you, that he died on the cross, that you might be saved. But did you said no to the offer that he so freely makes to you?
The gospel is to whosoever will. It doesn't matter how great your sin. It says the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanse of us from all sin. Paul calls himself the chief of sinners, because he hated the name of Jesus, persecuted those who called upon that name. And yet he could say this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. He was a chief of sinners.
But the Lord saved the chief of sinners, and he can save you tonight. Oh, May God grant that you will realize the solemnity of your position if you're not saved. Umat is given this room with a sword hanging over your head. You'd say, I want to change my seat? I don't want to sit under that sword, but that's your position tonight.
If you're not saved because the Bible says, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not, the Son shall not see light, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That is, the wrath of God is hanging over you tonight if you continue to refuse this pardon.
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But if you'll only receive him, eternal life is yours. His sentence of no condemnation is yours. Well, this is beautifully brought out in this particular chapter that we read tonight. You know, God has put into the heart of every man and every woman athirst. There's something, and people are seeking after something to satisfy the inner thirst. They're looking for something that will give them satisfaction. And they spend money. They spend time.
They put forth effort, all kinds of things, to try to find something that will satisfy. Bible says he satisfied belonging soul and Philip the hungry soul of goodness. People may try to shut God out of their lives and seek for those things that can't satisfy.
Class graduating in one of the high schools and the man who spoke to them in the graduation exercises, he said never set your sights so you hope you can attain to them. Because when you get to that point you'll not be happy. The only happiness is in trying and seeking after something, but it will always it will always escape your grasp, my friend, unless you have Christ, He alone can satisfy it. Belonging soul.
And that's the purpose of the gospel. Think of that woman in the 4th chapter of John and how she came out. She was living a life of sin. Why was she doing it? Well, she was trying to find satisfaction and she didn't find it. And she comes to the Lord Jesus and she says, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw. And the Lord had to bring her to the point where she was willing.
To take her place as a sin, he had to show her that he knew the kind of life she was living. And you know, France, the Lord could open up the book of your life or mine, and He could read it off to us. And every word we'd have to admit was true. But if you receive the Lord is your savior, you can quote that lovely verse we have blotted out as a thick cloud by transgressions. As a cloud. My sins. Oh, what a wonderful thing to have. Satisfaction.
To have peace with God.
We need all of the things of this world, too. You have to pay everything that has to do with trying to find something to satisfy the thirst of man. There's a price, and it's amazing. No matter how much lack of other things there is, people still want things of entertainment, things that will, as they hope, satisfy possessions from pleasure, anything. And thereafter there's a price. And people pay dearly for those things that they hope will satisfy.
But isn't this lovely He that hath no money? Come ye by and the friends you can't buy. God's salvation. The price is too high. You could never pay, and neither could I. The cost of There was one person who could pay and he has paid. Like to sing that little hymn sometimes. Jesus paid it all all to him. I owe. Sin had left a crimson's vein. He washed me Quite a smell. Friends, The price has been paid.
We would have no money. Come he buy and eat. Yeah, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Perhaps the plot here and wine and milk. His wine is used in the Bible as a figure of joy. That's what people do it for. Try and forget all their things in this, all their problems. And as they say, they have a good time, but you know, can't be found in the way that they're seeking it now. The things of this world, the pleasures of this world, are like the wine of this world we can't really satisfy.
Wine is a marker and strong bridge is raging. Whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. But you can get this wine, the wine of joy that the Lord Jesus gives, And that wine was satisfied. And then too it says, and milk, that's that's nourishment tells us in Peters epistle. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that she might grow thereby. That's what happens. People say sometimes it's just not my line of things. I would never enjoy the Bible and Bible readings and prayer meetings. That's just not for me.
Or friends. That's just because you don't have a new life. You could set some things before. You could set some things before we'll save a dog or a cat, and it wouldn't satisfy them at all, because it doesn't have a nature that could be satisfied in that way. But you and I, you and I have a new nature when you're born again. And you know, to solve Tarsus, he was on his way down to Damascus to persecute the Christians, But after he was saved.
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Sent to him and says go to him, He's praying and he's the one who wrote some of the epistles of God's precious word. But there was a day when he hated the name of Jesus. He found no pleasure in those kind of things. And friends, you can't enjoy the wine and the milk that God gives until you're in the family of God or when you're in the family of God. We'll find. I know that the people that are here tonight are not here mostly because they were made to come. They were here because they wanted to come.
Because they desire to hear more about the Lord Jesus. You have a little song and he sings sometimes.
I love to tell a story because those who know it best want to hear it again. And so I love to hear the story. More wonderful, it seems, than all the golden fancies of our golden dreams. I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. We like to hear it, and when we get to have an, it's going to be the same. You know, a Sinner got into heaven in his sins. He comes through going to get out. He wouldn't enjoy what they're doing there.
They must be going again. You have to have a new life.
And that's the gift of God. That's what he gives when you believe the gospel.
And so it tells us here.
Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfy it not, oh how people put forth so much effort and so much effort and energy into things that can never really satisfy. But I say again, the Lord Jesus can and does satisfy. And what's more, as we get older, it isn't something that wears out because we get older.
Now my wife and I.
Have grown a little bit older and up where we live. They send us a paper for seniors and you know every time we read it or look at it, it just seems that all it is doing is telling you try and find something that will satisfy an old age. Otherwise old age will be miserable. But all dear friend an old lady and he read one of those kind of depressing things and the title of the article that she read was Sunset was telling how kind of unpleasant it is to find your getting older and your faculties failing.
And so she said, then I wrote a little poem and she called it dawn and she said, old age to me is Don. There's something so much better ahead that it's just the Don of a better day. The enjoyment of the things that I have known and enjoyed, the measure here. I'm just going to enjoy them in fullness with Christ and glory.
Friends, I want to show you what's a real thing to be a Christian. It isn't just just that, accepting a kind of a religion because you can have religion in that place, but when you have Christ, he satisfies.
Her and diligently underneath. And he see that which is good. And let your soul delight itself in fatness. Well, that's the way it is. We sit down, we read God's Word, and it becomes more precious to us as we learn more.
About our Savior and what He's done for us and what he means to us. And so.
Delight yourself in practice and then here's the invitation. Incline your ear and calm debate.
I should think of that worrisome Matthew Chapter 11 where the Lord Jesus and he was here upon earth, said, these words come unto me, all ye that labor and our heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You know, salvation, friends, is a person. It's not a feeling, it's not an experience. It's a person who comes into your life and comes into your heart. Bible says, Christ in you, the hope of glory.
And so it says here.
Come to me, and that's the invitation tonight. Will you come to the Lord Jesus? Oh, you say, I have to clean up my life a little bit before I can come. He's so holy. But he asked you to come just as you are, just as you are. And all your sin, because he has a part of him for you, His blood will cleanse you from all sin. So He invites you to come heavy laden in all your sins here, and your soul shall live.
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New life that He gives eternal life. Eternal life is a gift from God. The gift of God is eternal life.
And the Lord Jesus was here on earth. A young man came to him and he said, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? But you know, you don't do something for a gift. A gift is offered to you. Plea like even paid $0.05 for something. It's a bargain, but it's not a gift.
And you can pay 1 cent. Or if you can do one thing to make yourself fit for God, then it's not a gift, friend, you may say. Well I did a little bit, but it's a gift, It's free. It's the whosoever will. And that's what the Lord is offering tonight to all who will come. And he wants you to know that you have eternal life too. It is a verse in the first epistle of John. In the 5th chapter it says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God?
That she may know that she has eternal life. God doesn't want you to be in doubt about this most important thing. If you, the friend who was in doubt, was in a lot of trouble and was in doubt, and you could give him an assurance that would remove all his doubts, would you hold back?
When you say, well, I'd be willing to make a trip over to that person's home so that they would get out of all this worry and they would know that this problem has all been settled. You would do that for a friend, and God does not want you to be in debt. He wants you to have assurance in your soul. He wants you to have peace. How many people depend on their feelings? They think about how they feel, but it doesn't depend on friends and your feelings. It depends on.
Accepting what God has said.
Because God has said it.
If you want a piece of property and your neighbor comes along and says, I don't believe that property is really yours, I think that you're mistaken, that it's yours. Would you talk about your feelings? Would you say, Well, I feel pretty good here, so it must be mine. You wouldn't even answer that way, would you? Would you say Sir, but I could produce the title lead for this property. I'll be glad to go and get it and show it to you. And more than that is registered in the registry office. So you wouldn't think about your feelings, would you? You would think whether you had that piece of paper that the title deed.
And friends, don't look at your feelings. Satan will upset you about your feelings. Many, many Christians have dealt because they're looking in for something inside, some feeling. But whenever Satan comes with ability, just quote the word of God to him. It's the word of God that alone gives assurance of salvation. And so he says here, and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant. I've heard people say when I made it, I made a promise, a covenant to the Lord.
But he's the one that makes the promise to you. If I made a promise to the Lord, I'm praying I might break it, because I don't know that I could ever think of living up to all that He wants me to do. I fail. But he makes the promise, and the promise that he makes does not depend on my words.
Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by grace. Are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves? It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should, lest any man should boast.
I have a friend back in candidates, an older man now, and he told me about how he accepted the Lord as his savior. And then he began to have doubts after he was saved, and every time he had a doubt. Why?
He wondered if the work was real because it said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And he thought every time I had a doubt, I'm not sure if I'm believing. And so he was full of jealous about his salvation. He was looking in for feelings inside and he told me at one time.
He's a One time he was sitting in the Gospel meeting and the brother took off that verse in Romans chapter 10. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Always said that settles it for me, he said I I may have doubts at times, but I know that I've called on the name of the Lord and I'm just going to rest on that verse. It's my verse, friends. It's the word of God that brings peace. And God uses different words. He says. Believe, he says.
Trust, he says. Call, he says. Look.
If there's anyone that fits your case, why God wants you to know. He wants you to have assurance and it's an everlasting covenant. Something if they do something wrong and they're going to lose it. But it's an everlasting covenant. It doesn't depend upon you. It depends upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. If he didn't bear your sins of Calvary or you can never put them away yourself friends. And so when you see him there as a sin bearer.
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Taking your place, then you can rest upon that.
So it says here.
An everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. And as we know that David sinned grievously, but God had made a promise, a blessing, and David rested upon that promise. It's true, if we have sinned as believers, why we need to come and confess our sins. But remember this, not to get saved again, but to be restored to fellowship if I have a child in my family.
And the child does something wrong. He comes to me and says there, I'm very sorry for what I did. He doesn't become my son again. He was my son all the time. But he spoiled that happiness and fellowship of the home when he was willful and disobedient. But he didn't change the relationship and friend, if you're born into the family of God, you're one of God's children. And he's the one that makes the promise. He's the one that makes the plans. And this is his promise I have made. I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
Even the sure mercies of David, what is mercy? Well, mercy is not getting what we deserve.
That's when we are guilty and someone shows mercy. Well that's not getting what we deserve. We deserve punishment. We get mercy instead. And that's what God bestows, That's what the Lord Jesus bestows. Then the next verse says, behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and a commander to the people.
Now we need someone to guide our lives, and Saul of Tarsus was saved, he said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And Hebrews chapter 2 Says that the Lord Jesus is a captain of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory.
He's a captain, He's the leader. He's the commander. And I say this to those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus. We need to listen to what his word says because he has marked out a path for us through this world.
After we're saved and we can never be lost, but you know we can. We can go our own way and bring a lot of trouble into our life down here because we didn't listen when he gave us direction.
As we travel about, people often give us directions. We don't follow their directions. Whose fault is it? If we turn the wrong way and waste a lot of time, it's our own fault. We have the directions. We just didn't bother to follow them. Sometimes we've done that. We haven't followed the directions or we have not read them carefully enough. And you know, we as Christians, we need to read the word of God. We have a leader. We have one who commands us. The Lord Jesus said, if he loved me, keep my commandments.
It's not the 10 commandments, you know, but it's all that he gives to us for our pathway here as Christians. And so I want to say to those who belong to the Lord, who want to be a happy Christian, please the word of God, follow the instructions of it. Salvation. My father used to have a little saying. I thought it was quite nice. He said faith and salvation go together, and obedience and happiness go together when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus, your city.
Eternally. But if you want to be a happy Christian, there's the little song says trust and obey. Or there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. So he's our savior and he's our leader. He's our commander. In the fifth verse, it's talking about how this grace would reach out to the Gentile. We know in the Old Testament, God was dealing particularly with one nation, the nation of Israel.
But this blessed Savior who died upon the cross of Calvary was not just for the salvation of Israel. He is their Savior. He is their Messiah. But He's not only for them. He has brought in those who are Gentiles. Most of us in this room, if not all, we are Gentiles, and we have been brought in too, because, as it says here, nations that do not be shall run to thee because of the Lord thy God and for the Holy One of Israel.
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We have glorified thee and this one who came as the Messiah to Israel. Over his cross was written the King of the Jews, this one, when he rose from the dead, he said to the disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached among all nations.
Beginning at Jerusalem. So it wasn't just for that nation, but it's for whosoever will the children's verse this morning announced that, didn't it? The God so loved the world, it gave his only begotten Son, that that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But now there's 6 words shows that there is a time limit seeking the Lord while he may be found.
Call ye upon him while he is near. Now the gospel is offered. Now there's no promise that will be offered tomorrow. Two things may happen. That is, death may overtake you, or the Lord Jesus may come, but now is the time that God offers you salvation. And what is more to my friends, the Spirit of God may cease to strive with you.
That's an awfully solemn thing.
At the time of the flood, God said, my spirit shall not always strive with man. It's God's spirit that thrives. And so it says here, seeking the Lord while he may be found. And I say again, and I warn you solemnly, there's no promise that God will offer salvation tomorrow. The Lord may come, or if you should die in your sins, the Bible says it is appointed unto men once to die.
But after this the judgment after Lazarus had died and the rich man had died.
And the rich man saw the blessing that had come to Lazarus, and he would like to have crossed over. He would like to have changed his mind. He had said no, and now he'd like to have crossed over. But he was told these solemn words between US and you. There's a great dog, cats. There's no crossing back and forth. It's too late. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call you upon him while he is near. This is the time when he's near, as you sit there with a Bible on your knees.
With the hymn book perhaps on your knees, this is the time, an easy time, a blessed time to accept the Lord Jesus. As soon as the meeting is over and you get out, there's going to be lots of distractions. Have often seen when people are sitting, sitting in the gospel meeting under a solemn word and warning. They get outside and you know, there's a lot of things that have happened. Conversation and the enemy tries to see that has been sown in the heart so it won't bring forth food.
And that's why it says seek ye the Lord while he may be found. I've heard people say, well, I I just don't like to be pushed. But you know, if I was standing on the brink of a precipice and somebody came along and gave me a push so I wouldn't walk over, I'd say thank you and I'd say thank you. And you know, when you realize you're danger, you don't mind somebody giving a little push because it's kindness. It's love. Many people have been saved from danger.
Their lives have been saved because somebody almost violently gave them a push.
It was for their good.
Lord, while he may be found, call me upon him. While he is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. You know there are two things here, his way and his thoughts.
People go on in their evil way and some people they say, oh, I wouldn't do those things but.
That's their entertainment. They feed upon all those things. That's the kind of pictures they like to see and watch and kind of stories they like to listen because I wouldn't do those things, but their thoughts are in that direction. And those thoughts just lead to further and further getting away from God and going on in their sins.
And so he says that the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God. For he will abundantly pardon no matter how far a man has gone in sin.
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The opportunity is still open for him.
Spirit of God still seeks your blessing, and it says he will have mercy and he will abundantly pardon. I like that expression. Don't you know some people when you tell them you're sorry, they say, well, certainly I'll give you, but if you don't feel it's a very abundant part in the part and you don't just feel as if it's really from their heart sometimes. But isn't this lovely? He will abundantly pardon. And I want to tell you, my friend.
That if you take the Lord Jesus as your savior, he will do more than forgive you. You turn with me to Acts 13 I just like to look at this.
First three games.
Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin, and by him all believer justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. Now there are two words there, forgive us, and justify, And justify means more than just forgiveness. I often put it this way. Suppose I were to steal from you.
And you forgave me. I'll have to tell you this that even though you forgave me, I wouldn't feel thoroughly at home in your presence. I would always think that you looked on me as a forgiving thief. And your forgiveness I would much appreciate. But somehow I wouldn't just feel thoroughly at home, because I wonder what you really thought about me underneath it all. But you know, when God Forgives what He does, He not only forgives, but He puts you in a new.
Standing before it.
Said to me, Listen, when you forgave, you said, Now listen golden, I want to tell you something. Every time I look at you, I'm going to look at you as my dearest friend, and I'm never going to thank of you as a person who did that. I'm going to think of you as a person that never did or could do such a thing, and I'm always going to look at you with love and affection. Now you've set me to leave. That's what God wants. He says He sent us before him not only for him, but holy and without blame before him.
He tells us that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. You couldn't have a better standing before God then God gives you when you receive the Lord Jesus. You might have a better standing in heaven because it says in First John that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world as he is. Where is Christ? He's up there at the right hand of God.
Enjoy not his father. And he says, as he is up there, so are we in this world. It's a wonderful salvation, a wonder It's called how shall we escape if we neglect soul, great salvation. And so it tells us here it will abundantly pardon. He will justify it from all things he justification the justification of life the scripture calls it.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts and your thoughts. You know another thing that keeps people from coming to the Lord? They have all kinds of thoughts of their own.
And they they say, well, I don't think God would do this or that. Or why does God allow wars? They have all kinds of thoughts of their own. Well, here it says, my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways. My ways. God's thoughts are higher than ours. And you know, there's many, many people that have been brought to the Lord through trouble. As the Lord Jesus was down here upon earth, the people rejected him. He passed by. And there was a man blind from his birth, and the disciples said that he did.
Did this man sin, or his parents, that he was born blind? And he said that he did this man soon with his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. Around him were lots of people who had good sight. Around him were lots of people who had good health. But there was a man and his very need.
Brought him to the Lord, and I'm going to meet that blind man in heaven while a lot of people are alone there with good health and perhaps an excellent site rejected him. I met a man down in Kentucky one time, and he had been a strong, healthy man, leaving the Lord out of his life. But while he was out cutting down a tree, it fell down on him and his back was broken, his legs was spared, and there he was, sitting in a wheelchair, where he invained the rest of his life.
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But he said to me, the Lord had to break my back to save my soul. The Lord had to break my back to save my soul. He lived for a number of years afterwards a testimony for his Lord, another man who was crippled by an accident, he said.
I enjoy now a chair to sit and sing the whole day long to him who plays me, dear friends, those things that you don't understand and I don't understand.
They happen in life. God intends them to draw us to Himself, those who are saved, and even as Christians, that we might be grown close to Him. Some of the happiest Christians that I have met have been the ones who have bodily health of people who have learned to experience the blade, to come to the Lord, to lean upon me, to trust in him, to prove Him as all sufficient. So my thoughts are not your thoughts. Me are your ways, my way. People reason themselves away from God's salvation.
When God is offering them salvation to me, they're like a man who goes to the doctor and the doctor tells them that they have some serious disease. And they say to the doctor, I don't want any of your remedies unless you can tell me how I happen to get this disease or the doctor says that's not the important thing, you've got it now. And the important thing is we do have remedy code. He says, I don't want it unless you can explain this whole thing to me, how I'm together. And that's the way people talk. That's the way they reason. But be a friend, sinners in this world, death is in this world.
And God speaks to man through sorrows. A death of a loved one. An accident. It's his way. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways. My way. Heavens are higher than the earth. And so his thoughts are about our thoughts. Then he talks about the rain coming down the snow from heaven, and it accomplishes a purpose.
When that rain comes down, that snow God has a purpose is a wonderful verse in the book of Gerald, it says.
He sailed to the snow, be thou upon the earth. Likewise to the small rain and the great rain of his strength. You know, I just say to you who are Christians, that's a comforting verse. In those days when perhaps it's stormy, he wanted to travel. It was God who loved you, who gave his Son to die for you. Pull that snow to come. He said that that gives you peace. You know, a Christian is the answer for the problems of this life. And so the rain comes down and the smell, and it accomplishes a purpose of God has. And he says that's just like the gospel. It comes down.
It accomplishes a purpose. God's word is not going to return to him void. They can make bonfires out of it. They can try to get rid of it. They can say I never read it, but God says it's going to accomplish the purpose for which I say. Just like the rain accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it, the snow accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it, and God sends His word, the message of love and Bradley. There's not going to be any empty seats in heaven.
Above the seats in heaven and they're all filled. Heaven is going to be filled, The Bible says how and destruction are never full. But heaven's going to be filled, because God is offering salvation, and he wants to have all those who will simply and receive his salvation and his pardon. So it says social My word be that felleth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing. For two I stand how many there are.
Sitting in His room tonight, and God's Word has accomplished the purpose for which He sent it.
Many in this room can say yes and resting on some verse in God's word. And that's how I know him, say that's how I know heaven is my home. It is accomplished what God intended. But I hope that there's no one in this room who is refusing God's offer of pardon. I hope he won't go out of his room without the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Because I say again, heaven is going to be filled, but if you won't have him, if you won't receive him.
Then you must go to that place where there's eternal judgment, and the one who wants to be your surgery will be your judge. I often think how Solomon will be the people who stand at the Great White Throne, and as the books are open, we're reminded of the time they sat in the basketball meeting. They're reminded of the time that God offered them salvation through perhaps a friend in the office of someone a relative.
00:45:14
And they have to meet the Lord as a judge. Oh, what a sad thing to refuse his grace.
And he shall belong with joy, and be LED forth with peace.
After God wants you to do is is there anybody who came into this room and say they want you to go with joy?
Bible says his joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner that repenteth. But there can be joy in your heart too. The glow of knowing your sins forgiven. You'll have a joy you never knew before.
Maybe you've had some of the pleasures of sin, but they don't satisfy. But you let a lasting joy in the Lord Jesus said, your joy come that take it from you. It's something that will last for all eternity, maybe ups and downs in this life, but it's an eternal joy of the Father's house.
And so he led for Elvis to change. He led for us because, you know, the Lord Jesus, as we said at the beginning, is the leader. He's the captain of our salvation. Sometimes when we're traveling, people give us directions about how to get here and there, but sometimes they real, and that's a lot easier. You know, Sometimes they'll say to us, well, it's a little bit complicated. So we just go ahead of you and show you the way because there's some turns that are kind of hard to find.
And so we just have to watch the power as a licensed number in front of us. Then we don't have to watch sweet signs or anything anymore. And isn't this nice? They're cold out with joy and be laid for us with peace. There's a person to lead you in the pathway of life. Life is full of decisions. Life is full of things that we have to make a decision about. Osler, Isn't it wonderful to know that one that says his name shall be called wonderful?
Counselor. The mighty God, the Father of eternity, the Prince of Peace. That's the one who will be your leader, your counselor. All that you and I need in the pathway.
And it says, the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. I think the suggestion is the mountains and the hills. You know, the Lord has said that with faith we would be able to remove mountains. And there are many mountains, not not physical mountains, but mountains, problems that come. God describes the king of Assyria with destroying Mom. And it says before the rabbit Allah shall become a plain. So this man was a mountain.
A tremendous civil.
Military power. But God would take care of the whole situation. And perhaps you see some mountain ahead of you. Perhaps there's some problem. You say it's insurmountable. I just can't. It's just a beautiful expression. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you in the same. And so we find that the Lord is able to take care of us in the difficulties and problems of life. They're real. Doesn't say there are no mountains. Doesn't say there are no hills.
But the Lord goes before and he turns even these things into an occasion to show us his power.
All the trees at the field shall clap their hand that's connected with the next verse, instead of the forearm shall come up the first tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the Myrtle tree.
The thorn we know came in and the briars through the fall. It says back in Genesis that when man sinned that the earth would bring forth thorns and glares.
But here it says, Senator, the thorn shall come up the fir tree instead of the briar, the Myrtle tree. Yes, we all know that these are evergreens. These are ones that they stay green all through the winter. And So what? He is saying that instead of having to live in a world.
It's all spoiled by sin that you and I can enjoy the freshness of God's care and God's love.
Doesn't tell us that there won't be any more problems and difficulties in life, but it shows us that God can bring joy, refreshment and hell. And many of us, as we go through this world with all the sorrows that it's full of, we have found that.
So the street, there's the air of the moon, those unfailing promises of God that strengthen our hearts as we meet the difficulties and problems of life. They're real. Paul faced them as he went about. Everything wasn't easy for him. He tells us about what he had to suffer in the path of faith.
00:50:17
And before the Lord Jesus went away, he said in the world he shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And, friends, I don't stand here to tell you that you won't have any problems after you're silly. The Bible doesn't tell you that. But instead of instead of going through this world and seeing all the mountains and hills as insurmountable, instead of feeling all the briars and thorns, there is the promise of the Lord's presence with us.
And those promises are ever fresh. There's no thought in Revelation Chapter 4. I just like to.
Pay attention to Revelation chapter 4.
A week in the first verse here because.
Picture of heaven here. After this I looked and behold, the door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was with the trump of talking with me.
Say which said, Come up, hit her, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, the throne was set in heaven. And one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon my Jasper, and a sardine stone. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, insight like unto an emerald.
Here we have a little picture of the Lord's coming, the doors open in heaven, the trumpet calling, and here's a voice saying come up, hit her. But we as believers are looking for would be called up to meet the Lord in the air. So John was taken in spirit up there, and he's given a little preview of heaven.
And it says here that the Lord was there. And what I wanted to call your attention to at the end of this Thursday was and there was a rainbow round about the throne. Insight like unto an emerald. We all know the rainbows that we know they're all the different colors. But it says here was insight like under an emerald. We know that the rainbow was given when God brought the flood upon this world. And when the flood was over, then he placed the bull in the sky.
As a promise that he wouldn't destroy the earth again with a flood. And so the rainbow is always symbolical to us of God's promises. But why is it like an emerald? Well, I believe it just brings before us this thought. The emerald we know is green, just like the food tree and so on. And it's the God's promises are always fresh in his mind. You know, we make promises and then we forget them sometimes, but.
When you're in trouble next time, just think Every promise that does given in His word, He hasn't forgotten. It's always fresh in his mind, and even when the judgment is about to fall upon this world by his promises are still furnished to redeem. You're all there with him. And even when the judgments follow, we know that God is going to win mercy to bring in unearthly company and the blessing. Oh how good this is for us. I want to say to every Christian never allow the enemy to put that in your mind that God's forgotten one of His promises, or that you can't claim that promise. The rainbow, the pledge of God's promises is insight like I'm doing, Emily.
Is mine. Well, may the Lord speak to anyone here tonight who's not saved. Or I just want to say to you, the Lord Jesus died for you. He wants to save you. If there's a boy or girl who has never yet put their trust in him, this is an older one. That's if someone here had doubts, may the Lord help you to rest upon His word. Don't look in for feelings because feelings change. But if you just rest upon His word, let's tell you one little thing. That was a lady came to the Gospel meeting many years ago.
And she accepted the Lord as her savior and she went out like verse says here she went out with joy as she was saved. And a couple of weeks she came back afterwards and she said to the brother who had been speaking. She said, I know that all my sins were put away when I put my trust in the Lord Jesus that night. What? She said. I'm afraid I haven't been perfect since. I'm afraid I've sinned since the Lord saved me.
And she said, and I still say she was afraid that she had that When you say she had thought that just your past things were gone. And then what about those things that followed? Well about the brother answered me very wisely, he said to her, enemies of your sins were future when the Lord Jesus died.
00:55:13
Well, she said, I guess they were all future because I haven't even been born, he said. I want to ask you another question. Do you think the Lord Jesus is going to die again? First he said I I don't think so. The Bible said I was in, He died. He died on the same once by one offering. He had perfected forever. Then they were sanctified, perfected forever. So the brothers said to her, unless the Lord Jesus didn't settle this question of your sins when he died on Calvary's cross, they'll never be settled.
You can't put them away yourself. Although if you just rest upon that one completed finished work by one offering he had perfected forever, then they were sanctified. Well, that was peace to his soul and so all. I just want to say, there may be Christians here and the devil is trying to get you doubting. Just rest upon his word. The Bible is full of assurances for those who believe he wants to make an everlasting covenant with you, not a temporary one everlasting covenant.
The sure mercies of David acquired me. The great salvation cannot receive the Lord tonight, and if you've been doubting and trust Him, rest on His word, and you will have the assurance that He can give of His great salvation.
We could sink #111.
Once again, the gospel message from the Savior you have heard will heed the invitation. Do you turn and seek the Lord? Come believing. Come believing. Come to Jesus. Look and live on believing. Come believing, Come to Jesus, look and live. 111.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus
Address—A. Mauer
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#200.
1St.
That says Quicken.
Wave and in skin.
We are full of living snow. Every foe has been defeated. Every enemy lays before.
The song is the same.
Fourth verse says to us Quicken. Quicken raised and inhuman seated.
But when you look at the third verse, we find first exceptions.
The subject that I have before me this afternoon that I've enjoyed some thoughts on.
Are pertaining to.
The circumstances in our lives and how they appear to us.
00:05:05
Whether we if we apply the truth of resurrection or if we don't, I talk the truth, how they change, how the looks of things change when we apply the truth of resurrection to our circumstances and how when we do that, we find ourselves closer to the Lord Jesus in his presence. So I'd like for us to turn to some verses just to show you what what our purpose is. And he knows what our fortune is and we know these persons very well.
It means you use the 1St chapter.
Diffusion is one.
On verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly blessings in Christ. There are many today who are seeking After Earth.
But that's not something that's going to last. Listen.
In Sunday school we talked how about how no matter how much that money was worth, but not last returns. But God has given us something that will last for something we can enjoy now, and it's something that we can enjoy for heaven. Let's look over to the.
6th verse of the second chapter.
And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Now notice how many times when we find ourselves lifted up, we find ourselves in in fullness, in nearness to the Lord Jesus.
Lovely, because I believe that what the Spirit of God wants to do is to occupy us with those things that He has for us, and at the same time to occupy us with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Raised us up together, made us stick together in heaven and places in Christ Jesus and in the chapter, in the first chapter we have there that we are chosen and before the foundation of the world.
And we are accepted into the blood. So when we look, when we, when we consider our portion, we consider those things which are ours because of what God wants to give us, our blessings, our heavenly blessings.
Define the the person of the hope Jesus brought in so very closely with him. And is that not a proper thing to associate our heavens and blessings with the heavenly man? Let's look over then to Romans.
About the romance.
Chapter 6.
#3.
No, you're not. And so many of us, as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that at life, as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, Even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, His resurrection.
We have that, you know, it said in Ephesians. Half maintenance.
How can we say has made in heavenly places when we're still here are they've already given us those truths to enjoy in our souls while we appear. We can enjoy them. They're ours. They really are as you know, they're not any less ours now than they will be when we're in the Hogan going up and up. There really are the resurrection truths that we have. The fact that we've been buried with Christ and raised again. Both trees are ours and we can enjoy them now. We shall also be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
But a lovely thing that God has given us the truth.
That there is resurrection.
And we are living and we should be living in a new life, buried with him and bachelor. We have that privilege now of walking after the new man.
Colossians again.
I.
The third chapter.
00:10:08
If you even be risen with Christ, with risen with Christ we we you.
Yes, but they stand on the ground of resurrection.
Of the sharing, of knowing by faith all of those things which spell his book. We don't enter into the pool. 7 But there are two enjoyment do I enjoy?
I'm afraid that as I go with the business of the day and the business of the week.
Perhaps even as I journey home, I'll probably forget.
The ground resurrection I probably will forget.
But we have the expectation here, don't we? If you're going to be risen with practices, seek those things which are above for Christ. Sitter with the right hand, go.
Set your affections on things above, not on things in the earth, for your dead and your life is here.
But a lovely thought, I believe.
That Christ has promised us something better than anything you have in this world. There is nothing in this world that can satisfy the human heart.
And he has given us.
To know that that place that we're going to enjoy those things are going to be with them in glory.
I believe that God has given to this this truth as an encouraging to us.
Because it's easy to get discouraged, isn't it? And we see so many things going on around our circumstances.
Sometimes we know that it seems like every single person has been special exercise, a special circumstance.
A special thing about which they may be troubled is having difficulty.
But the Lord is there and to try expression to say look to the Lord, it's a right expression.
Because I believe that if we have him before us, if we can set our affections on things above and look at our circumstances with a view to the truth of resurrection, we find it carries us beyond this world, out of our circumstances by faith, and into a sphere where our thoughts and affections can be centered.
Let's look then at the store, at some people who we have given account, been given an account of the circumstances before and after the truth of resurrection has been required. And so let's look in John's gospel.
John's Gospel.
The 11Th chapter.
Mary, Martha and ladies.
And that certain man will say.
Certain names.
Sometimes you get sick.
Do we recognize that we are a certain man in the United States?
Do we recognize that even though we may be alone in our illness?
We are not alone in terms of the Lord's.
I believe that we can say when, when we are ill or something of that sort. I believe that we can say you are a certain name or a certain name or a certain boy, a certain girl in the eyes of the ages.
Walls don't keep the Lord out. Seedlings don't keep the Lord out from relying on our babies.
A certain man lashes his sick.
Named Lazarus or Bedroom the town of Mary and her sister Mark. I'm not sure that I've got that this is factual.
But I read that there are some who believe that Martha may have been a will.
And that Mary probably is never married.
And Lazarus was sick.
What was better?
Bethany, as I understand it, is on the South side of the Mount of Olives, a small town. We don't read much about it. We don't read much about Bethany that I know of in the secular literature. And so you might say that here was this corset man in this house with perhaps a widowed sister.
00:15:02
I'm a married sister.
I don't think that there was anything that they could explain that they should.
That they could boast that was being raised.
And I wonder what they thought of themselves.
A four week old company.
Mary, Martha.
You know, Mary was the one that stumbled about 1:30.
Lazarus is there.
For a trio.
Nothing to take. Explain. I don't think they were very rich. You don't read much about their house that I know of.
We read this message.
And I believe that God sees us, you and I. Amen. In Australians as it is certain.
And he has his eye on us, no matter how rich or helpful. He sees you as an immigration.
The second verse it was that Mary which ignited the people, and anointed the Lord of appointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sister sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, even thy Lois his sins. Notice that he, even thou, loves the sick.
Mary and Michael knew one thing. He knew that the word Jesus. Lord blessings.
That we accept there's something that not.
Martha didn't say Lord. She wasn't too.
And I believe that when we seek the Lord's help for somebody else, I think it's very popular to do that and to recognize that the Lord loves them.
I think it's also a lovely thought to say lovely to.
YouTube.
The old he knew, now love us to say.
Now, I'm going to turn down to the fifth first because I want to emphasize this issue as well.
Man, his sister said, He whom thou lovest is sick, The scriptures say now the Lord love him.
Hello. Oh, you say, Mark, Martha, you were the one who was cumbered about.
Certainly doesn't what we like.
That's what he said. Does he love me in all my failures? Does he love me just like I am? Does he see me as I really, really am? All my words know my moles as he loves seeing me, just as I am going to love it anyway. Yes, he does.
In my favorite.
Market says Jesus welcome.
And her sister announced.
Well, the six first. Now when he had therefore heard therefore that he is sick people, he was.
And after that he said he was to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again.
His decidable saying to him, master, the Jews of late saw his family, he was stopped with it again.
Jesus answered. Are there not 12 hours in the day?
Many men walk in the day should spend with money because it's you, the life of your life.
But if a man walk at night, he's stumbling because there's nothing.
Now I skipped the verse and I didn't purposely because when he's put the Lord is presenting before us. Here is the thought that if a man walks in the night of stumbles.
I know that that makes her very easy, but I think that I think that there is the thought there.
That if we walk in our circumstances down here below and we don't look, we don't look beyond those things, we're short sighted.
We don't see things as we all see because if you look back up in the fourth, first could be skipped.
When Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified or by.
I'm going to have you turn back to the 9th class to emphasize this.
You know the story there well.
With regard to the blind man.
Third verse of John 9 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned all his parents, but that the works of God could be manifested in him.
Our verse But for the glory of God, that the Son of God, God might be your Father God.
00:20:01
Perhaps it's not true with all our circumstances.
But I believe that there is the promise.
That for at least some of our circumstances, that the Lord puts us through.
It may very well be that the works of God may be manifest enough.
And that the glory of God, that the Son of God.
Might be glorified.
When we get in circumstances of difficulty and wouldn't it be lovely if you could think of those as being unkeep or by the works of God to be manifesting?
Me, a poor failing teacher.
Instrument by which God would be glorical. The Son of man could be glorified.
In the circumstances he was sick and relating to himself and he in those circumstances was going to that sickness was going to be.
And I believe, I fully believe that some of the circumstances that you and I go through in this world.
If we if we accept them from the hand of God and the exception of faith.
Well, it can in some way be for his.
It was less than triple age. I say that with fun and cheap because, you know, it's a serious thing.
It's a serious thing to talk like this with regard to this, but I believe that there are some circumstances in our lives when the Son of God actually be glorious.
In our differences.
That's the way it was here.
Now then the level first these things said he, and after that he stepped into their my friend Lazarus sleepless. But I go that I'm awakened out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
I'll be in Jesus faith of his death.
But they thought that he had spoken of taking rest asleep, then said Jesus under them Lazarus.
1St we find him sick, then we find him asleep. Now we're sick.
51St I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.
The Lord Jesus is not there, he said. He's dragging.
He was glad he wasn't there to see the glasses, though.
Was it, do we not say that the Lord loved Lazarus? Did it not say that the Lord loved Myth and her sister and.
Why then, why the Lord sound better?
And.
Is it possible? Is it possible?
That others of the Lord's people.
Have had to go through style.
That I might be.
Is it possible?
That there are those who had to go through trial that the Lord may teach me.
Sometimes, you know, when I see somebody in their circumstances, it's easy for me to say, Oh well, you know, I.
Well, the way they walk, maybe that's the way that that's the way. That's not the way we should be looking for physically.
It's very possible that the world may be seen to me something.
The intent.
Nevertheless, let us go into it.
17% of Jesus came. He found that he had lay in a day or day, all day.
Martha, Mary. Four days.
Should be supposed to be.
It is positive they didn't have much. I say this, I say this time, though, they didn't have much of this world's good, much of anything when they had Lazarus night.
00:25:07
And you find 2 dear sisters, we've all gotten a second on a little town on the other side of the night.
We find them all alone if they get through.
And the Lord is not there.
If you apply.
If you look at these circumstances.
And you don't apply the truth of resurrection.
To come up with perhaps.
A widowed sister.
The single lady.
And we did that.
It's quite a scene, isn't it?
You know, I don't know that we read that Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
What? Anywhere else to visit? I don't know how many friends.
I don't know.
Perhaps they had lost, perhaps they didn't.
But I suspect that they were pretty long.
Another head was in trouble.
And now you'll find that after death comes into that house.
There is even less than this world to live for than he has before.
And we also find that they could very easily say, you know.
Mary Canis will say, You know what Lord say in faithful Lord, you know I sat at your feet, Lord, and I heard you speak to me.
But you're not the money.
It's a sound thing, isn't it? It's a sad thing to look at both circumstances.
And we find ourselves there are many people who are going through some of these same circumstances. Some.
We've lost Lovings, some who have been widowed, your widower, some who have never been married. Some whofore have, let's say, lost dear loved ones.
Some who have little of this world's goods.
It may seem that there is nothing in this world.
Like.
Martha tried to do a little serving and she was comfortable.
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, and now he's not there in the machines, and she may think.
And I just don't.
Now that is not.
There is no place, no place in this world.
That is verified.
From the ground of the death, of course.
And I believe that this is the beginning here of the Lord trying to bring in the truth of this one.
Bethany was home to choose.
I share this thought with you as I had with some of the others.
That it says in Acts 1.
That not all of it was about a Sabbath day's journey from Jesus.
And it says there I believe that.
He says in Luke's gospel, is it ought not Christ who have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
We find that Jerusalem is associated with his death.
And amount of others is associated with Israel.
And the Bethany is on the Mount of Olives.
And Bethany was not.
About a side of stage journey.
The Lord suffered on Friday evening after weeks.
He was in the grave on Saturday, which is the Sabbath day.
And he was on the roadside.
Do we have a thought there that in time Jerusalem, His sufferings, was about a Sabbath day's journey in time from His glory to His resurrection?
I believe so about a sign of treatment, but here we find that Bethany was not introduced.
We are never very far.
We are never very comfortable.
Bethany was not into Jerusalem.
Many of the Jews and so forth. Well, let's go down to the 21St then Martha as soon as she heard of Jesus was coming. When I met him, but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou has been here, my brother had not gotten.
00:30:16
I think that.
I've heard others say that Martha was saying this in the spirit. No, Lord, have you been here, my brother in black?
Kind of like saying, you know, Lord, why don't you wait for those to come?
You knew. You knew that we were in these circumstances. You knew that my brother had died. Why didn't you keep getting here? He would die.
But there was a measure of faith in Martha where she said that I know that even now. Let's go without Alaska thought God will give it to you.
Now the first one was Jerusalem. The Bethany was not the Jerusalem.
Now you have.
The promise of God that he would provide.
Jesus said unto her life, Brother shall rise again.
My brother shall rise again, the Lord saying to you, I'm going to show you something, Martha. I'm going to show you that I am not bound by your circumstances.
Your brother shall rise again.
The 25th verse Jesus secondary and the resurrection, the life he that believeth in danger, though he prepared, yet shall be this.
OK, now.
And the.
To the East Coast and when she had so said she went away and called Mary her sister, secretly saying the master is coming poetry. And as soon as she heard that she a little strictly taken to him. Now Jesus was not yet coming to the town was that was in that place for monument.
The Jews then, which were with her in the house to make and comfort her, when they saw Mary, that she arose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying he both under the grave. The detail then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw, and she fell down at his feet, saying, Lord, if thou hast been here, I'd rather have not thou.
I believe there was a recognition on the part of America.
That in the Lord's presence.
If my brother would never die.
I believe Mary was real and hot Martha too. I believe there was a measure of faith. But you find a realness and a nearness in Mary where she recognized forward if you disappointed Michael.
Recognizing this question all over the country.
And then we find.
The 33rd bridge when Jesus therefore saw the week.
And the Jews also weeping, which came with it. He groaned in spirit.
The Lord Jesus known in spirit.
About these two dear sisters who were so alone.
Yes, yes. Why? I think that there's two things. I think he may have seen them in their need.
But I also think that he understood.
That he.
I believe he understood and entered into their field after.
And I believe that the Lord Jesus, when he goes down at us in our circumstances.
He sees our circumstances.
But he knows how you feel. Is that comfort?
Is it comforting to when we think that no one else understands?
But no one else really knows how I feel. It's comforting to know that the Lord Jesus fully understands not only what you're going through, but how you feel about what you're going to do.
In the full on respect everything.
That you demonstrate circumstances.
You know, I've not been asked to go through a lot of difficult circumstances. When I look around and see some of the circumstances that my brethren have gone through and I see them coming out faithful in a testimony to the work of to the work of thought in them, and happy in their souls after they've been brought through difficult circumstances.
I'm ashamed because I'm not sure that I would have done the same thing.
But I'm sure of another thing, and that is the Lord Jesus was with them in those episodes, understood that, and not only could help them with their circumstances, they can be accomplished to them.
00:35:17
And said, where are you lady? And they said underneath Tennessee.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, growing spirit, He will fly. Why? Because two sisters.
Two forces living on this on the lonely side of Mount of Olives in a little town in a very simple palace.
I think.
Jesus loved me. Jesus loved. He loves us too.
Philosophy. But now let's get a look at the way those circumstances are now.
And we've done it just three months. Last year we had two sisters. I don't know where they're in country, I have no idea.
I don't know. I suspect that they were, that their money was very meager.
I suspect from John 12 That their pay was no more than the regulation spent.
This is before.
Unto the resurrection is applied to their circumstances.
But now.
The if you're going down a little bit.
The 39th verse.
Jesus said.
Taking away the stone.
By this time mark of the sister who was dead seconds and bored by this time instant.
You know what I get in my circumstances, but when I get bothered about things, it's easy for me to look at things as if they're going to stay back.
It's very easy for me to not.
Recognized that the Lord is standing right there beside me.
And there may be things in my circumstances that he tells me to do, and I don't do it because it doesn't make sense to me.
But it's all part of his plan with the Sun Go.
But I may stand there and say no, that doesn't make sense.
Here I am in my circumstances. I need help. No way.
By this time history, he said. So easy for us to look at our circumstances with.
Physical.
And to miss the fact that the Lord wants us to look at our circumstances with His.
The system of the it's been good for faith. Jesus happened to her, said I not unto thee with thy ways believe thus years see.
So, you know, if I really believe.
More and entered into more the blessings that God has for me.
I would see more of the.
And they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father and entry, that thou hast heard me.
And I knew that thou hearest me always because of the people which stand by. I said. It became a belief that I sent.
When he believed upon his English.
And when he does call.
Part of the loud voice, last year's unforced.
Here is a man who has been in the grave.
Distinctive. And here is another lamb, the manifold, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord of Lords, who can walk up to that grave and with a loud voice say Lazarus, come forth. Is there any hesitancy? Is there any weakness? Is there any sort of of meanness? I'm talking about averageness on that command for Lazarus to come forth. There is never any doubt in those words, isn't it? It's a long voice. It's a voice of strength.
That was.
That comes in in a time like that.
And that's the lozenges.
And when he had thus spoken, he started with a loud voice, Lazarus Concord. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and cliffs.
His face was drawn about in afternoon Jesus 7 to Ben loosen and let him go.
00:40:06
Well, we find now that resurrection is coming.
Now let's go over to John 12 and see what happens after resurrection comes in.
The 12Th chapter.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethel for last. Rest was to come back who he raised from the day.
There they made him a supplement and Martha serve.
Now, I think that there's something very interesting about this patient.
I think there was. We find here that saying lowly House.
Same clean people. I say that because I say they're not fancy.
Same people, lonely people, and the same lonely house on the South side of that mountain.
And you find that six days before the passage.
Jesus became the best.
I believe that the Lord Jesus always felt that he was welcome in that Mass Effect. I'm not sure how many other houses in this world he felt welcome.
How welcome did you feel? Well, if you look down to the fourth verse.
It says one of these disciples.
Now the column of his disciples he most of the time had all of his disciples with.
And he thought at home enough. I believe in that.
Between 13 people in the last.
I wonder how many sisters with friends, if they follow 13 men come into their house for supper, perhaps in the meetings.
It was a lot of joy. He was understanding.
And the Lord Jesus went to that house.
Their house and their house knew what it was to have someone resurrected from here.
The Lord Jesus was in that.
Did Mary, Martha and Lazarus know the Lord Jesus for us? He certainly, certainly did. He was right on resurrection.
And one of the things that I like to do, I like to read a little bit of a chapter and look.
Together and think about it a bit and then go back to the verse or two before and they had less the last verse you saw of the chapter before. Let's see what you read there.
The 37th verse.
Now both the chief Greeks and the Pharisees had given a command.
That if any man you wear he were.
If any man knew where he were.
Believers, in fact, do you recognize?
That you knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, you know something that the world does not know.
The Pharisees, the chief priests, were looking for the Lord Jesus, and they didn't know where he looked. The Pharisees were looking for help to try to find that man twice that they might.
The world today does not know, in a sense.
If you look over to the 17th chapter of Acts, I believe it is. It says arrays in all 50 unknown God. They don't know what he is.
I've had a course or two in philosophy and every one of the philosophers that we study looks for a God and they can't find me. They cannot find them. They don't know him because the world by wisdom can't hand him.
And they are seeking and they are actively seeking them. I would say that perhaps 95 to 199% of the philosophers that that write.
They write about their concept of God and they can't find him. So man in his wisdom is searching after God and they can't find him.
And they were looking for it. They were looking for help, if any man knew where he was.
The two philosophers get together. One of the first things they talk about is who is God and neither one of them knows.
00:45:02
Neither 1.
Mary Martin Lassus, who's had very little of this world's goods. They knew what Jesus was.
He was with them in their little house, in their little house.
Yes, we may not find much in this world.
We know the Lord Jesus. We know something that the world is not known. We know the Lord Jesus. Is that wonderful?
To know that he is with me.
To know that He is mine. To know that He is with me in my circumstances.
I know that I can enjoy this Christmas party.
So we have something. This whole company, these three people have something the world will now take, and they're good.
They did not know and they couldn't.
What do we want?
Who would have played rather half this afternoon if you really want.
Is that something we really want to seek after?
Or is it more important for us to have the person of the Lord Jesus in our simple circumstances?
To know him, and to know of course.
First one.
We find that Lazarus.
Was which had been dead when he raised from the dead.
The second verse there they made him a suffer and Martha served.
There was perhaps 16 people feet.
Was it appropriate when I saw it? Yes, I think so. But we don't find here that Martha was coming about with much stirring here. This is Martha.
You think that Martha had a different concept of serving?
When she saw, when she applied, as it were, the truth of resurrection for certainties.
When she saw her brother sitting there.
And that it was the Lord who did it. That was the Lord who was sitting in her house.
I believe.
Not just that, oh Lord, I'm not going to be something about 3920.
Glasses is one of the one of them that sat at the table with him.
Pleasure sitting at the table with him. You'd speak to me, that means.
But what did Elijah say? I don't know.
I'm not sure how many words are reported that Lazarus ever said.
But he's sitting at the table and he's in community with the witches.
I wonder what he said. I wonder what his thoughts were.
And here was the Lord Jesus sitting in his very presence of the people with that not very long before had stood at this grave site that Lazarus control.
You know there's going to be a shout, isn't there? And the Lord is going to call out of his own home to go.
That shout is going to come.
And the two still sit before the left here.
But you see my answer is now is sitting.
And with a view to his circumstances.
With the truth of resurrection.
And he knows this has been raised today.
Martha is serving, perhaps happily now.
Lazarus knows the truth of resurrection.
So does my phone.
We find that in that in that house where they knew resurrection.
So in the presence of allergies and how many times in Scripture resurrection is associated with the person Christ bringing them both together?
We find it in the scene of resurrection. There was Lord Jesus to.
Lizards at the table with him. That's community.
Martha service forgot me.
We find that in the first instance we read of Mary, I believe it says that she sat at Jesus truth.
In the 11Th chapter she fell down on Jesus feet.
00:50:01
And now it is. It says she announced the truth and.
He works network.
Escort team.
Communion Service Energy.
The world did not know what he was.
But in their house, here are these people who now were not afraid of death anymore.
Because they saw the truth of resurrection and no doubt, as they walked through the scene, as they walked through the scene, as they saw the sea.
They they could see it with the view for the fact that their circumstances were not bound by death.
And if they could go on, and that they could weigh their circumstances in view of what the Lord has for in His blessing.
And that the circumstances they themselves were not bound that day.
There's a fast. There's something better.
Something new. There's something in trust, and there's something.
It's important for us to get as it known.
How wonderful is that? We are not bound by our circumstances. We're going to three give you 3 from all of our circumstances some days.
And we do not feel that because we have been raised with him.
To be with him.
But next we find that she.
Amongst the bill of Jesus.
She wipes his feet with her hair.
And the house is built in.
And how much was this on it worth?
Being cast down on the 5th person not doing the fence.
If a penny a day was the way to those who worked in that day.
It may be that this appointment was paid for with almost a usual.
Almost a little.
I believe that Mary had a sense of who the Lord was.
Even though she had to be brought through the circumstances of the death of her brother.
I believe. And now the time you came.
When she looked back and can see all that the Lord had brought her through, the fact that she had a resource, the fact that she had a hope and God that was not bound by death, that was not bound by her circumstances, and that she could look beyond death and beyond her circumstances.
And the reason that she couldn't because of that fully owned God who's standing out there?
Before that, that whole year worth of money.
And the House is still to go to the United States.
Me too.
And give me.
Glory, the Omniscient called Healy O Savior, are the praises of St.
Let me see. God wants us even now. He was beyond that.
How far short I fall with this, how far short I come, the very things that I'm saying, but I believe that the word wants us to see a wisdom, our lives hidden parts on resurrection ground to apply those truths to our circumstances now and say, well, yes, I'm going through this right now, but it's not going to restrict it. And perhaps if I can in some little measure be faithful to the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps they could use it for this world and how we don't have resources. So in my circumstances, some of your circumstances, it seems so disadvantaged. The Lord use affair to prevent His glory. Yes, I believe so.
Yes, I believe so. If you could use the.
You could use the depth of laser with the Son of God might be qualified.
There are other things that we can use in ours that can grow.
Well, the Lord wants us to look up, doesn't.
He wants us to see our circumstances the way he sees him, but he feel for our circumstantial yes, Oh yes.
But he wants us to look for all resources and do what you think and never withdraw. Is he going to be risen as well? He wants to.
00:55:02
Sexual affections and things about he wants me to look about.
He wants us to live our circumstances in this world.
As he sees us and loves us.
And absentee when you see some of the things that is overnight capacity. Perhaps he grows in spirit still as expected, but she feels he feels the circumstances of his own.
Before was that.
World you mentioned, We alluded to it before, but I think it's a lovely thought. I believe that if you look at the math, you'll find that this lonely house where Mary, Martha and Lazarus was at kind of the South end of a mountain called the Mount of Ox.
And I, I believe if I had my geography correct, I believe that Mary, Martha and Lagos.
Were living.
Who lived in the house that they lived in? I believe that they could look right straight up that mountain to the top. I believe that they could visually see the place for the Lord Jesus ascent and Lord.
I believe that they were living in that lowest, in that lowness, in that simplicity.
I believe that they are actually living.
To the glorified.
And I also believe that in Like Men.
They were living with the view to see them because when we come back to that same time.
And so those four, three people whose lowly three people who may have had so little in this world and at a time when things looked so bleak.
I believe they live in the truth of the resurrection of Christ and this glorious panic, and with a view to His clothes, His coming glory and His great life. But a lovely thing it is, is it not?
To be living with abuse.
To the Resolution Council answer.
Peculiar and you know, his resurrection, yes, I'm talking about his flowers is coming again, is coming blows and he's returned. They were living in the in the good of his return.
On resurrection ground they will have a view towards a place where the Lord is going to return in power on the Mount of Olives for a loving faith.
That's received.
Well, perhaps.
These few verses may encourage us to live as Mary, Martha and Lazarus and.
In our circumstances with the view.
To the Lords return on the Mount of Olives is returned because if we do that, then we have a glimpse we have we have the privilege of walking in the good of the fact that we are seated and having places with blessed with heavenly blessings, Father with their blessings. We do not have the blessings we have allowed us to head with the blessings, doesn't we?
Can we just have more? Some of us have left. That doesn't make any difference when it comes to we're all blessed and we're blessed by them, and we can live with the view of his return. And he's coming back. Isn't he coming back?
We can walk in the good of being raised with him.
And that's getting married.
And service.
The Garments of the Lord
Gospel—D. Hayhoe
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Singing him #1 The first and last verses of him #1 Come to Jesus gently calling ye with care 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 his weary soul Is prompt found. For Angel hosts are musing or their sights so strangely sad.
Man refusing to be made forever glad from the world in its delusion. Now our voices rise as one, while we shout God's invitation haven't itself reacted. Come, we rise together and sing the 1St and the last verses of #1.
I want to apologize to those on the front row here. The reason I want to apologize is that when my daughter was real small and I had a gospel meeting and we had a couple of real small children, babies at home and my wife stayed home with them.
When she came home from that gospel meeting.
My wife asked her what did Daddy preach about tonight? What did Daddy say tonight when he preached? And Bryce has heard me say this before and so he knows what my daughter said. Well, she said first of all he yelled for a while and then he cried for a while.
So the problem, I hear me yell a little bit, so that those at the back of here, the reason I yell and the reason I cry is because this is the most solemn message I've ever proclaimed in my life.
And this is the most exciting message that I've ever Sometimes I have to address students at the university, sometimes I have to address some of my colleagues and tell them some things in a meeting perhaps.
I don't get very excited about that. It's interesting. I enjoy that. But this is exciting tonight. And it's also, it's also tremendously serious. It's really serious. A couple of boys here that I'm not going to name that are expecting some stories tonight. We might tell some stories. You're going to have to listen up because you don't know when the stories you're going to come. You're not going to tell three stories and then wait 1/2 an hour. I might preach and then tell a story and then talk a while and then tell another story. So if you don't listen, you might miss the story. So you have to listen for the whole album to get the stories. But the stories aren't why we're here tonight. We're here to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm glad to see so many children here tonight. I thought there were a lot more children. I was in here praying. I must have been kneeling by that event. I thought there were a lot of kids out here, but I'm glad to see the ones that were that are here. I'm glad to see that. That was music to my ears in there. I prayed for you because I can hear you out here. My recognize some voices.
And I was praying in my heart for you by name. I didn't pray aloud by name because I didn't want to embarrass you in front of the other brothers. But I named you in there because I ought to be absolutely sure that when you leave here tonight, you know the Lord Jesus.
He's my savior and he wants to be yours. And we're going to talk about him tonight. And we're going to talk about him all the way from Genesis to Revelation. That's from the beginning of my book to the very end of it. And if you look in your book, it'll be the same Genesis at the front and Revelation at the back. There was an old lady once, and maybe she didn't go to school very much, I don't know. But somebody asked her, do you believe this is the word of God? And she loved this book. And she said, yes, Sir, I believe this is the word of God from generation to revolution.
Well, that is good. You know that's good because at the beginning we have the generation. That's the beginning. And at the end, what a revolution. It's going to be awful. But I won't be here. I don't be here when all that judgment falls and the revolution starts and then rises up in hatred against the God that made him, because I'm going to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory when the judgment begins to fall. But this is the word of God. And we're going to talk a little bit, not about everything in here, but we're going to talk about some things all the way from Genesis.
00:05:13
The revelation that has to do with clothes, clothes, jackets and coats and things. Garments, we're going to call them tonight and we're going to call them the garments of Christ because that's what we're going to talk about, the garments of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, garments, clothes are interesting things. Where my wife and I used to live and where we spent, we spend still quite a bit of time visiting. They wear clothes different than they do here.
You know, I have one at home and maybe I should have brought it. It's called a babariga and it's blue. It goes right down to the ground and it's made of one piece and you put the sleeves up like this and it has a huge big pocket in the front. You know what the pocket's for? The pockets were turning live chickens home from the market. So you can open up the top and you can see a man walking across the street and his whole shirt is start checking inside his shirt. And that's called a babariga. And when you see a man with a blue baberica on and a chicken inside his shirt, you know he's from a certain tribe because only that tribe wears babarigas. You see another man with a nice lace akbata, looks like laced pajamas.
You see that must be a man from the Yoruba tribe because only the Yorubas were lace abatis on the street. And you see another man with completely closed from the top of his head breakdown Queen Street on pink coral beads strung on strings. That must be the ober of belief because only the Oba of Benin, the king of the Benny tribe, is allowed to wear that much pink coral clothes. Is that interesting? That's your first story, fellas. There might be more coming, but we're going to talk tonight about the garments.
The garments, the clothes of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of what we're going to talk about is directly about the Lord Jesus. One or two of them will be the Lord Jesus Christ in tight or in example or in picture in the Old Testament. So we're going to start with the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Let's turn to it.
We're going to read a little bit about Josephs garments.
Genesis chapter 37, because Joseph is a beautiful picture, a beautiful example of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read just a little bit about Joseph. We could spend the whole evening talking about him, but we really just want to spend a few minutes talking about his garments, his coat of many colors. And we'll have to leave some of those other beautiful details of Joseph's life for someone else to talk about another time.
Genesis.
Chapter 37 and verse three. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children.
Because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors. You children all know that story, I'm sure, a coat of many colors. It speaks of the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're not going to analyze all those glories, his intrinsic glories and his, his moral glories, his personal glory. We're not going to go into all of that except to say that if you turn to John 17, you'll leave there a little phrase that says if glory that thou hast given you.
The glories that came as a gift from the Father, the Son. And here we have in Genesis 37, verse 3.
Father Israel gave to the Son a coat of many colors, all the glories of Christ. And my brothers and sisters in Christ, tonight we want to see something of the glories of Christ. I'm sure that many in this room know the Lord Jesus Christ. Can your heart thrill with mine tonight as we see Christ in the glory, as we see a glimpse of that coat of many colors, all the glories of Christ displayed to us in the pages of the Word of God. It's beautiful.
We sang this morning we we had before us. I'm not sure if we sang it gazing on the morning glory, all our hearts and worship out there. We read the wondrous story of the cross. It's shaming woe so we can look up and we can see them in glory. We can see something as we look at his earth earthly pathway of the manifestation of his moral glory that he walked among men and in the coming day will gaze on him in the world in glory. Here we have Joseph.
With this quote of many colors, well, let's just look down a little further to verse 13.
00:10:06
The Father said, I will send thee and the Son, Joseph replied, Here am I. And so in the past eternity we see the Father and the Son sitting in eternal councils, the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus and the Father says.
I will send thee and the sun says here am I send thee. We have that clearly brought before us in deepens chapter 10 lower the volume of the book as is written of me. I come to do thy will, oh God. And so the Lord Jesus Christ in eternal purpose with his Father purpose, blessing for mankind and he had in mind you tonight you by name in those eternal councils in a past eternity. You know the Africans have a way of expressing things that we can't come close to.
Other people take 20 minutes trying to explain what a past eternity is. The African simply says before, before.
That's all, that's all. So Jesus, it's easier to preach over there. I just told before, before and who knows when that was. It was in the past eternity before, before Jesus said here a moment, I'll come. I know them by name and problem. I know every one of their names. I know the ones in Sully. I know them all. I know their names. Even before you were born, you know your name. Yes you did. And he said, I love that boy and I want to come. I want to give my life a white girl.
Even the babies, even the Jonathans and the Joshuas words to where's my friend Joshua? He's probably maybe isn't here tonight. He wasn't very well today. And and all of the babies, yes, if you turn to the Gospels and you look in your margin, since they brought children unto Jesus, look at your margin and the real word is infants. They brought infants to Jesus. So we're glad to see infants at the Gospel.
And I love the sound of a little bit of infant noise in a gospel. There's nothing wrong with that. The only thing that bothers me is when you get bothered by it doesn't bother me at all. So we love to see infants in a gospel meeting because Jesus loves them. And in the past eternity, he said, here am I send me. Let's look at the.
15th verse And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. Verse 16 And he said, I seek my brethren. Verse 17 Joseph went after his brethren and found them. Here's a picture of the Lord Jesus wandering as a homeless stranger in the world in his hands at me. Read Colossians one and you'll find who made the universe Jesus.
Jesus did. By whom is it that the universe continues in its order of existence tonight?
Jesus. By him all things continue to exist. That's the meaning of Colossians 1 By whom? Jesus?
And so the universe was brought in towards an existence by Jesus. It continues that way. Because of Jesus, He made the world. But here we see him in tight wandering in the field. That's Jesus wandering as a homeless stranger here. And he's met and he says, why are you here? Behold, I seek my brethren. That's not.
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. What does it say in verse 17? Joseph word after them.
A word to the believers. Go after them, go after them. Joseph went after his brethren. Isn't that modern English? Yes, it is. He went after them. And I'll tell you, we should go out and get a lost source. The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save. That was was lost. Joseph didn't lay at home and wait for his brother to come to him. He went after them. He went out into the field. He went into the world and he went after them. I was speaking to a boy.
A few months ago.
The name was Dave Kindle.
Dave Kindle stayed behind after the little meeting we had with him.
And he said, you know, you told me tonight, today that God loves me.
I want to tell you something.
He said I'm here for murder, Babes 14 by the way. He said I'm here for another time. And he said after I committed my crime, I swear I ran away and I was hitchhiked outside of Toronto and a man picked me up and he we drove for maybe 50 miles up towards Barry, which is heading north up towards Hudson's Bay and.
The man didn't say anything but just that. Before I get out of the car, they said. The man turned to me and said, son, I don't know who you are, but I just want to tell you something that God loves.
He said another man picked me up and took me north of Barry. I was heading way up towards Perrystown.
00:15:00
And he said, I'm not going that far. The man looked at me and he said, I don't know who you are, but God loves you.
He said you suppose God lost me, said you're the third man that's told me that. We said yes, Dave, God loves you. Doesn't matter that you committed murder at the age of 14. God allows you and say you handle that day. He got down on his knees and he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. I spoke to the people in that place. I asked to see his papers. His parents, his legal guardians were listed as the province of Ontario. David been on the street since he was nine years old.
Nine years old. No father, no mother, no uncles, no aunts, no brothers and grandmas like the one that took the ones that took care of you all day yesterday. Nothing.
Legal guardians, the state not irrelevant on the face of the earth that cared two cents today in both soul. At the age of nine, the day of Hindle accepted Christ as his savior.
The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost. And so the Lord Jesus here in tight is like Joseph wandering in that field. He went after his brother and he found. And what happened?
20 Come now, therefore let us slay it. Here's the air. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. And my heart is the same. And tonight your heart is the same. And I don't mind pointing my finger at you because I don't know you. So I can point my finger at you, And I can say your heart is the same because many of you I don't know. And if you want to challenge me after the meeting, challenge me. And we'll go into that room and we'll sit down and we'll open the word of God together, and we will see, according to Romans 322, that there is no reference.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is a perfect standard that God sets to which I cannot attain to because it is a standard of absolute perfection and holiness. Get, God cannot look upon sin. His eyes are too pure to look at iniquity.
He cannot abide sin in His presence. Oh, have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
So these men said we're going to kill him. There was a man once when agreed he was he was witnessing the crucifixion in a dream. And in that dream he saw a Roman soldier raised the lash and bring it down on the back of Christ. And he was flogging and beating Christ. And the Lord Jesus's back was torn and bleeding and finding the man in his dreams could spend it no longer. And he grabbed that Roman soul and he flung him against the wall.
And as he turned him around, he saw the face of that Roman soldier. And it wasn't simple.
Saw that he himself was that soldier. He was the one who had been equally guilty with that soldier 2000 years before of condemning just.
The Son of God staying away with this man, we will not have him to reinhold us. And so these men, his own brethren, his own brethren said, come, let us kill him. Verse 23. It came to pass when Joseph was come unto his brethren.
That they stripped Joseph. They stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors, that was on him.
And verse 31, they took Joseph's coat and killed the kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood, and they sent the coat of many colors and brought it to their father.
And said this have we found know now whether it be thy sons post or no. And he knew it and said it is my sons. Hope the picture evolves. Short Old Testament examples are not perfect examples of Christ. We cannot stretch it too far. But I believe here we have an example of the blood of Christ shed presented to the Father in glory, and the Father's heart satisfied as to the perfection.
Of a finished work my friend. Tonight I want to stress to you something that we stressed yesterday with the young married couples, my salvation. My salvation does not depend on my appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit in me, but it depends on God, the Fathers acceptance of the work of Christ for me.
When we repeat that, that's very important, My salvation does not depend on my appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit in me, because I may not appreciate it, I may not feel gloriously happy every morning, but it does depend on God's acceptance of the work of Christ for me. God is satisfied with Jesus. We are satisfied as well. His precious blood has spoken there before and on the throne, and his own wounds in heaven declare the atonement work.
00:20:08
Yeah.
Why can I look up confidently and call God my father? Because the blood of Christ, God Son, runs with us from all sin. Because. Because the blood is sprinkled there, and the work is forever finished. Hebrews chapter 10. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down at the right hand of the throne.
The work is done and so here we have the coat presented to the father, sprinkle with blood. The father's heart is satisfied. It is my son's picture, not perfect, but nonetheless a little picture.
The finished work of Christ as portrayed in the garments. The garments.
Joseph, let's look over to the New Testament now. How do you suppose the Lord Jesus is going to present himself now as he arrives on the scene in the New Testament? Let's look at Luke's Gospel, chapter 2.
I love I love Luke's gospel because.
You know when, Matthew?
We have His kingly majesty, We have His messianic glory, We have him presented as the Messiah in Marks Gospel. We have the pathway of perfect service in John's gospel. We have a revelation of His divine person. Buddy Lukes gospel. He looks gospel. We have him as a man.
God, yes, always God, from eternity to eternity. But nonetheless, it looks gospel, man.
Walking amongst men, touching.
Feeling their infirmities as entering into it with them apart from sin in Luke's gospel, particularly as a man touching his fellow man, touching the leopard, he would reach out and he would actually, he would actually touch a left.
You know, that's a hard thing to do. That's not easy. I've had lepers come to me with no hands, no mouth, no nose, no feet, lying on the ground, just lifting up their arms to me like this.
For me to give him something for me just to talk to them, it's not easy. Sit in the dirt and put your arm around the left and touch them.
And tell them that God loves you.
Easy to do because they Smith.
And often my wife and I have visited at Asyomo and at Asyomo and at OG River.
There are villages with schools and hospitals and many, many, many, many homes.
And babies and children and grandpas and grandmas and everyone has left. Everyone.
In the whole time.
As leprosy and overhead you look up and the vultures.
Are certain.
Lower, lower, lower. They're waiting for them to go.
I believe they can smell. Certainly before you get out of your car you can smell.
Dead Flash because they're dying while they're flesh is rocking from their ****. Not easy to put your outer out of the safe, but loves you instead of the day there. Touching weapons doesn't come easily to a heap.
Jesus did that. Jesus did that.
Boy does he love. We need to do it. We need to do that.
Jesus loved him the most. Gospel. How does he come then? What are the garments of Christ in Luke's gospel? What are the garments of Christ in Luke's gospel? He must come in a great display of kingly glory, wearing his kingly robes, perhaps proclaiming himself to be the grand King of Israel. Let's see it in chapter 2, verse 11. Where unto you is born? This day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you. Verse 12.
You shall find the babe dressed in kingly garments, wearing a crown upon his bra. I'm sorry.
He shall find faith wrapped in swaddling clothes. Do you know what swaddling clothes? Our mothers know what swaddling clothes are. We use different office.
Sometimes when we have a baby that's screaming because they're afraid of me, you sluttle the baby up means to take that, go close and wrap them up tight. I don't know how babies do it. I have claustrophobia. It bothers me to see them, but they get them all well. And what happens when you do that to a baby? You go to sleep.
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And we just do this and we examine our eyes for. So sometimes we can do that. We don't have to tell us whether they see the letters or not. We can find out a lot just by looking in there and seeing what's inside.
And so we swaddle the babies up. And if you look at a medical book, they'll say if you have a crying infant, swallow, swaddle. It just means wrap them up tight like your baby brother when he's in his blanket, put his arms inside.
And hear the Lord Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, the garments of Christ.
Weakness and defeat, one lead crown all as well as beneath his feet by being trodden down. He came as a helpless baby.
Garments. Could these be the garments of Christ? Could this really be the the garments of the Son of God wrapped like a baby in swaddling clothes? Yes.
Philippians Chapter two. He took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the lights.
There are many times when I guard the preach to an African and I wish I remember one time particularly in a town called the Silly silly and Augustine Moon took me to a sillyuku and said, I want you to preach the gospel with John Rule to the chief. He's my father. And the chief was sitting there and all his chiefly robes and he had his fan and he had two men standing beside him with horse tails switching his eyes off him like this. And I thought, oh, wouldn't that be nice if I could dress up like an African sheep? Would I look like an African sheep if I dressed up like that?
I think I'd look like a Canadian idiot if I dressed up like that. I wouldn't look like an African at all. I'd have to do a lot more than that to become an African. Like I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. But.
Jesus, God said. I want to show my love to those people so much. I'm going to become a man. I'm going to become a baby. Just let John, I'm going to become a baby.
A helpless baby so that I can show them that I am one of them apart from sin, and so that I can enter into it and walk the pathway of a man.
On it the garments of Christ, Luke 8.
For the third garment of Christ.
Locate and 43.
The woman having an issue of blood 12 years which has spent all her living upon positions neither could be healed of any came behind him and touched.
Order of his garments touch the border of his garment, and immediately your issue of blood stems. He was a woman who suffered from a disease. Disease is the result of sin tells us in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Whereas by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin. So death passed upon all men. For that all have sinned. There are two reasons tonight why we have sickness, why we have disease. Why does sin? Two reasons, one, because of the original sin of Adam that because of our being born into this world.
We are born with a sinful fall nature. David tells us about his Psalm 51 Says in sin did my mother conceive me? That's not referring to his mother's sin. That's referring to the fact from the very time of his conception he was seen as having a symptom.
Think about that. Think of the implications of that.
It's a different subject, but you might want to think about that Psalm 51. And so there's that sinful fellow in nature. The second thing is that because we are sinners, by practice we have committed sins in our lives.
So death passed upon all men, for that all had sinned. So this woman was a Sinner. She had spent all her living upon positions. We might say they're like the philosophers, those in the theologians, those in this world who would stand up before men and and develop some great system of theology for by the world can live in harmony and peace and usher in a new age of peace and harmony amongst men.
Not the truth, the Word of God, Alliance and.
And a subtle lie that's creeping in even behind the pulpits of churches in North America and being proclaimed as the truth of the Word of God.
It's not the truth. The truth is that man is a Sinner. Boys and girls are sinners. We have all sinned. We have all come short of the glory of God. And my friends and I, here was a woman. Here was a woman who came behind the Lord Jesus Christ and touched at the hymn of his daughter.
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And there was power there. What does that speak to us of? I'd like to speak just to those who are believers for a moment. You know, the priest in the Old Testament, the Israelite priest, the Jewish priest, he had a garment that reached down to the ground. Now the Lord Jesus, now the Lord Jesus is our great my priest in the glory, seated at the Father's right hand with his hands up, left it in blessing for us ever seated there to make intercession for us. We find it high priestly work. His advocacy brought before us in John's first epistle.
He is our high priest in the glory. We have it in Hebrews. We have not in high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity was about in all points tempted like as we are sin apart. And so we can come boldly to the throne of grace. We may make known our petitions because of our very high free stuff there. And So what do we have? We have a high priest in the glory at the hem of his garment still reaches down to this earth. He's up there now.
But in tight it's hard for the children to understand when I'm speaking to those who are a little older now, we can still reach out and touch because of power is still there. And it's the power of the Holy Spirit of God who takes that work of Christ and applies it to our souls. We have in Psalm 133. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. And it goes on to speak about holy anointing oil that was placed upon Aaron's head.
It began at the head, it ran down to the beard, and what did it finish at the skirts of the garment?
That oil speaks of the Holy Spirit of God. And so the Lord Jesus in absolute perfection from the crown of his head, his thoughts, the words that proceeded from his mouth, that's the beard, the skirts of his garment, that's his holy sinless walk. The Lord Jesus was perfect from top to bottom, from his thoughts to his words to his wife. The Lord Jesus Christ was typified by the work of the Holy Spirit of God in perfection. The opposite of Isaiah chapter one, when we find that man is filled with wounds and bruises and future fine sores.
From what? From the sole of his foot to the corner of his head. This.
The other way around, isn't it? Let's not get it backwards, man. From the bottom to the top is rotten. That means me. That includes me rotten through. You don't know me very well, but if you knew me a little better, you'd start to agree that some of that old rottenness still comes out.
Get impatient sometimes with my children.
Get off you sometimes.
I think that you nobody has ever heard me do that except my life. That's.
That's some of the old rottenness inside still from there, nothing of that in Jesus, nothing of that in him. That's he was perfect from them, crown of his head down to the sole of his foot. And the garments, the garments of our great high priest saturated with the oil of the Holy Spirit of God, making good the power of Christ, our souls. Can we go back to Exodus just for a minute and we'll see something of the garments of Christ there. This will be our.
Our 4th one I suppose.
Something of the garments of Christ, as seen in the garments of the Holy of the High Priest.
Says in verse six of Exodus 28.
Perhaps we'll start at verse 4.
These are the garments which they shall make a breastplate and an E foot and a robe and a brighter coat and a miter and a girdle. And they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priests office. And they shall take gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine men. Well, I'm not going to go through holy priestly garments. That would take the rest of the night. And maybe we want to take 5 minutes talking about this service, perhaps less than that.
What do we find here? We find gold. Speaking of the divine righteousness, the deity of Christ, we find blue. Speaking again of his deity, we find that in John's gospel as Son of God, we find the purple, the kingly, the royal color. So there we have the Matthews gospel. He presented his Messiah, the King. We find fine twined linen. That's his perfect humanity. That's Luke's gospel. We find the scarlet.
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A little more difficult to understand.
Until we realized that the word scarlet comes from a word in the original of means a worm.
When that worm was crushed, the dye was extracted to make that scarlet color as.
The Lord Jesus Christ, our perfect servant, as perfect servant, went through a walk of humility and subjection and submission to his Father's will. And so the scarlet speaks to us of Mark Gospel as the perfect servant. The garments of Christ, the breastplate bearing our names on his breast, bearing our names on his shoulders. Isaiah Chapter 9 verse six. So it says, his name shall be called wonderful.
Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the government shall be upon his shoulder. Is that amazing? He carries the government on his shoulders, on his shoulder, but he carries me on his shoulders. Takes two shoulders to carry me, but he carries the government of everything on his shoulders. My possession of security is such that he will not let me go. My wife and I were in Egypt in 1977. We saw a little Egyptian shepherd boy go down into a Wadi, into a muddy ditch, and get a lost sheep.
He brought that sheep up and he put it up on his shoulders like this around and he took the two front legs here in this hand and he crossed them like this and he took the two back legs in the other hand and he crossed them like this and there was that sheep. Can you picture the sheep is a cross like this? Can you picture that? Can you picture that, Jason? You see right across the shoulders and the front legs down here and the back legs here. You think that she could get away?
That's John 10.
That tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us like that, and that's like the priestly garments. He carries our names on his shoulders for security and on His breast because He loves us. He wants us close to His heart. Let's just turn over the page, the verse.
33.
And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of balloon, and of purple, and a scarlet round about the hemorrhoids and bells of gold. What does that speak to us of? Perhaps just a minute for those who know Christ as their Savior. But maybe the children can help us understand this.
I like the children to understand, you know what a pomegranate is. The pomegranate is an island. The pomegranates for you buy them in stores. What? What do you see when you cut open a pomegranate and open it up? Something immediately that you notice about a pomegranate.
Pull a seed. Isn't it an awful lot of seeds in a pomegranate? It seems to be hundreds of them in there, filled with seeds. So the pomegranates on the hem of the priest garment speak of his fruitfulness.
The fruitfulness of christ's life and ministry what about the bells? Golden bells is perfect testimony shouldn't that be typical of us fruitfulness and.
Perfect testimony.
Perfect, the beautiful sound of the golden bells and the sight of those pomegranates. The testimony and fruitfulness of Christ.
Where we find the.
Verse 31 I should have commented on Thou shalt make the robe of the ephod of blue, Speaking of the divine character of Christ. There should be a hole in the top of it in the midst. The rubbish will have a binding of woven work around about the whole of it, as it were. The whole of them have heard young that it be not rinse. Verse 39 Thou shalt embroidery the coat of fine linen, the absolute perfection of Christ, the fine linen where you cannot find any imperfection perfectly finally.
Woven linen In Canada, we talk about Irish linen. They didn't have Irish linen in Iowa. Maybe that's too British.
But Irish linen is pretty good stuff, pretty good stuff. It's fine. But this fine linen, you could look at this and you couldn't find any imperfection. That's the perfection of the humanity of Christ. Nothing that ever showed out in His life that would show any evidence of sin, because in Him was no sin.
Let's look for justice a moment or two at Psalm 43.
Psalm 43.
I'm sorry, Psalm 45.
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Psalm 45.
It's speaking here of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we wonder perhaps when we hear people speakers are really talking about the Lord Jesus. Or is this something that someone thought of that sounded nice? Well, in verse six it says Thy throne, oh God, is forever and ever. The scepter of thy Kingdom is a right scepter. The love is righteousness and heinous wickedness. Therefore God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Don't we read that in Hebrews chapter one, evidently, obviously, clearly Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ as God as gone. So this song, the 45th song, even though it's written from a Jewish perspective in anticipation of the Millennium, still it speaks of Christ. And what do we find as we look in a millennial day, in a millennial day at Christ in the glory? What do we find in verse 8? All like garments, smell of myrrh.
Aloes and Castle, you know what that tells me? That tells me that in the coming days when I am with Christ, those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior in this room, when we are with Christ. And Whitekins, I hope I don't sound irreverent with this, but I would like to submit to you that in that day, the smell of the sufferings of the cross will still linger on the Grammys. I'm speaking symbolically because this is looking on to the millennial day, and it says all like garments smell of murder.
What is myrrh? Myrrh is when you take a certain kind of shrub and you strip the bark and you take it and you bend it and you break it and you crush it. And there's, there's a kind of a SAP that comes out and he's there and it speaks of the suffering and the bitterness of the cross of Christ. That's the myrrh. Aloes. We still use aloes today for their healing properties, don't we? For the healing properties. And so we read in Isaiah chapter 53 by his stripes.
We are healed the cross again Tasha. We went back to Exodus. We find the Cassia was one of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil that was placed upon air. All taking us back to the finished work of Christ and His priestly work for us.
No longer necessary when we're working in the glory.
But still it lingers on him for all eternity. There will be that in the glory. Which reminds me of the 2nd.
The smell will linger on sometimes when we leave the breaking of bread on Wednesday morning, we say, and we hear it often in a prayer. Maya Saver of this hour, go with us. Do we mean that? When we say that, do we mean that? Do we rush to step out into the main square of color? And how folks recognize in US the bitterness and rejection of the cross?
That's what the Savior of the hour is. That's the smell and the garments of Christ. For all eternity it will be there.
And my fellow brother and sister in Christ, do we want the world to recognize in US the bitterness and rejection of us?
That's what we're saying when we pray on Lords Day morning as Savior of this hour.
Searching, isn't it?
What about the garments of Christ? Again we come back to the fifth one in John 13.
John's Gospel, chapter 15.
We read this verse, the first verse this morning, Jesus the end of the verse, having loved his own, which were in the world, He loved them onto the edge. You look at Mr. Darby's translation, he has a little took note at the bottom of the page that says this is not a question of time, not a question of loving them onto the end of time. It's a question of extent. It's a question of death. It's a question of amount. It's not a question of loving them up to the cross or to the end of the age or to the end of the dispensation or the end of the world or the end of time.
The question of the depth of his love. Oh, the height and the depth, the breadth, the length of the love of Christ. It passes knowledge will never understand it. And here in John 13 verse one it says.
I I suppose literally we could say he began to show them the full extent.
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Of his life and what did he do in verse four he.
Laid aside His garnish and took a towel and go to something with the garments of Christ. Involuntary humility, involuntary subjection. He chose to lay those garments aside and to take upon himself. That was spoken of the position of a slave. And you know something in the coming day, in the coming days He will gird himself, and He will come forth, and He will serve us.
My saving.
Will come forth soon when I'm with Him, and He will serve me. Serve me. He will serve me in the glory.
Yes, he will and he will maintain that character. We're all the characters should not humble my heart. Now let me stop again because we've talked to Christians for a while. We've talked to Christians for a while, and I want to talk again to those of you who don't know Christ, wake up, time to wake up. Listen up. You don't know the Lord Jesus.
Talking to you now.
If I knew your name, I think some might I'd call it up because it bothers me so much to walk around in front of a group of people in a Christian community like Helen. I know that there are souls that are going straight to hell tonight. So listen, 'cause this is for you now. If I look you in the eye, don't be embarrassed. If you're a Christian, you know how you can stop the embarrassment. All you have to do is come and tell me after. I'm a believer, I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I'm liable to throw my arms around you, or I might just shake your hand, but I'll recognize you as a brother or sister in Christ. So if you're embarrassed now because I'm looking you in the eye.
Solve the problem after just come and tell me.
That you're not going to help you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. I'm going to stand at that door back there.
I don't know. Does anybody have their coach out here? I would like everyone to go back door tonight. You may use the washrooms here. You may do whatever you need to do it here, but I want you to grow backfill and I'm going to stand the back door. I'm going to shake your hand and I'm going to tell you a little story. You know, and I've told this before, but in Africa we lived some time ago. We still go back there, a little, little lizards that live up in the wall. There are two of them that used to live up by our clock. They were about this long and they were called geckos. Geckos are a kind of lizard, the only kind that makes a noise.
Little squeaking noise.
And they're kind of translucent. You know what translucent means? Not quite transparent, but like the front of a frosted glass. You can see those little mini Venetians in there. Can't quite see through it, but you can see what's inside the window. But one one of these gambles ate a fly. You can see the fly inside the.
We didn't like him in our house when we moved in. And So what we used to do, we have lizards in the house. Yeah, let's get them out of here. So we went in like this before I got the lizard. You could feel them in my hand, squiggling around in there. So I take my open up my hand, and you know what? There'd be no lizard in there. But you know what was in my hand? We're going around the tail. Just the tail. Because when you grab the lizard, their method of escape was to let their own tail go.
And leave it in my hand and they look up, yes, there was no tail. Few weeks later, same gecko, new tail. They could grow a new tail, but I'm not going to let I grab the oven and I got them. I know I got them this time because I can feel them. Just a tail.
And then they go, you know, something is the citizens of color are like that. You know what? Because I will stand at that door and there will be people who will shake my hand and say, lovely, Sir.
You know what you've done when you've done that. If you don't know Jesus, you've left your tail in my hand and you go and grow a new one for next week. Next time it will be inspiring. Message, Sir, Another tale left in the hand. So you're just getting away. It's a little method to get out so that the preacher doesn't get ahold of you and really challenge you. Do you know Jesus as your savior?
And then you grow a new, a new excuse for next week. No boys and girls of Christian parents. You're like that. I was like that. There was a man in the town where I grew up who preached the gospel. Oh, did he preach the gospel? And I used to sit in my chair and oh, I was afraid. And he used to shake my hand as I went out the door. And he never asked me if I knew the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. But all right, anyway.
Because I know that I have to go home and get in bed and that same man would come and kiss me goodnight.
Here's my dad.
Not who desperately wanted me to be safe, but I wasn't safe. But I wasn't safe.
And he used to. He never asked me, you know, he never asked me if I was safe. But one day I told him I was.
Because I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as I said, Remember who it was who helped me to know how to be saved, my sisters.
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It's a good job the sisters here, Big Sisters, talk to your little sisters and make sure they're saying Big Brothers, talk to your little brothers and make sure that they're safe. And then make sure that you go and tell your dad, their moms, that they'll be sorry. They might have been dropped. They might even try, but they'll be tears of joy because he's accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. We better finish up here. We've only got 6 minutes left and we're in John 13. This is where the Lord Jesus lays aside his garments. Now let's look over at Matthew.
Matthew Chapter.
27 and verse 28.
And and description. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet.
The garments of Christ. I believe this is the 7th one now the garments of Christ, they stripped him.
And they put on him a scarlet robe. I remember reading a commentary once. It was given to me by my religious instruction teacher in grade 8, the venerable Archdeacon, right, Honorable Cannon Sadler was his name. And he gave me a book for scoring Good March in religious education in grade 8. And that book, one of the first pages that that my father read before I read it and I didn't get to read it, he read the first page and it said, you know, in Matthew's Gospel, it talks about a, a scarlet role. But in John's Gospel, it talks about a purple robe. That's because when John saw the Lord Jesus, the sun was going down and it looked kind of purple.
What didn't last long in our house?
Because, you know, the Word of God isn't subject to just men just seeing things a little differently. It wasn't that John recorded things as he saw them and Matthew recorded things as he saw them. They recorded things as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so, things that they did not even see. They recorded the amount of transfiguration. Who was there was Matthew. There was Matthew on the Mount of Prince Federation who was not there. He records it in detail, including who was there and the actual words spoken.
And he wasn't even there. Was Mark there? He wasn't there, but he records in detail all of the words spoken and he wasn't even present was linked there. He wasn't there, but he records in detail the words spoken on the Mount of Transfiguration. Was John there? Yes. He was the only one of the four gospel writers who was there. Does he record? It doesn't even mention. Don't look for the amount of Transfiguration in John. It's not there. Why? Because they just wrote down things as they remembered them, of course.
Matthew, Mark and Luke weren't there but they wrote it all down. Why? The Holy Spirit of God inspired and told them what to write. John was there and does not mention it because it does not fit in with the theme of the gospel. In Matthews Gospel he's the Messiah and so it's a scarlet vote. Why? Because scarlet was the royal color of Israel.
When Rahab hung that scarlet line in her window, she not only was typifying the blood of Christ, as we often speak, but she was publicly identifying herself with the nation of Israel. Scarlett was the royal pillar of Israel, not of the inhabitants of the land of Palestine. So she was publicly saying I am identified that God's evil in John's gospel, it's a purple Rd. because there it's his divine glory and it's his kingly character as being the Son of God.
Stripped him if you look over at John's gospel.
Chapter 19.
The next mention we have of the garments of Christ, verse 23. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, struck his garments, His garments, and made four parts to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without seeing, woven from the top throughout. They said, therefore among themselves, let us not rend it, but cast locks for it. Who is it shall be?
That the scripture might be fulfilled. What's that? A part of my raiment among them. For my vesture it had cast loss. These things, therefore the soldiers did.
The garments of price divided into four parts, and so the gospel and the grace of God goes out to the four corners of the earth, north-south, east, and West. That spells news, NE WS that's what news means. It goes up to the four corners of the earth. And so the four garments of Christ were divided into four parts. Speaking of the gospel going out to all but the coat. The coat was not rent. The Lord Jesus was not rest in his priestly garments here. He did not take that character on her. But if we think of the coast as we have gone before us, an Exodus, chapter 28, that quote was made of fine linen. So regardless of what came against Christ, there was nothing.
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That could mar his sinless humanity tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 to look unto Jesus before the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before and endured the cross, despising the shame, it tells us in the next verse. But he endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. And so the Lord Jesus, despite all the mockery and shame and ignominy and false accusations against Him, never was there anything that showed other than this perfect sinless humanity. The coach, the fine linen was not rented.
Doesn't refer to the robe which was woven throughout and had a hole in the top so that it could not be rent. If it does, then the road was all of blue and nothing that man could do could touch the deity of Christ.
God could say when they tore his raiment that he could say that's enough, that's enough. You must stop there. You must not tear that robe. You must not tear that coat. Nothing of the deity of my Son must be or can be altered in any way. And so it was not Revelation chapter one.
Chapter one and verse 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like under the Son of man, who is the Son of man, Jesus Christ, bow with a garment, a garment, the 8th garment now down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. This is solemn. Now those of you who live here in this community or in this area who call yourselves Christians, here's the Lord Jesus now as Son of man coming back. And where does judgment begin? It begins here at the seven churches.
Judgment must begin at the House of God, it tells us in Peter's epistle, And so the House of God in his character is the great house that we have in Second Timothy. That's where judgment will begin. And the most awful judgment that will fall on this earth will fall on those who prove that's the name of Christ, but have never bowed to me before him and owned Jesus Christ as Lord. Yes, my friend, that's the only way to become a real Christian. Not to join a church, Impella, not to become a member of this group. Heaven forbid that we should say that you would become a Christian by coming here. Never.
You can come here until the day you die at the age of 93, and you would never become a Christian until you bow the knee to Jesus Christ and say, Lord Jesus, I'm a Sinner. I need to accept you as my Savior, wash my sins away with your precious blood. And you don't do that. What do we find here? We find the Son of Man.
And we find that golden girdle, divine righteousness binds in the divine affections. You've heard about the breast, about his heart. I know there's hard with the children, but let the adults get ahold of it and let us get hold of it. Well, the day is coming when divine righteousness will bind up the divine affections, and so the love of Christ will be still there. But it cannot be expressed because judgment must fall. Boys, listen up. Does your dad love you? You bet. Does he punish you?
Does he still love you when he Yes, but sometimes he has to hold in that law.
So that he.
And the day is coming when judgment will fall on Christendom, on Iowa and Ontario where I live, and the judgment will be awful, because the affections must be found in because of righteousness. One more verse, Revelation chapter 19, for the last evidence of the garments of Christ. We've gone from Genesis to Revelation to see first of all, how the garment of Christ is presented before the Father, staying with the blood of an innocent victim.
And now what do we find? It's amazing to me to see that when we come to the very end of Revelation, we have the same thing as we have in Genesis, the blood stained.
Revelation chapter 19, verse 11. And I saw heaven open, and behold a White Horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.
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Clothes for the vesture.
That's what we started in Genesis, the blood of the victim.
Jesus, blood that cleanses from all sin. When you walk that door, you look at that verse right up there.
Children want to look at it right now. That's fine with me. The blood of.
Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us of all sin, but there's a day coming.
When that same Son of Man, that same one, Luke's Gospel Chapter 2, the faith wrapped in swabbing towards the Son of Man and Luke, the same character in which he is rejected, is the same character in which he will come in.
Loyalty to David 2 Sam. 15
Gospel—D. Nicolet
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Let's say #7.
#7
my hope. And nothing less is built than Jesus and the blood he spilled. I dare not trust the sweetest brain, but holy meaning on his blessed name #7.
915.
Your work a blessing.
Like to look begin with that three very well known scriptures in the word of God.
1St is in John chapter 6.
John Chapter 6.
And reading from verse 66.
John 6 and verse 66 From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus under the 12 Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
I'd like to have you turn over with me, please, to the second book of Samuel.
Second Samuel.
And chapter 15? We're going to read just a few verses there.
Second Samuel and verse 15.
Or rather, Second Samuel 15. And I'd like to start making parts, versus starting with verse 14. And David said unto All his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not else escape from absent.
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And now look at verse.
17.
And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherathites, and all the pelophytes, and all the Githites, 600 men which came after him from gas.
Passed on before the king.
Now we'll come back to this place. We'd like to read one last verse and.
I almost find that I think it's not even necessary to turn to this. We could all quote this by heart, but let's look at Matthew 18.
And verse 21.
Matthew 18.
And verse 21.
4 Where two or three are gathered together, and my name, there am I in the midst of them.
A few weeks ago I.
Had the privilege of sharing with my brethren in Des Moines, after this remembrance of the Lord, some thoughts connected with the passages that I've read to you tonight and.
I trust that it's the Lord's will that I take this up in a gospel sense, and perhaps if the Lord will develop a little further from that.
I think that we have some very precious and encouraging thoughts that we could consider tonight from these passages.
But this is a gospel meeting.
And I was impressed, as I always have been in the past, when I've had the privilege of being with my dear bread and here in Pella and being on my knees in the prayer meeting before the gospel, I was impressed with the earnestness of prayer for the souls of people who will be present in this room tonight.
There was very earnest prayer made for your soul tonight. I'm in an advantage in a way that I know many of you related to. Some of you, I don't know you, some of you real well, and I don't know what state of soul or what condition you're in tonight.
So I'm going to find it a little bit easier to speak.
From the Word of God in the Gospel meeting, not knowing and allowing the Lord just to use the word as He will.
But what I want to start out with is to impress upon your heart tonight.
To ask you that question.
And that the Lord Jesus asked his disciples of old Are you going to go away?
You are going to go away from this room tonight. If the Lord leaves us here in less than an hour's time, you'll be probably or perhaps an hours time. You're going to be leaving, going away from the swim.
The great question is not that. The question is, are you in your heart going to be going away from Jesus?
You know, I was impressed with one of the prayers.
And I won't be able to quote the words, but the thought was that tonight in this town and you know, brethren, I think particularly in this part of Iowa, in this particular area of Iowa, there is a tremendous outward expression of religion.
There are very, very deeply religious people that live in this area and the thought expressed in the prayer was that they have religion. Do they have pride?
And I'm not here to in any way a mock or make fun of those who go to.
Buildings, Churches.
But there may be that same kind of need here. But what I'm saying is you and I need to look at our hearts and to see if.
We are going away from the Lord Jesus no matter outwardly what our path was.
If you're here tonight and you're not sure about being saved, if you're not sure you are, or if you know very well you aren't, I would only ask you that question. Are you going to continue to go away to the genius?
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And if you're going to continue to walk with your back, turn to him. Where are you going to go?
Where can you go to find in this world what you can find in the Lord Jesus?
Eternal life. But you know very well, and I speak to especially beloved young people sitting here tonight. You know very well that the world's whole object tonight is to find joy and satisfaction, and if it could, to find some means of guaranteeing life. That's a whole object of this world tonight. This world system is doing some way to try to guarantee at least an extension of a long and happy life.
Now, where are you going to find that?
If you're going to leave the one who is very eternal life, the one who came into this world to bring life, the one who tonight has a gift of life for you, if you're going to walk away from him and leave him tonight, where are you going to go?
Where in this world will you go to find what he's freely offering you tonight? Life. It's what the world is in agony running. Hit her and throw.
Trying to find, to find life, to find a meaning for life. To find an extension of life. To find a satisfaction of life.
And they're running everywhere hard. And bath is turned on the blessed Son of God, very eternal life.
And so, if I'm by chance, perhaps, and wonderful chance, speaking to a room where everyone who can understand what I'm saying knows the Lord Jesus as savior, I would still ask you that question as I would ask my own heart.
Am I tonight going away from the Lord Jesus? Am I like these disciples of all who had followed the Lord Jesus but had become discouraged?
For whatever reason. And finally the time came when the test came and it was a hard test and it was a difficult test.
There was things that they didn't understand.
And because they didn't understand them, they turned their back on him and left him eternal life.
But Peter, by the grace of God, gave us words to 2000 years later, encourage our hearts tonight. Where are we going to go? Lord, Thou hast the words of eternal life, nowhere else. To go and solve all the way may seem rough though it may seem, sometimes, as though we can't understand what the Lord is leading us through. We can't understand perhaps some of the things that it seems that the word of God is speaking to our hearts about.
Let's not leave the one who speaks those words, because if he speaks something that seems a little difficult to understand, do you think tonight you can go somewhere else away from him and find understanding of those things? Is there some place in the world you'll be able to go to find one who can explain the words of eternal life to you if you turn your back on Jesus?
Do you think there's someone in this world tonight who is going to encourage you if you turn your back on the Lord Jesus and discouragement and leave? You know very well the answers to those questions. We can't go away from the Lord. There's no satisfaction or joy apart from you. I speak that sorrowfully in my own case because there have been times in my life when I've done that, I've gotten discouraged and, as it were, turned my back on the Lord. And it's cold and it's worse.
And it's not long before I find I made a mistake. And I need to turn around and come back to the Lord. And he's there with all of his infinite love and goodness to receive him back. But I just want to say tonight to start. Where will you? Where will I go? Where can we go in this world in which we live? Pick the best of it tonight. Pick the best of it. Can you go there?
And receive what you can receive at the feet of Jesus.
Well, you know, there were some who were faced with that choice back in the days of Second Samuel and the days of David the King that we were reading about.
David was the king who was rightfully the king set up by God in Israel. He was a man after God's own heart. He loved the Lord. He made mistakes. He was like us. He failed. But he confessed those failures, and he went on with the Lord, and he loved the Lord, and he was the rightful king in Israel. And I want to look at David tonight, as we often do when we consider his life as a little picture of the Lord Jesus.
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And I hope that it will encourage our hearts as I sit here looking into the face of my dear brother, knowing that you are gathered, as I am, to the name of the Lord Jesus, and that sometimes even that pathway can seem so very, very discouraging. And if you will allow me to love a brother tonight, I would like to tend to.
Give the tenor my words a little bit to the dear young ones here, the younger brothers and sisters, the young families and the young people.
If the Lord leaves us here anytime longer.
Will be responsible before the Lord for this testimony that has been entrusted to your parents and to the older brethren that we've walked in and enjoyed so, so often.
Well, you know, there were people who were followers of David. He was their king. But there came a testing time in their life because there was one who came along to, as it were, overthrow the reign of David and take that Kingdom to himself. And though we won't read it, and though we know the story well, his own son Absalom, it only reminds you of this, It says of Absalom.
That he stole the hearts of the children of Israel. He stole the hearts of the children of Israel.
You can read that in the end of verse six of our chapter. I want to tell you that Absalom is a picture of something tonight. And I just want to say that tonight, for our hearts, Absalom will picture that spirit.
At work increasing them.
And even sad to say among brethren, that spirit, I say not that person, but that spirit which would steal our hearts away from following Christ, so that we would in fact, in discouragement, give up following the Lord and go away seeking for another.
And so Absalom stole the hearts of the children of Israel.
I think tonight you know very well, beloved ones that are here, that the Lord Jesus has not stolen your heart.
Choose one.
He's wanted. He's wanted in his love and his work on Calvary's cross. He didn't steal it. And you belong. If you've accepted him as your Lord and savior, you belong to him. And he has rights and claims over your heart and over mine. And he didn't steal.
But here was one who came on the scene who was going to steal their hearts of the men of Israel away from their rightful king. And you know how he did it. We didn't read that tonight, but it's very, very enlightening. I encourage you to read carefully the 15th chapter of Second Samuel and meditate on it.
Absalom stole the hearts of the children of Israel by greeting them and telling them that he loved them, and telling him that if he was the king, he would set things in their life around. He would make things right for them, that they weren't being treated right by David. But if he were only the king, things would be different. And so he stole their hearts by promising them something new and something different and something better.
And they listen to me.
They listened to Absalom and the time came when it says that the revolt grew. And it tells that as we read there in that verse, that word came to David and he said arise and let us flee. We have to get out of here because there's one who's stolen the hearts and they're going to destroy now when they come.
You know, beloved young people, I would like to you know all the love and grace that I know how to express tonight, to urge you to be careful.
That something in Christendom that appears to be new and better not steal your hearts away from the Lord Jesus in the midst.
The Lord Jesus is rejected in this world, and sad to say, He's rejected and christened them too. He's not allowed to have that place of supreme authority in the midst in professing Christianity. But men have set up their own system of things. They found something new and something better, and something they'd rather have, something that professes to love them and encourage them and do better for them than the Lord Jesus could do. And they've taken up with it. And the Lord Jesus has been set aside in this world.
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And he's been set aside as the gathering center in Christianity. And the great question is now.
Are you? And am I going to go away from you too? Are we going to be caught up and allow our hearts to be stolen away by this spirit so that we no longer will follow the Lord Jesus and His rejection?
That was the test that was facing these people. As David said, let us sleep. They had to make a choice. They had to look at him and say he's being rejected, he's being cast out. He cannot be the king any longer. Am I going to go with him in that rejection or am I going to stay here and take up with the one who's coming in to usurp his authority?
Now I want to tell you something that you very well know beloved young people. There was not a large group of people who went with David in his rejection. It was not a large group at all. And tonight you know well.
That if you have the privilege of remembering the Lord Jesus and his death, that you are not one of a great number in this world.
Very, very insignificant number of people who I believe are truly gathered by the Spirit on the ground of the one body and have the joy and the privilege of the Lord Jesus very presence collectively in their midst.
Very few.
And rejected And cast out too. And not awarded. It's not popular.
But that shouldn't be a discouragement, because if you're gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, and if in your heart and in mind there's a desire to follow David, to follow the Lord Jesus, and to not have our hearts stolen by this spirit, that would come in and set the Lord Jesus and his claims aside.
I want to tell you, if you want to do that, you have a joy and a happiness that nothing out there can satisfy. He has the words of eternal life in thy presence. Is fullness of joy to be where the Lord Jesus is in the midst? Is there anything better than that? Our hearts are cold. We get occupied with problems in the normal course of our life. But is there anything better to our hearts?
As we are in communions, the Lord Jesus, the knowing Lord Jesus, thou art here in the midst of this little group of people. Well, that's what those people had a choice to make. Would they follow David, or would they stay and follow abstinent?
Now what I have on my heart is to look very closely at the three specific groups of people who follow David, and I want to notice three things about them. This was a tremendous encouragement to my heart, because I'm going to be very honest with you these days as one gathered to the name of the Lord.
I'm going to tell you very honestly, can be very, very discouraging.
There are many problems. There are many difficulties. Our numbers are not growing in leasing bounds as we see the numbers in other organizations, Christian organizations growing and there's a great.
Tendency to get discouraged and to give up. And I'm not here to deny that, nor am I here to call somebody wrong for being discouraged. I'm here tonight. I trust, by the grace of God, hopefully to be able to encourage you in the way that the Spirit of God has encouraged me in meditating.
On this passage and what I want to look at now are not only the three groups of people.
Who followed David? But I want to notice the specific order in which they're mentioned. It is absolutely critical. And I I I want to share this. I think this has been said many, many times. So I'm only going to repeat something that I know to be true. And that is the word of God is so very, very perfect, so very, very perfect that even the order in which things are mentioned in the word of God.
Have very strong significance.
There's a reason why Acts comes before Romans, and there's a reason why things are mentioned in the order that they're mentioned. You could go on and on with this thought The Spirit of God saw fit to do it that way, to record these things in that way, and we can learn much by that. And tonight we're going to look at these three and we're going to look at the order, and we trust that it will encourage our hearts as those who know the Lord Jesus and are gathered to His precious name. I want you to look first of all.
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In verse 17.
At this group that I first mentioned, verse 17.
And the king went forth, and all the people after him. And I want you to notice that the people are mentioned first. They aren't servants and they aren't soldiers. They're just people just like you and me. People who loved David and owned him to be their king and who had one desire and one goal in life. And that was to not.
Give up and follow someone else. They had to have David. That was their one characteristic, if I may say. The one thing that marks them out is that they were people who went after David.
Crying, I believe, because they love David and that was their only reason. We're not told that these people did anything for David. We're not told that they provided any services or gave him anything.
All we're told is that they were people who followed David.
I hope tonight that that is the 1St and abiding characteristic of each heart here. Who knows Christ and Savior that we're willing to say Lord Jesus.
If I have you, I have everything. If I'm following you, I need nothing else.
And Lord Jesus, it's not important what I can do or where I can go.
If I have you.
That's what these people were saying.
And we're going to see some other classes, and I want to make sure that you understand before I go any further. I'm not trying to divide this room tonight up into people and service and soldiers. It's not my intention. My intention is to help us see tonight that we're all people and we're all servants and we're all soldiers.
We should be all of those things.
Tremendous comfort to recognize the order in which God recognizes these as being mentioned. You know if they either get tight. He was mentioned last came from gas. Now if I were to play Bible trivia that game that some of us have played with some of you here and I might ask you this question, if they the gift I came from gas, who else do we know in the word of God that came from gas? And no doubt.
Many of you would brighten up with these smiles, and you would say Goliath, Goliath of gas. Is it possible that the most bitter enemy of David, that from the city of the most bitter enemy of David, the one who cursed David, the one who is going to kill David, that from that very place came such a devoted follower of David? Oh yes it is.
And I think that probably tonight this room is filled, if I may say, I hope, of those who answer to if they are.
Of the get type, that is. You and I at one time were under the control of the Goliath in this world. He was the head of that army to which we belong. He was the one who was going to go to that battle and battle. The Lord Jesus. And that mighty battle was fought at Calvary and he was slain.
And now our hearts have been one. We who are constituted as enemies of the Lord Jesus has slain, you might say, the one who was our king.
He's been slain.
Now we have the immense joy and privilege of willingly following the very one who slew our leader. Isn't that precious? But before they are mentioned, the people are mentioned, and before they're mentioned, the servants are mentioned. Did you get those in verse 18? And I wish servants passed on beside him.
And then finally, at the end of that verse, you have the Cherathites, the Pelophytes, the Gittites. Those were the soldiers, the warriors. They passed on before the king. Now, you know very well if you or I were writing this passage, let's be honest with each other. We would, in the normal, natural course of things, say it's AI and the soldiers went first in front of David.
And then the servants decide there. And then the people following the But that's the exact reverse of the order in which they're mentioned here. And you know what that tells me? It tells me how very, very valuable you are tonight if you're here in your heart, following Christ and doing nothing else.
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If you and I are here because we want to follow Jesus.
It means so much to his heart.
That these people are mentioned first.
They follow after David. They can't be out in front fighting. They can't be beside in serving, they can only follow. But there is so important to the spirit of God, the followers, so, so precious to the heart of God, that there are those who love David enough to follow him that they're mentioned first.
And I want to encourage you tonight, but if you're sitting here thinking, you know, I just don't feel like I'm able to do very much for the Lord Jesus. He is so worthy and he's so precious to my heart. And I don't feel like even each day I'm able to really do anything of any significance for him who I feel is so worthy.
Are you following? If you're following in your heart, I believe I can say on the authority of the word of God, you're doing something very, very significant for the Lord Jesus, and you're satisfying his heart. He wants your company and he wants mine. And he said, can't you hear the Lord Jesus turning to his disciples in John, and not with a challenging voice, but perhaps with a tinge of sorrow in his voice saying.
Are you going to leave him too?
All these others that have followed me all this time, that have been so blessed, that I fed, that I've healed, that I've given satisfaction and joy to, they're gone. They've left me. Did that hurt the heart of the Lord Jesus? You know it did. Did that grieving? You know it did.
And then he turns to his disciples, those apostles, and insists, Are you going to lead them to?
What do you think it meant to the heart of the Lord Jesus when Peter said where are we going to go, Lord, we don't have any other place to go. You have what we need. Do you think that made his heart happy? I think it filled him with joy.
Do you think tonight when you say, Lord Jesus, I don't think I can do much for you, I'm going to follow you. You think that builds your heart with joy? You know it does.
It's worth everything I believe. I say this reverently to the heart of the Lord Jesus, to know that there's someone in this world who says Lord Jesus, you're more important than any other object to my heart, and I want to follow this.
Oh, maybe tonight. Follow me.
And then the servants are mentioned.
You know, it's interesting. We're working from the back up to the front and not starting the front and going to the back. The people follow. The servants are on the side. Well, that's a good place for servants to be so that they can serve the one that they're standing beside. It's a wonderful position to be in.
And I hope tonight that we do have a desire to serve him. I'm not here to tell you how to serve him. I don't know how you should serve the Lord. I have questions many times how I should serve the Lord. But I know I want to serve the Lord, and I'd like to stand beside him, as it were that I might somehow serve him.
But I know this too. If I'm not following you, I can't serve you. And I believe that's why those who are following were mentioned first. Because if you and I are not going to wholeheartedly submit our lives to the Lord Jesus the following, how can we then say what we want to serve him?
I don't thank the Lord Jesus can use servants who don't want to follow.
And I believe that's why the servants aren't mentioned first.
Hello, what a wonderful thing to be standing at the side of the Lord Jesus as it were following him and then there decide to serve him and then finally.
The last group, the soldiers, and they're in their proper place too. They're in front since they went on before him. That's the right place for soldiers to protect. The one that there is their leader. They should be in the front.
But as I said before, if we don't first follow and if we don't learn how to serve.
We can't jump out in the front and fight the Lord's battles. He can't use those who don't want to follow him and don't know how to serve him to fight for him.
But he wants us there. And what I'm saying tonight, you and I can do in our lives every day.
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I'm looking at the faces of many beloved sisters here tonight, and I know very well if you are at home or if you were, if you're at home and you feel, Lord, I want to follow you today and you feel, but I don't know that I can serve you.
You know you can serve the Lord if you're submitting to what the Lord wants you to do, And if you're following and submitting to His will for you and His instructions for you that are seen in the word of God, you're serving him. And if that neighbor comes over or goes by and sees you going on and realizes there's a woman who, if I ever saw a Christian, I see one there.
Don't you think that's serving the Lord? Maybe. Maybe you can't say anything, but you can live it. And then my beloved bread in here you go to work and you may not be able to do a lot of talking at work because your employers hired you to do a job. And so you feel constrained, and rightly so, to give an honest, an honest labor and you're not able to say a whole lot of work. But can you work hard and faithfully? You had a loan probably set you apart at work if you're being honest and working hard.
And can someone look and say well?
Think they're enough for working so hard they don't have to work that hard, but.
At least they're what they say they are. They're a religious nut and they act like it because they work hard.
Wonderful thing, but serving the Lord. So I don't think that this serving, though I don't for a minute belittle those who feel called to a larger field of service in a foreign land or in some special way. I don't feel for a minute that we're anything but a room full of serpents tonight if you want to be, and that the service that you have to fulfill tonight is. I believe this with all my heart just as important and precious and necessary to the heart of Christ.
As the service that some missionaries performing in China.
And I don't say that in one sense, belittling the missionary in China. Thank God for him or for him. But if you are tonight because of your love for Christ, seeking to please him by obeying his instructions to you in this book, you're serving the Lord Jesus.
And everyone of us can do that. We can follow him and we can serve him.
And then if that's so, we can fight for it.
We can stand. We can hold fast.
We can refuse to give up to the discouragements. We can take that armor that we see in Ephesians, we can hold that shield up, and we can fight the battles for the Lord. And we can stand firm for the truth of the word of God in an age.
When every single truth in this precious book is called into question, and even called into question by professed believers in the Lord Jesus.
And that takes a real battle. And I want to tell you that if there's a young person here going to school, you love the Lord Jesus and are seeking to follow him and serve him in your life and you go to school. I don't believe for a minute that you're not in a real fierce then.
I think you're in every bit as much of A battle as any other Christian if you're really seeking to walk with the Lord Jesus in your school.
If you're really seeking to walk with the Lord Jesus and be what God presents as a godly Christian woman, I think you're in a real battle.
And if you're seeking to be a godly man ahead of a home, a father, a breadwinner.
One who is taking the lead according to the word of God. I think you're in a real battle.
And I think it's wonderful. And I'll tell you why. Think of it people following David.
People on the side serving David. People in the front, going in front of David. Where was David?
He was in the midst.
And that's where the Lord Jesus is tonight, but those gathered to His precious name is in the midst.
And we need the following, and we need to serve him, and we need to stand for him and fight those battles and to realize with joy he's in the midst.
That's where David was when they went out. Was it worth it to these, the soldiers as they went out and looked behind, David was there. The people who looked forward, David was there. The people on the side to serve him. David was there. He was in their ministry.
00:40:13
Your Lord Jesus has promised to be in our midst, and I went in just a moment turn to that passage. But it is such a lovely thought to think that this should characterize our lives, and I believe it should characterize our assemblies.
Our assembly should be characterized by following and serving and standing.
I believe that's what the Lord Jesus in the midst would desire morally.
In our lives that there might be that moral.
Living out of what we see here, going on in action that we will refuse to give into this spirit that is going to steal our hearts from David, from the Lord Jesus. We refuse to give into that spirit. We say, Lord Jesus, I would rather have you, I'm going to follow you. You know David tested it, AIA little bit. He tested it and he said ittei you just recently come to you just recently.
Come to take up your sword with your 600 men.
He said and he was testing and he said why don't you go back to your land? Because I don't even know where I'm going to go. I don't even know where I'm going to be in this.
Pathway that I have to follow now.
So what does he he's testing that he's saying today? I'm giving you a choice. You can follow me, but don't you think it'd be easier if you turn back?
Don't seem to be easier if you turn back now. I want to ask you that question tonight for those of you who are here who are really desiring to follow the Lord Jesus.
Don't you think it'd be easier to turn back? You know it would be easier, but look, what if they said?
Verse 21.
And if they answered the king, and said, as the Lord liveth, that's Jehovah, and as my Lord that's David, the king liveth, surely in what place, my Lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. What do you think that meant today? To start to hear that? To hear him, that soldier, that warrior say, David, even if you die.
I'm going to be with you, even in death. You have won my heart and wherever David you're going to be.
That's where I have to be. Who breathed those words so beautifully in the New Testament, Mary, when she said they've taken away my Lord, and I know not where they put him. Tell me where you've laid him and I'll take him away.
Why is she saying that? Because he was everything to her heart, and without him she had nothing.
And David saw one this gentile's heart, and he was a Gentile had so won this gentile's heart.
That he said, David, I've got to be, even if it means that I've got to be where you are. Well, we all turn. But I want to tell you something later when just think of this. If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. Later on, when David is the king restored again in power, he sets up three men, 3 generals to be over his armies, the three top generals in his army. You know who one of those generals were? That's right. If they either get tight, the gentile.
He was rewarded for his faithfulness. There was a time of testing, but his heart was connected with David. And then there came the reigning, the reward. And it's the eye is mentioned as being one of Davis''s three mighty men over his arms.
Again, we won't turn to this, but if I were to mention the name Mephibosheth, most of you who know here would know who I was talking about. The young man, the grandson of Saul, David's enemy, who David had brought back from his hiding, and it brought him into his house and blessed him and given him all of Saul's belongings back and said in the pivashets, they're going to eat at my table now for the rest of your life. The finish up is lame on his feet.
And he had a servant that was a very, very unfaithful servant.
00:45:02
This servant was a liar. His name was Zaiba.
Zydel was Mephibosheth's servant, and Zeigel wanted Mephibosheth's belongings for himself.
He had no heart for mischievous.
To the shaft.
Sat at David's table as one of Davidde sons in perfect liberty and happiness. There. But you know, Zaida fooled him and he wants to follow David. And Zaida said no, I'll go. You. You aren't able to. He's already gone. You better stay here. You're just not able to follow him.
And he went out. And when he got to David, David said, where's your master? You know what? Zion said, you can read this in chapter 16. He said, oh, he stayed back in Jerusalem because he thinks he's going to get the Kingdom.
But I brought all this food for you, David.
She was lying. What I'm saying is don't be fooled tonight.
Don't be fooled by the world into thinking that you don't need to follow a path of rejection to follow Jesus.
There's plenty of things that look religious in this world that will fool you into thinking.
That you do not need to follow the Lord Jesus in this path of separation. That you can join hands and I can join hands with the systems that men have set up and we can get along and form a strong Christian front and we can make things better in this world. You know what you're going to lose. You're going to lose David's presence. That's what Mephidosheth lost.
He lost the presence of David all the time that David was out because he got fooled.
He listened to an unfaithful servant.
And you know, when David came back, it's interesting. Here's what David asked it AI.
In verse 19 he says, Wherefore goes thou also with us?
Nobody asked me to, Chefs, when you saw him, I don't know, in the.
21St 22nd chapter somewhere in there.
He says.
Why whenst thou not with me?
Why didn't she follow me? Are we going to get home to glory someday? View the presence of the blessed Lord Jesus his face for the first time, and see the joy he has and finally having us home with him only to hear him say to my heart, why didn't she go with me?
Why did she follow the interjection down there?
Oh, let's not give up that reward. It's worth it. It's worth it to follow. Let's not be fooled. Don't let a servant.
Rule your heart.
And do not follow the Lord Jesus.
And I want to say one more thing before we turn over to Matthew.
This was not an easy path.
It was a path that knew what leaping was. It was a path that knew what sorrow was, and it was a path that knew what insults were for. It says that in in their trip, in their journey, there came a time.
When a man named shimmy I.
Who was of Saul's house and he hated David.
He looked at David as not the rightful king of God had set up, but as one who usurped the place that his household should have. And so, as David King got by, it says that shinny I picked up rocks and dust and threw them at David and Kirsten.
And he said, as it were. You're getting, David, just what you deserve. You're a bloody man and you're getting just what you deserve.
Well, what's what's interesting about that?
Verse 13 of chapter 16.
Turn over to chapter 16 and look at verse 13.
And as David and his men went by the way, shiny I went along on the hills side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust, and the king and all the people that were within came weary.
And refresh themselves there. What is this?
It's possible to refresh yourself when people are throwing stones and dust on you.
Yeah.
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Don't think for a minute that if you follow the Lord Jesus, you're not going to feel the insults that are directed at him. The people that were beside David, the people that were front and the people were behind those rocks and dust hit them as just as much as they hit David.
They felt those curses. They loved David. Do you think that one of them wanted to go over and chop his head off? He said today. Let me go over and take his hand off. David showed a very wonderful spirit. He said. No, if the Lord please, he'll bring me back, let him curse.
He's been bidding to do that. David humbled himself, and he wouldn't allow that to happen. Oh, beloved Christians here tonight. We're not in this world to fight and set things right. That's not why we're here. We're here to follow a rejected Christ. We're here to feel the dust and the stones that this world throws at the Lord Jesus.
And in the midst of it, what happens? They refreshed themselves. In the very midst of the insults and the persecution that are directed at the blessed Lord Jesus. It can be a time of refreshing for your heart and mind if we're in the company of the Lord Jesus in his rejection.
FIFA, the servants and the soldiers.
Now I'm closing turn over to Matthew 18.
I would like to speak very lovingly and very pointedly now to my beloved friends.
You and I well know that all is not as it should be in these sentence.
There's much in our assemblies that could discourage our hearts.
And we feel oftentimes that we're very, very weak and unable to reach out and be the kind of testimony that we should be to the Lord Jesus because of our great reasons. It's all right to feel that. Notice very carefully what this verse says, where two or three.
Our damage? I've often heard it ministered, and I believe it's right that two is testimony.
You have to You have testimony. 3 is abundant testimony, and so you have that as the smallest possible numbers.
But the Lord Jesus would be able to collectively and be in the midst of He's in the hearts of every individual all the time. I will never leave thee, nor for safety. He's always with me and with You individually, never to leave us, but collectively to be as a divine person in our midst.
Two or three now, that's right.
But what I want to encourage our hearts with is.
If our assemblies are so weak.
That we're getting discouraged. Remember this if 2.
Followers and servants.
Can be there. He's going to be there. They don't have to be soldiers.
For the Lord Jesus to be there.
I believe for the Lord Jesus to be in an assembly, it morally has to have the character.
Of those who love him and desire to serve him. And ever as weak as they might be, so that they could never fight a battle, they could never, they might say, I don't understand the word of God enough to stand against all this wicked documents going on. I wouldn't know how to confront it. That's all right.
Are their followers and servants. That's what the Lord desires.
Where his spirit gathers and I want to be very clean about this, that really is talking about numbers. But the moral character that has been such an encouragement to my heart as I looked around and I said, Lord Jesus, I'm part of failure and weakness and in myself I only can say that I have no ability to withstand this blood of wickedness and evil doctrine that's just overflowing this so-called Christian country I can't stand. I'm not a soldier, I'm weak. And the Lord says, well, if there's two there, I'll be in the midst.
And she want to follow me. And if you want to serve me, I'll be there.
If there's three, if there could be soldiers, that's wonderful. They'll be there at all. Let's take encouragement tonight. But what the Lord is looking for is those who want to follow him and want to serve Him. You know, he sent those disciples out. They said, Lord, where do you want us to prepare? And he said, you go into the city and you find a man bearing the pitcher of water, and you follow it into the house where he enters, and he'll show you a large upper room furnished there. You make it.
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What do they have to do? They had to follow his instructions, and when they got there, they had to serve him by making ready. They had to follow the certain. They didn't have to knock the Roman soldiers out of the way. They didn't have to get in a fight with the Jewish high priests and elders to get to that room. All they had to do was follow the Lord Jesus instructions because they loved him.
And to serving by making ready that room so he could come there and sit down in their midst.
And that's where he sat with me. And may that encourage our hearts tonight, beloved brethren.
Who are we going to go to? Let's not go to somebody else. Let's not let this spirit that's invading and pervading Christianity Today to get our hearts and our eyes occupied. And I want to speak so very carefully here, but let's not let it get our hearts so occupied with service and action and doing things that we forget all about the person who's been rejected and in the middle of some of these most beautiful church buildings and these, these very, very morally nice and upright people.
You know as well as I do that there's no room for our blessed Lord Jesus. There's no room for that wonderful man. There's only room for a beautiful building and tremendous activity and wonderful services. And there's no room for Jesus, the man who had.
Spit running down his face as he hung on the cross. Isn't he worth following tonight?
Who are you going to follow if you don't follow him, or two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, the followers, the servants, and by the grace of God, even the soldiers gathered around him, and the blessed Lord Jesus in the midst.
Isn't that the way to go home brother? To walk together home with the Lord Jesus in the midst and to see his face and not to have him here, have to hear him say, why didn't you go with me? But the hearings say, well done, good and faithful servant, Wouldn't you like to hear that? Is that possible that someone like me that failed so much could hear the Lord Jesus say that and believe it is? I really believe it is.
That if there's a heart desire to follow him.
In this world, someday I believe we can hear him say, Well done. May it be so with each one of us.
The Nazarite
Address—B. Prost
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Together #100 and 10110.
O God, thou now hast glorified thy holy, blessed, eternal Son. The Nazarene, the Crucified, now sits exalt upon thy throne. 110.
I trust it'll be in keeping with what we've had before us the other two nights this week in Sully to consider a little bit about the Nazarite. We had it mentioned in our hen, the Nazarene. The crucified now sits exalted on thy throne. And I'd like to turn back to the 6th chapter of Numbers where we find the various things that were to characterize one who was a Nazarite.
Numbers, Chapter 6.
I'd like to speak tonight a little on the characteristics of the Nazarethian numbers and then briefly to look at 4 individuals. There probably are others, but four were particularly before me who were identified as Nazarites in the Word of God and lessons that we can learn from their pathways, some positive, some negative. And so let's read in the 6th of numbers, beginning at verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them.
00:05:27
When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of the Nazareth to separate themselves unto the Lord, He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of grind, or vinegar of strong drink. Neither shall he drink any liquor or Grinch, nor eat moist grapes or dry.
All the days of his separation shall eat nothing that is made of the vine trees from the kernels even to the heart.
All the days of the vow of his separation. There shall no razor come upon his head until the days be fulfilled in the which he separated himself under the Lord. He shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
All the days that he separated himself unto the Lord, and shall come at no dead vine, he shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister when they die, because the consecration of his dies upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.
And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he has defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the 7th day shall he shave it, and on the eighth day he shall bring 2 turtles or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And the priest shall not for the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and to make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall howl his head that same day. And he shall consecrate unto the Lord of the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering. But the days that were lost before, no, but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defined.
And then going down a little bit in the chapter.
And let's see verse 20, verse 20.
And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. This is holy for the priest with the wave breast and he shoulder. And after that the Nazareth may drink wine.
Well, this is a very beautiful chapter.
Very beautiful chapter.
Here was the law that was given by the Lord as it governed one who wanted to take the vow of a Nazareth.
And we might well wonder what this was. What did it mean? We've all heard of the place called Nazareth where the Lord Jesus was brought up. And we'll see in a little while how that he was called a Nazarene and it was a despised and rejected place. But what was the significance of it? Oh, I just passed on to you something that anybody that wishes can verify. The Hebrew word Nazareth comes from a root word.
Which means consecrated or set apart, separated onto, and of course in this case separated specially unto the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? That means consecrated. I think we can understand that. Specially separated unto something. And of course in this case separated after the Lord. But you know what is so beautiful? Is that the same word in Hebrew that is used?
For consecration, are separated onto.
Is also the word that is used for crown. It's also the word that is used for crown. The same word is translated many times in the Old Testament for crack. It's translated that way when it talks about the holy garments of the high priest. It's translated that way when it talks about the crown that would sit on the head of a king. And so the same word that is translated, consecrated or set apart as the thought of a crime.
Oh, how beautiful that is, because here was one who especially consecrated to the Lord.
And it was evidently not always an easy thing, as we'll see as we go on. But oh, the same word shows that there was a crown in the future for it. And we'll see how the Nazareth ship in the word of God brings before us on the one hand consecration to the Lord, but then a crown as a reward for it. And so notice here what it says. Verse two, speak under the children of Israel, and say unto them, when either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow of all the Nazarite.
00:10:30
To separate themselves into the Lord.
I'd like to notice here how that Nazarite ship it simply meant separation.
But there was never any thought of a man separating himself under anything else but the Lord. We see in this world people that separate themselves into various things. I can remember reading a man of this world who in no way prefers to be a Christian, but he made this remark. He said if you want to do anything well in this world, you will have to forget about a lot of other things that you could have done in order to concentrate on one thing that you wish to do well. I thought, isn't that so true?
And man recognizes that in this world. When my son started to take violin lessons about a year and a half ago, his violin teacher was a man of the old school. And he said, you know, if you want to play that violin well, he said it's, it's you depend on how much you practice. And he said if you want to learn to play that violin well and you want to really be good, you're going to have to practice 3 or 4 hours a day. Well, I don't need to tell you that that hasn't been carried out.
But nevertheless, that man was a man who had a consuming interest in the violin. And he said that's what you have to do if you want to be good. Well, when it comes a question of our lives as believers, I believe that in order to follow the Christian pathway, we have to be completely separated after the Lord. And I don't need to tell you that it hasn't been carried out in my life as it should. But nevertheless, that's what is presented to us here.
And I'd love to see that in this particular case, in the Old Testament, it says a man or a woman. You know, there were some things where it wasn't possible for a woman to do it, and there were some things that concerned a woman that didn't concern a man. But here, there doesn't seem to be any distinction between the two. It was open equally to either a man or a woman. And I love to think that when it's a question of devotedness to the Lord, there's no premium on being either a sister or a brother.
God has committed public testimony to men. Yes, he has. But God has given each one of us a beautiful place to fulfill. He's given the sister a wonderful place. But when it's a question of devotedness to the Lord, it isn't a question of what is done as a matter of public testimony. It's a matter of what is going on in my heart. And so the Lord looks on the heart.
Well, then we see here that there were three characteristics that were to characterize the Nazareth. You'll notice here that he wasn't to drink wine or stronger.
He wasn't to let any razor come upon his head, his hair had to grow long, and he wasn't to come at any dead bind. 3 different things.
And it's very significant, you know, because what is mentioned first is the wine or strong drink. And I think it's very evident why that was mentioned. We know that right from the very beginning, wine and strong drink had an effect on men's minds line. And strong drink takes away my ability to think straight, takes away my ability to reason so that I do things that I don't really understand. I don't even remember doing them.
You get a description of that in the book of Proverbs, get a description of a man who's under the influence of drink, and the Nazareth wasn't to be involved in all of that.
Well, that might be a public thing, it might be a private thing. If the Nazarite went and drank too much and got openly drunk or intoxicated, it would probably be evident to those that saw him. But if he only took a little, there was no harm in that. And here it didn't say that he wasn't to get drunk with wine. It says he shall separate himself from wine and strong fruit. And more than that, it went far beyond.
The mere separating himself from wine or strong drink.
Because it goes down to say no vinegar, wine or vinegar of strong drink.
What was the harm in that? You say that wouldn't make anyone drunk, neither shall we drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes or dried. Oh, he couldn't even eat grapes, nor could he even eat raisins. And then in the next verse it says verse 4, all the days of the separation shall he nothing that is made of divine truth from the kernels or the seeds, even to the husk or the skin.
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Starts from the inside of the grape and works out and says don't touch any of it or anything that is made from it.
What we might want question why that was? What is the principle that is brought before us here? Well, I believe the principle here is that there is that in this world which has the potential to.
Corrupt sign lines from following after Christ. It tells us in the New Testament in the book of Thessalonians, they that sleep, sleep in the night. Let's turn to the verse. Better read it.
Uh.
1St Thessalonians 5.
OK.
1St Thessalonians 5 and verse 6.
Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us soar of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and foreign helmet the hope of salvation.
Drunkenness implies that I am insensitive to what is going on around me on the one hand, and I don't have the ability to discern, to think straight. That's why it's such a serious offense to drive while you're intoxicated. And some of the Central American countries, they take it very seriously. Driving while intoxicated carries a death penalty in some of the Central American countries.
Because they view it so seriously. And so it's the ability, or it's the lack of the ability to be aware of what's going on around me and to be able to use my own mind in a proper way. My discernment is gone. Well, I believe the Nazareth and to transpose it into the New Testament, the Christian was to have his mind in control at all times. Under whose control? The control of Christ.
You and I are to have our minds under the control of Christ. We're to be sober, we're to be serious. We're living in a sinful world. We can't afford to let down on things. But you know, there is a danger of being involved in things which perhaps by themselves are not wrong, but may lead to something. And you know, you'll remember that in the Old Testament when Abraham went and rescued Lot from the city of Silence, and the king of Sodom wanted to give Abraham some of the spoils that he had gotten in battle.
He said Abraham, you take something for all your efforts and your health.
Abraham says let the young men have their portion. In other words, if they're hungry, if they need something, sure, give them, give them their portion. But not for me. Oh, no, he says. I don't want anything from a thread to a shoe lecture. What do you say? That's carrying it pretty far. But Abraham wouldn't allow the slightest tie to this world. He didn't want anything to bind into this world. And I believe that's the that's the lesson that we have here.
There should be nothing which would bind us to this world. There are things which are legitimate in this world. There was nothing wrong with eating raisins, there was nothing wrong with eating grapes. And when he didn't have the valve of Nazarite, the man could eat them. But when he was consecrated to the Lord, he had to leave everything alone. That even in the remotest way resembled the vine, because the end of that was wine and drunkenness.
When we say that to your heart and mind, not as having carried it out, but as a warning to us and an exercise for my conscience, that the devil is always ready to introduce that which may take us on a wrong path. And sometimes something which seems very innocent at the first can lead us into that which is wrong. So the Nazareth, it was better to leave it all alone. Or you might say, I like grapes, I like raisins. I need this, I need that. Well, if there was any possibility of it leading him in the wrong direction.
Stay away from the vow of the Nazarene.
00:20:03
Well then, what's the next thing in verse 5? All the days of the vowels, his separation. There's some little razor come upon his head. Until the days be fulfilled into which he separated himself under the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
But you know, Scripture tells us in first or first Corinthians 11, that's not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him. And we sometimes see people, men today who prefer to wear their hair long. But it doesn't commend itself to a step. If a man comes to work in a in a big business in town, supposing a man we're going to represent himself in a business in town and he wanted a job.
Do you think they hired a man with the long hair flowing down his back? When they say we don't want that kind of a man to represent us, we want somebody who's going to represent us in the right way. And, you know, to let ones hair grow, I suggest, is the renouncing of ones dignity and rights as a man.
Renouncing of one's dignity and rights as a man. And that was an outward thing. Everyone should see that that was something that the Nazareth did, which was immediately obvious. And the longer he was a Nazarite, the longer his hair grew and the more evident it was to everybody who saw him that hears a man who's taken the vow of the Nazareth.
Well, I speak to your heart and mind. Is that what characterizes you and me? Do people look at us and say there is one who's concentrated into the Lord? Is his life, his department, his character, the way he conducts his business, the way he conducts his family life, the way that he reacts in difficult situations?
Does it all tell me that here is one who is consecrated unto the Lord? Here is one who doesn't stand on his own rights in this world, but is only concerned about the rights of Christ? Here is one who doesn't have anything to say unless his blessed Savior is attacked? Well, that searches my heart very much, but anyone's hair grow. Renouncing one's dignity and rights as a man. But then in verse six, notice there was a third thing, and it's noticeable that this is put last.
All the days that he separated himself unto the Lord, he shall come with no dead body.
Well, that to me is the most searching of all, because that speaks of separation and sin. The dead body would speak of defilement. It would speak of sin. And if you were to turn over to Numbers, chapter 19, you would find there, and we don't have time to read it tonight, you would find there detailed the purification of a man who had become defiled. And how did he become defiled? By touching that which was there or which was associated with the dead. It might be only a bone or a grave or something of that nature.
Or something that was associated with someone who was sick but nevertheless it was defilement and speaks of sin. Well, this is the third thing and you know that is something that is most searching.
Are you and I in our lives down here separated from sin? Now, of course, we know that we still have the old sinful, fallen nature, and we're never going to be totally free from sin until we get to the Lord. But that is what the Lord called the Nazareth to be characterized by. Well, the one, the not touching the wine or strong drink. That might be inward. It might be outward.
The wearing of one's hair long letting his girl was definitely an outward sign.
But the touching of a dead body would always, I think, be something that could well be done and nobody else would know about it. Now, of course, it might be done in the public, it might be done in public. But one could touch a dead body and no one would know about it. One could be defiled, and he might be all alone and no one see him. Did you know? That speaks to my heart, because I can allow things in my life which are not pleasing to the Lord, and no one will know about it. And I sometimes thought, you know what would happen.
If suddenly the Lord chose as a matter of testimony to make my life suddenly a public spectacle, to turn it inside out, this has happened to some people and show everyone what exactly happened in my life without any warning. Well, it's very, very searching as to what that might reveal for everyone to see. And so here God's desire of truth in the inward part. And this is very solid, but we don't want to spend too long on this because I want to speak about those four individuals that I was talking about. But there's something else to be noticed here beginning.
00:25:01
At verse 7.
Seven He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, or his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
I just, without belaboring the point, suggest this to your heart and mind, that the Spirit of God recognized that this would cause a very real test for the Nazareth, because here perhaps was his father or his mother who had died. What is he going to do? Is he going to say, well, surely the Lord will make an exception in this case? Surely it will be all right if I touch a dead body here because someone has to bury my father or my mother or my sister or something like that.
But the Word of God is very specific. He wasn't to defile himself that way. And I believe the lesson for that, for you and me, is the Spirit of God recognizes how easily it is for our thoughts and feelings to be affected by natural ties. And how often, and you know it as well as I do, you know it as well as I do, how often that there are difficulties and problems in an assembly because something needs to be done or there's a difficulty that needs to be settled.
But because there are family ties, individuals who feel those ties tend to let them overrule their better judgment. Well, if I feel that happening, I should probably follow the situation. If there's a discussion going on about somebody that's very close to me, I should probably let my brethren decide rather than stick up for them because I'm very likely to be affected by natural ties that warped my judgment. And I believe the Lord recognized that here, and he says no.
The Nazareth to be consecrated for the Lord. And if I really have the Lord before you, I won't allow natural ties to influence my spiritual judgment. But I believe it's something that we need to remember because here the Lord specifically mentions this in order that the Nazarite might not be tempted to think, well, I can make an exception in this case. Surely the Lord will overlook a sin in this case when it's to do with my own family. But know the Lord says no, I'm sorry, not for his father or his mother.
His brother or his sister when they die? Why?
Because the Lord didn't recognize natural ties. No, the consecration of his God is defined in.
Well, they're searching for each one of our hearts. But a most blessed thing, because the other side of it is he was consecrated to the Lord. And God never tells us to give up something. But while He separates us to something, he never separates us from something. But what? He separates us to something which is better. And so the Nazarite had the joy in his soul that he was separated to the Lord. He wasn't merely separated from that which was.
But you couldn't taste like the wine of a strong drink or letting his hair grow. But it was the consecration to the Lord.
And one other thing to be noticed in what we read here, verse nine, it tells us there, and if any man dies very suddenly by him, and he has defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the 7th day he shall shave it.
Although something happened to him inadvertently, somehow there was a situation which demanded it, and perhaps he was defiled almost before he knew what had happened. Then what does he have to do? He has to shave his head immediately. In other words, he wasn't allowed to wear the outward sign if he didn't wear the anyway. He wasn't allowed to pretend that he had the valve in Nazareth by wearing the long hair if he had defiled himself.
Immediately he had to shave his hair off to show that no longer.
Was he under that? Well, he couldn't wear the outward sign without the inward. And I believe that's something that needs to search each one of our hearts because.
How easy it is to me for me to wear the outward sign of a Christian. How easy it is for me to talk the right language, to say the right things, to do the right things, perhaps when it's a question of public testimony. Perhaps before my brethren and even before the world, but yet in my private life, to do something very, very different.
I don't mean to point the finger at someone else, but I can remember quite a few years ago walking through a shopping mall in my hometown and.
My wife and I just happened to meet someone that we knew very well who was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and she was with someone that she knew that she had no business being with and she knew was only dragging her down into the world. We didn't pay any attention to that. We started to walk towards her to say hello and to just exchange some greens, but Oh my, she pretended she didn't see us. She turned, she almost, well, you wouldn't call it a run, but it was just short of a run.
00:30:18
To get away before she had to face someone. Why? Oh, she had a bad conscience. She'd come to the meeting and she'd say all the right things and do the right things. But in her private life, she knew she was allowing that which wasn't pleasing to the Lord and satisfy. She's no longer gathered for the Lord's name and has gotten into all kinds of difficulties and problems.
Well, I say that because here the Nazareth wasn't allowed to wear the outward sign if the inward wasn't there. And you know, I believe that there's a danger in both directions. We're apartment to look on the outward signs and to say, well, he or she's going on well, because perhaps they know how to say the right words. But we need each one to ask ourselves what is the inward thing? Is my heart really right with the Lord? Am I really consecrated to the Lord? And if that is true.
Then the outward will agree with the inward. My testimony won't go beyond my own personal walk. Well, if he, if he defiled himself, what did he have to do? He had to shave his hair off and he had to start over again. It says those days were lost that he had already done. He couldn't sort of say, well, I've gone so far. I made this vow for three months and I finished two months. So I'll shave my hair and start over again.
No, he had to start back at the beginning and that tells us that when there is sin allowed in my life, I have to judge the root of it. I have to get to the root of the problem. Often I may judge the the sin itself in the sinful act, but what I need to do before the Lord is get to the root of the problem because someone has said so thought we can act. So an act and reap a habit. So a habit and reap a character. So a character and reap a destiny and I need to judge.
Whatever it is that is the root of that problem, not merely the act itself, but to go right back to where the difficulty began. And I believe that's what the Nazarite had to do. He had to start right at the beginning, and he had to go through his full Nazarite vow again.
Well, just to comment once more.
On the end of this chapter on verse 20, we won't read what's intervening here, but there's one verse that I didn't read that I'd like to touch on.
Verse 18.
And the Nazareth shall shave the head of this separation at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace outfits.
Rather a striking thing when his vows and he went through a period of purification. He had to bring certain sacrifices and we won't dwell on those tonight. They're a beautiful significance, but we don't have the time. But suffice it to say that he shaved that hair off.
What happened to him? He put it in the fire. That had to do with the piece of Oh, I love that. You know, the long hair was the outward sign, and it was a reproach to the Nazarene. It was a reproach for the man to wear that long hair. A woman could valve the valve, a Nazarite too, and it doesn't say what she was to do as the outward sign. But I'm sure that a woman could take this vowel just the same. But the thought here is that the man was a reproach.
He had to walk around among men and people maybe said look at that, he didn't look disgusting, that long mop the hair he's carrying around or someone's actually talking. And he had to bear the reproach of wearing his hair like that. Then the time came when the vowels finished, he was able to shave that hair off. And where does it go into the fire of the sacrifice of peace offers. Well, you know, the peace offering was the offering which spoke of the mutual enjoyment of.
The priests and the people, they all ate of it together. Some offerings only the priest could he go. But here was the peace offering, which was the offering that the priests and the people could eat up together. And it speaks of that common enjoyment between the Lord and ourselves, which of course takes place now, but will take place in its fullness and coming glory. And up there there will be no leave to bury drugs. The reproach is born down here.
There all the reproach, so as it were, a wind and fire, it'll all be done with, and we'll enjoy that blessed One forever. Oh, you know, it's evolved in Nazareth, doesn't last forever. It only lasts for a certain time. And then up in the glory there all that reproach and shame that we borne for the name of Christ is it where it goes into the fire, it's done with, gone forever. We'll never have to bear reproach in the glory. Isn't that worth waiting for? Isn't that worth bearing reproach for down here? And so here there's Nazarite.
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He was able to enjoy himself. Now that hair was all gone. He looked the same as any other man now it was all gone. And then it says in verse 20 at the end of the verse, and after that the Nazareth may drink warm. Isn't that beautiful? What does that speak to herself? Oh, the wine speaks of of joy, earthly joy. It speaks of the joy that results from the enjoyment of those things.
Which perhaps I may have to deny myself as part of Nazareth ship down here, but in a coming day there'll be a full enjoyment of them.
I can remember a brother saying to me, he's now with the Lord, he said Bill, would it be nice to be in the glory and for the first time to relax.
Oh, I thought for a moment, I relaxed down here. Yes, we do in a measure, but we can never relax completely. We have to be on our guard all the time because of that old sinful, fallen nature, because of temptations that come from all around us. We have to be on our guard, but in the glory of the Nazareth will be able freely to enjoy that joy. And we won't turn to the verses, but you'll remember how in the New Testament the Lord Jesus could say, I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you and my Father's Kingdom.
What do you mean? He meant He meant what we have here. He meant that the Lord wouldn't enjoy that natural joy up there without having you and me associated with him. And so the Lord Jesus will enjoy it in the coming day. But more of that later. Well, I suggest that these are the thoughts connected with the Nazarite. And we have a number of Nazarites identified in the Word of God. And I'd like to talk, first of all, in the time that's left to us about Samson.
None of those Samuel, and then about John the Baptist and then about the Lords and Savage, all four identified as Nazareth in the Word of God. Turn first to Judges 13 and we're not going to go through, as you can imagine, the whole life of Samson, but just to notice a few things in connection with his Nazareth ship.
Judges 13 and Verse.
UH-2.
And there was a certain man of Zora of the family of the Danites, whose name was Mano, and his wife was barren. And Verna and the Angel of the Lord appeared under the woman, and said unto her, Behold now thou art Baron, and fair snuff, but thou shalt conceive and bear son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head.
Or the child should be a Nazareth under God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
And then turn over.
To the 15th chapter.
And the last verse, verse 20.
And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines, 20 years.
And then?
The next chapter, chapter 16 and verse 19.
And she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon these Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.
And he wished not that the Lord was departed from him.
Samson is probably the most outstanding example of a Nazareth in the Word of God. And here we find one who was prophesied as going to be a Nazarete right from his mother's womb, and it was specifically told to her that no razor should come upon his head and.
That he would be a Nazarite. He wasn't to drink any wine or strong drink, but specifically no razor would come on his head.
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So he was to be a Nazareth separated to the Lord. But what is noteworthy here is that the Angel tells the Mother that for her she had better observed the same things.
Beware, I pray thee, verse four of chapter 13 and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean train.
Oh, I believe that this is something that we need to remember because you know what we do as parents?
Will have its effect on our children someone has once said that children want what their parents enjoy, not what they say they enjoy, not what they tell them that they enjoy, but what they do enjoy and children soon find out what their parents really enjoy and so here Samson, he was going to be a nazarite, but.
The Angel says to the mother, you should observe that vow too, if you really want this boy to grow up properly. Well, poor Samson, we know how things went in his life, how that eventually, as we just read, he allowed himself to be drawn further and further into the world. And how did he do it? And you know the history of Saxon, we won't read it. But what did he not do as the Nazareth? You all know what he didn't do. He didn't obey what the Lord had told him to do.
He wasn't to defile himself. He got involved with the Philistines. He had no business getting involved with them. He married into the cross range and the Lord got him out of the difficulty once, but he didn't learn back. He goes again and this time he loses his hair and it says he was not that the Lord was departed from him. Well, who said and I read that verse and he judged Israel 20 years. Why? Oh because a full time of testing in Scripture is always 40 years.
And you'll notice when it says that Samson was to be born and he was to be a Nazarite, the Angel said, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Why did she say that? Oh, because poor Samson had a good beginning, but a sad ending. He began to judge to deliver Israel, and he only lasted half the time, 20 years instead of 40. Well, I believe Samson speaks to us of a believer who starts out well.
He had good parents, parents who really, I believe, wanted him to go on, and there's no record here of whether his mother followed the advice or not. But I rather am inclined to think that she did when the Angel told her to do that. I'm inclined to think that she did. But nevertheless.
Before Samson goes his own way and he breaks the vow that he had and he ends up very, very saddened because he didn't remember the one injunction of the Nazareth. He was to keep himself from being defiled.
Well, that's something that's on the one hand, very, very searching for our souls, but on the other hand, it can be an encouragement to us because had Samson gone on, oh, what wondrous victories he would have won. How wonderful the strength that the Lord gave him. And I believe in that sense, you and I can have strength which is more than any other, to meet the difficulties and problems, to meet the enemy, if we remember to be concentrated to the Lord.
Our time is going. Let's turn over to First Samuel and we'll read there about Samuel.
First Samuel, Chapter One.
Now again I hope I can assume a reasonable understanding of the history of Samuel, but notice verse nine of first Samuel 1. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in shadow, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord, and she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord in wet sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine hand made, and Remember Me.
And not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his bed.
Now here is a different situation here it wasn't the Lord saying this man, this child is going to be a misery. Here was a mother's faith and always speak specifically to the mother's here mothers. It's true that the hand of rocks, the cradle rules the world, although that isn't as an expression found in Scripture. But you know, a godly mother can be blessed. I believe in a way that perhaps we have no understanding of.
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And when we see those that have been mightily used of God, usually you can trace it back to a godly mother. I can remember more than once, more than once, at least three or four times when I was growing up, hearing my our late brother Harry Hagel referred to his mother.
And in ways that you would see would be unusual for a man who was at that time in his 70s and in nearly 80 standing, sitting there in a meeting and saying, you know, if my mother were to walk into this meeting room tonight, I burst into praise. Why did he talk like that? Oh, because his mother had meant so much to him. There had been a godly example there which had its effect. And, you know, I believe it was Hannah's faith that had its effect on Samuel. She says, Lord, she'll give me this child.
No razor'll come upon his head. In other words, I'll give him to the Lord. And it wasn't easy for Hannah. I will have thought many times of poor Hannah taking that young child Samuel. And it was no secret that Elis house was a wicked house, that Elis sons were wicked men, that Eli himself was a weak character who hadn't what it took to discipline his son's property. And Can you imagine the feelings of that Bobby mother as she was trembling hands takes that little son up to the temple.
Delivers them into the hands of Eli, that man whose own voice had grown up bad and who at that very time were engaged in sin. But she had faith. Why? Because the Lord was in that place. And mothers and fathers, never hesitate to bring your children to the meeting. Never hesitate to bring them to the assembly. No matter you say, well, there's bad associations there. And sometimes the other children are the Saints. They're no help to them and they're going to see things. No, the Lord is there.
And what your brethren in the assembly do will never turn your children aside. Rest assured, the state of the assembly will never turn your children aside. But your reaction to it may. Your reaction to it may. Because if your children see that you go there because the Lord isn't convinced, I believe we can count on the Lord to keep them. And so it was here and going on just a couple of chapters, chapter 3.
Notice verse 20, First Samuel 3 and 20.
And all Israel and Dad, even the Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. Oh, a wondrous blessing.
Started with a mother's faith.
Turn over now to the New Testament. We've looked at two in the Old Testament 1.
As a warning, 1A Real encouragement turnover now to Luke Gospel.
Luke's Gospel chapter one.
And.
Verse 13.
The Angel now speaking to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, And notice what he says, Luke 113 But the Angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, And thy wife Elizabeth shall bear the Son, and thou shalt call his name John, and thou shalt have joy and gladness. And many shall rejoice his birth, For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
And many of the children of Israel shall be turned to the Lord their God.
And then turn over to Matthews Gospel for a verse or two.
Matthew, Chapter 11.
Verse 11. Matthew 11. Verse 11.
The Lord Jesus speaking about John, says, Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
I suggest that the story of Samson is something that we can all understand, but the story of Samuel, I think, relates particularly to parents and to the children here. But the story of John the Baptist, for me, speaks to the young people, and I speak particularly to the younger ones here. For those who are mature enough to understand what we're saying. You know, John the Baptist is told that he would have, no, he wasn't to drink either wine or strong drink, but he was to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
00:50:10
And you know John the Baptist, the Lord says of them that are born of women, there hath not arisen of greater than John the Baptist puts him right up there along with all of those Old Testament Saints. He said there's nobody that was any greater.
And yet, have you ever thought of how old John the Baptist was when the Lord took him?
Wasn't very old, was he? I suppose that John the Baptist was barely 30 years old.
When he was beheaded.
His ministry was finished, he done his job and he was gone at the age of 30. And yet the Lord says very clearly about him of them that are born of women there have not arisen or greater than John the Baptist. Don't think that because you're young you can't serve the Lord. Don't think that because you're young you can't do something for him.
Here was one whom God used as a Nazarite. He was wholly concentrated, consecrated to the Lord, and he finished the work that the Lord had for him to do.
Pardon me, I take back that expression. There's only one of whom, a kid who could say, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. But he had in that sense completed what God had laid on him to do. His work was done and the Lord took him home. And yet at the age of 30, the Lord says there's no one that is greater than John the Baptist. And so we can serve the Lord when we're young. And there have been many over the years when the Lord has used mightily.
David Brainerd, Henry Morehouse, people like that who were taken home to be with the Lord at a very young age, and yet whose names today are synonymous with a godly life and the preaching of the Gospel.
Well, let that be an encouragement.
The 5 minutes that's remaining, let's consider the one that we have perhaps been pointing to the whole evening. The one who exemplified Nazareth ship is no other, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's turn to John's Gospel.
I beg your pardon. Back to Luke's gospel again. First of all, Luke's gospel.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 39.
Chapter 2. Verse 30.
Let's start over again Luke chapter 2 and verse 39.
Beg your pardon? Luke two and verse 39.
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth, and then down in verse 51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
And then just one last verse in Matthew's Gospel.
Matthews Gospel.
Chapter 2.
And the last verse.
Verse 23, Matthew 2 and 23. And he, that is Joseph, came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene.
All that Blessed One exemplified Nazareth ship as none other ever did. And if you notice carefully.
Whatever, there is a Nazareth mentioned in the word of God, exclusive of the Lord Jesus.
It mentions that no razor is to come on his head. It mentions that he is not to touch wine or strong drink.
But in connection with no other that I recall, does it say that he shall come with no dead body or be defiled for the dead. Why was that? Oh, because there was only one man who walked through this world, a sinless man.
Samuel may be a faithful man. Saxon may exemplify Nazareth shipping and measure John the Baptist. The Lord might say that there is not arisen a greater than John the Baptist of them that are born of women, but of none of them is the third characteristic applied. He shall come at no dead body, because there is no man who could fulfill that vow perfectly. A man might fulfill the vow of staying away from wine or strong drink. A man might fulfill the vow of allowing his hair to grow.
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But not being deprived, not allowing any sin, Oh, there was number man, no matter how faithful.
That could exemplify that. But that blessed one, the Lord Jesus Christ, he exemplified Nazarite ship as no other did, wholly concentrated to the Lord. Nothing influenced him except the honor and glory of His Father and obedience to His will. And you know, if we ever want to have a reference point in our Christian pathway, let it always be Christ. Let it never be my brother. Let it never be even the most faithful individual that I know.
Let it always be himself. If there is a reference point as to my conduct down here as to how to act, let it always be back to Christ, because there is the One who exemplified that consecration perfectly.
What was the result? We said that the root word of the Nazarite.
While it meant consecration and separated, 2, it also meant crown. And all that Blessed One was consecrated to God, as none other ever was. But all what is the result? Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, and so on. You know the verse is very, very well that Blessed One.
Was the true Nazareth down here, but in the coming days he's going to wear the crown. But all the blessed thought, he doesn't take it without you and me being associated with it. He doesn't take it until our Nazareth ship is complete. He won't eat the peace offering up there until you and I, as it were, morally can go up there and we can shave our hair and throw it into the fire. He doesn't carry it out. He doesn't drink that wine up there until he says until I drink it new with you and my Father's Kingdom.
And that's the heavenly side of it. The Kingdom of the Father is the heavenly side. The Kingdom of the sun is the earthly side. And so when he says drink it new with you and my Father's Kingdom, oh, he's not going to enjoy that place in its fullness until you and I are there with them. Are we still taking the valve in Nazareth in that measure? I believe the Lord Jesus is still has still taken the vow of the Nazareth. He still identifies with his people down here.
And it won't be in that sense until you and I are there with them, that His vow of the Nazareth will cease. In one sense it has ceased now because He is up there. But in another sense, He won't drink that wine until you and I are associated with, Well, these are very, very blessed.
Things that are acting as a warning to us, but on the other hand, that which was a real encourage and what the thought I want to leave with each one of us. We sang about it in our first King. May that blessed One draw out of hearts. Do we find it a difficult pathway to be wholly consecrated to the Lord.
Oh, there was one who was gone before who was exemplified that pathway perfectly. Every other one that we looked at, there was failure there. John the Baptist failed, Samuel failed, Samson failed, and their failure is recorded for us. You and I fail, sad to say, but there is one who never failed in that path, who never failed in carrying out the consecration perfectly. And as a result, the crown is his the highest place in heaven.
I know our time is gone, but I wonder if we could sing that hymn #179.
Brightness of the eternal glory shall thy praise 100 lie. Who would hush the heaven sent story of the Lamb who came to die. And then the last verse Sing His blessed triumphant rising. Sing Him on the Father's throne. Sing till heaven and earth surprising rains the Nazarene alone.
I'm going to ask a local brother to start the tune that you know to this one because.
There are several tunes sung to it and I'm not sure the one you usually sing.
2 Timothy
Address—B. Prost
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77 in the appendix.
77 in the appendix, the 1St 3 verses reading verse 20. Christ, He is the fountain, the deep sweet well of love, the streams on earth. I tasted more deep. I'll drink above there to an ocean Fullness is mercy doth expand, and glory glory dwell in Emmanuel's land. Just the 1St 3 verses of 77 in the appendix.
All sons of life, my dear.
Jesus Christ.
You know, I often enjoy that here. Sands of time or sinking.
Some perhaps are familiar with it, but it was written by a woman by the name of Mrs. Cousins. But the thoughts in it were suggested by a man, Samuel Rutherford, who lived back in the 17th century, and he was a dear man of God. And the hymn itself is much longer than this. I think there is something like 19 verses in the original. Many of those verses which weren't suitable for our little flock in book because the expressions used in the men, the thoughts that it contained weren't exactly scriptural.
But nevertheless there's a beauty to that him which I covered, and any who are acquainted with the writings of Samuel Rutherford, particularly his letters, can't help but be impressed with the nearness to Christ and the enjoyment of the person in Christ that was part of him. He lived in a day when there was a giving up of that which was according to the mind of God. He lived in a time of much difficulty in England, and in fact, history tells us that he was summoned before the King.
I believe in the year 1661 because of the truth which he taught and which he ministered there in the in the South of Scotland. But he sent a message back to the king because he was lying on his deathbed. He said I have AI have a summons to a higher place. He said, and I can't answer you, he said, because I'm going somewhere where kings and those like them, he said, sometimes don't come.
He meant in the glory and of course, he was in no position to go down to London and answer to the charges because before long he was with the Lord. While I say that because that is particularly what I have in my heart this afternoon, but I'd like to turn for our thoughts to the book of Second Timothy.
Book of Second Timothy.
Now I'll just make a few remarks perhaps before we begin because.
The book of Second Timothy, as I suppose most of us know, is a book that was written.
Right at the end of the Apostle Pauls life, probably the last book that he wrote, or if not the last, among the last, he was in Rome, he was a prisoner, and he was, as he says in the epistle, ready to be offered out. He knew that in the short space of time, if the Lord didn't come, that he was probably going to die a marker's death.
And there were difficulties. The apostle Paul had labored for many years in his lifetime, both in the gospel and in the truth, to establish souls in the good of all of those wonderful revelations which he had gotten from a risen Christ in glory.
00:05:04
Now here he was in prison in Rome, and he was seeing the breakup of much that he had labored so hard to achieve with the Lord's help. Of course, we'll read some of those verses. And so Paul gives Timothy as an individual special instruction in Timothy, particularly second Timothy, about how to react to situations when the outward testimony was in ruins. And I suppose that that isn't new to most of us here.
But what has impressed me in reading through Second Timothy recently?
Is the truth that is contained in it, but also, if I might put it in this way, the spirit of much of what the apostle says to Timmy, not so much the latter of what he says, although that was important, but the spirit that he was trying to convey. I can remember reading the history of the Saints of God, some of the history of the testimony in North America, and particularly the history.
As it involved what was turned or who was turned, A poor Shoemaker who lived in Chicago. A poor Shoemaker that Mister Darby took a special interest in because he seemed to have a real interest in the things of the Lord. And the history went on to say that this Shoemaker seemed to imbibe not only much of Mr. Darby's teaching, but much of his spirit, and went on to be used mightily of the Lord. Well, the Shoemaker, of course, is Walter Potter.
And he was lightly used as the Lord in this country. I never knew him, but we still have the benefit of his ministry today. Probably some in this room remember him. But what I was getting at was there are things in Second Timothy which came through to me recently in a new way that I had never noticed before. Not so much about what the apostle told Timothy to do, but how he was to do it. And that is important. You know, we can do the right thing, but we can do it in the wrong way.
David did that in the Old Testament. He wanted to bring the ark up to Jerusalem, but he did it in the wrong way. He brought it up on a new part. And as a result, two men had to die before the Lord because they tried to study the ark. Well, David had to learn that there was the right way of doing something, even if it was the right thing itself. And so it's going to be difficult to, shall I say, put a structure on this meeting, but we'll do the best we can.
And what I'd like to talk about is the four chapters in Timothy, perhaps referring only to a verse or two in each one, but to bring before us something of the spirit in which these things were to be carried out. The truth of it, I hope I trust, is well known to most of us here, perhaps all of us. And so let's consider it this way. To me, the 1St chapter brings before us the state of things at that time.
The second chapter brings before us the remedy for the state that is the pathway of the Faithful One in the midst of the rule. The third chapter brings before us a warning.
As to how things were to be carried out. And the 4th chapter brings the horse. The remedy in view of that warning, the state of things in the first chapter.
The pathway of the faithful in the second chapter, warnings in the third chapter as to the state of things in which it would be carried out. And then in the 4th chapter, the pathway of the faithful one considering the state of things. And so in the first chapter, let's look at the condition of things, which I think pretty pretty much answers to the condition of things today and notice.
Notice.
Chapter one and verse 13.
Hold fast to the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelt in US.
This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are for jealous and homogeneous.
The Lord give mercy under the House of Onessa for us, for he off refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me the Lord granted to him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day, and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus thou knowest.
00:10:14
Very well.
Well, here we find that condition of things at the end of the apostles life. As we said a few minutes ago, he labored so diligently. I suppose it would be fair to say that there has never been a laborer with the energy and the desire and the heart that the Apostle Paul had.
He was a man specially chosen in that capacity, and I love the way Mr. Wigram puts it. You know, they stoned Steven. They stoned Steven, who perhaps was the brightest light that the Lord had in that day, the brightest preacher that the Lord had. Not that I believe, if we could put it this way, that he surpassed the apostles. But there was a spirit about Stephen which none could resist. There was an energy in the gospel, and he was the man that the world picked on.
He was the man that they said we've got to get rid of that man. Well, I love the way Mr. Wigram puts it, and I can hardly say it without getting a bit choked up, But Mr. Wiggum said, you know, it was characteristic of the grace of God in this dispensation. So when the hatred and enmity of man put to death the brightest light that God has at that time, it was characteristic of the grace of God that he reached down and he picked the worst one of the whole bunch.
What it called you? He had the clothes of those that threw the stones. He was too civilized to to pick up stones and pitch them by himself. He he wouldn't do that, but he held the clothes. He didn't lose his cool, but he sat there and watched, calm and collected while it happened.
Well, I say again, it was characteristic of the grace of God that it reached down and said, Paul, you're the worst one.
But you're going to come and take this place. You're going to come and take this place with that marvelous. And God picked the worst man of that bunch. And they said, fall, if that's what you're going to do, we're going to show the whole world that the grace of God is over above all that. And so Paul never forgot that. He never forgot that he had been responsible for persecuting the church, never forgot that he had been such a sinful man and he labored as none other labor but that at the end of his life, what does he see? He sees it all breaking up. And he has to say here that all they return is you'll be turned away from me.
Well, it must have been very sad for Paul. And on top of all of this, he's in prison. He couldn't get out and do anything about it. He couldn't get out and go around and try and encourage his brethren the way he had before. He couldn't go out and try and do something to remedy the difficult. But what did God do? God used him to write the epistles so that we had Paul's ministry written down. And so God used his imprisonment in that way.
But what does he say here to Timothy? Oh, he says, hold fast. The form of sound words or an outline of sound words. I believe that simply means that there is a deposit of truth which Paul had given. And he says, Timothy, hold that fast. He doesn't say, Timothy, you've got the gift of a teacher, although he may have had that because one could say, well, I don't have the gift of giving out the truth in that way, perhaps. But you know, we never read in the word of God of a gift in taking in the truth.
A gift in giving it out, yes, but not in taking it in. And so we can all hold fast the outline of sound words. If somebody comes to me and says, you know, the Lord Jesus Christ could have sinned, I don't have to be a well thought brother or a well taught sister to be able to react immediately and immediately and say, no, that's utterly impossible. I hold fast the outline of sound words. If somebody comes along and tells me that the church is going to go through the tribulation, you know, I don't need to be a well taught brother or sister to be able to say.
No, no, thank God we're going to be caught up before that time. Behold fast and outline of the sound words.
Well, there were those here who had turned away, and Paul warns him specifically about two individuals who had been responsible for teaching here, it says.
Well, it doesn't say here what they were teaching, but it specifically mentioned something that they had turned away. And so there were things to be aware of. But then just a little comment about the House of Vanessa Forest here, and I believe this is beautiful.
Because Paul says the Lord give mercy under the House of Onessa for us. For he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. But then there's a very unusual expression in the next verse. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And I have pondered that expression many times because I believe it's a reference back to verse 12.
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Where the apostle says, I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. And what is that day? Oh, that's the judgment seat of Christ. That's the day of Christ when you and I are in the glory, and when the Lord hands out rewards for everything, when he'll give his estimate of what we have done down here. And yet the Lord says, For the apostle says, the Lord grant that he may obtain or find mercy of the Lord in that day.
And those puzzled why was it that Paul was looking for mercy of the Lord or a true believer, the judgments, even Christ?
Well, I believe the thought here is this, and I stand corrected on it, but the way it's come home to me is this. Paul points out to the jealous and homogeneous who had been instrumental in at least being turned away and perhaps turning others away from the truth. But then he talks about the house Honourable Nessa for us and commends them highly because they had been very faithful to him and had helped him and sought him out in Rome and hadn't been ashamed of his chain.
But then he says the Lord granted he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. It seems to me that in Onasa Forest there may have been in him.
A bit of a turning away from the truth. There may have been in this man. A bit of a turning aside from the truth that Paul had presented. It was a bit too narrow for him. Perhaps we don't know, but evidently there may have been something. But Paul doesn't convince you. He doesn't mention it. He only mentions the plus side and then just in a very gentle way alludes to it. The Lord grant that he may find unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.
In other words, when it comes to the judgment seat of Christ, yes, I know that the Lord will have to bring him for him. That perhaps there was that in his life which didn't agree with the whole truth that I was teaching, but I valued his spirit. I valued his heart. I valued the fact that he sought me out and rolled, the fact that he wasn't ashamed that I was a prisoner, the fact that he opted refreshment. I value that. But that has been a lesson to my own soul because here, I believe, was a brother who.
And I stand corrected on this, but I just give my own thought on it. Then I think that there was in him something he had turned away a little bit from the following of the truth. But what was right? The heart. Now I hastened to explain myself, because of the heart were completely right. He would have embraced the whole truth. But evidently he wavered a little. Perhaps the pulse, as I valued his heart. Well may we have that kind of a heart for the people of God and for the things of Christ.
Sometimes we see out in those.
In other places, who perhaps with less truth have more heart, and Paul valued the heart of this man in the midst of ruining.
Well, so much for the first chapter. We don't have time to dwell on these things. Let's go on to the second chapter. In the first chapter, as I suggested, we have the state of things presented, and I don't need to tell you that this is the state of things today. All in Asia corresponds, I believe, to what has happened. And Christendom today, of which we are part, we don't need, we need to be careful about how we use that word Christendom, because Christendom essentially means everything that takes the name of Christ, and we're part of it.
But here Paul has to say, all in Asia have turned away from me. That's the situation. It doesn't mean that they turned away from Christianity. They hadn't gone back to paganism or something like that. They hadn't embraced false religions, but they had turned aside from that precious truth that Paul gave the heavenly calling of the church. And as we've said before, the old nature, the nature of man constantly turns away from the heavenly calling of the church.
And we get dragged down, down, down to the level of this earth. So what do we do in the middle of that? What's the remedy?
Well, the 2nd chapter gives the pathway of the faithful one in the midst of that rule, but I'd like to dwell, as I say, more on the spirit of things rather than the letter of it. And to me, the first verse in the chapter is very significant. Notice what it says.
Thou therefore, my Son, be strong in the truth, that is in Christ Jesus. That's not what it says, That's it.
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That's what he's been telling them, that the.
Those in Asia had given up, turned away from me and so on. But what does he say here? Be strong in the grace, which is in regards Jesus. And you know, in First Timothy, and we don't have time to turn back to it. But in first Timothy, God tells us in the first chapter that he is dealing in grace in this dispensation. He talks about the law and he tells what the law is good for. But then he says.
As it were, I'm not dealing in that way with man now, I'm dealing with in grace. And so he brings before them God our Savior, a Savior, God who is presented to this world, not in law, but in grace. And you know, brethren, it's grace and grace above everything else that will keep us in the pathway. It's a sense of grace in our soul that will keep us in the pathway. And if we have a real sense of what grace is in our hearts.
It will keep us. Shall I suggest it balanced Christians, because, you know, the grace of God makes me realize that I had to be brought right to the end of myself before I could be saved. God had to bring me right to the end of myself and make me realize that I could do absolutely nothing for myself. And only then did I come to Christ and everyone in this room who was saved had to be brought to that point. But then sometimes, you know, when we get out on the Christian pathway, if we're not careful, we get to be thinking that maybe.
Something ourselves we forget. Perhaps that grace brought me to the end of myself as an unbeliever. But grace makes me realize that I am nothing in Christ, or I'm nothing by myself, only in Christ. You know an old brother long since with the Lord.
Once said, you know, before I was saved I wanted to be great in the world, and after I was saved I wanted to be great in the Church of God, and I had to learn that both are wrong.
So true grace makes me realize that I am nothing in myself, but on the other hand, it makes me realize that I am everything in Christ.
Grace is the answer to the problem that we hear about so much today. Self esteem. How many times have you heard that phrase bandied about? You need more self esteem. If people have a bit of self esteem, then they can go on, right? He's got a real problem or she's got a real problem because he or she has such low self esteem. Well, we don't find those words in the Word of God, but I know what they mean. But grace is the answer to it all because it's not self esteem that I need.
It's esteeming myself in Christ and then what happens? Oh, I realize on the one hand that grace tells me that I'm nothing, but on the other hand that grace tells me that I'm everything in Christ. A young man once said to his father, he told me this story himself. He once said to his father, Father, you know, you have to have a bit of well, I know what had happened. I'll go back and tell you the rest of the story. They've been at reading meeting that night and.
His father, amongst other brethren, had been laying it on pretty heavily that every form of pride was wrong and ought to be condemned. And the young man came home and he said to his father, you know, Dad, I don't know whether I see that clearly or not. Because if I didn't have a bit of pride, I wouldn't dress nicely when I go out to work in the morning. If I didn't have a bit of pride in my work, I wouldn't do a good job at my work. If I didn't have a bit of pride in myself, I wouldn't conduct myself in a proper way.
Father said to him, Son, if you remember that whenever you step out the door or whenever you do your work or whatever you do down here, you represent the one who called you and died for you, and that everything you do.
You are doing as a representative and as an ambassador for Christ, he said. It'll take care of all of those things, but without lifting you up in front. That's true, isn't it? The young man was Albert Habel, by the way, who asked that question many years ago. He told me that personally.
That's true that's true. It takes care of the self esteem. I don't need self esteem. I need to esteem what I am in Christ because I have everything in him. But if I have everything in him. I realize the truth of those words that one thou without it's not received and when it's a real sense of grace in my own soul. Oh then what a difference it makes in my reaction towards others because you know on the one hand, if I.
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Haven't a real sense of grace in my own soul.
That I tend to react to others in an ungracious way and how easy it is I speak to my own heart to put myself under law and then to try and put others under law too. Well, I don't mean that for a moment we should compromise. Not a bit of it. But I can remember talking recently to our dear brother Clarence Lindeen, and we were talking about.
Well, we talked about a lot of things, but we talked about the conditions of things in the world today and the conditions of things amongst the people of God, and I never forget a comment he made, he said. I dread looseness amongst the people of God, but I dread legality as a remedy for it just as much.
I dread looseness amongst the people of God, but I dread legality as a remedy for it just as much.
Because it's just as easy to get out of the ditch of looseness and fall into the ditch of legality on the other side. What is the answer to that all? A sense of grace. A sense of grace. Supposing I have a fall in my Christian life, a sense of grace will enable me to repent to all my failure and to go on. But oh, how often, sad to say, if we don't have a sense of grace in our souls and we have a call, oh, we say, what's the use? I can remember talking to a sister back home.
She said to me something like this concerning her own younger sister, I mean a sister in the flesh, her younger sister had had a fall and had, sad to say, to be put away from the Lords Table and she was drifting into the world again. And her sister made this comment to me. She said she's had a follow up, but she said if she falls again, I doubt if she'll get up. I doubt if she'll get up again. Meaning that if she has a fall again, she'll go right into the world head over heels and just throw everything over for her.
What's the remedy for that all? A sense of great sense of grace. We have no excuse involved. But when we do fall, do we realize that there is no such thing as a fall from which there isn't recovery? Now I want to make myself clear. These things leave scars. The government of God may remain, and so let's not equate grace with government. We can be fully restored in our souls, but the effects of the fall may remain. We can be fully restored into communion with the Lord.
But I may have to bear some of the fruits of my sinfulness and own will for the rest of my life. Grace and government 2 parallel truths. They're not the same, but nevertheless, that doesn't touch on the fact that there is grace to meet that need. But on the other hand, as I say, suppose there's a tendency to be puffed out. Oh, then grace makes me realize that it's all of Christ. And so we need that sense of grace in our souls. Well, we're not going to dwell too much on the rest of the chapter.
I would trust that the truth of it is familiar to us, except to make this comment.
It's the second chapter of Second Timothy that tells us what to do in the midst of the ruin. Many years ago, when brethren were first gathered to the Lord's name, they saw the upward ruling of the church. They saw the absence of anything that answered to the mind of God is revealed in His word. What did they do? Oh, they had to come and say, if the word of God.
Is here to give us everything we need. Then surely the instruction is here as to how to act in that situation. And they found it in Second Timothy two. They found that they were in the great house. They said that's exactly what we see around us. Well, what do we do in the great house? Can we go back to the day of Pentecost and try and restore things the the way they were back in that day? No, that was an intelligence in the mind of God. On the other hand, do we just give it all up and say, well, you just have to muddle along as best you can.
Because there's so much ruin come into the church. No, they saw that wasn't right either, but there was a pathway for the faithful one. If a man therefore purge himself from these that is vessel to dishonor, he shall be a vessel to honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. That's verse 21.
And that's what we need to have holes up in our souls. Verse 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, that is vessel to dishonor, he shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
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I just make a comment on that verse. It's a narrow path. It's a narrow path, but on the other hand, it's a path in which there is more fullness of opportunity than in any other path. And let's never forget that. You know, there is a tendency, and I've heard it even from those gathered to the Lord's name who have said, well, you know, if you want to hold on to the truth, if you want to stand for the truth, you're going to have to give up.
A lot of us, a lot of opportunities that you might otherwise have, and that's just the way it is.
And I've heard some say yes. And if you want to have any gospel effort or want to go out and leave souls, if you want to have blessing, well, you can't walk in that narrow path. You can't do it that way.
Nonsense. Both are wrong. Both are wrong. The one who, according to the mind of God, purchased himself from vessels to dishonor has more opportunities than any other. Why? Because he's a vessel Under Armour. He's set apart from the evil.
And he's prepared unto every good work. You know, I think the children here could understand this if you've got a pile of dirty dishes on the counter.
They can be used for something. I've sometimes gone in our home to a pile of dirty dishes on the counter and I wanted a jug to get some water, maybe to water the plants with or something like that. I didn't bother washing it up nice and clean. I just went and kind of switched it out and then got it full of water and went and watered plants because it was fine for that. But that jug wasn't good for everything that that jug could be used for. You wouldn't like it if you came to my home and I were going to put a jug of cream on the table for the coffee or a jug of milk for you to drink from. And I just went to The Dirty counter and kind of squished it under the tap and then poured the milk in and sat down the table.
You probably wouldn't. You'd say no thank you, I don't have any milk today. Yes, that's what you do, wouldn't you? I wouldn't blame you. You'd say that, that that's not very good. But milk on the table and that kind of object, What if I watered the plants with it? You too. That's all right. Plants don't know the difference. And so that's the way it is with believers. We can be used of the Lord even if we haven't separated, but we can't be used for every good word.
Are there opportunities today? I suggest to your heart and mind that there are opportunities, perhaps as there never were before, as there never were before.
What our state must go along with what we hold.
Are we going to separate from vessels to dishonor then the Lord says your life better agree with that, your life better agree with that. No use having a clean vessel and yet not being able to use it because.
There's a difficulty or a problem involved. Supposing I have a nice piece of crystal in my house, Nice crystal stem glass. Well, that can be used for things, but you have to be awfully careful with it because it might break. And you know those crystal glasses? They're all right to set on the table when you're going to serve a fancy meal.
But you don't set a mode on the table if you're going to invite young children together, because.
Too easy to break or chip or something like that. I can remember when we went out to a nice home for dinner once and one of our children, I won't tell you which one, took one of these nice crystal glasses up to take a drink out of it. And.
Get the whole chunk right out of the glass. They weren't used to that fragile glass. Well, I, I felt sorry for the Hostess, you know, but in our home, we don't put that kind of thing out when we're having young children like that. And that's all right. Well, there's no use having those kind of things sometimes because you can't use them for everything. You can't always put them out there. And we have to be careful that we're not like that as Christians, that we're not crystal glasses that are so fragile that you can.
Only use them on state occasions.
Having President Bush to the House, we might have something like that on the table, but you have to. They're only used very limited, but the one who is purged can be used for everything. Well, that's what we need. And then going on in verse 25 or verse 24.
Here again, it's our spirit and the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men. Apartment to teach patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. And I'm going to read this wrong to emphasize a point if per adventure you're able presentation of the truth will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth doesn't say that desert If God for adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by enemy's will.
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It's just as much a work of the Spirit of God to gather souls for the Lord Jesus Christ as it is to save souls. We need to remember that if you and I are gathered here this afternoon to that precious name, let us never think that we're any better than those out there who perhaps may go somewhere where the whole truth of God is not all. It's only grace that is brought us here. We have nothing to boast of because it's only a work of grace in our souls that has made us to see.
That the Lord Jesus Christ is the gathering center, and if I have a sense of that in my soul, I won't strive without it. No, I'll be above that.
I don't need to strive if I have the real truth of God. There is no need to describe this there. If it's a reality in my soul, I don't need to strive. Why? It will speak pretty soft. It will speak for itself. And brethren, our lives should speak for themselves. We shouldn't have to strive about the truth.
Now I hasten to say that there is such a thing as standing up for the truth, and you get that in the book of Jude. We're told there that we might earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints. That's with the sense that when someone's trying to take it away from me, I don't let it go. It's so practiced to me that I hold on to it. That's not the same as Scribe contending has the thought of holding on to something that I've got, and I'm not going to let it go.
Because it's so precious to me. But on the other hand, there's no need to strive. That's not the character of the serving of the Lord. If it's really the full truth of God, there's no need to strive for it. Suppose.
That I have a piece of property that is worth a lot of money and I know it's worth a lot of money. It's in a choice area. I know that anytime I want I can stick a sign up on it and sell it to top dollar.
Am I going to argue with someone who doesn't understand about how much it's worth?
I know a friend of mine in the city of Toronto who bought a home about five years ago and it has almost quadrupled in value in the last five years. Almost mind boggling, but it's almost quadrupled in value. And if somebody were to argue with him and say that house isn't worth that, it's not worth that, would he stand there for an hour and argue with him as to how much it was worth? No, he'd say, I know the worth of that house. If you don't see it, I can try and point it out for you. That's going to argue with you about it because I know the work of it. And if you don't recognize it.
I know plenty of others do. We don't need to argue about the work of the truth of God. We really need to live and stand for it, and it'll speak for itself if it's done right. And so the attitude is to be gentle unto all men. Apartment to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. Why meekness? All because I recognize that it's only grace that gave to me. Only grace when I recognize that it's only God that can give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
All the striving in the world on my part isn't going to make him see it.
I may be able to beat him into a corner and back them up so that he has no way out, but that doesn't persuade him. A man persuaded against his wills of the same opinion. Still, the old proverb goes, and that's true. It's only a work of the Spirit of God that brings souls to that point.
Well, so much for the remedy for the state of things, but again, I say my emphasis is more on the spirit of it. Now let's go on to the third chapter. Here we have a warning.
And here we have in this chapter, not so much the state of the church, but a warning because of the state of the work. In the first chapter, it's the state of things within the professing House of Christendom. In the third chapter, it's a warning more about the state of things in the world. And I'm going to read the first few verses. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous boasts, boasted proud blasphemers.
Disobedient to parents, unthankful, unforeseen, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
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Now here's the clincher having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
Why does the Spirit of God, in an epistle that's addressed to a Christian, an individual who wants to be faithful, detail this long list of all of the sins that are going on in the outside world? Why bother putting all that down? Oh, I just suggest that this is the point. There never was a time when the sins that were prevalent in the outside world didn't creep into the Church of God.
And let us not, so I say it humbly, let us not take refuge in the fact and say, well, isn't that awful the way the world's going today? Let's be careful that in spirit, in spirit, these attitudes don't characterize us too. And the end of the comment is having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof that has spoken to my own soul. No doubt it refers to unbelievers. No doubt it refers to those who perhaps have an outward form of Christianity. But there's no reality within.
But, you know, I believe that God gave it to Timothy, not only to warn him about that, but to warn him about that spirit of things in his own soul. Is it possible for a true believer to have a form of godliness but deny the power of it? I'm afraid it is. Is it possible to have truth up here that I don't walk in in my in my daily walk? Yes, it is. Is it possible to know something up here so, so clearly and yet not to carry it out in my everyday life?
Yes, it is. Yes it is. And Paul has pretty strong words there. He says for such turn away. Well, I believe the thought is for Timothy to turn away from that kind of inconsistency as it is in the world. But let us be careful that that doesn't characterize us too, because there's a danger there. And going down in the chapter, the apostle says in verse 10, and the emphasis is on the word thou. But thou you Timothy, you Timothy, you Timothy, thou has fully known.
My doctrine.
Of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, and so on.
Paul says, you've seen the example, Timothy, you've seen the way I walked. And here it's not a question of doctrine. It's a question of what doctrine is mentioned here first. No question teaching has to come first, but then all of the rest of it is the carrying out of that that he had learned from Paul. And that's a blessed thing because if we have Paul's ministry before us, it will keep us from the spirit of this world.
And what keeps us from the spirit of this world? Recognizing and walking in the truth of the heavenly calling of the church. We recognize that we don't belong down here, that we belong up there. And every time, I can honestly say in my own soul that I am tempted with a hard lesson to learn. But every time I'm tempted to join hands in things that have to do with this world, I simply ask myself, is this in keeping with the character of an ambassador?
Find here as an ambassador from another country. Is this in keeping with the character of an ambassador? And it settles the whole question. An ambassador never wavers in telling something straight, but he gives his own governments position. The ambassador from Canada to the United States does not take part in the affairs of the United States, although I happen to know that the Canadian Embassy in Washington has computers to track the process of bills that passed through Congress there.
In order to have every possible bit of information on any bill that it might affect US and Canadian relations. And I suppose that Canadian ambassador in Washington probably knows more about what goes on in the government and in the life of the United States than many Americans do. That's not the point. But when it comes down to taking part in those affairs, his only reason for being there is to look after Canada's interests and to represent Canada's interest to the United States.
Does the US government want to know Canada's position on a on a situation the Canadian ambassador is right there to give it to them, but that's the end of his commitment and I believe that's what we have here. Once we have Pauls doctrine in his manner of life clear before us. Oh, a simple path. It is essentially using.
And then going on in the chapter.
Another emphasis on another vow in verse 14.
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But continue, thou emphasis, in the things which thou hast learned, and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And then the last verse again emphasizing what we said before, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works.
Well, he's to continue in the things, which number one, he has learned.
And 2nd and assure you, what's the difference? Oh, I can learn something up here, but I can only be assured of it when I walk in it and then it gets a grip on my soul.
I can remember reading an article by our late brother John R Gill concerning the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name. And he says in that article how that he is a young man way back in the 1880s. How that he saw the presence of the Lord in the midst, the person of Christ, and how he thought in his own soul. How could one ever leave the place where the Lord was in the midst?
Really were there. He said I can remember when considerations like this fastened on my soul like a bus, and he said I trust that that hole is still there. Well, that's what it means to be assured of something. It means that that truth of God gets hold of me so that I walk in it. It becomes part of me. It's not merely something that I hold up here as a doctrine that I've read in the word of God or in a book, but it's something that fastens on his mind. It says knowing of whom thou has learned them. Where did Timothy get the truth that he had learned? He got it direct from the apostle Paul, who had in turn gotten it direct from a risen Christ in Lord and it had a power and authority over him.
Which kept him in the path. If you and I have that sense in our souls, then it will keep us in the pathway. And what will the result of it be? Oh, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. You'll notice in the Word of God that whenever that expression the man of God appears, it's always in a time when there's a giving up, whether in the Old Testament or the New, The expression man of God does not appear when things are going on well.
But it was applied to Elijah. It was applied to Elijah in the Old Testament, but you don't find it applied to men like David, even though he was a man after God's own heart. It's applied to an individual who is faithful when things are being given up. And so in the New Testament we find it particularly in Second Timothy, Thou man of God, do this, do that, flee this, and so on, because there is an outstanding or a standing out of the individual when others are giving up a man of God.
And so here we find that the man of God may be perfect. That's the sense of mature and full grown, the sense of a full understanding of what God is doing. And then it says truly furnished. And there's the same expression unto all good works. That means the believer who follows these things, he's he can, he can be used of the Lord for anything.
Well then, the 4th chapter.
I say just to recap again, the 1St chapter, the state of things in the church, the 2nd chapter the remedy for it, the third chapter the warning about the state of things in the world, and then in fourth chapter perhaps the remedy for that. And so it says in verse one. I charge thee therefore.
Therefore, in scripture are important because they depend on what's gone on before.
And so you found at the beginning of the second chapter there was a Therefore because it.
Was therefore on account of what was in the first chapter. Now here's another therefore on account of the state of things in the third chapter. I charge thee, therefore before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom. Preach the word, be instant in season out of season, recruit, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
That word exhort, I believe, could more accurately be translated in courage and I like that because that gives a a dimension to this verse that makes it more than simply hammering the truth home to somebody. It's encouraged. Encourage with all long-suffering and doctrine and then going down in verse five. But watch thou in all things endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of life.
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I believe that that expression preached the Word in the second verse is not limited to the gospel. It brings everything before us. Preach the Word, Timothy. Is there an open door for the gospel? Preach the Word. Is there an open door for the truth? Preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season.
Sometimes when things are in ruins, you don't always have a nice setting to present things, so you have to do it in a different way. The time was when you could have opened up a hall like this for the gospel and had every seat filled and people standing in the aisles and flowing out the door.
It's not true today.
So what do we do? We have to be instant in season, out of season. We have to have the pack of tracks in our pocket ready to hand them out to people that we meet in business and on the street. We have to be ready to preach a word wherever we get the chance. Instant in season out of season. There was a time when you could have held meetings to preach the truth and people would have flocked in to hear the truth. Doesn't happen today. You have to be instant in season, out of season. You have to be ready to speak a word when someone says where do you go to church?
Ah, there's a chance to tell them about the truth of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And what happens in verse 5, endure reflections of persecutions. That's what what it really means. Well, it's not going to be an easy path. It's going to be reproach connected with it. And then aren't going to want to hear the gospel. They're going to make fun of it. They're going to turn away from it. They're going to say, don't preach religion to me. We're talking business. There are going to be those who say I've got my own church. I don't want you've got your church, I've got mine. Now let's not argue about it.
I've heard that so many times. So there would be persecution in connection with it. Do the work of an evangelist.
I'm not sure whether this means that Timothy had the gift of an evangelist, but there was a perhaps a danger of his not using it. I rather tend to think so. I don't think that God was particularly saying, Timothy, you don't have the gift of an evangelist, but I want you to do the work of one. But I like that application just the same. Whatever it might be. I think there was a danger than a day of ruin. There was a danger of giving up and telling out of the gospel. There was a danger of saying, oh, there's just so much ruin in the church and I'm so occupied with it that.
I, I just, I just don't seem to have the heart for the gospel. What is this, Timothy? As long as you're here, as long as the church is on earth, there are souls that are to be saved. We may not see the crowds we saw 100 years ago or 150 years ago or back in the days of Pentecost. There are still souls to be saved. And what if there are only two here, one there, just a soul here or there. All they're precious to Christ. And so he says, do the work of an evangelist.
Make full proof of thy ministry. The sense of that means, if I might put it in simple words, have a well-rounded ministry, a complete rounded ministry. Don't neglect any part of it. And that's what we need today. Don't neglect any part of it. There's no such thing as a conflict between the preaching of the gospel and the preaching of the truth. It may be a narrow path to walk, but there's no such thing as a conflict between them. The greatest servant the Lord ever had, I suppose, the apostle Paul.
Preach the gospel and preach the truth and there was number conflict in his mind between the two. He preached them both. What was the result of it all? They which were in Asia gave up and said Paul, the truth you preach is too narrow. We like the gospel but not the truth. Did Paul say well, too bad, I guess, guess I'll have to let go of some of that too. But he didn't tell somebody to give up the gospel. I need that's very precious. And then the seventh verse, our time is gone. But.
Just to mention this seventh verse.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me, all me, but unto all them also that love disappeared.
I suppose that that seventh verse is the most that any Christian could ever say. There was only one who could say John chapter 17. There was only one who could say, I have finished the work which thou gained his need to do. Almost blessed. There was only one who could say, Lord, not Lord, but Father, I have finished the work which thou gates me to do. No Christian will ever be able to say that. I suppose this is the most that any could ever say.
00:55:06
I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have finished the senses. I finished the race. I finished the race. I have kept the faith well. I can remember standing at the in the funeral parlor quite a few years ago now.
Sight of brethren, the Lord who had departed, and his son was standing there beside the casket, greeting those who came up. I knew his son well, but he wasn't walking in the truth. He'd left the truth. He'd left the ground of gathering, left the place where the Lord was in the midst, and he made no bones about her. He was quite open that he had left.
And he had a high regard for his father. He said, well, Daddy's work was finished and the Lord took him home. And I can remember quoting this verse to him, calling him by name because I knew him well. I said, well, Scripture says I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept my faith. I said, I think that your father could probably have said that honestly, although he probably wouldn't like to have said it about himself, but I think he could have said it. I said, May God give you and me grace.
To be able to say the same thing at the end of our course. Well, he didn't say very much. I think he knew all too well what I meant. He didn't say too much. But what's the result of it? Oh, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, ah, the righteous Gent shall give me it that day. Are you misunderstood? Down here? There's a righteous judge who will give a crown in that day. Not according to what this world thought of you. Not according to what Christendom at large thought of you.
The Lord, the righteous judge, shall give you at that. Isn't that worth striving for? Isn't that worth going after? I don't need to worry about what the world thinks. In one sense, they don't need to worry about what other Christians think. I should be sensitive to what others think, but I don't need to let that be the governing factor. No, this precious book and my blessed Savior are the things that are important and I misunderstood down here. There's a day coming when the Lord will make it right.
There's a day coming, Paul says, when everyone who loves his appearing will get that crown. Why does it say his appearing? It's not his coming forest that's in you here. It's not the rancher, he says. The appearing. Oh, the appearing brings before us responsibility. At the rapture every Christian will go up, no distinguishing between them. But at the appearing, when the Lord comes out to set up his Kingdom, between the rapture and the appearing will have taken place the judgment seat of Christ.
When the Lord will give His estimate of what we have done, and then in the appearing there will be the display of all of that.
Will be the display of all of that. Wouldn't you like to wear the crown of righteousness in that day? I would, I would. Well, we don't strive just for the crown. No, that's not the motive for our lives. The motive is Christ that the Lord as it were says ioffer you this as an encouragement in the pathway.
And so let's never make the horizon of our thoughts things down here. Let's make the horizon glory because that's the only future that Scripture speaks of for the Church of God. Well, our time has gone. Me, the Lord encourage our hearts with these remarks. I say again, they've been precious to my own soul. And as I say, what has been more on my heart is not so much the truth of what we have in Second Timothy, but you might say along with it all, there is a spirit in which it's to be carried out.
And I believe that's something at least from my own soul, I need to take heed in myself. Let's sing the last two verses of that hymn that we sang at the beginning, number 77, in the appendix.
Beautiful Kent and.
Oneness we have often enjoyed.
And, you know, it was very striking to me, kind of dates me a little bit. But I can remember many years ago, our late brother Harry Hagel telling us about his own father's Home Guard and how that was his father lay on his deathbed. That was a long time ago. I think he went home to be with the Lord maybe in 1913. But he said as a young man being there at his father's deathbed and his father on his deathbed was quoting these last two verses to them.
Just quietly, because his strength was going away and he said, you know, he said be sure and sing those last two verses at my funeral, which I understand they did. And so let's sing these last two verses of 77 in the appendix, beginning of verse 4.
01:00:27
Wouldn't you like to wear the crown of righteousness in that day? I would, I would. Well, we don't strive just for the crown. No, that's not the motive for our lives. The motive is Christ, but the Lord, as it were, says Ioffer you this as an encouragement in the pathway. And so let's never make the horizon of our thoughts things down here. Let's make the horizon glory, because that's the only future that Scripture speaks of for the Church of God.
Well, our time has gone. May the Lord encourage our hearts with these remarks.
I say again, they've been precious to my own soul, and as I say, what has been more on my heart is not so much.
The Man Called Legion
Gospel—B. Prost
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Welcome everyone to the Gospel meeting tonight. Could we open with #14 #14? God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall salvation. Full and biased cost He offered.
Free Wall, whose wondrous love, the love of God to me, brought my Savior from God to die on Calvary. I'm going to ask if we can stand and sing this kid #14.
When the one more.
Here and I'd like to sing again. That's always been one of my favorites, 323.
323 There's a friend for little children.
You know, I've always been interested in the stories behind him, and this hymn was written by a well known fiction in the last century by the name of Albert Midlane very much.
Beloved of everyone who knew him, and he had a special heart for children, and he loves to tell children about the Lord Jesus Christ. He wrote a number of pens. In fact, if you look, you'll find some of them in our little Flock in book.
One that comes to mind thine Jesus Vine No More, this Heart of mine and so on, written by the same man, Albert Midlane. He was an ironworker. They called him an iron monger in the last century and he would have made iron railings and things like that.
One night after a hard day's work, he sat down at his desk to do some reading. And I thought later and later, and his wife said, don't think the ought to come to bed. Oh, he said, no, I've got something on my mind. You go to bed here. So she went to bed and expected that in the morning she'd wake up the two of her great surprise to get up in the morning. And he wasn't in the bed with her. So she went downstairs and there he was and head down on his hands, sitting at the table.
00:05:15
Fallen asleep. But beside him were the words of this Him 323 There's a friend for little children. Well, he was a fairly young man when he wrote that. Him I think about in his early 30s, if I remember rightly. And you know that him was beloved. So many children learned to sing it. And I understand that. I think that had the story right, that something like 50 years later when he was in his 80s, he had the privilege of hearing.
How many children? Was it something like 3000 anyway?
For Mr. Abby in London, England, kind of as a commemoration of his having written that his 50 years before. Well, it's always been one of my favorites and it's kind of a long him. But let's say in the 1St 3 verses and then the last verse, verses 123 and six of 323. I hope that children will all be able to join in too. Let's just remain seated.
There's a friend.
In heaven with.
Wild Grandpa, where God?
My boyfriend boy.
Well, the real key to that hymn is found in the last verse, isn't it all? All above is treasured and found in Christ alone. And you know, it's wonderful to sing about all these things, many things in that home, a friend arrest, a home, and in some of the verses we didn't sing about a crown, a heart, a rest, and so on.
00:10:08
And we'd all like to have those things, but you know, they're only found to depress, only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. What I'd like to turn tonight to marks gospel to a story that occurred when the Lord Jesus was here on earth.
Mark's Gospel, chapter 5.
I would think that many here are familiar with the script and probably at least some and maybe all of the children have heard this story. But we're going to read it together and I think we'll see how that it shows us very clearly the gospel that we're going to have before us tonight. So Mark's gospel chapter 5 and verse one, and they that is the Lord and his disciples.
Came over unto the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes, And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean shirt, who had his dwelling among the shoes.
And no man could bind him, no, not with chains, because that he had been often bound with fatters and chains, and the chains had been practiced under by him, and the feathers broken in pieces. Neither could any man came with it. And always night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tomb, crying and cutting himself with stones.
And when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, saying, Or I ran and worshiped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said.
What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most High God, by a journey by God without her neck me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is legion, that we are many, and if he saw him much, that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was there now under the mountains a great period of swine machining, and all the devil's besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them, and fought with Jesus, gave them leave, And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine, and of the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea. They were about 2000, and were choked in the sea, and they that fed the swine fled and told it in the country.
In the city and in the country, and they went out to see what it was that was done.
And they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil, and have the legion setting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid, And they that saw told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their closes. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed, but the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
How be it Jesus suffered him not, but set unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee, and have had compassion on thee.
Department and began to publish in the Capitalist how great things Jesus had done for him and all men didn't mind.
Well, here we have a story that happened many, many years ago when the Lord Jesus was here on earth. And you might say perhaps if you're unfamiliar with this story, this story tonight, what relationship, what relevance does this story have for today? Why do I need to hear about a man who was wandering about in the cemetery and a man whom they couldn't tie up with chains or anything else, and the man that the Lord Jesus healed, What, what does that have to do with me today?
Well beloved friends, tonight you know the word of God tells us at the heart of man hasn't changed as space after asks earth to face in water. You know what it's like if you look into the still water and see your face reflected there. It says so the heart of man, the man and this precious book that we have before us tonight. I want it to be clear before each one here tonight that this is the word of God and this book that God has said liveth in abideth forever. This is the only book in the world that we can turn to.
00:15:04
To find light in the middle of the darkness of this world.
The only book that we can turn to, which without fail, always tells me the truth not only about myself, but about everything else down here. Do I want to know the truth of what I see around me in this world? This precious book tells me how to make it all clear.
And so tonight we're opening What is the Word of God? And this book hasn't had to be rewritten.
I suppose that the last author of this book, if I might use that expression reverently, because God is the author of it, the Holy Spirit of God. It says a holy man of old state, that they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But the last inspired writer of this book, I suppose, died probably close to 1900 years ago, and yet this book has never had to be updated. You know, many here have attended school, some perhaps have attended college.
As you know, every year that we go.
The books become out of date and they have to be revised in new additions come out. But there's never needed to be a new edition of this precious quote because God wrote it and it's never had to be updated. And So what we have here in this precious book is relevant for today, just as it was 2000 years ago. And so this story, I believe, is important to each one of us. And here we find the Lord Jesus coming over, it says, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Who were these Gadarenes?
Well, not that it's terribly important, but you will remember that way back in the history of the nation of Israel when they crossed over the River Jordan into the promised land, there were 2 1/2 tribes that stayed on. That says this side Jordan could be on the east side of the River Jordan. They didn't cross over into the promised land. They didn't take what God had for them. They said we're quite content here. There's lots of pasture for our cattle. There's lots of place for us to dwell.
And there was tribe of Reuben, tribe of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. And so they stayed over there. And I believe these were descendants of those people. They were descendants of the tribe of Gad. They'd never fully entered into everything that God had for them. And here we find that they've gotten into difficulties. The Lord Jesus comes over to them. And what do we find there? Oh, here was a man who met the Lord Jesus as soon as he got there, and he comes out of the tombs.
And it says no man could bind him. No, not with change. Or you say that doesn't. That doesn't seem like a very nice picture. I wouldn't want to meet that kind of a man. Here was a man who preferred to live amongst the tombs, amongst the place of death. You know, we don't like to go into cemeteries. Perhaps I've known people who didn't like to go in them at all. I've been in there many times, you know, because it's not infrequent that we have to go there when someone.
Passes away. But you know, sometimes I like to look at what's written on the tombstone. I can remember being in a cemetery in England some years ago, and it was a huge cemetery, occupied a whole city block. And you know, those tombstones had a story to tell. I walked along and I saw one tombstone there that said pray for the soul of soul and soul who passed away on such a date. And I thought, oh, how sad. How sad to have a message on there.
Individual evidence, they didn't know where she was going. And here whoever had erected the tombstone had wanted care offered. But then I walked further on into that cemetery and I found what I was looking for, a place, a corner of that cemetery where all kinds of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been buried. And I found tombstones there with things on me like this. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Even so, them also which believed in Jesus will God bring redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
And one after another verses from this precious book, which told me that the individuals in that tomb at least had known Christ as their Savior. Well, but a lot of people don't like to go into cemetery. They go there as little as possible. But here this man, he dwelt there in a place of death.
And nobody could bind him. He was evidently a fierce man. That tells us in another place that nobody could go by that way and nobody could climb up. They tried to bind him with change that says here and nothing working.
00:20:04
You say, what does all that mean? Oh, my friend, this man was under the power of the devil. This man was under the power of the devil. He had an unclean spirit in him. Will you say what does it mean? As if I'm in that condition? I'm not, I'm not possessed with an unclean spirit. Perhaps not, but there are certainly people today who are in that category. But my friends, what I want to bring for you tonight is that if you're not saved, if you're not redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
Then whether you know it or not or realize it or not, you are under the power of Satan. You know there are only two masters in this world. You're either under the headship and mastery of the Lord Jesus Christ, or you're under the mastery of the devil. And it always amazes me when I see men and women and boys and girls too, going through this world who think that they're free agents, doing as they please. And all the while, that tells us in Second Corinthians that the God of this world.
Who's the devil that's blinded the minds of them which believe not, that's the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ is the image of God should shine under them. And how many there are today who are in that condition and don't realize it.
You know, there is there is such a such an individual as the devil. He's a spirit. You can't see him, but he's just as real. And yet many people today refuse to believe that he even exists. And I think sometimes the devil must be very pleased with that because, you know, a few 100 sabotage.
A company, what would be the best way to do it? The best way would be for them to think that there was number problem and that such an individual would never do such a thing. But that was that. There is no such person existing. I knew of a man who robbed the bank once, but he robbed it in a very clever way because he was a very high employee in the bank and he had access to those bank vaults and he arranged for one of his friends to come in and buy a very careful method.
Arranged to transfer large quantities of cash out of that bank vault.
And when it would be found out, his comment was they'll never suspect me. And evidently they didn't. He was too high up in the bank. They never suspected that he would do it. And so he got away with it at least twice. Anyway, beloved friend, the devil is deceiving men and women today. And one of his best, his best method is to persuade people that he doesn't even exist. And so make no mistake about it, there is a doubt. And if you're not under the shelter of the blood of Christ.
He is guiding me, guiding you where down that broad Rd. which leads to destruction.
It couldn't bind this man with anything, not even with the changes. And you know, many people today would like to try and reform them, the old nature, They'd like to try and make a better world. I've talked to lots of people today who would like to try and work toward a better world, who would like to try and all they say if only we could educate people more, if only we could provide enough facilities to meet the needs of the poor, if only children could be brought up in a proper environment with.
Love and kindness and a proper home instead of being brought up in degradation and sin. Oh, then we wouldn't have the drug problem today. We wouldn't have immorality and all of these things. We wouldn't have fact. We wouldn't have ghettos in the big cities.
Make no mistake about it, you can't bind the old nature in your heart and mind. Know the Word of God says that the heart is deceitful above all things and are desperately working.
There's only one thing that can bring.
You and the blessing if you're not saved and that is the finished work of Christ. And if you're not saved, then this man.
Is a comparison to you. You can be compared to this man because you're under the power of Satan. And notice verse five and always night and day, he was in the mountains and in the king crying and cutting himself with stones. Oh, he not only did harm to others, but he did harm to himself.
How many people there are today that are doing that? How many people there are today that are harming themselves with alcohol? How many people there are today that are harming themselves with drugs? How many people that are harming themselves with many other things? Oh, perhaps you save way than a minute.
We live in Pella, Iowa. We don't need that kind of a life in this community. We don't carry on in this way. We're more respectable than that. They'll tell us that we're ruining ourselves with drugs and alcohol and nicotine and all of these other things. Yes, there are people in the United States who do that, but don't put us in that category, beloved friend.
00:25:12
As face actors to face in water, so the heart of man to man.
I grew up on a farm.
We kept chickens so that we knew what rotten eggs were. And you know, if you had or I had two rotten eggs in my hand, one in each hand here, and I took one of those rotten eggs and dropped it on the floor and smashed it. Oh, it would be immediately evident that that was a rotten egg, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? You'd want to get out of this room, you'd say that's an awful smell. Oh, dear. Don't. Don't do that again.
Could I take the other one?
Can't smell anything.
Why? It's just as rotten inside, and anyone here that knows anything about eggs knows There are ways of telling an egg is rocky without smashing it. There are ways of telling that it's rotten, and I could tell you whether that egg was rotten or not.
Smell anything? Why, there's a shell around it. And supposing you said to me, well, I don't believe that egg is rotten. I could I could prove it to you perhaps by dropping it. But I venture to say that there are many people here who would say, oh, don't do that. We'll believe you. We can tell that it's rock. Don't smash it, my friend. If you've been brought up under good circumstances and in a good home, it's quite possible, quite possible that maybe you have been kept from much of the gross sin degradation that exists in this world.
And we can be thankful for them. We can be thankful that we've been brought up in homes where some of those things weren't common and weren't even allowed.
We can be thankful for parents that kept us from all of these things. We can be thankful for our community, where perhaps the standards of right and wrong in a measure are maintained. Yes, thankful for all. Beloved friends, Let's never fool ourselves into thinking that we're fit for the heavens as well. Let's never fool ourselves in the thinking that we're fit for the presence of God. Because in the day when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, there were those.
Took that attitude there were those that took the attitude that they were good enough the way they were and the Lord had to say to them they that are whole about the economic position that they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. But then in God's Word, in Romans chapter 3, it says.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
I can well remember. I'll tell this story for the children. One time we had a Sunday school picnic back in Hamilton. And this was a long, long time ago, at least 2530 years ago. And the man who was speaking to the children, he said, I wonder if there's anybody here that has told a lie and lots of hands. Well.
He said, is there anyone here that's never told a lie, Any boy or girl here that's never told a lot? And one boy, about six or seven years old, he put his hand on the speaker, said he looked at him. You, you, you never told the law. You never said anything wrong, never told anybody something that wasn't true. No, no, I don't. I didn't. Well, you know, I felt sorry for that boy because it so happened that his mother was sitting beside him.
His mother come to the Sunday school picnic and the man who was speaking, he said, well, son, he said, I don't know whether I think we ought to ask your mom beside you, you know, if that's true. I don't know whether to whether to take that just from you. Let's ask your mom. So he said, mother, he said, is it right what this boy says that he's never told a lie?
And I'll never forget his mother's answer. She just kind of smiled because he just told one more. He just told one more. He told lies. Of course He had it. So have we all. And you know, one act of disobedience was enough for God to put out him and Eve out of the garden of Eve, beloved friend, tonight, in all seriousness, one act of sin on your heart is enough to keep you out of heaven. It doesn't have to be something gross that we've been talking about.
One hour of sin.
Well, what happens here? Verse 6? And when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the most high God, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me now.
Oh, you know, if man didn't recognize who the Lord Jesus was, the devil always knew who he was. The devils always knew who he was. My friend, the devil knows who the Lord is. It tells us in the book of James. Thou believe us in God.
00:30:07
You as well. The devils also believe and tremble. And maybe there's someone here that trembles tonight when he thinks of a holy God and God's judgment for sin, because God is a holy God and he must judge sin. Maybe there's someone here that trembles. The devil's tremble too, but they don't get saved. That doesn't save them. Oh no, these here in this man, these devils, they try.
Oh, no, these here in this man, these devils, they tremble. They knew who the Lord was. They knew that there was a power there that they couldn't resist. And beloved friends tonight, let me tell you that when it comes to Bob, you have a responsibility and you can't get away from it. These devils know that there is a coming day when God will judge them. They have no illusions about that. But how many men and women there are today who are going on headlong as at work and paying no attention to the fact that they have a responsibility toward God?
I've heard people talk like that. They say why? I don't have to have any responsibility toward God. I can do what I want.
That we can't do what we want because God has placed us here in this world for his pleasure and his glory. And we've all sinned and we have to answer to God for our sins. And you know deep down in your heart that someday you do have to answer to God for the way you live your life. You can't get away from it. You can't get away from the responsibility you have toward God. But all what it says here in verse eight is nice. For he said unto him.
Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
The Lord Jesus only had to speak the Word. There was power there to cast out an unclean spirit. The Lord Jesus had only to speak the Word. And all my friends, tonight the Lord Jesus has finished the work on Calvary's cross. He's accomplished redemption. All you say, if I'm a Sinner, what do I do? Oh, Paul and Silas said to that jailer in Philippi believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Do you realize that you're a Sinner before God?
That's where I had to come to. And many here in this room have had to come to that point where they realized that they were lost, guilty sinners before God. And I tell you that you will never come to Christ until you realize that you have no hope without Christ. You'll never come to Christ until you realize that you're a Sinner, and not only a Sinner, but a lost sin. A lost sin. That's not very nice, is it? That's not very nice. We don't like to hear that. I didn't like to hear that.
Because we all like to think that we can at least do something to help ourselves, but we can at least do something to get back to God. We may feel that we have sinned and that yes, we need God's help, but we like to feel that we can do something that all we have to come to the point.
Where we realize that we can do nothing, nothing. This poor man knew that he could do nothing. He knew that he was under a power which was greater than he, the power of the devil. And there was only one who could deliver him from him. And beloved friends, tonight is only one who can deliver you from the power of sin and from the power of the devil, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. But you know, if I might say it reverently, the Lord Jesus could cast out a devil by one word of his power.
But it wasn't easy for him to be able to put away your sins. It's not easy for the Lord Jesus to put away your sins because it cost him his death on the cross, because the Lord Jesus is death on Calvary's cross.
Think of that. You realize tonight that there is someone who loved you about.
We used to visit in the detention home and travel for many years. It was what we were what was turned to maximum security detention center.
And in that center were juveniles, boys and girls.
Who were there?
Because they had committed serious crimes, done very serious things, and we used to see boys and girls who were guilty of just about everything. They are even heard. And it was a very sobering thought to sit across the table and talk to some of them. And we used to put it up to them. You're going to have to stand before a judge pretty soon.
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And if they were fooling around, they sobered right up. Yes, we do. Yeah. Next week. What are you going to do?
Well, best we can, I guess.
Lawyers going to present our side of it and the judge will hear the prosecution side and then he'll make a verdict. And sometimes we would say to them, but what would happen if the judge had seen you do what you did? What would happen if the judge had seen you do what you were charged with? What that ****? Well, no hope then, No hope of getting out. Then they fell straight. They knew it was a serious matter. And so we would bring before them the fact that they had to stand before God someday.
That they had a responsibility before God, but that there was someone that had loved them enough to die for them. We used to ask them, have you got a friend that would trade places with you here on this detention center if you ask them to? And some of them would say, yes, I think I've got a friend good enough that would trade places with me. But suppose you had to stay here five years. Would somebody trade places for you with you then?
No, I doubt it. And supposing you were going to be here all your life, would somebody trade places with you? No way. No, I don't have any friends that have ever sat for me. And supposing that you were going to be executed and supposing that there was such a penalty.
For the crime you've committed, is there anybody that would stand up there and die instead of you? Although nobody would do that. We told them that the Lord Jesus Christ that loved them enough to die for them. My friend, he loved you. He looked down through the ages of time and he knew that you would be born, that you would be a Sinner along with all the rest of us. The Lord Jesus said I'm going to die for that individual too.
And so there's enough power in the blood of Christ to put away every sin.
That you've committed, isn't that blessing? Is there someone here tonight that will come to Christ and be saved?
Well, what happens here?
Verse 10.
And they besought him, or he besought him much, that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was there nigh under the mountains a great herd of swine feed, and all the devils beside him saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into that. And forth with Jesus gave them leave, and the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swan.
And the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea. They were about 2000 and was choked in the sea.
We might wonder at this, why did the Lord Jesus allow this to happen? Why did the Lord Jesus, he didn't have to permit them. He didn't have to allow these demons to go and enter into the swine. Why did he do it? All? My friends, I believe the significance is this. He wanted to test those people. He wanted to test them.
You know, he could have healed the man and sent the demons away and said go away out of this country. He could have done that, but he didn't. They asked him if they could enter into the swine and the Lord Jesus allowed them in order to test people as to whether they would rather have Kim and that man in his Wakemont.
Instead of having those heard of 2000 Swan.
Now, we might mention something here, just so that we're clear about this. I don't believe that the Lord Jesus took any pleasure in seeing 2000 pigs run down and get drowned.
But to make it clear, they had no right to be keeping these pigs a day, because the pigs were unclean under Jewish law and they were to eat them. They were an unclean animal. That was the law in the Old Testament. It isn't true under Christianity, but in the Old Testament that was part of the law that they weren't to eat pigs. They were an unclean animal. And so they had no business keeping these swine, whether they ate them themselves were not told, or whether they just kept them and sold them to others.
But at any rate, they had no business keeping them. But aside from all of that, the Lord Jesus wanted to test them. Which would you rather have this man in his right mind, this man with all of those demons cast out, this man no longer living in the tombs? Or would you rather have your business, your pigs? We're living in farm country here where there's lots of this that goes on. And you know, God tests us sometimes. He tests this world as to which they would have.
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Because if the Lord had come along and merely healed this man, cast out the demons, sediment, his right mind, everybody I think would have said, well, isn't that wonderful? Isn't that wonderful that this man doesn't bother us anymore, that he doesn't break the chains and cause so many problems? They would have been happy with that. And if the Lord Jesus were to come into this world anywhere to offer a salvation which relieved man of all the pain and suffering in this world and relieved all of the sin and degradation.
Oh, they were more than willing to have that, but oh, when that?
Act of healing that man. Allow those demons to cause disruption in the course of this world.
But it caused men to lose money and lose their business. Older than the heart of man made a choice. The heart of man made a choice. The beloved friend tonight, if you accept Christ as your Savior, it may cost you something. Oh, it may cost you something. But is anything worth? Is anything worth the price of your precious soul for all eternity? If we turn over your few chapters in the same gospel in chapter 8, we could read these solemn words.
What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world?
And lose his own soul. And so God tested these people. And God may test you to find out what's important to you. You know, if you want to have Christ, it may cost you something in this world. God never promises the Christian and easy pack, but he promises him glory at the end and his company with us. And so when these 2000 swine ran down and were choked.
Then it says in verse 14 And they that fed the swine fled and told them in the city and in the country, and they went out to see what it was that was done.
Excuse me, and notice the reaction when they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion sitting and clothed in his right mind. And they were afraid, And they that saw told them how to be found him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine, And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. Oh, man would rather have his own business.
He would rather have his herd of 2000 pigs rather than Christ, an old beloved friend. We're living in America and the land of prosperity. We're living in a land of plenty. And it seems there are many in this favored land who would rather have business, material things rather than Christ, beloved friend tonight. Which is it going to be? Oh, it says they were afraid. Isn't that solid? They were afraid.
I know a story of a man.
Who used to go into a certain business to do business?
And he told another man, he said, I don't want to go into there to do business anymore. I don't like to go in there and have to deal with those people. He said that man behind the counter, he's got a testament in his pocket. He's got a testament in his pocket. And he said if you just give him the the slightest opportunity, pulls it out. And he said, I'm more afraid of that testament than I would be of a gun.
The other night, on Monday evening earlier this week after the gospel meeting at the Des Moines, Tim Cedar and I were walking out across the parking lot to our car and we came across a group of young people standing around there, probably about 15 of them mixed. Your boys and girls looked a little bit perhaps on the tough side, and they called out to us. They said, hey, what are you guys doing? You've been to a party or something? Oh, no, you haven't been to any party. You're too well dressed for that.
So Tim and I started walking over to them and as I walked over, I reached into my bag that I had there and pulled out a handful of gospel tracts. All one of them said, what are you reaching for a gun? Oh, I said no. I said, I we've been to something better than a party. I said, let me share it with you. I tell you, those tracks were better than any gun. They took one look at them and they went in all directions this way and that way. I managed to give out a vote, two of them.
Two of them took them and they read them. I saw them reading them with the rest of the mall all. And the more I went closer, the more they edged away. And the Bible closer they went faster. All those tracks, they didn't need a gun. Those tracks were better than any gun. Ah, they were afraid, oh beloved friends, afraid of what? Afraid of the grace of God. Afraid of the grace of God. Man would rather have your sin and misery and degradation rather have his party, rather have everything that goes along with it rather than half price. And it says here they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
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As much as said, we're quite OK, just just just go away. Just go away. Don't, don't, don't make any more waves in our society. We're doing quite all right.
Don't come and cause trouble here, my friend. Tonight, if you're accept Christ, you'll be swimming against the current of this world, because this world is satisfied with itself. But this world, if I might say it very kindly, is like that. Very big. Before you say don't put me in, don't compare me to other kids, my friend. It makes just about as much sense to reject Christ as it was for that herd of pigs to run violently down that hill into the sea and were drowned.
And that's a picture of the end of this world because this world is heading on to judgment. And this world sometimes reminds me of that herd of pigs. You know, I don't know that much about pigs, but we used to keep them on the farm. And if you've got a herd of pigs going in One Direction, they just go. And that's what happened with these pigs. They all ran down there and into the sea and drowned before they knew what was happening. And you know, the devil is blinding men's minds today so that they are running a big herd and each one thinks the other one, well, it must be all right because everybody's doing that.
And the devil says that's just fine. But meanwhile, there's the Lord Jesus Christ there. He wanted to save. He was there with all his power to bring before them the way of salvation. I said no, no, They began to tell him. They began to pray him to depart out of this. What is your attitude tonight, beloved friend? If you're not saved, what are you doing? Are you willing to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior? Are you willing to say that whatever it costs, it's worth it?
Now I want to be clear about this. It doesn't cost anything to be saved. The Lord Jesus Christ gives it as a free gift to you. But I say that it may cost you something in this world because you're going to be swimming against the current of this world. If you accept Christ as Savior, you'll find that this world is going in the other direction. But wouldn't you rather be going in the right direction? Even if everybody else was going in the wrong direction, wouldn't you rather be going the right way?
Even if everybody was going wrong, oh, wouldn't it be nice to be going the right way?
I went the wrong way on this trip a little while when I was up in Michigan. I don't know how it happened, I've never had it happen before, But I got turned around and I was heading straight back east instead of going West the way I wanted to go. And I'm very thankful that I had a road map with me. And very quickly I was able to decide that I was on the wrong road and I got turned around and got going in the right direction.
My friends, God has given us a road map. He's given us His precious word to tell us that there is one way to be saved in one way only. And wouldn't I have been foolish to say, well, I don't need this road map, I'm sure I'm going the right way. I would have ended up right back on the border of Canada instead of on toward Iowa here where I was headed. Well, let's believe what God says. Never mind what others are doing. Never mind if someone is going in the wrong direction.
God says you believe what God says and get going in the right direction.
Notice here what happens verse 18. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with.
Oh, you know, if you come to Christ and are saved, the first desire of a soul is saved is to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't want to be in the tombs any longer. He didn't want to dwell in that cemetery. He didn't want to do harm to himself or to other people. He wanted to be with the Lord Jesus. And you know, when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and know him as your Savior, then your first thought is to want to be with him.
Want to be with him to enjoy his company?
Well, we can enjoy this company in an individual way, because even though he isn't here bodily as he was, His presence will go with every believer, and you can have a real sense of his presence with you in every step of the way. But you'll notice here that in verse 19 it says, How be if Jesus suffered in none, but saith unto him, go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and that had compassionately.
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You know, the Lord Jesus could take us each one to heaven right away, as soon as we were saved. Why doesn't He do that? Why as soon as we were saved, doesn't the Lord take us up to heaven there to be with Him? That would be wonderful. It's what we would want, isn't it? Of course we would.
If we really know what it is to know Him as our Savior, and we know anything at all about the wonderful place that He's going to take us to, then we want to be here. But He doesn't do that. He leaves us here, some for a short time, some for a long time.
What for? Oh, it tells us here. Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord have done for thee, and have had compassion on thee.
That's why the Lord Jesus that leaves us here, as you often said before, He doesn't leave us here just to leave good, morally upright lives and to get on in this world and to do well down here and then go to heaven at the end. No, He leaves us here as living witnesses and testimonies of what He has done for us. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? This is what He's leaving you here for. Have you been on the receiving end of God's compassion?
And God says, you go and tell others what I've done for you. And you know this man did it. What does he do in verse 20? And he departed and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him. And all men do marvel. Why did they marvel? Oh, because they said here's a man that nothing would cure. Here's a man that we couldn't do anything with.
But the grace of God is doubtful. Beloved friend, it's the finished work of Christ that'll make a change in lives. I can remember a story that occurred many years ago here in a large American city. We're a well known preacher of the gospel who's long since with the Lord. Harry Ironside was preaching the gospel on a street corner and there were a crowd of Christians with them and as he had finished the his speaking that night.
And they'd sung a few hymns over the middle of the crowd that was listening. A tall, distinguished man, well dressed and saw on, stepped up to Harry Ironside. And out of his pocket he pulled a piece of paper and handed it to him in the presence of all those people for him to read. So Mr. Ironside took it out, read it out loud. I challenge you to debate with me at the Science Hall at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. The subject.
Agnosticism versus Christianity.
Now, for those that are younger here, a person who's an agnostic, he says, I don't believe in anything because I just don't know. I don't know whether the Bible is true or I don't know what's true or where everything came from or who made this world. I just don't know. And this man was evidently an agnostic.
I challenge you to debate with me at the Science Hall at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon the subject agnosticism versus Christianity. Well, Mr. Iron Site immediately said you went up and he said I thank you. He said I am very interested in this challenge. I'm very interested. I accept this challenge, but permit me to put one condition up. He said. You know when a man is going to debate something.
You're going to try and show to me the value of agnosticism, and I want for my part, to show you the value of Christianity. But he said a man ought to be able to bring in some evidence that what he is preaching works. So he said, Sir, for your part, I'd like you to bring two people tomorrow to your debate. You bring two people, men or women, it doesn't matter. But I want you to bring two people who were in the depths of degradation and sin, who were leading sinful lives that everyone knew about.
And when you told them about agnosticism and how wonderful it was that the preaching of agnosticism has lifted them out of that state of things. A man who was perhaps a drunkard or a thief, or a man who beat his wife and never could hold down a job and all these things, he said, I want you to bring a man or two men, or two men or two women, or any either one of each, but people to whom agnosticism has lifted from the depths of sin and made them good citizens of society so that everyone can look at them and say.
Look at what agnosticism can do. And he said, for my part, he said to support the value of Christianity, he said, and he turned to someone beside him and he said, how many can we get? We're all one man said, I know at least 40 from my neighborhood. And another man said, well, I'll bring another sixty. Well, there you go. Mr. Ironside said, I'll bring 100 if you can bring 2. If you can bring two people to support agnosticism, I'll bring 100. That can show you the value of the finished work of Christ.
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Well, there was no debate.
The man, he went.
Left away. Why? Because he couldn't even bring 2 to support agnostic. Oh beloved friends, there's only one thing that will bring souls to Christ. There's only one thing that will change lives. There's only one thing that will make a change in the heart of man. You need a new heart, and only the Lord Jesus Christ can give it to you. Only God can give that to you through the finished work of Christ and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son.
Sponsor us from all sin.
Well, our time is up. May God bless His word to us and we pray that if there's anyone here that is not under the shelter of the blood of Christ that you have come to him tonight. Maybe there's someone here that says, I don't quite understand it all. It's not too clear to me.
Oh, if there's someone here that doesn't understand and you'd like to talk about it afterwards, there are plenty of people who would just love to sit down and chat with you about these things. It's so important to get this question settled. Maybe there's a boy or a girl here who isn't saved. Oh, wouldn't it be nice if you got saved tonight? Wouldn't it be nice if you came to Christ tonight? Let's sing that hymn on Christ the solid rock. I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
#7 I think it is.
Yes #7.
My hope on nothing less is built than Jesus and the blood he spills. I dare not cross the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on his blessed name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand. Let's stand and sing #7.
My whole good morning.
Subjection
Address—C. Hendricks
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.
Jesus, the one who drive the earth.
The lowly subject 1. Obedience of the death was dying. God's welded of its son Jesus with memories fill our hearts and thy bless Footprints here are now in heaven. Our eyes we turn gaze upon you there 124.
Start tonight by reading a verse in Ephesians 5.
In Ephesians 5.
Verse 21.
Submitting yourselves 1 to another.
In the fear of God.
And then he talks about 3.
Couplets, if you will. Wives and husbands. Children, parents, servants and masters.
And in verse 22 he says to the lives Submit yourselves.
Unto your own husbands has come to the Lord.
25 Customs love your lives, even as Christ loved the church.
Gave himself for it. Chapter 6, verse one. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. But this is right.
One of thy father, and the mother, and thy mother.
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And then in verse four we have the fathers.
They're both not your children to rap.
Children and parents.
Wives and husbands and then servants. Verse 5. Servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh.
And verse 9, the masters do the same things and for them, but they're in threatens.
We have the domestic circle here.
This section begins with submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of God before looking at any of these passages.
I want to to read some more first Peter 2.
Verse 21.
First, Peter 221 For even here unto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.
Followed his steps and then in first John chapter 2.
Verse six He that saith he abideth in him are himself also, so do off even as he walked.
So I'd like to consider him tonight as he walked.
So that we might be unable to follow his steps.
Let's go back to the hospital. According to Luke, Chapter 2.
This pathway is ours.
Our example.
Now that we're his, now that we belong to him, we're the walk as he walked. And how did he walk?
Well, I will pick this story up. Luke 242 When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast, And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned to child, Jesus carried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother moved out of it. The face of closing him to have been in the company went a day's journey, and they saw him among their thin spoken acquaintance. And when they had found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors wrote, hearing them and asking them questions.
And all that hurt him were astonished with his understanding and answers. Here he is a boy of 12, and he's sitting in the temple there midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions, the beauty of the large pathway. And here he's a boy of 12 and 1St recorded utterness. We haven't read it yet in a moment that we have in scripture the first words that he spoke as a as a lad of 12.
He said to his mother, But here he's sitting there with the doctors. It would have been inappropriate for him as a boy of 12 to be teaching them, going through far more than all of his teachers. Being in the place of subjection that she was, which he took when he became a man, doesn't mean that it's a place of inferiority.
Lives are to be subject to their husband. That doesn't mean that they're inferior to their husbands. Children are to be subject to their parents, doesn't mean they're inferior to their parents.
That a child may have far more gifts and ability than than his father or mother, but he's still in the subject place. A servant could be far more capable and intelligent than the very master that he serves.
You find this in the employer employee relationships in the world all the time. Some of the employees that have to do what their employer tells them to do or what their manager tells them to do, they may be more intelligent than their manager.
A good manager is not necessarily the smartest man in the crew, it's the one who can manage his people effectively.
The point is that it was in the place of subjection whether a servant who is master, a child to the to the parents, a wife to the to the husband.
It's a place that calls for subjection.
And the submission. I read that first verse in Ephesians 521 That we are to submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God. We're all to be subject 1 to another. It isn't a militaristic type of enforcement of authority that we have in scripture where the one under the authority must bow unreservedly, but there's an interchange, especially in the body of Christ. We will look at a verse in First Peter 5 where it says that the younger are to submit themselves to the elder.
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And that's quite appropriate if you let it into a household.
And you found that the children were setting the rules and establishing the order in that household. You say something's wrong here. You enter it into a household where the wife was the the leader in the head. You could say something's wrong here. If you enter it into an assembly where the younger graduate are the ones that are taking the lead in the assembly, you'd say something's wrong here. This is not God's order.
This is not God's order. And so when the Lord Jesus came into this world of his own creation, he who was the Creator himself, the sustainer of the universe, emptied himself, and he took upon himself to form with a servant. He was in the form of God. He who was the supreme commander, He who had never obeyed before, came into the place where obedience was called for, though he was Son, yet learned the obedience of the things which he suffered.
So He came into the subject place, and as we trace His blessed footsteps and his pathway, we will learn how we who are in the subject place are to conduct ourselves in that place of subjection.
Neither one of us is in the subject place in some areas of our lives. As citizens of a country, we are to be subject to the powers that be. But every soul be subject under the higher powers. For God has established authority, He is delegated authority. And every time we submit ourselves to the rules and regulations of the land in which we live, we are subject to them.
Not subject. Christian is not subject in order to avoid penalty. Many obey the speed laws and the traffic rules and so on. They don't go through red lights and that because they don't want to get a ticket. We are subject as Christians because we're called to walk in the path of subjection. We're father walk is he walked, not because we're trying to avoid a penalty. Child is not subject to its parents because it wants to avoid a spanking. The child is subject if he's motivated or she is motivated.
By scriptural principles, the child is subject because God has said to be.
The life is subject to her husband.
Not because she wants to get something out of him or to.
Work it for her own advantage, but because that's her place and she delights to fulfill in subjection the place that God is assigned to her, you're subject to your manager at work. What? Do you agree with him or not? You're subject to him because he is over you and you recognize.
That authority, younger brother in the assembly are subject to their older brethren, not just when they agree with them, but because that's proper. Now, having said all that, there are times when my wife may have the mind of God and I don't, and so we are going to be subject 1 to another, even the one who is in the place of authority. There's a time when he may be submissive to the judgment of his wife or even his children.
An older brother. They listen to the judgment sometimes of their younger brethren, though that's the exception. And that's not the rule of subjection.
Mary said of the Lord Jesus, whatsoever he saith to you, do it.
Recognized that.
He had always reminded God.
Wonderful to have one like that. There's a beautiful instance of Abraham and Sarah that is recorded in the Old Testament and in the New. In the Old Testament, Sarah refused to allow the son of the Egyptian.
To be alongside the person on Israel, to be alongside of Isaac, So she said, passed out the bondwoman and her son.
For basically, shall not inherit with my son Isaac. And the New Testament says what saith the scripture. It was Sarah who said it. But the New Testament says to Paul that was Scripture, that is, she was speaking the mind of God. And so we need to be subject 1 to another and the realization that that we need one another as members of the body of Christ, and we need to interrelate with one another.
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And we must not allow ourselves to get into the position where there's no communication between one age group or another or wife or husband or children or parents or younger children with older brethren. That's what Satan wants to do with us. He wants to divide us so that we don't talk to one another and we don't understand one another. But the principle of subjection, which we see so beautifully displayed in the life of the Lord Jesus, you'll deliver every one of us from that.
It is a healing principle. How many of us have suffered the consequences of our refusal to be subject to those who are over us?
And the consequences sometimes go on for the rest of our life because we have not been subject.
We have not walked this key rock and followed in his steps, so the Lord Jesus never got out of the place of subjection. Once he had taken it, he discharged his imperfection. Here we see him as a boy of 12 second verse 47. All that heard him were astonished at his understanding that answers a previous verse both killing them and asking them questions it didn't assume to be a teacher, but he had an understanding of answers that went far beyond these years. And here's a good illustration of one who is in the place of subjection. The Lord Jesus was subject to them and to his parents.
And yet we do far more, and he was far, far greater. So to be in the place of subjection is not to be inferior.
Verse 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, Son, like his thumb us dealt with us. Behold, my father, and I have sought these sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that she sought? And here are his first recorded words, Wish you not that it must be about my father's business.
And the last utterance, almost the last was it is finished. He had finished his father's business, and finished his father into thy hands. I commit my spirit, and I understood not the same which you speak unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and he was subject to that. But his mother kept all these things in her heart. How wonderful to see the Lord Jesus as a boy of 12, being subject to his parents.
When he was in the Places Objection, he carried out imperfection. Now let's turn to the Gospel of John and we'll read a version, Chapter 4. And I'd like to trace some verses in this gospel that bring you for us the lowly subject Love.
It's beautiful because in this gospel he's presented as the Son of God. In Luke he's the Son of Man, but here he's the Son of God and God the Creator. And yet he became a man. And so we find him constantly referring to the place that he took in grace in order to save you and me. In John 4 verse 34, Jesus saith unto them, My need is to do the will of him that sent me.
And to finish his work, we're going to read that expression over and over again. Him that sent me. He was always conscious, and it's especially found in this gospel. He was always conscious as being the sent one of the Father. The Father sent him. He was accountable to and responsible to the Father. He was here for the Father as set by the Father. He was here to fulfill the Father's will.
My need is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. And then in the 5th chapter, verse 17, Jesus answered them. My father worked as and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father.
Making himself equal with God.
Understood the Lord's words. They understood that when he called God his own Father, that he was making himself equal with God, and so they sought to kill him. Then answered Jesus, verse 19 and said unto them, Very verily, I say unto you, the Son, And whenever we read the sun in Scripture, it refers to his eternal relationship to the Father.
The Eternal Sonship.
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The Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do, or what things. So whether he do it, these also do it. The Son likewise. Does that mean that he didn't have the capability of acting of and from himself? No. It means that it would have been wrong in considering the relationship that he had taken In grace we've come into the place of dependence, the place of subjection, the place where obedience was called for. So everything that he did, everything that he said.
Was done in subjection to the Bible. The Son can do nothing of or from himself independently, another act independently. He always acted in subjection for the Father, and when we act independently, when we do our own will.
That's it. That's it. And the beauty of the four Gospels is, here's a man that never did his own will, always the will of the Father, because he was sent from the Father, He came down from the Father to represent him, and he did it in perfection. The Son can do nothing from himself as a source, independently of what you see as the Father do for what things whoever he doeth.
These also do With the Sun micros And in chapter 6 we're just going to step our way quickly through John's Gospel and refer to certain of these passages that bring this precious truth out. Verse 38. For I came down from heaven not to do my own will.
But the will of him that sent me, the will of him that sent me, He's always conscious as being the sent one of the Father. He was sent on a mission to represent the Father in subjection to him.
I came down from heaven not to do my holy will. Now we're to welcome his steps. We are to walk as he walked. And here was a man that never did his own will, but the will of him that sent him. It was his meat and drink to do that. It was the delight of his heart. It wasn't grudging. I don't know. The obedience of Christ was full complete willingness to be in that subject place and to carry out.
The will of the Father that was his meat, that was his delight to do the will of God. I delight to do thy will of God.
Then later on in chapter 6.
Says verse 57. As the living Father have sent me, and I live by the Father, I live by reason of the Father, on account of the Father. Even so, he that eateth me, even he shall live by reason of me, by me, by reason of me. An account of me that is our whole purpose for living is Christ. Paul says it for me to live as Christ.
For me to live as Christ.
We're not here to do our own will. We're not here to please ourselves. Even Christ pleased not Himself. It says in Romans 15 always please the Father. That was His pathway, and that is our pathway too.
In chapter seven he says in verse 16 Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine, my teaching is not mine but is that sentiment verse 28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he talked, saying He both know me and he know bless I am and I have not come of myself. But he that sent me is true whom you know not, but I know him, for I am from him.
And he has sent me.
Difficult to realize that as he did in perfection that he was sent into Father. And we got a similar expression in the Lords prayer in John 17 as the Father had sent me Even so. Stand by you. He has taken us out of the world, separated us from it, associated with himself and glory, and then sent us back, as it were, into this world, to represent him even as he was here.
To represent the Father.
That's why he's left us here. And that's our great privilege as Christians is to represent him, to live on account of him, even as he live on account of the Father Chapter 8.
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Verse 26 I have many things to say and to judge with you, but he that sent me this truth, and I speak to the world, those things which I have heard of him.
Or how perfectly he discharged that.
When he said, did not originate from himself, it originated from the Father, And he was here to present the very words of the Father take place to those that he was addressing. Verse 28 Then said Jesus unto them, When he have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall he know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself.
But as my father had taught me, I speak these things.
November 29. And he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him.
What a fact. What a blessed person we are. Here was a man that never did anything for himself.
Son of the Father sent of the Father, perfectly subject to the Father. Now that he said and did everything he said was what the Father told him to say. He said that in verse 38 in chapter 8 I speak that which I have seen with my father, and we do that which he has seen with your Father.
There's 42 Jesus said after that with God, where your Father you would not be. For I proceeded forth and came from God either came I have myself. But He sent me. To reject Him was to reject the one who sent him. To reject him was to reject the Father's words. To reject him was to reject the works of the Father, because the Lord Jesus was carrying that out of perfection, independence, and subjection to the Father. First Torah Chapter 9. I must work the works of Him that sent me.
Why would you stay? When I come up to no man can work.
And then some very precious verses in chapter 10.
In chapter 10, verse 17, Therefore, that my father loves me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. The Father, of course, always loved the sun, but here he speaks of a fresh motive that he gave to the Father to love him, a motive that sprang from his subject place and his obedience to the Father. Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again?
The Father had told him to do that. The Father had sent it into this world so that he might lay his life down. And having done it, it was the accomplishment of perfect obedience, he says in verse 18. No man taking this above me, but I lay it down as myself. And you say, oh, aha, here he's acting from himself now, he says. I lay it down with myself. I have power or authority to lay it down, and I have power and authority to take it again.
Say, well, that's an exception. But read the last expression in that verse, this commandment have I received of my Father. So even in the laying of his life down, that that he had the authority to do of him from himself, he did it in obedience to the Father's command.
He laid his life down. He took it again. This command that I received of my father. He never once he entered into the place of a man. Once he became a man, once the Word became flesh. He never acted inconsistently with that position and that relationship that he had taken. He never acted independently of the Father always.
In subjection.
In verse chapter 10 in verse.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, when you believe that the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness with me verse. 32 Jesus answered them many good works that I showed you from my Father. But which of those works do you still be?
And we get ahold of this.
These precious verses that we're looking at and see how that everything he did and everything that he said was the perfect expression of the Father. To reject him was to reject the Father was to reject God.
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He says in verse 37. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I am here.
Let's turn over to the 12Th chapter, where we have some.
Very precious verses.
In verse 44 Jesus Christ and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
And he that see if me see if him that center.
The very young man has ever been in this world that could say that.
That he is imperfection was the expression of the Father. So perfectly did he express him, that he could say He that seated me see it him that say.
Way up to, as Christians be able to say He that seeth me seeth in that second he sent us. The Lord Jesus has sent us into this world to represent him. We know that we fail very much from doing that. That's why we're here. We're here not to do our own will, not to make a name for ourselves, not to exalt self in any way. We're here.
For a tip, even as he was here for the Father of the Father, and then the last two verses of John 12, for I have not spoken as myself.
But the Father which sent me, he gave me a command list, what I should say and what I should speak. He sums up all that the Father had given him in commandment, to speak and to say. He sums it up. He gave me a command. So all that he said and did was done in obedience to the Father's commandment.
Commandment is the expression of ones will, the commandment of the Father with the expression of his will. He came to do the will of the Father of his own will. So he says, I've not spoken it myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say and that I should speak. And I know that his commandment of his life everlasting.
Whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. Let's just dwell on that just a little bit His commandment, because I know that his commandment is life and relaxing eternal life. His men and the Lord did that tonight. The Lord in perfect obedience, did and said all that the Father had told him to do it to say, and when he did that He was the living expression of an embodiment of eternal life.
His commandment, lived out in perfection in a male on earth is the very expression of eternal life.
Now you and I have received eternal life. He has given it to us that we might independence and subjection, and obedience to the One who has given it to us, even as He lifted out His obedience to the one that commissioned and sent Him. We too are going to be the expression of that.
As he rocks, so are we to walk, following his steps, and his is a path of subjection every step of the way. He never got out of there, and the boy is 12. As a man walking through the scene, he was always below me subject.
Was.
Chapter 14.
First seven If you have known me, you should have known my father also, and for henceforth he know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffice with us.
Sayeth unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not knowing me, Philip, be that hath seen me, have seen the Father, and how, Say yourself, and show us the Father. Believe us thou not with hide, and in the Father, and the Father in need the words that I speak unto you. I speak not of myself, or from myself as the source, but the Father that's relevant in the Hebrew at the works. He switches here from the words to the works.
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Everything, he said. Everything he did.
God in obedience to the Father.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in need, or else believe me for the very works.
Say.
The last verse of chapter 14, but that the world may know.
That I love the Father, And as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do arise. Let us go next. Electron management led him to the cross.
So he could say, as we read in John can therefore love me because I lay down my life and I might take it again.
Commandment that I received with my Father, that the world may know that I love the Father.
Even as the Father gave me commandments, so I do. You say you love God. The proof of it is an obedience to His Word and to His commandment. The word imperfection showed His devoted love of His Father by always, always, always doing the will of the Father, never acting independently, never getting out of the place of subjection. How often have you and I gotten out of the place of subjection? And if we will be honest?
I know if I'm honest in my life and I see the problems that I have created for myself with respect to my bragman, with respect to my employer in family life, it's because the principle of subjection has not been thought.
I have asserted my will.
And whenever we do that, that's the good principle of sin. I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the way of hearing that sector. And whatever we do, our own will be sin.
When we do the will of God in subjection to him, then we walk as Christ lives.
And there is peace.
There's peace and there's blessing and we have the support of God. Think of this, beloved who is he going to place as the supreme ruler and the head over the millennial world in 1000 years? A name is going to remain over this world in righteousness. They haven't got a righteous ruler yet, completely. David says a he that grew up over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.
We have to say, Will my house be not sold with God?
Yet you've not acknowledged that he hadn't.
And so every ruler that there is a ruler and the one that will be that is qualified to rule.
And who will go is the one who perfectly was subject as a man he brought his father.
We really are qualified to be in the place of rule and authority that we haven't demonstrated that we can be subject.
Young brother, you're not qualified to rule in the assembly if you connect subject to your old address.
Children, you will not be qualified. Young man, young child, if you're a boy to rule in your family. If the Lord should leave us here, you should have a family. If you can't be subject to your parents, then.
Was.
Be subject to your husbands not because you're going to get anything current in the way of reward, but because you want to please.
We should be subject to the government under which we live, not to escape penalty but because we want to plead for all.
We recognize in every delegated authority.
Has placed them in that position.
When an assembly?
Take some action of discipline. Suppose for a moment we may not agree with it.
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What is the principle that will enable us to go on in peace with our brethren, with whom we are not in agreement, is the principle of subjection.
To that decision and if the one who has made the decision or the ones in the case of necessary decision.
Have made a mistake.
They are subject to the head of the Church.
We're all subject to someone over us.
Man is over the woman, and the man and woman are over the children, but Christ is over the man.
And God is over Christ. He was perfectly subject to God his Father.
A question about that.
I, as a man, a father, a husband, has not been perfectly subject to my head.
I don't think any of these hands.
So.
Everyone of us that may have someone under us also has one who is over us. And so the principle of subjection. That's why I read that Ephesians 521 we are all to be subject 1 to another fear of God.
Especially in our assembly line.
I think we've looked at enough verses in connection with the Lords life.
Let's look at a passage in First Corinthians 15.
We saw him as a boy at 12. He wept and he was subject to his parents and he was subject to the teachers and the temple. He heard them and asked them questions, but he didn't get out of his place. And now we look at a passage that looks on to the Timothy Eternity verse 2415.
That come at the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, and he shall have put down all rules and all authority and power. This goes to the very end of the Millennium. Now here he as man has reigned over this millennial earth for 1000 years.
Come at the end.
It says when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father that is God the Father puts it all under him, subjects it all under his feet as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the style of Israel and the Son of Man reigning over the sea. And now he's going to turn it all back to Father who has subjected it all to him.
For he must reign. Juliet put our enemies under his feet, the last enemy that shall be destroyed his death, and that will be at the great white throne that it says in verse 27 of the remarkable statement. For he had put all things under his feet, bodies put everything under the feet of Christ. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted. That is the Father who put it all under Christ is accepted.
Which did put all things under him.
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, unto Christ.
Then shall the Son also himself.
As man the subject unto him that put all things under him.
But God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, God, Blessed Trinity, may be all alone.
But one of those persons in the Godhead is still man, the Son, and so says, when it's all put back, return back to the Father and the Son, the Eternity.
Will be subject to him, and put all things under him that God may be.
So as we're gathered around the Lord Jesus, the eternal glory.
Will be gathered around one who is a man, though he's got a moral blessing forever. The Creator, sustainable over the universe. One with the Father, one with the Spirit. Coequal in the incredible Trinity.
The infinite gods, the I am that I am he who dwells in light and approachable.
Yet he became a man, and he will never distinguish his manhood. And so in that sense the Son, as man, will be subject.
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Unto the Doctor Who put everything on your face.
We're going to be around that subject of one.
For all eternity He has taught us by His lesson, pathway down here how to walk in the subject place. He did it in perfection.
God is going to place everything under his feet, exalt into the highest place.
Because it is perfect subject obedience to do the world of the Father, and we're going to be around that blessing one.
For all eternity.
Be like.
Let's go back to Isaiah 57.
Verse 15.
For thus saith the high and velocity one that inhabited eternity.
Pause there for a moment. There are many scriptures that speak of Him inhabiting heaven.
The heaven is my throne. The earth is the footstool of my feet. He dwells in heaven.
But here we have another expression.
Because he inhabits eternity.
I used to ponder that. Couldn't grasp it. Couldn't have enough. What does that mean? Inhabit eternity? I can understand inhabiting a place, but this is inhabiting eternity.
I think it goes back to the essential name of God as given to Moses. Let's look at it. Let's turn back to Exodus chapter 3 for a moment.
Verse 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers have sent me unto you, And they shall say unto me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? God said unto Moses, I am that I am.
And he said, Thou shalt thus say unto the children of Israel, I am that sent me unto you.
Those two expressions, their own capitals in our King James Bible beautifully. The translator sense. This is so important and had to set it off as they did. I am that I am.
Means that he's the unchanging world. He's unalterable, he is the same.
It's a term that to which can only be applied to essential deities for all creatures change.
We change. He changes, not by Christ can never die. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, forever.
He's the I am that I am. He is who he is, and he never changes.
He can be completely counted upon. He's the same. He cannot deny himself. He cannot be other than who he is.
And we've come to know him as lights.
Lights and thought.
Light and love. And he is unchanging. He is light. Absolute holiness. Perfect purity.
Evil cannot be in his presence.
Love God in the essence of His being, His life. God in the activity of His nature is life is every act. Pure blessing is His path of sunny life. See the I am that, I am the unchanging, the unalterable. 1.
And then he's the I am the external, the historic of I am is the eternal, and the word Jehovah means just that.
These two expressions define what Jehovah means.
He is the eternal who does not change.
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It's not changed.
Now we're going back to Isaiah 57, But there's a verse in Revelation, one that I want you to turn to because.
It gives the New Testament.
Expression to what we're looking at in the Old Testament, we're supposed Revelation 1 John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace be unto you, and peace from him which is.
And which was, and which is to come from the seven spirits which have imported stuff from Him who is the eternal present He is, and he always wants.
And we always will be the eternal the I am.
This is the New Testament definition of the name Jehovah.
He who is and who loves He is to come. Now go back to Isaiah 57. Thus saith verse 15. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity. Here is Jehovah the I am that I am the Unchanging One. The I am the Eternal One. He who is and who was and who is to come, He inhabits eternity. Time cannot contain Him.
He always will. He always will be. He lives in an eternal presence. He is above and beyond track. He's the infinite, eternal God and this high and rocky one. He inhabits eternity.
He's timeless.
The Lord Jesus. That's the one who came down in time into his own creation and took humanity into union with his person and walked through this world as a lovely, subject dependent, obedient man.
That's this one that is a high and lofty one that inhabits eternity.
And he took that place of subjection. That's we know whose name is holy.
The Seraphim of Isaiah 6 cry Holy, Holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty, Lord God Almighty. There's the Trinity, Holy, Holy, Holy. There's eternity, every Person of the Trinity.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory, and here whose name is holy.
I dwell in the thigh and holy place.
I dwell in the high and holy place.
But the last part of the verse is what is so precious to me.
With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.
To revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the constructive world.
Here is this final lofty one that inhabits the inhabits eternity. His name is Holly, and he dwells in the high end Tony place with him that is about contrast and humble spirit.
So the Lord Jesus.
When he came down.
He could say, Come out to me are we that labor and a heavy labor, And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon what is his yoke? His yoke is submission, Subjection. That's his yoke. He took that place. He said, Take my yoke upon you. I I'm the subject, lonely one you be that to take my yolk upon you and learn from me. Literally from me. Help me or from me, and you should find rest into your soul. And I will My yoke of submission and obedience to the one another is easy.
And not burning.
Bureaucracy.
Last thought flipping suit, Let this line be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
Through being in the form of God.
Why don't that's something to be tenaciously held on to and grasp to say, I'm God, and in the form of God I'll never be anything. Lest he took upon him, He took upon him, He emptied himself and took upon him in the form of his servants. And as soon as he did that, it was proper for him to obey, Servants obey.
Their masters, and that's what we've been considering tonight, is lowly thought.
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So everyone of us has someone that really is subject to.
It's a wonderful place. It's the place that he took. It's the it's the life of the Christ. That eternal life that has been given to you and to me was lived out in perfection and lowly subjection and obedience to the will of another his Father for the glory of God and to that man who sit in the very highest place.
Hum, humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Take the local the subject like the dependent place, the obedience place, and he will exalt you can do time, even as he did the Lord Jesus.
Let's close by seeing 230.
The Lord, when we the path we trace, which now on earth has tried to man by wondrous love and grace thy faithfulness to God, we wonder at thy lowly mind, and things would like we be and our I rest for pleasure of finding learning in order to 230.
I have.
A great.
Life.
Colossians 2, The Body
Address—D. Bilisoly
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Head of the Church triumphant, we joyfully adore these devout peer by members here would sing like those in glory. We lift our hearts and voices in blessed anticipation and cry aloud and give to God the praise of our salvation.
By faith we see the glory of which thou dost assure us the world despise for that high prize which thou has set before us, and may we tell it worthy to meet the Son from heaven. There see our Lord by all of us to us in the Lord #165.
Head of the church.
I believe our hearts and love my pleasant and glad and never strong.
And cry aloud and hear.
And having.
The fire.
Now, I've said the whole day, the whole day beginning.
I know my name is.
Very long.
Dear thy Graeme.
Harvesting forever.
God bless the sun, darkness, lighting, falls and the lingerie and the rest of the middle of all the walls. And then there's a chance that I'm real with your head.
Hard nearer thyroid.
And shine.
The world listen and.
Said.
Letters right before.
Shall break them all and join the heavenly.
God.
Now let's turn to the book of Colossians.
Colossians Chapter 2.
Let's just read through the chapter.
Colossians Chapter 2.
For I would that you knew what great conflict I have for you and for them that Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom.
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And knowledge.
And this I say, unless any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.
Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving.
Beware.
Lest any man spoils it through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world were elements.
And not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him.
Which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised, with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh of the circumcision of Christ.
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are raised with him through the faith of the operation of God.
Who hath raised him from the dead?
And you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, happy, quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his trust.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them in it.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.
Which are a shadow of things to come, But the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly minds.
And not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment, ministered and knit together, increase it with the increase of God.
Wherefore if he be dead with Christ from the rudiments or elements of the world.
Why is still living in the world? Are you subject to ordinances? Touch not, taste not, handle not? Which all are to perish with the use of after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in what will worship and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to satisfying of the flesh. Now I'll tell you what.
Drew my attention to this chapter.
Is the frequent mention of the body.
You notice we have the body mentioned in verse nine. We have a body mentioned in verse 11.
We have the body mentioned in verse 17 and we have the body mentioned in verse 19 and the body mentioned in verse 23. And if we take each one of those instances where the body is mentioned.
It all has a different context which shows the importance of considering all scripture in its context. We would go entirely astray if we didn't carefully consider the context of such a passage.
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But let's think a little about this chapter, because.
The Apostle had a real burden for these Colossians and as we read on in the second chapter.
We discovered what was troubling his heart. It was something that was had a deceitful character to it. It was a thing that maybe he couldn't exactly put his finger on, except that it was a certain form of legality.
Judaizing teaching that took on a philosophic form.
But how are we going to get the benefit of these things unless we seek, with the Lord's help, to try and make some application for our present time?
Is there a possibility, brethren, we could get tripped up in philosophy and beige again? Don't think for one moment we couldn't. There's some real.
Questionable things.
That are coming up here and there that really make us wonder. And Paul was in a conflict over this matter. You see in verse one he says I for I would that she knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea. Now that was a nearby assembly, and even at the close of this letter he urges them to allow.
Delayed the scene assembly to.
Read this epistle and vice versa.
Do you think he had good reason to be in conflict about the Assembly of Laodicea? Oh, I think you know the answer to that if you get into Revelation chapter 3.
I think you'll see a good reason why Paul had such a conflict over that assembly.
He had not seen probably most of these Saints. He had not seen them, but he had a conflict for them. Oh brother, isn't that a lovely spirit? Isn't that a lovely attitude? I have to confess myself that I find it difficult to pray.
For assemblies where I don't know the brother. But when we do hear things, then I trust our hearts go out for our dear brethren. I've never met, for instance, the the Brethren in Peru, but we're hearing lately that they're having a hard time.
They had a change of government that with the intention of arresting the terrible rate of inflation. But what did it do? It made inflation far worse, so much so that it just almost zeroed out the income of some of the poor brethren, put them in a terrible economic Strait so that they hardly had enough income to buy food. Even so, I'm thankful.
To hear reports like Brother Bob, Tony and Ralph Dear going down, taking money with them from the brother in here to help out their brother in those places, I've never seen their faces, but some have. But if Paul had such a conflict about those for the most part that he hadn't seen.
Then certainly we ought to have.
Exercise apart about those that we do know and especially.
Our local assembly.
Now I try to make it a practice to pray for everybody in our assembly by name. We know. We know the assembly there, they know us, and we know a little better how to pray for our brother in our local assembly. How about you, President? How about ourselves here this afternoon? Do you pray?
With the assembly right here, you know matters. Here, you know matters in Sully, and perhaps even better in Des Moines than I would and how good it is to.
Praying for our brethren.
Paul was so concerned in verse two that their hearts might be.
Comforted being knit together in love.
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And unto all riches of the full assurance.
Of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. I believe the other part is not really included there.
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? Now why does he put it this way? Why does he make?
Such an expanded statement here. Well, I believe he's saying in simple words that God is all sufficient. The truth of God is all sufficient. The riches and the full assurance and the of the understanding of of these things is revealed. The mystery of God. God has made it known and we have the full revelation it was given to Paul.
Right here in Colossians chapter one.
Verse 25 It was given unto him to fulfill or to complete the word of God. So we have it all.
And it's pitiful to see.
Those advanced who are coming with false doctrine, who are adding to the word of God, who are talking about things.
Other revelations that are not a part of the word of God, even near.
And Betty's mother's place here. They're building a great new hall.
Well, I'll just be very plain Jehovah Witness. Great big new hall where we were struck. How quick that went up.
And what do they come door to door with? It's pitiful. It's tragic.
So he's saying to the Saints of God we have.
The full assurance, the riches, the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mysteries of God. The word of God is complete. We can rest upon it and thank God for it. In whom are hit all the treasures.
Of wisdom and knowledge. So we've got it in Him. There's nothing that need be added to the Word of God. We have all in Him. Are we satisfied with that?
Well, dear ones here this afternoon.
I think Paul's advice is extremely timely and good for ourselves in verse two, that our hearts might be comforted being lit together in love.
Brethren, where can we go? All about us. Everything is is in a terrible state. There's no comfort out in the world. People are distressed. They're in a turmoil.
We need each other. Where can we go truly outside of the assembly for true comfort?
For true fellowship, how important is that thought that our hearts might be be comforted being knit together?
In love.
Where can we get true comfort outside of the assembly?
Well, verse 4 is.
Is important to think about.
This I say that any man should beguile you with enticing words now.
Paul was beholding the assembly even though he was absent in verse 5, and he considered their order and steadfastness of their faith in Christ.
He dreaded, unsure to see anything come in that would spoil that dawning order.
Be driven to see that how long could this go on verse 5? How long could that be true?
If they were permitting a thing to come in amongst them that was threatening the assembly, how long could they go on in joy and order and steadfastness in their faith in Christ? How long could they go on that way, and with the this threatening thing upon the assembly? Well?
It's a very real thing and a concern that ought to be considered so he says in verse six. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye and him not as simple exhortation, isn't it, brother? How have we received? Are we walking and what we have received? That's that's the question.
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Well.
We don't need anything else but what we have received in Christ.
So what He in him rooted and built up in him verse 7 and established in the faith, as she had been taught, abounding therein to Thanksgiving, So all we have in Christ we trust being rooted and built up in Him.
That we should be abounding more and more on Thanksgiving. Well, God certainly values our expressions of Thanksgiving as we had this morning.
And we certainly ought to be as those that respond, considering what we have and are in Christ.
Let them redeem that the Lord say so. You know, we read in the Psalm, If they don't say, who will say? Certainly not the world and.
So there ought to be that returned to him, So walk you in him.
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving. Now in verse eight he lays out this morning again.
He is disturbed over this thing that had crept into the assembly, so he says beware.
Lest 3 Man spoiled you through philosophy, and they deceived after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ.
Well, that's that's really the origin of those things. It all, it all begins in the world, the element of the world. And someone that made this remark. I heard this a long time ago and that is that it seems as though eventually the assembly gets the backwash of the world.
Those things that become real prominent in the world, watch out that it doesn't begin to show up.
Well, brethren, I'm not just making insinuations or implications.
I'm just stating what I believe the word of God is suggesting to us here in Colossians, that it is a very real danger and the elements, as it were, of the world, can creep in among us and affect us and it can take on philosophies that.
Clever had to take on religious terminology.
We have to be extremely cautious about these things that might creep in and take a certain precedence and importance among us. Just as an example, let me just say this as a word of caution. Let's be extremely careful about some of this slant towards cycle therapy, cycle analysis. I really feel it's an exceedingly dangerous thing towards the Lord understands and knows where there may be chemical imbalances and what have you.
That's another thing and there are people of course trained that can handle things properly in the hospital.
But I really think we need to be extremely cautious.
These things, I fear, are having more of a place and recognition than they ought to have among us. I am extremely concerned.
Beware, he says.
And then verse 9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality in power. Isn't that an astounding statement of Scripture?
And I say reverently that that was not said.
Of any other person of the Godhead.
But it was said of the Lord Jesus Christ here in this world.
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Just consider the immense truth. There in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. What is Paul saying here? Well, I I believe he's saying that we have everything, absolutely everything in the Christ. There is no deficiency at all. And it says ye are complete in him. Now the word complete means just what it means, that there's nothing.
That can be added to that.
We are complete in Him and we're seeing in Christ. We have all things in and through Him and.
He's head over all things, and certainly over all things to the church, and we're complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Well, just weigh those statements and consider what can be added to this kind of completeness.
So here we see an immense thought just in connection with the personal practice year completing him.
Verse 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Well, I believe this gives us one of the most spiritual definitions of circumcision. It links the thought with the depth of Christ.
The putting off of the body of sins. By the circumcision of Christ, the death of Christ, he was cut off. Even scripture uses that terminology. Messiah shall be cut off, and so.
We see that that through his death the true question of sins were cut off and so circumcision back in the Old Testament.
Looked on to the cross of Christ, Baptism looks back. They both figure the death of Christ. That might be helpful to consider.
Very helpful if we consider all aspects of this. But the circumcision looked on and the baptism looked back. So it says in verse 12 buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen.
With him through faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead. So baptism really is in itself a figure of death. There's no thought of life giving in baptism. Hold your place and turn into Romans chapter 6.
Romans chapter 6.
And verse three, know ye not that so many of us as we're baptized unto Jesus Christ?
Were baptized unto his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead for the glory of the Father, Even so we should walk in newness of life. You know, it's a striking thing, but I suppose.
Many linked baptism with what faith connection they may have up our way. They consider that extremely important. Whatever a person is baptized to, that's what they are linked with, and they attach a certain light to that. That's not the thought at all. We see that baptism here is entirely figurative of death and the key thought to baptism, verse 5.
Is identification that word planet could simply be identified.
That is, if we have been planet or identified together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
The mode of baptism we may not be too happy about.
I would have preferred immersion, but as a child I was only sprinkled and nothing can be accomplished by repeating that because it is a certain initiation. And I do believe that God holds Christendom responsible even on the basis of their Christmas. You have that in connection with His words to to Sardis there in Revelation chapter 2. But I believe that the immersion.
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Mode is by far the best because it pictures the going down into the waters and rising up again like it says in the long time and.
There was a young brother that wanted to be baptized and decided all of a sudden he was going through an exercise and he decided all of a sudden that night that he wanted to be baptized. And so we said we'll fire him and he said why not get the string of the pond?
And this was at night, so.
We went there and turned the car lights on and we had to break the ice away.
And that young fella went right down into those dark waters, so in effect you couldn't see them. And he rose up again out of that water.
Oh, it's a strong symbol of death, but it's the symbol of being identified with him in his death. So baptism is very important. The word of God has a lot to say about it, but it is not life giving.
But it certainly identifies with Christ, and it brings us into the Christian position outwardly. It It has nothing to do with the soul, but it brings us into that outward sphere, as it were, where Christ rules.
And so this identification is very important in that connection.
I believe that the Jews understood it better than the Gentiles. Now that we're thinking about this, turn back to Acts Chapter 3, and I believe we'll get the force of the thought there.
Here's the first preaching.
There at the very time of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came down, and these are all Jews here.
All of Israel.
Peter was very pointed to them.
And lace it playing before them.
Verse 36 Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly.
Acts Chapter 2, verse 36.
Let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom we have crucified.
Both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you.
In the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost for the promises unto you and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
This 40 And with many other words did he testify and absorb saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation, let's not get mistaken over these things that.
As soon as they believed in their hearts, as soon as they received Christ by faith in their hearts, they were secure for all eternity. But.
They were still identified with a very guilty nation who had been guilty of the crucifixion of their Messiah, and so the only way to get out of that guilty position now I don't mean for for eternal blessing.
But for the present.
Circumstances. The only way to get out of that guilty position was through baptism. That took them off of that guilty ground. That's why Peter says save yourselves from this untoward generation. If they refuse baptism, they were still identified with the guilt of that nation.
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And that was a serious matter. And so he first of all exhorts them to repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, in other words.
They were more or less.
Told that that the Spirit of God could not seal that work unless they positively identified themselves with Christ.
They otherwise were still identified with that nation, and so the Spirit of God would not seal that work until they were properly identified. It's not the same with the Gentile.
You and I in the Gentile position were not in that same position as guilt of guilt. But so when we receive Christ as our Savior, the Spirit of God seals that work.
But of course we ought to be baptized to be properly identified with him, if we have not of course, been baptized already.
But with the Jew, it was a very serious matter and I believe this passage here helps us to see.
That they they were identified with a guilty position of the nation and baptism got them off of that outwardly. So that's an important point in connection with baptism. And then identification is extremely important, as we had in Romans 6.
But there's one other thought that is good to take notice of while we're thinking about this.
Look at Galatians.
Chapter 3.
Now first of all, it declares plainly how we become the children of God. Verse 26 of Galatians 3.
For ye are all the children of God. How? By faith in Christ Jesus.
So that's the only way. Of course we can become the children of God. But now if this is true, that we are the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, then we ought to be baptized. It's assumed.
For as many of you as have been baptized under Christ have put on Christ when you say what? I don't quite understand that terminology. Well, the best explanation I've heard of this passage is like a soldier wearing the uniform of his country. And already what? Are there something like 250,000 soldiers over in over there in in Arabia, Maybe more.
Well, I'm sure they all have the uniform of their country. And if you saw afraid of those soldiers, and in the midst of them you saw a man that did not have a uniform on, and if you were near enough, you might say, hey Mr. You shouldn't be there. That's a craze of soldiers, he said. But I am a soldier. I can prove it. And he may pull out his credentials and he may say, look, I'll show you, I can prove that I am a soldier.
You might say you don't look like a soldier.
Civilian clothes, you're not properly identified, so the thought of identification runs so strong.
With baptism. So it's very important from that standpoint. It's been so abused in the Christian world that it's somewhat lost sight of, but it is important.
Back to squashing.
Verse 13.
And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh.
Hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, I believe Paul is emphasizing here the fact that.
These things are all taken care of. It's not a thing to attain. We are forgiven.
He's blotted out all these things against us and he's taken it and nailed it to his cross.
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Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphantly over them in it. So these things have nothing more to say to us.
That's why he says here in verse 16.
Let no man therefore judge you, and meet or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or the new moon, or the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, But the body is of Christ. Now, Mike, the thought that comes before me.
In connection with so many dimensions of the body here.
Is to bring before us more, shall I say, the tangible thing.
Rather than the mystical thing, these Colossians believers were slipping into a certain kind of mysticism.
A very bad thing we can we can rest upon the revealed word of God and.
These things of mysticism are positively dangerous. We don't need that, even the shadow of those things. The law was a shadow of good things to come, but not the very image.
So it says the body is of Christ. The law would point ahead to a coming things. But now we have the truth of Christianity. We have Christ. We have the body, as it were, the tangible thing. The body is of Christ. Oh, I think that's so lovely. Oh brethren, we need to be careful not to put each other under rules and regulations, as it were.
But to follow the Word of God and the principles of the Word of God, let's test everything.
By God's precious word.
The things that were being imposed on the Saints as verse 21.
Were probably things really not even addressed in the law, maybe things that went beyond what the law required?
A strange thing indeed.
But.
We have been set free. Verse 16. Let no one judge you in these things. We're set free.
And then in verse 18, let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding in those things which you have not seen vainly puffed out by his fleshly mind. Well, here's something else that that came in through the the beguiling work of the enemy, and that was to get them to recognize in some way intermediate beings.
Now, of course, that's thoroughly happened in the Christian testimony.
I trust that that that would not come in among us, but the enemy is so subtle and we can see that it happened to these Colossians who? Paul says.
He beheld their order in the steadfastness of their faith in Christ, and yet the enemy succeeded in tricking them into this sort of thing. Well, if you follow the whole problem historically, you see what happened when they got to the point where not only were they worshipping angels, but Saints too, and all of that kind of thing, historically.
And what is the effect of this sort of thing not holding the head?
See, that's that's a failure to recognize his absolute authority, his absolute headship, our absolute dependence upon him. Just as our bodies, our human bodies, are absolutely dependent on the direction of the head, and so we can't conceive the thought of disregarding the hint and the hands or feet.
Acting independent, as it were, of the Him. Oh no, the thought here is the absolute total dependence upon the head, not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment, ministered and knit together, increase it with the increase of God. Now the body that we have in question here, of course, is the body of Christ that is.
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And the spiritual aspect of things, How did that begin? Oh, well, turn back to First Corinthians 12. You know, these things. That's. Let's just reconsider here.
First Corinthians chapter 12.
It seems as though the Spirit of God leads into this.
In connection with the way in which the Spirit of God would manifest himself, how the Spirit of God works.
And then?
Paul says here in verse 12.
Four as the body is 1 and half many members.
And all members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is is the Christ.
We're given a little picture of that perfect unity and harmony.
And that was men of God right from the beginning. That is, we have the picture of the husband and wife. And as he took upon Adam's name, so also is the Christ.
4 By 1 Spirit, are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles?
Whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit, well, this is all a unifying work of the Spirit of God, and it's a work that has taken place with each one individually. I believe the drinking in one spirit indicates a personal reception, each one individually. The Lord tied that thought together.
In John Chapter 17 or seven, you don't have to turn to it. Let's see if I can pin it down here.
Verse 37 In that last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
Verse 39 But this spake he of the Spirit was they that believe on him should perceive.
So.
And then as we read on in verse 14 of First Corinthians 12.
It says for the body is not one member but many no.
The examples that he brings before us here of the body are its attitudes towards each other, that is, the member's attitudes toward each other.
You get, first of all, the thought of disdain.
Their discontent rather, I should say, and then you get the thought of disdain.
Either is bad, but there can be distinctive discontent even between prominent members of the ears and eyes and so forth.
But.
If the whole body as he says.
Or maybe I should just read a little of this. For the body. Verse 14 is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ears shall say, because I am not the eye, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the hole were hearing, where were the smelling but now?
Have God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it have pleased?
Yeah, and it worked. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now, are they many members yet? But one, five. And then on he goes to bring out this question of disdain, having no need, as it were. That's serious business. But God's tempered the body together as it had pleased him, and he wants to see that body.
Functioning in unity here in this earth, Well, we know in an overall way. It's not so when we see how.
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The Saints of God are divided and scattered, even right here in Pella. Consider how many different.
Groups of those that belong to Christ, all members of the Body of Christ, and yet they're all divided and indifferent groups. It's tragic, isn't it? It won't be so in the glory all of those differences will be.
Left behind. Thank God for them. Well, let's go on back here to Colossians.
In connection with.
These ordinances and things of that sort imposed on the Saints of God.
He says in verse 23 which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will, worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
Now we see how men would try to convey the thought that to neglect the body to humiliate it is a virtuous thing.
And that's why you have monasteries and all that type of thing.
Where we lived in Colorado, there were a group of folks that called themselves the Penitentiary.
And every year around Easter time, they would go out in the deserts and they would take turns whipping each other.
Inflicting.
Terrible suffering and pain upon their bodies.
Now.
These bodies are not viable. You know, in Philippians 3 it says you shall change our vile body. It's not. That's not really the thought, It's the body of humiliation. Our bodies have been humiliated through the fall. But the Lord is going to change these bodies that have been humiliated because of sin in the fall and fashioned them like unto his body of glory. So we certainly don't want to afflict these poor bodies.
No, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
No, it shows what this kind of extremism can lead to. But that's not the mind of God. No, the our bodies are naturally affected and afflicted by the ruin of sin. But we don't need to add to that. We don't need to add to the groanings of this creation. We will have that Anyway, there's no escape. So it's pitiful to see what how the mind can be conditioned.
To accept such extremity of things like this, and even by those that were outwardly going on well, but I believe that we should hearken to these things and.
The exercise by things that we read in the Word of God like this, Paul's ministry to the Colossians, and all the other Epistles too. Well shall we have this prayer our.
Acts 24:25-25:27
Gospel—D. Bilisoly
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Wine as nose hard and washed in the blood out of land.
Are you walking daily by the Saviors sight? Are you washed in the blood of the land?
Near your grass is from my limbic sea fires. Are you watching the blood of the blood of life?
Lay aside.
And they wash in the blood of the land where to fall, sun flowing for the soul, and bring your sea voice in the blood of the land.
I would also like to sing number 57 and you'll notice in verse 3 of 57 it says almost persuaded the harvest is passed. Well you can relate to that in a rural area and let me just read this verse in Jeremiah chapter 8.
And verse 20.
It says the harvest is past the summers ended.
And we are not saved. Oh, I trust that that's not the case of anyone here in the room tonight, because it certainly is not God's will for you to be unsaved or not saved. He wants you to be saved tonight. He stands ready. He's willing. There's no problem on his part. The problem is on your part. If you're not saying well, let's sing this solemn hymn here. It doesn't lay out much hope, but it it gives fair warning to.
Being almost persuaded instead of altogether persuaded.
57.
Almost.
Your sway.
Of.
The sea.
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Sin.
Oh no.
Sad. Sad.
Lord's help for me is over in the book of Acts.
The Book of Acts.
Chapter 24.
Acts 24.
Paul is giving defense for himself here.
And he says.
In verse 14 But this I confess unto thee.
That after the way which they call heresy, so worship I, the God of my Father's, leaving all things that are written in the Law and the prophets, and have hope toward God.
Which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust.
And here and do I exercise myself to have always the conscience void of offense toward God and toward man.
And then further on in the chapter.
And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.
And answered.
Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul. He might lose him, wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.
But after two years, Portia asbestos came into Felix room, and Felix, willing to show the Jews of pleasure, left Paul bound. I was just thinking, First off here, of the contrast in these two men.
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Here Paul.
Speaks of a good confession and faith-based upon the word of God in verse 14.
And speaks of a hope, a divine hope in the living God in verse 15. And then he speaks of godly exercise based upon this new life that he had in verse 16.
Whereas in contrast, we see that.
That Felix comes, and he listens to this message of faith in Christ, but he does not apply it to himself. And what hope did he have?
Verse 26 He hoped for money and what were his practices?
Things for his own advantage, Verse 27. Isn't that so typical? What a tremendous contrast. What made difference between Paul and this man Felix? Well, a simple matter of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was a new creature in Christ, and Felix had the opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus Christ likewise and to get the blessing.
And he came to Paul and heard these things.
Imagine listening to all these things from the Apostle Paul that knew the Lord so well, and Paul reasoned of righteousness.
Temperance and judgment to come.
Now if we went to the word of God, where would we go in order to get the basis of Pauls reasoning of these things? I believe if we went right to Romans chapter one, we would have the basis of Pauls reasoning.
Turn to Romans one, the next book over.
Now first of all let me say this that.
That you say that righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come does not sound like glad tidings or the gospel.
Well, really, I believe the truth of the matter is that it is the goodness of God that lead a feat to repentance. That's what you have in Romans chapter 2.
And verse four. Or despise A thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. I thought of it in this way, that God wants to bless, He wants to.
And bring you to himself. He wants to.
Bless you, and he may use means to exercise your heart to bring you to repentance, but here in Romans chapter one, I believe we have in substance what Paul was saying to Felix there.
Romans chapter one and verse 15.
So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it to the Jew 1St, and also the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed, he reasoned with Felix of righteousness and dear ones, Here tonight I would reason with you of righteousness, that is, you can never personally.
Attained to the righteousness of God. You could never meet the divine standard or the qualification.
But the truth of the book of Romans, the key to the book is that you can have God's righteousness as a gift. Isn't that wonderful? God is ready to give you His righteousness to account you as righteous.
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If you receive Christ as your Savior, and then in effect the Lord Jesus Christ becomes my righteousness, he can become your righteousness if you receive Him as your Savior.
So this is the reasoning that Felix got. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, or it's on that principle that is faith. It's not on any principle of works. I trust everyone here in the room understands that clearly. But it's not by works of righteousness, which we have done. But according to his mercy, he saves us.
For by grace it says, are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should vote.
So there it is. It's a marvelous work on his part. The Lord Jesus has done it all and and those who know him as savior are God's workmanship. It's a new work created in Christ Jesus under good works. Oh, there will be the display.
There will be the manifestation of that work in our souls. It will be demonstrated by our lives. But there's no way possible that we can attain unto God's righteousness by our own works, our own merits. I trust that's an understood thing.
Give it up. It's a deadly work to seek to attain God's favor by our own merits. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written.
That just shall live by faith. Now here's a statement of scripture from the Book of Habakkuk that's quoted at least three times in the New Testament.
And it's an interesting quotation of Scripture, and it gives us an example how the Spirit of God will take the word of God, the Old Testament Scriptures, and expand upon them in the New Testament. Well, considering the Epistle to the Romans, I don't believe we'd have any trouble seeing the emphasis is on the word just now God is ready to.
Clear you of all guilt.
What it means to be justified. That's a word that we don't use so much in modern English, but still, it's a very good and a sound word, and from a scriptural standpoint.
If you want to be justified, it's on the basis of faith, and so justification by faith is the doctrine of Romans. That's the only way that you can be justified or cleared of all guilt before God.
Is that true of everyone here in the room tonight? Just like the hymn said? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? Have you been absolutely clear of all guilt? Well, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, there is no guilt left. It's all gone, and we're accepted in the beloved May 5th for the very holy presence of God. And now we can look forward. We can indeed rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Can we join God? You know, Romans takes us to the very mountain peak. A blessing. Notice how it's worded in chapter 5.
And verse 11.
Romans 511.
Which brings us right up to the division point of this book. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement or the reconciliation, as the margin reads. And then we see that by the Spirit of God he goes into the question of sin coming into the world.
Now you're born in this condition and there is no way to alter that except your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. So it is as a Sinner, an individual Sinner, that you'll come into judgment. And that's why the question of our individual sins is taken up.
00:20:16
In the first part of Romans, dear ones, here tonight, why continue on in that condition of being lost through faith in Christ tonight the the Lord Jesus Christ you can be saved. So here Paul was reasoning with Felix about righteousness and judgment to come verse 18.
For the Wrath of God in Romans 118.
Is revealed from heaven.
Against all ungodliness.
And unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. And as we continue to read on through this first chapter of Romans, we see horrible states of intemperance.
Reason with Felix about righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. And so we see the state of the world about us. What is temperance? Temperance is self-control, but a man lives and acts in self will unless there's a divine restraint upon him. But when we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have such a high and a pure motive before us.
And we by His grace can live to please him, and not only that, dear ones. But when you receive the Lord Jesus as your savior, you become a new creature in Christ. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new and all things of God. You're a totally new creature before God, and you have a nature. You can please God. And so Paul reasoned with Felix about these things and.
Felix trembled. It's pitiful, isn't it? To think of people that would tremble, absolutely tremble, at the word of God, and yet they would defer. They would defer receiving it, accepting the Lord as their savior.
Well, I trust that that no one is holding back like that, and we're so favored and so privileged to live in a land of Bibles where we hear the word of God.
And so.
This is something to pay serious attention to. Go back to Acts chapter 25.
I.
X24 and verse 25.
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance.
And judgment to come. Felix trembled and answered. Go thy way, for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
A convenient season. Do you think it ever came about? You know, God never guarantees us that we'll have a convenient season.
This is your convenient season to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. Don't wait. Don't put it off for another time.
What a dangerous thing that is to defer salvation, I believe I can say.
That people mostly are saved in their younger years.
As age comes on, with it comes other things, other problems, other distractions, and I believe very few older persons are saved. It's mostly persons in their younger years.
Oh, don't defer salvation. Don't wait for convenient time. It will never come. Now, God is extremely gracious. We certainly would not for one minute want to limit the grace of God. And there was an old man by the name of the Sidney Boyd up in Deserts Harbor in Newfoundland.
That at the age of a little past eighty, he received the Lord Jesus as his savior. I don't know exactly what his background was.
But he was soundly converted at that age. Oh, the grace of God. How patient, how merciful God is. And giving you even another day or another year or whatever it may be. But dear ones here tonight don't wait for this convenient season because I don't believe it will come. And we have no assurance that ever came in Felix life. He had such an opportunity.
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And obviously.
He was being moved by what he heard. It was impressing him, and the Lord indicates that there are those effects.
The way in which people are moved by the word hold your place here. Let's take a look at Matthew 13 for a minute here and I think we'll get the point.
Matthew chapter 13 and verse 18. Here the Lord Himself is giving some interpretation of these parables or of this parable in connection with the sower, the sower going forth.
The first team hear ye, therefore, the parable of the Sower.
When anyone here at the word of the Kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth the way that which is sown in his heart.
This is he which received the seed for the wayside. But he that received the seed in the Sony places the same as he that hearth the word, and then and with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he no not root in himself the doer for a while, For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word by and by, he is offended, he also that received the seed.
Among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.
But he that received the seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some and hundredfold, some 60 and some 30. I believe the evidence of fruit is that it not only text the heart, but it went through the confidence.
And there was a real work in the soul. Oh dear ones, here tonight. I trust that you're not in the wayside or the Stony ground or the thorny ground as far as carrying the word of God. If you really receive God's message for you through your conscience, applying it to your own need personally. Not just something that sounds pleasant to the ear, but making it a personal matter for yourself.
There will be evidence in your life. There will be fruit, and what else can we go by but the fruit and the evidence of a work of grace in the soul? The Lord knows the heart, of course, the word of God stand assure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. But it goes on to say, but let everyone that name it the name of Christ or Lord depart from iniquity. So we look for evidence of reality. And if you really belong to Christ, there will be some fruit in your life.
Indeed, God will see to it that there is fruit to his glory in your life. So here was poor Felix. He heard the word to the point where he trembled at hearing these things, but said Go thy way. For this time welfare could Paul go? He was bound with a chain.
But it's evident that Paul is master of this situation. Oh, he had the Lord on his side, and he had God's Holy Spirit on his side and.
Conscience is on our side too, as far as the gospel is concerned, because you have a God-given conscience that responds to these things and and we trust that you you won't stifle your conscience or refuse to act upon the conviction you may have over these things.
Oh dear ones here tonight, the message simply is.
Come to the Lord Jesus. I'm so thankful that the Word of God makes the message simple and expresses it in so many different ways that we cannot lose God's thought or intent, no matter what language the Word of God is translated in. God has expressed these things in so many different ways that the message is clear, I'm sure.
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In any language that we need Christ, whether we understand His work or not, that isn't the point. How could we begin to understand the work of Christ and all its depth and magnitude and its eternal value? God knows, He understands and he's glorified by it. He has seated the Lord Jesus Christ that risen and glorified man at his own right hand in heaven.
So God is fully satisfied. So many thoughts in Scripture, for instance.
Paul recently Felix about resurrection. Verse 15 of chapter 24 Resurrection Okay. You take resurrection in itself and the word of God gives us a three fold proof in connection with resurrection. He gives us the word of God which abundantly testifies to resurrection. Christ died for our sins according to the scripture.
And he was buried and he rose again the 3rd day according to the scripture. And then he was seen of numerous eyewitnesses, 500 at one time raised up specially of God to witness the Lord Jesus alive after his resurrection. But then God brings in a third proof which is very interesting to consider because he takes us to nature.
And then taking us to nature.
If we will not receive the testimony of the word of God, and of those eyewitnesses, he must say, thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickened, except to die. So nature is a proof of resurrection. Marvelous. I understand that they.
Took down some old buildings in England several years ago and exposed the ground at that site to rain and sunshine that it had not seen for maybe 200 years or something more like that. And they said plants began to spring up that had not been seen in England for some time. In other words, here seed lay dormant in that ground that was covered for the building.
Those years and there was under the right conditions.
Germination took place and up sprang these plants. Where you say, what is germination? Do they really know? Somebody said that his mother was reading a book on germination. Did it really say exactly what it was? Well, it's the finger of God. Of course they know that certain things must take place, but who can give life but God?
And that's very true as far as salvation is concerned. Who can give eternal life with God? Just like human life, man cannot create life. The Egyptian magicians, they attempted to imitate the miraculous things that Moses was doing until Moses turned the dust into lice for the power of God and that stopped them. And so.
Only God can give life. Well OK, here's another three pole chords. You know it says in Proverbs A3 fold chord is not easily broken. Here's another three fold cord, the sphere of life.
That is, in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit is looked at as the Spirit of life, and also the Holy Spirit is looked at as the Spirit of truth, and then he is indeed the Holy Spirit.
Well, there you have it. You have you receive Christ as your Savior. You receive God's Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you and to seal that faith, to seal that work in your souls. The ceiling of the blood, as it were when you believe that says in Ephesians one, ye were still with the Holy Spirit of promise sealed unto the redemption of our bodies until we're taken.
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Hold your glory So God seals that work with his Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of life, which is the Spirit of truth. Marvelous. And you see as a new creature in Christ a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. You now have the capacity to understand the word of God and to take these things in. Before I knew Christ as my Savior, I really could not understand the word of God, what I heard of it.
I could not understand. And maybe that's your thoughts tonight. But if you receive him as your savior, you will have God's Holy Spirit and He will open up His precious word to you. He'll make it good to your soul. And so here we have these things. I'll give you another three That is extremely important. We had it in our hymn. It's the blood of Christ that will justify being justified by His blood.
Is that blood that cleanses from all sin, and it is that blood that redeems us justify cleanse, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. You see how mighty and wonderful that work is, all those of us that know him as our Savior, we can absolutely rejoice in these things and consider what God has done.
How can a person tremble at the word of God, as Felix did and say?
Go thy way. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. Oh, I fear that that poor man is in hell tonight. I fear that's where he is. We don't know what may have transpired in his life later, but his very actions betray his whole miserable state here.
Hoping that money should be given him pitiful, just a temporal gain and only temporal advantage. That's what he was thinking of, and he communed with him, the oftener, with this hope in my pitiful tragedy. And then seeking to gain the favor of other people, well, we've got another personality here that comes into the picture. Let's keep reading on through chapter 25.
Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days, he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul and besought him, and desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying weight in the way to kill him.
Bethesda's answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, that he himself would depart shortly thither.
Let them therefore, said he, Which among you are able go down with me, and use this man, if there be any wickedness in him. And when he had tarried among them more than 10 days, he went down under Caesarea, and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, commanded Paul to be brought.
And when he was come, the Jews, which came down from Jerusalem, stood round about, and late many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
Well, he answered for himself, neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the Temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended anything at all. But Festus willing to do the do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Will thou go up to Jerusalem, and dare to be judged of these things before me? Then, Said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, before ought to be judged.
To the Jews, I have done no wrong.
As thou very well knowest.
I'm sorry, go down to verse 13.
And after certain days, King Agrippa and Bernice came into Caesarea to salute Festus.
And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause under the king, saying, there is a certain man left in bonds by Felix, about whom when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the jewels informed me, desiring to have judgment against me, to whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to God before that he which is accused had the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.
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By the way.
What was the exception to this rule you?
Knowing the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 And therefore, when they were come to hit her without any delay on the Morrow, I sat on the judgment seat, and he commanded the man to be brought forth. Against whom when the accuser stood up, they brought none, accusations of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged that these matters.
But when Paul had appealed to be reserved under the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa sat under Festus. I would also hear the man myself. Tomorrow, said he. Thou shalt hear him. By the way, who is this Agrippa? He's called a king here. Apparently it was some honorary title bestowed upon him by the Romans because of certain things. No doubt that he did.
Before the Romans. Well, I believe according to history, that he was the great grandson of Herod the Great. Imagine that he's in that line of Harris and he's got a Jewish wife and he understood.
These things.
I don't believe he had any great responsibilities anywhere, even though he bore such a title as that.
So he must have had pretty good understanding of what was going on. Paul seemed recognized this verse 23 and on the Morrow when Agrippa was come and Bernice with great palm and was entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city.
At Festus command, Paul was brought forth and Festus, said King Griffin. All men that are here present with us.
You see this man about whom all most people, the Jews, had dealt with me both at Jerusalem, and also hear crying that he ought not to live any longer. Why were they so against Paul? Why did they want to put him to death? Because he was preaching salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. He was preaching Christ. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I had determined to send him of whom I had no certain things right unto my Lord.
Wherefore I had brought him forth before you, and especially before thee, O king of Griffith.
That after examination, had I might have somewhat to write, or seem it to me unreasonable to send the prisoner, and not with all to signify the crimes laid against him.
Well, Paul's words here to Agrippa. Let's read on here.
Verse.
Verse 11.
Well verse 10.
Verse nine I barely thought with myself that I have to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the Saints did. I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them, and I punished them often every synagogue, and compelled them to blasphemy.
And being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities, Whereupon, as I went to Damascus with authority and Commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me, and them were standing with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tone, Saul's soul, by persecutest thou me, It is hard for thee to kick against the Prince. And I said, Who art thou, Lord?
And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecute us.
Rise and stand upon my feet. For I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou has seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom I now send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.
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And inheritance among them, which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus, and that Jerusalem, and throughout all the closest India, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works me for repentance fit for repentance for these causes. The Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me, having therefore obtained help of God.
I continued unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles.
And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, called our beside thyself.
Much learning does make thee mad.
But he said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth these things before whom also I speak freedom. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, For this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa believed to style the prophets. I know that thou believest. Then a grip is sent unto Paul, almost thou persuade us me to be a Christian.
And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds, when he had thus spoken the king Rose, and the governor and Bernice, that sat with me. Really Paul's in command of this situation, and the faithful testimony that Paul gives to this king and to those with him.
And Kenya? Griffin knew these things. Paul gave him credit for knowing these things, and they're feeling the pressure of Pauls testimony. Imagine the grace given to that dear man of God being a prisoner of before these kings and men of rank, and he's got command of the situation and giving them.
Such a lovely and a faithful testimony. Felix can't handle it. Or rather Festus, I should say he can't handle this testimony. And he makes a loud remark here which was out of completely. For a man in his position, it was a a shameful thing.
For him to do. But Paul graciously returns honor to his position by calling him most noble festives. He was giving honor to whom honor was due. And he says, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and silverness.
Dear ones here tonight, these are words of truth and soberness. This is not something to entertain you.
But this is something that pertains to your need if you don't know Christ as your savior. And these men in positions like this, they thought that they had the command of the situation, but it was not so. We see that Paul is the one truly in command. And the King Agrippa undoubtedly knew exactly what Paul was talking about. I believe Felix earlier had understanding of the way, which means the truth of Christianity.
And this King Agrippa was in a position that that certainly he cherished, and he knew these things, but he had not personally made it his own. There is the critical thing.
King Agrippa believe his style of prophets. I know they can't believe it, but did that take care of his soul? No, it did not. And King of Griffiths feels the pressure.
Of such remarks is that, and I believe his answer is a light answer. I don't believe there's there's sincerity in the way he puts it. It's just as though you might say, well, if you keep talking that way, you're going to make a Christian out of me too. Have you ever had people say that? Have you ever through the.
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The grace of God been enabled to talk with someone perhaps at work in the neighborhood or some acquaintance or friend. And you seek to bring a little of the Lord before and maybe give somebody a track and they'll make some light remark to kind of cover as it were, there embarrassment.
I believe that's the case with this King Agrippa.
Paul recognized his understanding of these things, but he had not personally made it his own. And so he tries to pass this whole thing off lightly. It won't do here once tonight. You can't trifle with the things of God. This is a serious question. These men were men of great rank in life, but what good will it do them if they guide in their sins? And where are these men today?
We get the thought even that they hardly kept their positions. They would get pressured out of their jobs, and they were always seeking to gain favors here and there, and they were always struggling, as it were, to maintain their positions. And what benefit was it to them if they died in their sins? Where are they? They're lost. If they're in hell for sure. Hold your place here a minute and turn to.
Job 14.
There are such interesting questions raised.
And verse four, it says who can bring a clean thing out of it? Unclean. Not one. But you know, God can cleanse us. It can make us absolutely fit for His holy presence. Amazing. See, there's another question here, verse 10. But Mandaya and waste of the way, Yeah yeah man giveth up the ghost and where is he? They couldn't really answer the question in Job's day, but we certainly can now.
We know, for instance, in the Matthew 16, the parable of that poor rich man, that in hell, he lifted up his eyes.
He was in torments. The Lord Jesus revealed the other side of the picture. The Lord Jesus, who came in grace and truth, revealed the truth of the matter as to eternity and as to some in blessedness and some in eternal despair. Where is he? We have the answer to that now in the new question in the New Testament.
Verse 14.
If a man die, or a woman, shall he or she live again? Well, do we have the answer to that? Yes, we do. In the New Testament we do have the answer to that. But that their the death is not the end, end of it all, that there is a hereafter, and we have a soul that never goes out of existence, and the Lord Jesus.
Gracious one proclaimed that their worm does not and the fire is not quenched, before warned of the awfulness of a lost eternity. And he also spoke of the realms of those that were saved and then eternal blessing.
Well, back here to Acts 26.
Agrippa would not expose himself anymore. He's resting now. They're all resting. This is too much. They didn't expect that. What did they expect? A theological discussion? An argument on Paul's part to defend his position? No, they got it right straight.
From the spirit of God, By the word of God. And it was too much. It was too much. They can't endure that clear cut message for their souls and they rise up and that's it. And now are they an eternity? Where are they in eternity? That's the question. Where would you be tonight? Later on in the chapter we see at the close of the chapter they were willing enough to let Paul go.
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They couldn't find anything, any fault with that message.
They were willing to let him go, but there's no thought whatsoever that they reconsidered and made a personal application. But how about you tonight? You've heard these things. I'm sure most if not all agree tonight of this gospel many times. But have you made a person? Have you personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Let me leave that question with you.
Well, if you receive him tonight as your Savior, you have eternal, everlasting life. You'll not come into condemnation, but you'll be passed from death unto light. That would be true. Tonight. Would be the possessor of eternal life, and you can rejoice in the hope of eternal life to be with Christ forever shall we pray.