Pella Conference: 1993
Table of Contents
The Place Deuteronomy 12
Address—C. Hendricks
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Pilgrims, through this barren land we are weak with. Thou art mighty. Hold us with thy powerful hand. Dread of heaven, fetus, now and evermore. 276 Did someone raise that tune, please?
Take my way.
Home.
Turn back to the book of Deuteronomy, please.
Chapter 12.
Deuteronomy 12.
These are the statutes and judgments which he shall observe to do in the land which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that she live upon the earth.
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places where in the nations which he shall possess serve their gods.
Upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree.
And ye shall overthrow their altars and break their pillars.
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And burn their Groves with fire, and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods.
And destroy the names of them out of that place.
You shall not do so unto the Lord your God.
But unto the place.
Which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there.
Even under his habitation shall you see.
And thither thou shalt come.
Just want to pause here. We tried to emphasize the contrast between.
What existed roundabout Israel? Israel was set as the nation of Jehovah to be a testimony to the true God in the midst of all the idolatry of those rounded out.
And what characterizes the?
That which they were to destroy is the places.
And the nations.
And they're gods.
And the high mountains and the high hills. And the every green tree and their altars.
And their pillars and their Groves.
And their graven images of their gods, and the names of them out of there, out of that place.
They were to destroy all this. All of this was a testimony against the truth.
The truth was that there was one place, there was one name, there was one way to worship, and it wasn't left up to their choice.
I just want to read at this point the last verse of the chapter. We want to keep this before us. What things so ever. I commend you observe to do it. Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. They had no choice in the matter. God made the choice. They want to add to the word. They want to take away from it. They were to hold it fast in all that that God had given it to them.
And they were to maintain it. That is, the will of man was not allowed.
It had no business interjecting itself into the worship of Jehovah. Here we have.
A principle that carries right through the entire Bible.
It can't be any other way. God can't have various ways to worship.
We can't have various ways to approach him. He can't leave it up to the opinions of men. He can't say it's all right if you do it this way and you do it this way, he says. This is the way.
This is my way and there's no other way, otherwise he would be denying himself.
And he cannot do that. That's one of the things God cannot do. He cannot deny himself. He must be true to himself. And so those who are his are not left to their own resources, not left to their own imagination, not left to their own thoughts or to their own ways. He has given us the instructions that we need to follow, and it's in principle we're in a different dispensation entirely.
Than the Old Testament Saints who were under law were under grace, but the principles of God don't change.
They are dispensation less, if I can put it that way. That is, they're always true. Oh, they may be carried out in a different frame of reference.
But here it was 1 nation in the midst of all the nations.
And it was the one true God that they were to bear witness to in the midst of a multiplicity of gods.
And there was just one place that he had set his name there. And they had many places where they had set the names of their gods and deities. What a contrast between what you see God gives instructions for here and what existed. Roundabout. Well, we see the same thing in Christendom today.
We're not dealing so much with idolatry and with those that worship false gods in that, but the principle, and we will get into that in the New Testament. But this evening I'll probably spend most of the time, if not all, in the Old Testament, because the principles are the same.
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You should not do sovers for unto the Lord your God, but unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose. That's the first time this is mentioned in this chapter.
Out of all your tribes to put his name there even unto his habitation.
Shall you see not his habitations? He didn't dwell in various places. He was just dwelling in one place. And thither thou shalt come, and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices. This speaks of worship. This speaks of approaching him. This speaks of coming into his presence.
Thither thou shalt bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, that would be the peace offerings I take it, and your ties, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your free will offerings, and the first things of your hurts, and of your flocks. And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that you put your hand unto ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.
You shall not do after all the things that we do here at this day, every man, whatever is right in his own eyes, God does not leave us to that to do what is right in our own eyes. For ye are not as yet come to the rest, and to the inheritance which the Lord He's looking on to, that when they would come into their arrest.
But when you go over Jordan and dwell in the land with the Lord, your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies roundabout so that you dwell in safety. Then there shall be a place.
Which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there Thither shall you bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which evolve unto the Lord. And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye and your sons, and your daughters, and your men servants, and your maidservants, and the Levites that is within my dear your gates, for as much as he hath no partner inheritance with you.
Take heed to thyself that thou offer not.
Notice this prohibition? Notice this solemn warning.
Take heed to thyself. Israel didn't follow this. Israel violated it. The Church has violated the principle of it. Take thee to thyself, that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest.
But in the place which the Lord shall choose, as the third mention.
First mention is verse 5, the second mention is verse 11 and now we have the third mention in verse 14.
But in the place which the Lord shall choose, and one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
Notwithstanding thou may his kill, and eat flesh, and all thy gates, let's whether thy soul lusteth after according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which he hath given thee the unclean, and the king may eat thereof. As of the Roebuck, and as of the heart, only you shall not eat the blood, You shall pour it upon the earth as water.
Thou mayest not eat within my gates. And here's another restriction.
He had just said they could eat some things there within their gates, But now he says, I mean it's not equal in my gates. The tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the first things of thy herds are of thy clocks, nor any of thy vows which thou valus, nor thy freewheel offerings, or heave offerings of thine hand. But thou must keep them. This is the 4th mention.
Now must he stand before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose.
Thou and thy son, and my daughter, and my manservant, and my maidservant, and my Levite, that is within my gates, And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, and all without put his thine hands unto.
Take heed to thyself, that thou forsake not the Levite, as long as thou live us upon the earth.
Then in verse 20.
Here we have in verse 21, the 5th mention, when the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longest to eat flesh.
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Thou mayest be pleasure whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be tooth far from thee, when thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee as I have commanded thee. And thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lust the factory, Even as the robots eaten, so thou shalt eat them. The unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
Only be sure that thou eat not the blood for the blood of the life. And thou mayest not eat the light with the flesh. Thou shalt not eat of it. Thou shalt pour it upon the earth as well as thou shalt not eat it, that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee. And thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord only thy holy things. Now this is the 6th mention of the place, only thy holy things.
If thou hast and thy vows, thou shalt take and go unto this place.
Which the Lord shall shoot? And I shall offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood upon the altar of the Lord thy God. And the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altars of the Lord thy God. And I shall keep the flesh. There was only one altar. Notice there was only one place. There was only one altar.
And so it is today. In principle, we don't have an altar, but we have that cable, the loose table, and there's just one. And he would have us all, all his own around himself at this table, just as he would have all of Israel bring their offerings to the place which he chose.
And I shall offer thy burnt offerings of flesh, and the blood upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God. And thou shalt eat the flesh, observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with me, and with my children after thee forever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God.
When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goes to possess them, and thou succeedest them and dwellest in their land, take heed. Here's another solemn warning, which is you didn't didn't heed take thee to thyself, that thou do not snared by following them after, that they be destroyed from before thee, and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods?
Even so, will I do likewise?
Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God, for every abomination to the Lord which he hated.
Have they done unto their gods? For even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
And then this last verse again. What things, whoever I command you observe, to do it, I shall not add thereto, nor diminish.
But what if one lived in one of the northern parts of the land, way up a long way from Jerusalem, where the divine center was? In the southern part of the land, what was?
Were they to bring their offerings down to Jerusalem, that would have been rather cumbersome. Well, there's provision in the 14th chapter for that, and I'll read it to you.
In the 14th chapter.
Verse 23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there the ties of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first things of thy herds, and of thy flocks, that all may have learned to hear the Lord thy God always. Now here's the provision. And if the way be too long for these, so that thou art not able to carry it, or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there.
When the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, then shalt thou turn it into money and bind up the money in thine hand, and shall go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose. You see, being a long way off did not relieve them of the responsibility of going down to Jerusalem 3 * a year. They had to go. All their males had to appear before the Lord. You'll see that in a moment in chapter 16. So here's the provision. How could they do it? How could they bring their cattle, their lands, their sheep, their goats?
All that way, well, they sold them up there at home and then they brought the money down.
And verse 26 says, Thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lesteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desire it. And thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice thou in thine household.
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And the Levite that is within my gates, Thou shalt not forsake him, for he hath no partner inheritance with thee at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shall lay it up within my Greeks, and so on.
That's how the Jews had developed the.
The practice that the Lord was very severe against when he went into the temple and he overthrew the money changers tables.
They had set up business.
To take the money from those that came from the northern parts and to receive their money and to sell them whatever animals they required for their sacrifices, and also to eat down there at the divine center. And the Lord was very angry at what they were doing, and he drove them out of the temple. And he said, make not my father's house and the House of merchandise.
It wasn't wrong for them to turn it into money, to bring it down to Jerusalem and turn it back into animals, but not using the temple for that purpose. And that's what the Lord was.
A disturbed about and.
So we understand the the practice that they have come into.
Youth have always been noted for being good businessmen and so here they turned a provision of the law into a profit making business and they set up business right in the temple.
And it was an abomination to God. Now let's go to the 16th of Deuteronomy, where again, we have strong emphasis on the truth that I'm looking at tonight.
Deuteronomy 16.
Before I read this, I'll read verse 16.
Three times in a year.
Shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose?
In the Feast of Unleavened Bread that's connected with the Passover, and in the Feast of Weeks that was the Day of Pentecost.
And in the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrated the establishment of the Kingdom.
And they shall not appear before the Lord empty. So three times in a year the males have to come down. And now this chapter deals with that. Let's go back to verse one. Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the Lord thy God. For in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord thy God of the flock and of the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there first mention of that truth, thou shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, therewith even the bread of affliction. For thou canest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste thou that thou mayest remember the day, when thou cameest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee, and all thy coast seven days. Neither shall there be shall there anything of the flesh which thou sacrifices the first day of, even remain all night until the morning. Alma is not sacrificed, but Passover within any of our gates, which the Lord thy God you to be. But this is the second mention at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his nameless in there thou shalt sacrifice the Passover at even.
At the going down of the sun, at the season that thou comest forth out of Egypt.
Do we have anything that answers to that in Christianity? Or, yes, Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the peace not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1St Corinthians 5 So we have that which answers to this. And that, of course, would be the remembrance of the Lord and his death.
And that's to be at the place it was for Israel. They couldn't celebrate the Passover where they lived. They had become to Jerusalem.
And verse 7 is the third mention of the place. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose.
And thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 6 Days thou shalt eat unleavened bread. And on the 7th stage there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do no work therein.
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So there you have the first piece. Three times in a year, in April, a bib the month able. They came down and they celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days the two were connected and they remembered.
Deliverance from Egypt. And so we come together on Lord's Day Morning. And what answers to that in the New Testament for the Christians?
And we remember the Lord and He was dead. And where do we do it? At the place which He chose, which he chooses, Just like it was in the Old Testament. So it is today. He hasn't left the choice with us. This idea of going to the Church of your choice is absolutely contrary to Scripture. The choice is not yours. It is not mine, it is His. And it's simply a matter of obedience to the word of God.
Well, they had to obey the word of God. And so it is with us now we come into verse 9, where we have the feast of weeks.
And we know that is the Pentecost. It's interesting that there were three feasts. The first feast was the Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread. That's the foundation for all blessing, whether it's through the Church, which is represented in the Feast of Weeks, or whether it's to Israel, which is represented in the Feast of Tabernacles.
The foundation for all blessing and also the Feast of Tabernacles not only celebrates Israel's predominance in that day, but the blessing of all the nations under the reign of the Messiah.
And the foundation of it is the first feast, which is the Passover Christ in death, at the foundation for God to bless, whether in in a heavenly way the feast of weeks, or in an earthly way, the feast of Tabernacles that all flows from the death of Christ.
Now, verse nine, we have the feast of weeks, and we're especially interested in that, because that's what sets before us the formation of the Church, the Church which is His body. Seven weeks shall thou number unto thee, begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou begin us to put the sickle to the court which speaks of the resurrection of Christ. So seven weeks after His resurrection, plus one day was the feast of Pentecost, 50 days.
And we'll see how that is spoken of here.
From such a time as thou beginners to put the sickle to the corn, and thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God, with a tribute of a free will offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God have blessed thee. And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and my maidservant, and the Levite that is within my gates, And the stranger and the fatherless, and the widow that are among you.
In the place This is the 4th mention in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
And thou shalt remember that thou was a state bondsman in Egypt, and thou shalt observe and be these statues.
That's the second piece that the males had to come down to Jerusalem. They weren't at the same time of the year. They were at different times and.
They had to come three times a year, the males. Then in verse 13 we have a feast of Tabernacles, which is the third feast that's mentioned in this chapter, celebrating the time when the Lord Jesus will reign over this scene for 1000 years and Israel will be the head.
Of the nations, and all the nations will be blessed on earth.
Thou shall observe the feast of Tabernacle seven days after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine, and thou shalt rejoice in the feast. Thou and thy son, and my daughter, and thy manservant, and my maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless, and the widow that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place. This is the fifth mention in the place which the Lord shall choose.
Because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hand is therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
Now we have the 6th mention in verse 16. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place.
Which he shall choose in the Feast of unleavened Bread, and in the feast of Weeks, and in the feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the Lord. Empty, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which he hath given thee.
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And then we have judges and officers.
Shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee?
Throughout thy tribes. And they shall judge the people with which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Throughout thy tribes. And they shall judge the people with judgment.
Thou shalt not rest judgment.
Thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift or deprived.
For the gift just blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth.
Thou shall not plant thee a Grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Neither shalt thou set things up any image which the Lord thy God hated. Those were of course, forbidden, because they would tend to lead away from the one altar and the one place that the Lord had established.
Now in the next chapter 17, we have a very interesting.
Section and I'll begin with verse 8.
Deuteronomy 17/8.
He had just mentioned at the end of Chapter 16 about the judges and the officers that were to render just judgment.
But now it says in verse 8 of chapter 17 if there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment between blood and blood.
That could be a family problem.
Between plea and plea that could have to do with.
Maybe some argument that sprung up over the inheritance or over ones land we read in Proverbs. I shall not remove an ancient landmark which the father suspect, so plea and plea.
And between stroke and stroke, some may have gotten into a fight.
And hit someone else and injured another person. And so on. And so conflict among brethren.
So we have things that blood and blood might speak of family trouble and.
Three and three might speak of.
Property problems.
And stroke and stroke of life speak of arguments and conflicts amongst things.
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment of these things, being matters of controversy within thy gates, then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place.
The Lord thy God shall choose. These matters were so serious that they couldn't be resolved just in the locality where one resided, but they then were given instruction. Go to the place, go to Jerusalem, and there you will receive just judgment.
And I shall come unto the priest.
The Levites.
And unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire, and they shall show these a sentence of judgment.
So here we have an authority vested in those at the divine center.
To resolve these matters that were weighty and too hard for them in judgment.
I shall come under the priests to Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire, and they shall show thee the sentence of justice, and thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall choose, shall show them.
And thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee.
According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shall do.
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That I should not decline from the sentence if they shall show thee to the right hand, not to the left.
And the man that will do presumptuously.
And will not hearken under the priest that standards diminish the bear before the Lord has God.
Or under the judge even that man shall die, and thou shall put away the evil from Israel.
And all the people show fear and fear and do no more.
So there was provision made.
In the law, first of all in the selection of judges and officers.
Within thy gate.
To handle matters of.
Rabbit here.
Unimportant, not, not major problems. But then when they arose, there was a place that the Lord had chosen. It was the place where they had three times in a year the males had to go, and their offerings passed over each week. The Pentecost Feast of Tabernacles, celebration of the establishment of the Kingdom.
And they had to come to that place and offer all that they had. And then there was provision made that when controversies difficulties arose amongst the Israelites, that there was a place that was the same place. It was the same place where there would be just judgment rendered. And those that brought their problems down to that place, they were instructed very carefully that they were to adhere to the judgment that was rendered.
Every delegated authority and mortgage delegated.
Has to answer to him. Whether it's parental authority, whether it's governmental authority, whether it's assembly authority, whether it was the authority here, the priests and judges down at Jerusalem, they had to answer to him for the judgment that they rendered. And if they render a judgment, and many did this, all of these things were abused. All of these things were.
There was failure in carrying them out.
There has been in the church.
Anything committed to man has failed, and we have to face that. But the principles of God remain the same, and there's always a resource in the Church of God. The resource is the presence of the Lord in the midst of His gathered Saints with Israel. The resource was the Lord's presence found in Jerusalem, where he had set his name.
And it's wonderful to see and just to trace carefully the the principles.
Of Scripture.
Now let's turn to Matthew chapter 18 for a moment.
You will notice that there are differences here.
Because now the Lord is introducing a new order of things.
And we are very familiar with the chapter, I believe, so I'll start with verse 15.
More moreover, if my brother shall trespass against thee.
There's a case of a personal trespass between brother and brother. Go and tell him his fault between Z and him alone.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. The whole purpose of going to the brother that has trespassed against you is to gain him. And you want him to hear what you have to say, to bring before him the trespass that he is committed, and how it has injured you, offended you, and grieved you. And if you hear these, Palestine, thy brothers.
The purpose of going is not to put him down, not to make yourself feel superior, but to gain him. That's the energy of grace. This whole chapter is the energy of grace going on.
But if you will not hear thee, and I want you to notice that the second personal pronoun that's used is always in this package, right now singular.
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Thee if he will not hear thee, it's just an individual that's in view here. Then take with the one or two more. Now you have several that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
That's another very fundamental principle of Scripture, that one was not to be put to death in Israel on the testimony of one witness.
There had to be two or three witnesses. There had to be adequate testimony.
And if there wasn't adequate testimony, they were not able to render a judgment.
And in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
What does that fail? We have the energy of grace going to the one individually, seeking to gain him, then taking one or two more. These are all from the local assembly there. This has to do with the local assembly, and we'll see that in just a moment. Well, in verse 17 we'll see it. And if you shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the church.
Now we have the whole assembly locally involved. It's not it's not Jerusalem any longer.
We saw the provision that God made in Deuteronomy 17 for problems that would arise.
Among the Jews, among the Israelites, they had to go down to Jerusalem, the divine center. But God also has a divine center. And what is that today? It's where two or three are gathered together to his name, and so this now has to be carried to the assembly if he neglects to hear the church.
Let him be unto thee as in heathen, man, and republican now, right through verse 17. It's it's the it's singular.
I want to just make this comment one of the one of the strong pluses for the King James translation and Mr. Garvey's two in favor instead of the modern translations where they just use you, which you can't tell when you're reading you in the modern translations, whether it's the singular you or a plural you.
Whereas the King James translation Every second personal pronoun, second personal pronoun that begins with a key is singular.
Val. V thyme. Those are the pronouns that start with this. Either all singular and every second personal pronoun that begins with AY is plural.
You your, yours.
So every time you read AV in the King James translation on Mr. Darby, these oldest translations that that keep with Elizabethan English, you have a precision that you lose in modern English.
So every time you read of thee or thou is singular, and when you read of ye or you, it's Pearl, always. And you can James Barber. And that's helpful. There's some that don't know that they haven't realized that, and they haven't sensed the difference. When there's a change from singular to plural, when he's talking, the Lord is talking to one person or to many.
Well, I mentioned that because in verse 15 it's thy brothers shall trespass against thee. That's still that's all singular, telling his fault between Z and him alone, if he shall hear Z, thou hast gained thy brother, It's all singular. But if you will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more than in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. And if you shall neglect to hear them, that plural, of course, tell it unto the church which would be plural.
But if you neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee still a word to the individual as an heathen man and republican. Let him be unto thee as in heathen man in the public. And that is the one that that committed this personal trespass, that would not be reconciled to you when you entreated him, when you took one or two more, and you took the assembly itself, and he would not hear the assembly. That's the final Court of Appeal. There is nothing beyond that.
Just as there was number Court of Appeal beyond going to the divine center at Jerusalem in Deuteronomy 17, that was the final Court of Appeal.
So if he doesn't hear the church, then the words of the individual let him be unto theism. He the man in the public. And just as though he wasn't even saved, that's been saying now he changes to the plural verse. 18 Verily I say unto you, Plural.
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Whatsoever ye plural shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Now he's talking about an action taken by the assembly itself to bind or to loose. That's a that's a that's a valid action that is taken by the assembly itself. And then it goes on to say in verse 19 again I say unto you.
Any speaking to in the plural, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven. And here you have the smallest number, the smallest plurality, 2 of you shall agree, and that word agreed. The thought is to to synchronize. The thought is to harmonize. It's not two brothers coming together and say we're going to agree on this matter, but is that God has placed a burden.
Upon the one and the other, so that they come together for prayer and they are in agreement. It is not praying to cross purposes. It's not one frame, One Direction, and one praying another direction. But there is agreement, and that agreement has been produced by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the heart, and the conscience is of the same. I think the number 2 is really symbolical of competent testimony if there's a competent testimony in agreement.
That a problem is there, and they look to the Lord for it. We have the promise in that verse. It shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Then verse 24, where two or three are gathered together in or unto my name, there mine the mist of them. Do we have anything in Christianity? Do we have anything that answers to Deuteronomy 17, where the Jew would go down to Jerusalem to have the more difficult problems resolved in several yes. What answers to it? Where is the divine center in the New Testament?
Two or three are gathered together through my name. There am I in the midst of them. It's Christ in the midst, His presence there that constitutes the authority, And that's the reason why the judgment rendered there is to be vowed to.
Just as it was at Jerusalem.
For where two or three?
Adequate testimony and abundant testimony. Two or three are gathered together.
One Body Ephesians
Address—C. Hendricks
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330.
What is the world?
Grace falls together.
Let's begin tonight by reading a few verses from Romans 16.
Romans, chapter 16.
Verse 25.
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Now to him that is of power to establish you.
According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.
According to the revelation of the mystery which was.
Secret since the world began.
But now He's made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets.
According to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.
To God only, wise the glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen. I believe this is the first mention in the New Testament of the mystery.
This wonderful secret that was.
Concealed in God Himself, not found in the Old Testament, not revealed there.
It's very entitled, but it's not revealed until as it says, which was kept secret since the world began. The revelation of the mystery was given to Paul to bring this truth out, and he's the only one that does. Of all the New Testament writers, he's the the, the vessel, the instrument that God raised up and chose to be the one to whom he committed this wonderful revelation.
And he's the one that ministers it to us and here we have the first mention of it.
Says it was kept secret since the world began. So we wouldn't, we won't find it revealed in the Old Testament. But now now in the present day of grace is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets. What prophets? Well, of course he's referring to the New Testament prophets, the prophetic scriptures of the New Testament. He says it was kept secret since the world began. It's now revealed. So it wasn't revealed by the Old Testament prophets. They're not the ones that are referred to.
But by New Testament prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith, we come across that very expression in chapter one, the obedience of faith in connection with the gospel, the obedience of faith, faith obedience, the submission of heart and soul to the gospel. But here is the submission of heart and soul to the mystery, the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest.
By prophetic scriptures. And then it says to God only wise. And you'll notice that in all these passages that we're going to be looking at this evening connected with the mystery, it's always right there where the wisdom of God is mentioned, the wisdom of God, because it's in the mystery that the hidden wisdom of God is revealed God's thoughts. And we were singing that hymn. What raised the wondrous thought or who did it suggest that we the Church, the glory brought you with the Son Be blessed.
O God, the thought with thine thine only it could be fruit of the wisdom love divine peculiar unto thee. This is God's wisdom, God's hidden wisdom. And so God has spoken of as God only wise. Now turn a page, and we come to 1St Corinthians and chapter 2.
First Corinthians chapter 2 And I brethren, when I came to you.
Came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom. There is talking about the wisdom of man declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Now he knew more than just Christ and Christ crucified, but he had determined that among these Saints occurrence that were making so much of the first man that were following men, some saying, I am of Paul, I am of Apollo's, I am a Cephas.
And then there was that super spiritual group that said I am of Christ excluding other Christians.
In saying I am at Christ, that was probably the worst of the heresies that that existed, the the divisions I should say, that existed there at current. But they weren't spiritual men, they were carnal men. And Paul tells them that I've not spoken unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. So he determined not to know anything among them.
Only Jesus Christ, the person of Christ, in contrast with all these others that they were following after and making much of.
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And Christ crucified, which is the end of the history of the first man.
Christ crucified is the judgment of God upon the first man, and they had to see that. They had to come to understand that. But man, according to the flesh, has been judged and set aside in the in the death and cross of Christ. But he did know more than just Christ. And Christ crucified. He knew the mystery, but he didn't. He didn't unfold it. He does mention it in the second chapter, but he doesn't unfold it in its fullness as he does to the Ephesians in Colossians.
He does unfold it to them, but he does touch upon it in this chapter.
In First Corinthians chapter two he says I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. He wanted their faith to be established not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I'm reading 1St Corinthians 2 verse 4 right now, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom.
But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of them, but in the power of God.
And now he says, Howbeit, we speak wisdom. We do speak wisdom among them that are perfect. They were not in that state of soul to be described as perfect, mature, full grown Christians. He speaks to them in the next chapter and spades.
They were carnal, They were operating on the level of the first man. So he sets Christ and Christ crucified before them. But in verse six he says, Howbeit we do speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that come to nought. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world.
Unto our glory in this hidden wisdom we have all God's purposes and counsels of grace concerning Christ and His assembly, the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth. All in all we speak the Wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden Wisdom, The Word Mystery in the New Testament here is used as a secret which could not be known until the time came for God to reveal it.
And we saw in Romans 16 that now he has made manifest this mystery. He's revealed it through the apostle Paul. And so here he says in verse seven we speak the wisdom of God in the mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew, Or had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them, that love him, that which is in the mystery all that God is prepared for us who love him.
Never has entered the heart of man. The natural man does not know who sins, does not understand them. They never even enter his thoughts.
But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things a the deep things of God.
Now I want to go back a minute to verse 8.
Because it's usually interpreted that had the Princess of this world knew who Jesus was.
They wouldn't have crucified him. But that's not what that verse says. Let's read it very carefully. I'm going to back up to verse 7. Paul says we speak the wisdom of God in the mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Which what's the antecedent of? Which? The wisdom of God? The mystery? Which wisdom? Which mystery? None of the Princess of this world knew.
Or had they known it, they would not participate the Lord of Glory.
What that verse is really saying is had man known, had the Princess of this world known, that God would turn their rejection of his Son into the greatest blessing, into the accomplishment of the mystery, they wouldn't have crucified him. Man is so evil that had he only known the blessing, that would flow out to those that receive Christ as a result of Christ being crucified.
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God would then accomplish it would be the means by which He would reveal the mystery and bring blessing in that has never known before. For the highest blessing that God has ever bestowed upon any creature is wrapped up in the mystery found in the mystery.
In the parable in Mark chapter 12, when the owner of the vineyard sent service, they killed some, they beat some, they cast him out, and so on. And then it says, had he therefore one son, his well beloved? He said I will send him also they will reverence my son. And when they saw him they said this is the air. They knew who he was.
It wasn't that they didn't know him. This is the air, they said. Let us kill him and seize upon the inheritance.
It isn't that the Princess of this world didn't know, he says to the Jewish leaders, he says. Ye both know me and you know whence I am.
And I'm not coming myself, But He that sent me is truth whom He know not. They knew who He was in their consciences, so in their intellect they refused him. No Had the Princess of this world known the mystery, known that God was going to take the greatest sin that man has ever committed, and turned it into the greatest blessing?
He was going to then use that as the basis for revealing the mystery Christ in the church. You go back to Genesis 2 in your thoughts, and we'll look at that in a little bit. But God put Adam to sleep after he had brought all the earthly creation, the animals all before him. He gave them names that it says Adam found none that was suitable to him.
And then God caused him to fall asleep, and from his rib God builded a woman, and he brought it to the man. And when she saw Eve, oh, ** *** he was just related. There was one that was his counterpart. There was one that could be his helper, his life, one that satisfied his heart. And he said, this is now the bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.
She was the one that answered to his heart. And that's the mystery. It's not revealed in the Old Testament, but it's very tight. It's very entitled. Well, more of that later.
Let's turn now.
To.
Ephesians chapter One.
Ephesians, chapter one. We have the mystery three times mentioned in the Epistle for the Ephesians. You have the fullest development of the mystery. You get a little different aspect of it in chapter one, and then chapter 3, and then chapter 5, but in chapter one.
Where I'll start We know this portion quite well. I'll start with verse 7.
In whom we have redemption, He just said in verse six. He had made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. There you have it again now whenever He speaks of all wisdom and prudence.
You can, you can just be prepared. He's going to talk about the mystery because it's in the mystery that all his wisdom and prudence.
Is is found in mystery?
Wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom, and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery.
Of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself the mystery of his will. What did God's will concern, concern Christ and His assembly.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
What is that? Well, that's the Millennium thousand year reign of Christ, all the.
Ages are going to culminate in the reign of Christ for this earth.
And in the dispensation, the administration of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one. That expression, gather together in one, is literally to head up. God is going to head up all things in the Christ. The article ought to be there both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him.
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Now how is that a mystery?
You see in the Old Testament, say the prophet Daniel Chapter 7, you see the Son of Man coming to the ancient of Days and he receives a Kingdom and his dominion shall shall go on forever and ever son of man, he's going to reign. The Old Testament reveals that but it that's why I say it's important to read the mystery of.
Gathered, he might head up all things in the Christ, the Christ, because the Christ embraces not only Christ himself personally.
But his assembly, his assembly, his church she is going to.
To reign with him. There's a nice verse in Nehemiah chapter 2, and I'll just turn you back there for a moment.
Nehemiah.
Chapter 2.
And it there's an expression there that illustrates the point that I'm making, I want to make here.
Verse 5 And I said unto the king, If it pleased the king, and if thy servant had found favor in thy sight, that thou would have send me unto Judah, under the city of my father's sacrifice, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him.
So how long shall my journey be? Well, it's that little expression in the parentheses. The Queen also sitting by him. That's what we have here in the Christ, Christ and his church. He's not only going to reign over this earthly scene himself, but we're going to reign with him. All that he has won by virtue of his perfections down here as a man, he's going to share with us. God is going to give him.
God is gathering out by the Spirit in this present day of grace, not only saved souls.
But a bride for his son to reign with him, to be with him.
To share with him all the glory of the coming days, so that when God heads up all things in the Christ, heavenly and earthly, all heavenly spheres, the angelic coasts, they'll be all placed under A man says in Hebrews 2 Not to angels have he subjected the world to come wherever we speak? But what in a certain place testified, saying, What is man? That thou art mindful of him? Or the Son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou mayest him a little lower than the Angel. He came below the Angel when he became a man.
And I was crowned with glory and honor. He's gone above the angels. And he he had given the administration of the coming Kingdom to a man, but not to him alone, but to him and his bride. And so when it says the Christ is Christ in the church, Christ in the church, you get that if you turn back to First Corinthians chapter 12.
You get that right there, and I think it's this is the point to refer you to that First Corinthians chapter 12, verse 12.
For as the body is 1 and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is doesn't say the church. It says so also is Christ or the Christ that's related Mr. Garvey's translation.
How did we come into that position? Verse 13 tells us. For 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?
For the body is not one member, but many, and so on. The body formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
And then bringing the Gentiles in and Acts 10. The Pentecost was Acts 2. The Gentiles being brought in in Acts 10 into that baptized body they partake of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And it says, so also is the Christ. The Christ is an expression embracing Christ ahead with his body that you and I form a part of. And so this mystery of God's will is that he's going to head up all things in the Christ.
That is, we're going to share it. It says in First Corinthians 6. It says, no, you not that we shall judge angels. How much more than matters pertaining to this life? In what sense will we judge angels?
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In an administrative sense, angels will be at our bidding during the Millennium.
The church will be like that queen sitting by the king reigning hold jointly with him. And that's the mystery of his will. He's going to head up all things heavenly. Even the heavenly hosts will be at our disposal.
And earth later, the earthly Kingdom, and we're going to have a share in his reign.
We're going to reign with him.
Roman Gate tells us that.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, the millennial reign of Christ, he might gather together in one or more literally. I prefer the rendering to head up all things in the Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him. So the mystery of his will.
Is that he's going to head up all skiers, heavenly and earthly Spears in the Christ, which is Christ in the church.
Chapter 3. Now we're going to read of the mystery more fully developed in this chapter. Who of of whom?
Do. How should I put that? Who is a part of this mystery? Who composes it? That's the word I was looking for. Who composes Those that make up the company that are so blessed? Well, we get that in chapter 3 of Ephesians.
For this 'cause I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ. For you Gentiles, Paul was a prisoner of Christ. For the Gentiles, he was the apostle of the Gentiles. Now you don't read anything in the Old Testament about the Gentiles being brought into blessing equal with that of the Jews. You do read of Gentiles being blessed in the Old Testament, but always subordinate to Israel, always under Israel. Israel is the head, and the Gentiles will be the tail.
But not in the mystery. In the mystery, there is no difference between you and Gentile.
That as we go on here for ye if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, we're living at that time. God is dispensing His grace as as never before. We are the trophies of His pure sovereign grace. We have no claim upon him whatsoever as Gentex.
Were just the objects of His Grace.
Which is given me to you worth Paul was given this, this wonderful truth of the mystery.
Towards the Gentiles? To the Gentiles, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote a four in two words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.
Paul received this knowledge by a direct revelation from the Ascended Christ, the head of the Church. How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery Paul received it from Christ himself.
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. I used to puzzle all over that verse. It says it's revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit now. But only Paul received it from Christ the ascended head in heaven, and he's the one that communicated it.
Why was it revealed to these other apostles and prophets? They don't write of it in their epistles. You don't read of it in John's writings or James writings, or Peters writings or Jude. You only read of it in the Apostle Paul's writings because he was the special vessel chosen of God to bring this truth out. But he revealed it to these others by the Spirit so that when it was brought out they would understand that this was not something that was heretical.
Let's look with that comment. Let's look at Second Peter, Second Peter. Last chapter of Second Peter Peter makes reference to this very thing.
You may not have noticed it, but it's there.
Second Peter Chapter 3.
Verse 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things?
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Be diligent that she may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.
And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, had written unto you, Paul had special wisdom from God-given to him the wisdom of God in the mystery That and he said, even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given to him, had written unto you, as also in all his epistles.
Speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood, what could be more hard to understand for a Jewish mind who was trained in Jewish thoughts in the Old Testament scriptures to understand the mystery God blessing the Jew and the Gentile indiscriminately, the Gentile having the Jew having no advantage over the Gentile In the mystery, the blessings are the same. They're brought into the same unity.
Into the same order of blessings. This was not according to the Old Testament. You don't find that in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament. When the Jew is going to be blessed and become the head, the Gentiles will be subordinate to them. But that's not that's not the mystery. You don't find the mystery in the Old Testament. It's not fair.
And so God had to reveal by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets this truth.
These truths, though, they weren't the ones that were going to bring it out. The Apostle Paul was. They had to have it revealed to them so that they wouldn't charge Paul with heresy.
You're you're preaching something that's that's not in the Scriptures. No, it was a mystery. It was hidden, never divulged before.
Thought it was very tight in the Old Testament. Now going back to chapter 3 and Ephesians which verse 5 which in other ages.
Was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now?
Present day revealed unto his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Now verse 6. This is what the mystery consists of three things that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, Fellow heirs with whom? With the Jews Gentiles fellowaires, Jury dears, and of the same body, The same body? Why he develops that in the second chapter? Let's just look at a few verses.
In the second chapter, verse 13, he says, But now well, I have to read verse verse 11. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ. This is what this is the state the Gentiles were in in the Old Testament, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Now the contrast. But now in this present day of grace, now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off, that's the Gentiles are made 9 by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace. Who hath made both one. Who is the both Jew and Gentile. He's made them both one.
And have broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. The law separated the Jews and the Gentiles. Only the Jews had the 10 commandments. They only had the law. They had the priesthood, They had the Tabernacle, They had all the special favors of God. In the Old Testament. The Gentiles were outside of it all. And so the law was a dividing between Jew and Gentile. He's broken that all down there.
Because he is our peace who have made both one and has broken down the middle wall of petition. When you think of this, these two groups of people, Jews and Gentiles, they wouldn't talk to one another. They wouldn't eat with one another. You remember when, Peter?
He was when he went into the House of Cornelius and preached the gospel to them at Jerusalem. That's Acts 10 brought the gospel to the Gentiles.
And he was told he had to have a special vision. A sheep let down from heaven, Where was all kinds of beasts? And the words that Peter was, arise, Peter slay and eat. And he said, not so. Lord, I've never eaten anything common or unclean. And the word to him was what God hath cleansed that call not thou common. God was going to bring the Gentiles in. He was going to use Peter for that purpose. This happened three times. And then right away the men from Cornelius were at the door, knocking at the door.
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And Peter went with them, and he preached the gospel of the impacts. And while he was preaching and testifying to the forgiveness of sins, to him give all the prophets witness, for through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. As soon as he said that the Holy Ghost fell on his impact, she believed without baptism. And the Jews that were with Peter were all amazed.
And then Peter said, Can any man forbid water, That he should not be baptized as well as we which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them that they be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
God brought the Gentiles in through Peter and then?
He went to Jerusalem, and they took him to task. They said, Thou went into unto men uncircumcised.
And then he told them how that God had prepared him for that purpose and what God had brought, and how he had given the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles. Well, that's when the Gentiles were brought into this baptized body and became members of the body of Christ composed of Jew and Gentile, as we saw in First Corinthians 12.
Well, now we have this what is talked about in Chapter 2 of Ephesians.
Verse 16.
Well, the end of verse 15 For to make in himself a twain of Jew and Gentile, 1 Newman so making peace the Newman is Jew and Gentile united together to form the body of Christ, united to the head in heaven. That new man has a head in heaven and a body on earth composed of Jew and Gentile. Verse 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross.
Having slain the enmity, thereby the enmity between Jew and Gentile was slain at the cross.
Crosses the great leveler of mankind. We're all guilty before God.
And all have died in the death of Christ, and there's no advantage of one over the other now. And so this that was the basis for God to bring out the wonderful truth of the mystery. Now let's go back to chapter 3, verse six, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs.
And of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
Three things. I'm going to read that as it is in Darby's translation, it makes it much clearer that the Gentiles should be joint heirs.
Joined as with the Jews, and a joint body, Jew and Gentile, and one body and joint partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
That you would say, show me that in the Old Testament, where the Gentile is a joint partaker with the Jew of the promises in Christ, the promises of the Old Testament, and you'd you'd be hard pressed to find it. No, this is what is is in the mystery, the Gentiles being brought into this wonderful unity, Jew and Gentile in one body. You might say that God has accomplished the impossible.
We're so we're so plagued today by division.
The enemy has come in and divided the body of Christ. I didn't put that right. He's divided Christians. The body of Christ can't be divided. The body of Christ is kept intact by the power of the Holy Spirit. There's one body, but he's divided those that compose that one body practically sad to say, but here he accomplishes at the beginning of Christianity the impossible. He brings Gentiles and Jews together into one body.
And he removes the hindrance and the enmity that existed between these two groups. If you were just looking at these two groups, you'd say not even God could bring them together. But yes, God can. He did. He brought them together. And that's what the Church is. The Church is composed of two elements that you would almost have to say would be impossible to be reconciled to one another. But that's exactly what God has done.
Verse 16 again that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. That's chapter 2. Now chapter 3, verse six again that the Gentiles should be joint heirs.
And a joint body and joint partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
Whereof I was made a ministry, according to the gift of the grace of God-given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Paul not only was the minister of the gospel, he was a minister of the mystery.
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Unto me, who in less than the least of All Saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ? Peter preached among the Jews the unsearchable riches of Christ. Paul preached it among the Gentiles. And then verse 9, verse nine goes beyond that. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery.
In the new translation that reads To make all men see what is the administration or the dispensation of the mystery which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ. To the intent that now now there's going to be a display to the heavenly hosts of God's wisdom, to the intent that now under the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
Might be known, might be made known by the Church? What?
The manifold wisdom of God. And when the angels see Jews and Gentiles brought together in happy harmony and going on together as members of the one body, they learn the wisdom of God. In the mystery. They learn that it's a display to them according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God's eternal purpose to have a bride for his Son and that bride.
Composed of those who are members of His body. So we have two figures. We have the Church figured as the Body of Christ and the Church figured as the Bride of Christ. Is there a type where those two figures are put together in scripture? Yes, there is. But before we turn to it, turn over to Ephesians 5, please, where we have the third mention of the mystery in the this epistle.
This epistle gives it gives us the fullest development of this glorious truth.
Ephesians 5 Verse 22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.
As unto the Lord.
Here he's taking the marriage relationship wives and husbands.
And he's elevating it to.
Truth that had never been known before.
And and that is that the husband is a type of Christ and the wife is a type of the Church.
Verse 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is head of the church and he is the Savior of the body, just like the husband cares for his wife.
Preserves her ministers to her. Provides for her, so the Lord does for the assembly.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
So the subjection of the wife to the husband is.
Likened now to the subjection of the church to Christ. And then he has a word for the husbands. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.
That's already passed. That's a past thing. That was the cross that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That's what he's doing right now in the glory. He's sanctifying it, setting it apart, cleansing it, washing it with the water of the word. And then he's going to present his future, verse 27, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now having said these three things about Christ, His love for the assembly he is sanctifying his washing her, he is cleansing her, and he is going to present her to himself. Now he goes back to the marriage relationship so often to love their wives as their own bodies. Now in order to understand Ephesians 5, you have to understand Genesis chapter 2 and I'm just going to turn there and read a few verses.
Genesis Chapter 2, verse 19.
This is a type, the most perfect and beautiful type of Christ in the Church.
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That we have in all of scripture because it presents both aspects, presents the husband wife relationship. It presents the the head and the body relationship.
Verse 19 says out of the ground.
Verse 18 And the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone. Genesis 218.
I will make him and help me for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam it was not found in hell. Adam was made out of the dust of the ground. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and.
Became a living soul. He also made the animals out of the dust of the ground.
That he made the birds out of the dust of the ground.
But he brings them all to Adam. He names them, he views them. He looks them over, but he says none. Satisfy my heart.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept type of the death of Christ.
And he took one of his ribs right from his side, nearest to his heart.
And closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She should be called woman, because she was taken out of man.
So here in this beautiful type, we have God preparing a bride for Adam, his wife, who is also a member of his body. But you have the dual truth that you have in Ephesians 5.
Is he talking in Ephesians 5 about the marriage relationship of husband and wife? Yes.
Is he also talking about the relationship of Christ and the Church viewed as members of His body? Yes, and the first taken scripture of Christ in the Church gives us both of these. And so when Adam saw Eve, he said, this is now bone of my bones and flush of my flesh.
She was a part of him. She was taken from him. She was not made as a separate creation from the dust of the ground like the animals were. She was made from atoms red. She was part of Adam. And so we are part of Christ. We belong to him. Now going back to Ephesians 5 The only way you can understand Ephesians 5 is in the light of Genesis 2.
Verse 28 sought men to love their wives as their own bodies. When Adam loved Eve, he was loving one who was a member of his body, made from his very own wrist. That's the way we ought to view our lives. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. She was a very part of him. And so when Christ loves the church, he's loving himself because we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, just like Eve was to Adam.
And that's what he goes on to say, verse 30, verse 29. For no man ever yet aided his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord for church. So we ought to look upon our wives as our very own flesh, as part of us.
And.
Verse 39 For we are members of his body of his flesh.
And others bones in some of the modern translations of his flesh. And others bones is not found in that in the Greek manuscripts and they don't translate it. And all that verse says is we are members of his body, which is blessedly true, but of his flashing of his bones isn't there because some left it out, some manuscripts don't have it.
Is it scripture? Absolutely. It's taken from Genesis 2, and that's the perfect figure we are of his flesh and of his bones. We're so intimately one with him. That's the truth of the mystery.
Not only are we his bride, but we are his body. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be 1 flesh. We are one flesh with him, because we are made of his flesh and of his bones, so to speak, as these were Eve was of Adam. And then there's the marriage union.
That's what he's talking about. The woman in the husband joined together as one flesh. And then he says, this is a great mystery. There you have the mystery again, I speak concerning Christ and the church.
00:50:02
And then he sums it up. He ends it by saying, nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular, so love his wife, even as himself.
Which is Christ loved the church as part of himself as Adam loved Eve as part of himself, and the wife see that she reverenced her husband.
What a picture.
What a unity. You know, beloved, when we think of what has happened in the Christian company, how that Christians who have been united into this one body, members one of another, and of Christ God, has brought together Jews and Gentiles, the most unlikely two companies ever be to be united and harmoniously to be together. He's done it. He's done the impossible. And yet we can accept.
And.
Look upon lightly division in the Church of God. It is a most serious evil.
God has made both one man, one man. We were noticing last night. There was one place and one name and one altar.
And now there's one body.
United to Christ and we're going to be displayed. There can only be one center, and that's right, only can't be more than one God. Can't have another center other than Christ.
And he's united as all his own together.
And the cardinal sin of Christian.
Cardinal sin of Israel was, he failed, the witness of a one true and living God amidst all the idolatry around the back. Cardinal sin of Christian is divisions.
Scattering, calling ourselves by different names, denominations and parties and sects.
We ought to feel it. We ought to weep over it. Have we wept over it? Have we felt it as he feels it? He said. The Holy Spirit to unite into one body.
All the truth he died that he might gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. That was why he died. That's why he sent the Holy Spirit to form one church, one body.
If you were some heathen that came from some remote land to the United States of America, and you heard what I'm saying tonight, and then you looked around in the city of Pella and saw the multitudes of churches inside and see what's what's going wrong, what's happened.
Church.
That which Christ died to unite into one body.
Fail. Say it failed.
In manifesting this wonders, we often feel everyone of us. Everyone of us has a shame.
Now just in a few minutes that we named Colossians Chapter One, Colossians where we have this truth of the mystery also spoken of.
Verse 21 Colossians 121 and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.
Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you wholly.
And unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I fall, was made and made a ministry. He was a minister of the gospel, but he was more than that, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church.
Paul suffered more than all the other apostles because he was the instrument chosen of God to bring out the proof of the mystery.
Christ in the Church composed of Jews and Gentiles. And there wasn't anything that brought more persecution upon him from the Jews than the truth of the mystery that the Gentiles should be joint heirs and a joint body and joint partakers of His promise in Christ. By the gospel they would cry out heresy.
That's not in our scriptures. It wasn't in the Old Testament. It was the mystery. It's God's hidden wisdom, brought out through the apostle Paul, which Peter speaks of as the wisdom given unto him. Things hard to be understood, Oh, hard to be understood by a Jewish mind. But this the choices. The choice is the highest, the most blessed of all blessings reserved for the time when Christ was rejected and crucified and put to shame.
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And God brought Optimus.
And Paul says he was a first 25 he suffered.
He filled up that which is verse 24, that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church. That truth caused him more suffering than any other truth that was preached Whereof I am made a minister. He is not only a minister of the Gospel, verse 23, but a minister of the mystery, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill that means to complete the word of God, now that the truth of the mystery is out and revealed and declared.
The Word of God is complete. God is no more than the same. He's finished.
He's revealed everything he's going to reveal. Until the mystery was revealed, that wasn't true. When the Old Testament was finished, that was not true. There was still the choicest, the best part of the truth, and that was the mystery. Now, that's been revealed. Now the word of God is complete and we don't look for fresh revelations. And it was given to Paul to do that.
And what completed it? Verse 26 says even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his Saints, to whom God would make known. What is the riches of the glory? Of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory? The Ephesians, we are in Christ, were brought into that place of blessedness, viewed by God as being in him.
In Colossians we have his life and Christ is in US.
Part of the mystery brought into the very highest of all blessings Christ in you, the hope of glory. If Christ is in us, the glory is assured to us, and we have the hope of it, and we're going to be there very shortly with whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom. Notice how wisdom is always mentioned in connection with the mystery.
That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, a Christian that does not know the mystery is not perfect in Christ.
Christian that does not know the mystery is a baby.
Paul was given this truth, that he might make everyone know this mystery. We may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, whereunto I also toil labor. You're striving according to his working, which worketh in the market.
For I would that you knew what great conflict that had for you and for them at 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. I'm going to read this as it is in Mr. Darby's translation.
To the knowledge of the mystery of God. Verse three in which are his All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, All the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge are here in this mystery. Christ in the Church, and you're a part of it.
We're living in the very last moments of the Church's history in this world. The breakup is great, but soon that's all going to change. And all the Saints from every group, whatever name they may have borne down here, that'll all drop off. That. All seats, and we'll all be around himself. Christ is sentenced and we'll all be there. Then there won't be any missing. That's the grand reunion day.
When all the Saints.
Will be together around himself to worship, to adore, to pray members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones, His beloved Dr. And we're going to reign with him over the millennial earth, over heavenly and earthly spheres, a place nearer to Him than the angels have. Then the Old Testament Saints had, than any other Saints had. That's our portion.
Well, the highest.
Has failed and we're a part of it, and we often hear it.
Adjourned for that day of display and all the failures will be gone. And that the perfection of what Christ is wrought only that will will remain. He's going to preset it to himself. A church glorious without spot a wrinkle or any such thing. We're waiting for that moment. Let's sing in closing. 327 Lord Jesus, are we one with the Ohio.
01:00:26
Or depth of love, and crucified and dead with thee now one in heaven above. And soon shall come that glorious day. When seated on their throne, Thou shalt to wondering world's display that we will see our 1:27 We raise our two inches.
Lord's Coming Pt.1
Address—J. Hyland
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They're waiting, waiting for the nuptial day. Then set their promised glory dating Come and bear thy Saints away. Come Lord Jesus. Thus thy waiting, people pray 183 Will someone please start it?
Bring your clothes. I think your way to make me fall.
Behind your head.
And then start from your face.
What I'm ever.
I say all your way.
Don't forget.
When I start.
We ask the Lord's help. We thank Thee, our loving God and Father, that we have been able to lift up our hearts and our voices this afternoon, and sing of that blessed hope, that hope which thou set before us, of soon being in the Father's house with. And like our precious Savior, we thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We thank you that we have one who has not only died for us, but one who has risen, ascended, and glorified Derek thy right hand, and one who is going to come forth and call us to himself at any moment. And so this afternoon we would say in our hearts Even so come Lord Jesus. But in the meantime we thank Thee for full provision for our pathway. Here we thank Thee for Thy word that we can open and read, and we pray that as we have some portions before us this afternoon.
That it might be that which would be for our edification, for our exhortation, and for our comfort according to our needs.
We thank you that goddess know the need of each one here in this room, and thou art able to fully meet that need.
Should I work, I'd like to begin this evening, this afternoon by reading 2 portions of scripture. The 1St is in John chapter 14.
John chapter 14 and I just want to read one clause.
About the middle of verse 3.
I will come again and then in Luke 19.
Luke 19 and justice the last phrase of verse 13.
Occupy till I come. Well, as our hymn suggested, I'd like to speak with the Lord's help this afternoon.
Little bit concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I'd like to take it up in connection with our responsibility.
While we wait that day, when we hear that shout that will summon us to himself, because I believe that God always did two things for his people in any age. He always gave them a present portion and he always gave them an eye to the future. And I would just say, too, that when God brings us into a place of blessing and gives us light from His word as to that place that He brought us into, there's always responsibility connected with it.
I believe that the joy and the fruit and the testimony come in our Christian lives as we seek by grace, and it's only by grace, but as we seek by grace to go on in the path that he has for us and to fulfill that responsibility that he has given us. I say again, when God brings me into a place of blessing and gives me light from his words as to that place of blessing, there's always responsibility connected with it. And that's the way I'd like to view it this afternoon as we take up the Lord's coming.
But as I say, in any dispensation, God always did those two things for his people.
You see it illustrated with the children of Israel as he redeemed them by the blood of the Passover lamb out of Egypt. They come out and they're delivered. They look back on the banks of the Red Sea and they see their enemies dead on the seashore. And they had complete deliverance. And it's true, they were going to a land flowing with milk and honey. He had put that Hulk before them. But, you know, in the meantime he provided everything that was needed for them. When they were hungry, he fed them.
When they were thirsty, he gave them water. Their shoes didn't wear out. And when they finally did enter the promised land some 40 years later, and they looked back on the wilderness journey, they had to own that it was all God's provision for them. It's true that they often looked at the present circumstances instead of seeing the hand of God behind it all. It's true sometimes they lost sight of the hope that they had been given of of going to the land of Canaan.
But you know, as they looked back when they finally entered the land, how different they viewed it.
And I believe that's the way we're going to view it in a coming day when we're safe home with them like our precious Savior, we're going to look back over the wilderness journey. And it's not going to be to remember all the discouragements and the difficulties, but it's going to be to see the hand of God behind everything. I like the way the hymn writer put it, he said. Then nevermore shall the tears, the the trials, temptations and walls that darken this valley of tears.
Invent crude on our blissful repose, or if yet remembered above no sadness, their memory shall rave. They will bring back fresh thoughts of His love, Fresh thoughts for our wonders.
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Pray. And I say, that's the way we're going to view the wilderness. That's the way we're going to view what he has passed us through here as we look back, and we see it in the light of God's presence. But you know, Israel was very quickly discouraged in the wilderness. And you find there that not having been in the wilderness very long, they look back and they murmur and complain. And they cried unto Moses, And Moses cried unto the Lord. And the Lord told Moses, he said, tell the people to turn around.
They're looking in the wrong direction. They're looking back. And when they turned around, what was it that they saw? It wasn't the discouragements and the hindrances that no doubt were there and no doubt they were going to face, but they saw the glory of the Lord revealed in the cloud in some way. Jehovah was pleased to reveal himself, and they could take heart and say we're going on to something far better and brother and I think this is what we need in the days in which we live.
I don't mean that we're indifferent to the circumstances and the trials and the tests that God allows, because he allows these things to draw us closer to himself. And we're in the school of God and we'll we'll never graduate from the school of God until we get home to glory. And so there are going to be the test.
And we don't want to be indifferent to those things that he allows, both in our lives as individuals, in the in the family, often, sometimes in the assembly. But I really believe that we need to lift up our eyes above the horizons of this sad world, to look beyond the long dark night and to realize that we're going on to something far better, David said. I had fainted, except I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. This is the land of the dying, but we're going to the land of the living.
And may we have this hope before us. I said that the floor that God always did two things for his people. And I've enjoyed it in connection with where we read here because we find that in the in John's Gospel we have what we might call the what we often call the upper room ministry. That is, before the Lord Jesus went to the cross, he drew his own into the upper room, and he gives them this wonderful encouragement and instruction.
And we find that in the 13th chapter he brings before them the truth of foot washing.
And the blessing that comes from the practical application of God, of the Word of God in our lives.
In the 15th chapter he gives them the truth of fruit bearing and abiding in the vine and the joy that comes from that. In the 16th chapter he gives them the promise of the Holy Spirit who is to be the power for their lives as they walk through this world. In the 17th chapter we have this high priestly prayer that which was pointing on to that time when the Lord Jesus would be at the right hand of God and fulfill that office as our High Priest.
For his own every hour of every day. But in the 14th chapter you have a hope, the hope of the Lord's coming. And so again, it's just as if he tells them I'm not going to be with you now, the way I have been during my public ministry, because he told them that he had come from God and he would return to God. But he says I'm going to make full provision in my absence. And I believe, brethren, that the resource that the people of God have enjoyed down through the ages.
Is the same limitless supply that we have today. We have all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and so he provides for our present needs. And then he gives us a hope. Because you know, when we live by faith, faith always has an object and faith has a hope. There's no such thing as blind faith, and faith is not a leaf in the dark. And you'll notice that all those in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
Who lived by faith. They all had an object. We read of those who, of one who looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker was God. We read of those who didn't receive the promises, but they saw them afar off and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims. We read of Moses, it says he endured as being him who is invisible, and even those at the end of the chapter.
Who didn't accept deliverance, but those who suffered trials of cruel mocking? Who wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins? Who were sawn asunder, and so on. What about them? They had a hope too, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. And so we need to have this hope before us. Because I've often said, why would you give up present advantage if you don't have an eye to the future, a young fellow goes to school.
00:15:26
Perhaps he gives up some things or thinks he does. Perhaps he doesn't go out with his friends when he'd like. He lives on very little. Why? Because he stays in to study and he says when I get my degree, I'll get a good job or a better job. He has that eye to the future. And oh brother, what is the hope that is set before us?
The hope of being with and like our precious Savior. And I believe we're just seconds. We're just moments away from the fulfillment of this promise that we began with Here I will come again. You know this is a promise from the very lips of the Lord Jesus. He knew the hearts of the disciples on this occasion, as he had brought before them, that he was going to go away. He was going to go to the cross and then back to the Father. He knew their hearts were troubled. He knew their hearts were afraid.
Tell them, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I will come again and receive you unto myself. How is it that we can sit here tonight in the mid or this afternoon, in the midst of confusion and a world that's right for the judgment of God? It's to know that at any moment we're going to be taken out, and we're not going to be here when the judgment falls, but while this world is getting worse and worse, and I believe the scriptures prepare to show us.
But the last days described their indifference to the claims of Christ. Yet you and I know that there's something far better waiting. And I say, here's a promise from the lips of the Lord Jesus himself. And it says all the promises of God in him are and in him. Amen. Has he ever made a promise that he won't fulfill? You know, sometimes I have made promises, and perhaps I was very sincere in making that promise. But when the time came to fulfill that promise, I had promised too much.
Or perhaps when I made the promise, I had the resources to fulfill it, but something had come in in the interim and I couldn't fulfill what I had promised to do. But oh Lord Jesus, I speak reverently. He never made a promise that he can't or won't fulfill. And though 2000 years have passed by since this promise was made, it will be fulfilled. The coming of the Lord draws nigh. I believe we're just seconds away from the fulfillment.
Of this blessed promise. And so he comforted the hearts of the disciples Here he said, I will come again. But as I said, I'd like to take it up in connection with our responsibility because I've been impressed how that in Christianity everything is in relationship to the Lord's coming. That's the pivotal point. Everything is in view of that day when the Lord Jesus will have a bride. You know he's waited almost 2000 years for his bride.
I remember when I was engaged. We were engaged for several months and I thought it was a long time. But it's nothing compared to what the man of patience has waited. He's waited almost 2000 years to have the church that he loved and gave himself for, to have her around himself in the full enjoyment of his love. In that day. I trust, brethren, there is in some measure in our hearts a response as to the Lord's coming. I trust the response of our hearts is in the language of Scripture Even so, come Lord Jesus.
But you know, it's wonderful to think of how he's longing for that day when he will have us with himself. I was staying in a home some time ago, and there was a young man in the home who was anticipating marriage. And every morning as he came down to the breakfast table, he announced how many days it was until the wedding. The first day it was 45 days, the second day 44, and so on. And I thought as he came down and announced with a glad smile that it was one day less until the wedding. I thought if an earthly bridegroom can anticipate the times when he will have his bride and they will share their love together.
How much more? The Heavenly Bridegroom who's waited almost 2000 years and you know in that day, marvel of marvel, he's going to view us there as his bride, a glorious bride, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And he's going to see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. And when we think of that, then I believe it will be the springboard. It will be the motivation to follow him now and seek by grace to occupy.
00:20:13
Until he comes. And so I read this phrase here in the 19th of Luke, because here we find that there was this man who had servants and in his absence he gave them responsibility. Just a little aside, you'll find that in Matthew's Gospel where he takes up this same incident, you'll find that there are different responsibilities given and the same reward, because in Matthew's Gospel he brings before us God's sovereignty.
But I believe Luke's ministry brings before us man's responsibility, and so here we have the same responsibility. Each one is given 10 talents, and there's a difference in the rewards because he will reward for faithfulness. And every one of us here, who knows Christ as our Savior, he has a responsibility for us in the path of faith. Now, the path of faith that he has for you is not the path of faith that he has for me.
Because we're individuals in God's family and he has an individual path of faith for us.
But I say each one of us have something, some responsibility, some talent, if I can put it that way, that we are responsible to use for his glory and honor as we're left in this world. You see it illustrated with the Levites because every Levite had a responsibility in connection with the Tabernacle. And you know, it says, let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.
It wasn't that it went with those Levites. It wasn't that one looked at another and coveted what the other one was doing.
Each one was responsible to fulfill the little function that God had given him. I've sometimes wondered if perhaps the one who went around and picked up the pins or kept the cords from tangling, if he didn't, look at the one who carried the brazen altar of the board and say, well, I wish I was doing that, but that's not where the blessing came. The blessings and the reward came from fulfilling the function that God had given him to do. Because I believe each one of us are given a special place and a function that no one else can fulfill.
Just as well as you. Just like in a natural body, every member of our natural bodies has a particular function.
And if you lose a hand, well, the other hand can take over and you can get through life, but not as well as with two.
And so we need to be exercised as members of the body of Christ. Each one of us have a function.
And I say again, he has a path of faith for us and it's in relationship to the Lords coming. It's in view of that because he never wants us to lose sight of that hope. In fact, brethren, I believe that in the measure in which we are looking for the Lords coming in that measure, it will have a practical purifying effect on our lives. We see that in first John chapter 3, where he takes up the truth of not only being with Christ, but like Christ, and then he says everyone that has this hope in him.
Purifies himself even as he is pure. I say in the measure in which I am expecting the Lord at any moment in that measure, it will have a practical effect on my life. You know, sometimes use the illustration of Daniel. You'll find that Daniel stood before the greatest king of his day, King Belshazzar. And Belshazzar said, if you can read the writing on the wall, I'll give you 3 things. He said. I'll give you a gold chain of scarlet robe and I'll make you third ruler in the Kingdom.
Daniel said to that man, But he said, thy gift be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing. Why did he say that? Why did he refuse those gifts? Well, why would he want to be third ruler in a Kingdom that was already under judgment? Because secular history tells us that while Daniel was standing there, the enemy was already besieging the city, and scripture itself tells us that that night was the King's flame and his Kingdom given.
To another. And Daniel knew from the writing on the wall that that Kingdom was under judgment, and so he refused to have part in that Kingdom. And when in Peter he takes up the subject of the elements, melting with fervent heat, and the final judgment of this world, he says, Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, as we realize that everything we have down here is going to pass away?
I say it will have a proper I will have a practical effect on our lives, and it will keep that which we have in a temporal way in perspective. I don't mean that we despise the mercies that God has given us. We ought to be faithful stewards of what he has committed to our trust. It says it is required and steward.
00:25:17
A man be found faithful? Well, I mentioned that the past that he has for us is a path of faith. And you know, there are many things that sometimes we wish were spelled out clearly in the word of God, particularly those of us who are younger. We come to those decisions in life, perhaps where we're going to live, a vocation in life, a partner in life, things like that. And we wish we could turn to the word of God and find direct answers to those things.
But you know, if everything was spelled out in that way, it wouldn't be a path of faith. Now, I would just say I believe this book is sufficient light to guide us the whole pathway and to answer every question that arises, even in 1993. But, you know, God desires that we would search the word of God, and as we read it, then he takes it and applies it in the power of the Spirit as direction for our pathways. But, you know, I believe that while that is true.
There are some things that are spelled out very clearly in God's words. And we're going to look at some of these things. We're going to see that they are all in light of the Lords coming, but we're going to see that he would have us to be occupied with these things while we await that moment. And as we look at these things, it's not so much a question of should we be occupied with these things, but are we occupied with these things? You know, we take steps in our Christian life and we have to say, like the apostle Paul, we trust.
We have the Lord's mind. Perhaps we do look back and we say, well, it seems we had the Lord's mind.
But I say as we look at these scriptures, they leave no doubt in our minds as to whether they are His will for us in the path of faith. And I would just say too that as we take up these scriptures, it's not my thought or my desires to bring out something particularly new. They're all well known scriptures. But I trust as we look at these well known scriptures and we make some comments on them with the Lord's help, I trust that they will encourage our hearts, brethren, to follow him the little time that remains that we might be faithful to Him.
You know, I've enjoyed the little commendation given to Philadelphia, and I trust there's no thought even in corners of our hearts, as to being Philadelphia. But we see there that which met meets with the Lord's approval. They kept his word and had not denied his name. And isn't that what we really desire, brethren, the Lord's approval? And at the end of it all, what is going to make the path of faith worthwhile is well done, thou good and faithful servant. Let's turn first of all, then to 1St Corinthians Chapter 10.
For Chapter 11.
One Corinthians Chapter 11 and verse 26. For as often as ye eat this bread.
And drink this cup, Ye do show the Lord's death till he comes. Well, as I said, the path of faith is first of all individuals. But I believe too, that even in the day in which we live, there's not just the path of faith for us as individuals, and not just the path of faith for us as families. But I believe there's a path of faith for us collectively as well, because when God takes up the individual side of things in Scripture.
That is our responsibility and position before God as individuals. There's always a comparable truth connected with the collective aspect of things, and I'm saddened to find today that it's the collective side of things that is being given up. And here I believe we have it brought before us. Now we know that in the chapter before, he takes up the subject of the Lord's table, in this chapter he takes up the subject of the Lord's Supper. And I believe that everything that has gone before in these two chapters is summed up in this precious verse that we have just read.
You know, I've often wondered why in the verses that precede here, the Apostle Paul by the Spirit of God goes over very carefully. The Lord suffer as to how it was to be carried out and to its significance. Because, you know, when the Lord Jesus was here, he instituted the feast himself in Luke 22. And if we were to go back there, we would find that he leaves nothing unexplained as to how that feast was to be carried out. He didn't just say to his own to remember him when he was gone.
00:30:04
But he left them in no doubt as to how they were to commemorate him.
If he had just said, Remember Me in death when I'm gone, everyone of us would have would be entitled to our own opinion. But he goes over it very carefully, and you might say, well, wasn't it enough that the Lord Jesus instituted that beast, instituted that beast himself, and explained its significance?
Well, it perhaps it would have been, but to my own heart it's just as if he would say to the apostle Paul, I want you to give it to them again, so that there's no doubt in my mind and in the minds of my own as to the significance of the state as to how it is to be carried out and what it means to my heart to have my own Remember Me and death. You know, we were here this morning to remember the Lord in his death, and sometimes we think of the joy that it brings to our heart.
To be in the presence of the Lord Jesus and to respond with a loaf and a cup on the table.
But his joy this morning far outweighed ours. Think of his part. His part Brethren is always greater, and I believe it's precious to realize that his desire was expressed there in Luke 22. It's true there was obedience and a response on the part of the disciples. But whose desire was it that was particularly expressed on that occasion? It was the desire of the Lord Jesus to have His own around himself.
He could say with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And I know it was particularly the Passover that was in view there. But he knew that it was to be the very spot where he would institute this precious feast. And so let's keep this in mind as to how much it means to his heart to have his own response in this world that cast him out and rejected him. And so I say everything is summed up here as he says as often.
Brethren, when the Lord Jesus instituted this speech.
He knew not only what the hearts of his own were like on that occasion, but he knew what my heart was like.
He knew that I would need a reminder and that I would need it often. And I think this is one of the most precious things concerning being gathered to the Lords name. And that is that we not only have the privilege of remembering the Lord Jesus in his death on a special occasion, not just twice a year or once a month, but every first day of the week. We need that reminder and we need it often. And you can trace through the book of the act in the early days of the Church.
And before the Canon of scripture was completed, it was already the exercise and the joy of the early believers to come together on the first day of the week to remember the Lord Jesus in his death. And so he says as often as he eats this bread and drink this cup. Now I realize that we understand the significance of the loaf in the cup. That loaf unbroken, speaks of every member of the body of Christ every St. alive on the face of the earth. He takes that up in the 10th chapter when he brings before us the significance of the low. And then when we take that loaf and break it, it is to be a fresh reminder.
Of His body given in death for us. And the cup speaks of His Precious blood. It's given separately because I believe the the separation of the blood from the body was the proof of death. That's why He gives us the Cup's effort from the loaf. But I want to just pass on another little thought in connection with why the Lord Jesus chose a loaf and a cup. I speak carefully, but I believe He could have really chosen anything.
And given it the same significance, but he chose a loaf of bread and fruit of the vine.
Because, brethren, I believe he wanted it to be something that was available to his own.
In any age, in any part of the world, and you know, though it's been 2000 years since the institution of that feast, you can go almost anywhere in the world today, and at very little cost. You can obtain a loaf of bread in some form. May not be a loaf of bread as we think of it, but in some form a loaf of bread, and in some form, again perhaps at little cost, fruit of the vine, because I say he wanted it to be available to his own because it means much to have his own. Remember him in death.
And I know it's a little bit out of context, but I often think of that question raised by Naomi Servant.
They said, if he had asked me to do some hard thing, would thou not have done it? Brethren, has he asked us to do some hard thing? Has he asked us to do something that is costly? Has he asked us to use emblems that are hard to obtain? How simple and yet how precious a loaf and a cup? And I say he has preserved this institution for us. I believe rather not just that we can break bread, but so that we can partake of the Lord's Supper.
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At the Lord's table so we can be gathered by the Spirit of God around himself. Because when God institutes something, he always makes provision to the very end. You know that believe. That's one reason why the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 18, where two or three he didn't say 2 or 300, he didn't say two or three dozen, but he looked on beyond the Pauline gaze of the church. He looked on beyond the revival of the truth in the 1800s.
He looked on to 1993 and realizing that man fails in his responsibility, he looked on to this very moment and he brought it down to the smallest corporate testimony possible. And I say when he sets up and institute something, he makes provision for the to the very end. Because he doesn't just know the beginning from the end, he knows the end from the beginning. You know, I've often said that I might set up something, establish something, perhaps a trust fund for one of my children.
And I may have ample resources when that fund is begun, But, you know, I may run out of the resources, and I may never be able to bring that that institution to fruition. I may never be able to bring it to the purpose for which I intended. But I say again, God makes provision to the very end, and I believe honestly, myself and on the authority of God's word, that there's still a path of faith for us collectively if we're willing to bow to the word of God.
And follow in that path that he has for us. And so ye do show the Lord's death. How long, brethren, till he comes. He wouldn't have said till he comes if he wasn't going to make provisions to the very end. And I wonder, when we get home to glory, I want to be careful, because I realize in that day everything will be fullness of joy. There will be nothing to mar our enjoyment of the Father's house and our enjoyment of Christ. But I have wondered if in that day when you look into His face.
And he looked into yours, and there's that mutual feeling of joy. I've wondered if there isn't just going to be some little special understanding between your heart and his, that while you were in the scene of his rejection, you responded to that request. You remembered him in his death. Well, let's turn over to First Timothy.
First Timothy chapter 4.
And verse 13.
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, verse 15. Meditate upon these things, Give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Well, I'm going to take this scripture a little bit out of its context, but I believe it's applicable and relevant to that which we have been Speaking of, because Paul here was writing to Timothy, and desirous to see Timothy face to face.
He tells him that in the interim he should give attendance to reading, but I believe this is good for us in connection with the Lord's coming.
Because God has given us His word as light, an instruction for our pathways, and we need to give attendance to reading. This is a day when the Word of God is being set aside. I believe that the Word of God, as we take it up and read it, has a very, very practical effect on our lives. We know that first of all, it was that which showed us the way of salvation. Because, Paul said to Timothy, thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
We know, too, that it was the Word of God applied in the power of the Spirit that God used in connection with imparting divine life, because it says we're born again, not a corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever. But then after we're saved, we need the word of God because we receive a new life. And just as in physical things, if we're going to grow and be healthy, we need to eat. And if we're going to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
If we're going to be healthy Christians, we need to feed on God's word. That's why, Job said. I esteemed the words of his mouth.
00:40:03
More than my necessary foods, Jeremiah said, Thy words were found and I to beat them, and they were under me. The joy and rejoicing of my heart. And we need to develop an appetite for God's word. You know, when I was a child, I was a very picky eater and there were few things that I liked, particularly vegetables. And you know, one of the things that I particularly abhorred with tea, and my mother always told me that when I was home.
I could refuse those things, but I had to eat them when I was out and, you know, as I travel amongst the Lord's people.
Often the vegetable that served as peas, and more often than that, they sometimes serve the plight. But, you know, I want to say this, having had to eat peas on a regular basis, I have developed an appetite for them, and now I thoroughly enjoy them. And I'll even take a second helping if they're offered. And I just say that in connection with the word of God, we need to develop an appetite for it. Maybe at first we don't have that appetite. It takes real discipline. But, you know, the children of Israel were provided for.
In the wilderness. And you know, one of the things that grieves Jehovah very much when Israel was in the wilderness was that they despised the simple manner that God had given them. And I believe that God has given us food in His word, because, you know, as we were saying this morning in Sunday school, wherever you read in the word of God, the subject is always Christ. And the Lord Jesus said when he was here that they were his own, were to eat of the bread of heaven, which of which he was Speaking of himself.
And how do we feed on Christ? It's God's word. And so we need to gather the manna like the children of Israel in the 16th chapter of Exodus. And I just challenge you sometimes to read that chapter in that connection because, you know, first of all, they had to go out and gather it every day. No, I believe a wilderness would bring before us that wouldn't a place where there's nothing to sustain life. You know, the children of Israel, we're in a wilderness. There was nothing.
To sustain life. And so God gave them the manna. And we're in a spiritual wilderness. There's nothing to sustain the new man in this world. There's plenty to feed our lust and to feed the old man. But I believe if we feed on the mammoth. If we feed on Christ. And when were they to gather it? Every morning. And that's what we need, brethren, before we go out into a world where things are offered to feed our love. We need to satisfy our souls with the bread of heaven.
Boffin said that if I make sure my daughter eats a good, healthy breakfast.
She's not going to be so apartment to want a chocolate bar at recess time because her hunger has been satisfied with good wholesome food. And I say if you feed on Christ, if you satisfy your soul with God's word before you go out into the world, you're not going to be so vulnerable to the things that are offered on every hand. And so they had to feed on the manna every morning and the man of the gather it and the manner they needed today was not the manner they needed tomorrow.
You know, we take time to eat three or four good meals a day. We take such good care of the physical. But house, how often I say to my own heart I starve that new man. I don't take time to feed on God's word. And so we can't expect to grow in the things of Christ if we don't see the new, the spiritual man. Well, they had to gather it there. But then there was something else, because it says some gathered more and some left.
And perhaps you say, well, life is so pressured I have to get to work so early in the morning.
But you don't want them the amount they gathered that was important. Some gathered more and some less. Maybe you only have time to read two or three verses, but take time and then take that with you because it says when they meet it into their Omer. When they took it with them, then what happened? He that gathered much had nothing over. In other words, if you have time to read a lot, thank God for it. We need all of God's word we can get. You'll never have anything over. But then I like what it says.
He that gathered little had no lack, and so God knows just what you're going to need for the day.
And take those two or three verses and meditate on them. That's why I read this verse here in the 15th, the 15th verse of our chapter. Meditate upon these things. You know, I suppose, as another has said, meditation is really a long start. Today, we don't take time to meditate. Perhaps years ago a brother could work with his hands and meditate on scripture, but you can't run a computer like that. You can't drive down the freeway like that.
00:45:04
It takes everything you have, everything. Satan is busy to rob us of our enjoyment of Christ, to fill our minds. And it's true, we need to get along in this world. But I would just suggest the truth of that little hymn. Take time to be holy. Brethren will never have time. If we don't take time, they'll never be such a thing as saying, well, I had plenty of time for the things of God. It just seems you have always have to take time and so take that manner. Put it into your Omer. Fit it into the needs of the day, take it with you.
And when you get a moment, take time to just meditate on those scriptures and you'll find that you'll you'll have no laugh. I would just say too, that there when they went out to gather the manna, it was the man that was to gather for his household. And I believe it brings before us the responsibility of the head of the home. And you know, I'm thankful that I grew up in a home where my father read us the word of God before we went out to school every morning. And I remember my father sitting at the end of the breakfast table.
There was a time when all four of us went on a different school bus at a different time, and I can remember him sitting at the end of the table with an open Bible so he would catch each one of us as we trickled out to the breakfast table so that we would have some portion of the word of God. I didn't always appreciate it, and sometimes I would slip out at the last moment and gulp a glass of milk and think I wasn't going to get some of the word of God that morning. And my father would make me sit down. He would read to me.
And then if I missed the bus, he would get in the car and drive me to school. I didn't value it at the time, but I looked back. And I appreciate a home where the word of God was before us on a daily basis. And so I just say that to those of us who have families, be sure we give our children something of the word of God. I say they're going out into a world where they're facing things we never had to face. There's all kinds of temptations and difficulties, and Satan has so much for their heart. Let's feed our children.
God's word before they go out into a world like that. But you know, the word of God is not only food for our souls, but I believe it's also light, an instruction for our pathway. Because as I say, God has a path for us, but it's a path that's marked out in His word. I have sometimes talked to folks and they say, well, I'd like to know what the Lord has for me in some decision in life. But you talk to them and you find they're not reading their Bible. They say, well, I pray.
But, you know, it's wonderful to talk to God in prayer, but he wants us to listen to, you know, if you have a friend and they phone you up and they always do all the talking, pretty soon they get tired of listening to it. You get tired of listening to them. And so I I wanted to be careful because we can talk to God at any time. If it takes five hours, he's still willing to listen. But he does want us to stop and listen to him speak to us through his word. He wants to guide us and direct us, one of all said, I know that the way of man is not in himself.
It is not a man that walketh to direct his footsteps. How can we think we can go through a world like this and we don't need light and instruction for our pathways? I've enjoyed a little progression in this connection in the Psalms because we find in the 27th Psalm. David expresses a wonderful desire. He says teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path. And I trust that's the desire of each of our hearts here to know the past that the Lord has for us.
But then when he comes to the 119th Psalm, he recognizes that if he's going to have light, an instruction for his pathway, it must be God's Word. And so he says, There thy word is a lamp under my feet and a light unto my path. You know, as you read the Word of God on a daily basis, then when those decisions come, the Lord can, by the Spirit, bring the Scripture before you and apply it to answer every difficulty.
And to direct every footstep. But then there's something nice in the 143rd Psalm, it says, not just teach me thy way, but teach me to do thy will. In other words, David said, when you do, make it clear to me. Then he said, give me the grace to take that step of faith, to follow, whether it's hard or easy. Because sometimes the Lord may make something clear from His word, and we might hold back and say, well, if it wasn't something quite so difficult, I wouldn't mind.
David said No, teach me, not just by way, but teach me to do thy will.
Well, then we find too that the word of God has a purifying effect on our lives, because it speaks in again in 119th Psalm it says, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. And there was an elderly brother in my home assembly for many years, and he used to tell us when he came home from work he needed a good wash, And he wasn't talking about soap and water either. He was talking of the washing of water.
00:50:30
Word. I was standing in line at a conference one time we were going down for dinner and some of us were talking and one brother said, he said I have a memory like a stair. And another said that's why you need to keep the water running through it. And another brother used to remind us, he said you can pour water through a basket and the basket won't retain the water, but the water will keep the basket clean. And so let me just put it this way, in connection with what we have spoken of in the morning, we need to feed on God's word before we go out into the world.
Go out into the world. We need to meditate on God's Word as we have opportunity. And then when we come home at night, we need the washing of water by the Word. It's the practical application of the Word as he takes up in John chapter 13. It's the truth of foot washing and the Lord Jesus washed the disciples feet. And then he said he ought to wash one another's feet. And so we need to let the Word wash the Word of God.
Wash our feet and then we need to seek grace to encourage one another and early believe this is important brethren in the day in which we live. Because there's so much to discourage, so many difficulties in the home and often in the assembly. And what we need is to encourage one another in the Lord. But we can't refresh one another if we haven't let the word of God refresh our hearts, because when David was faced with a great trial in Israel, it says that.
He encouraged himself in the Lord, and then he went down and encouraged his men that were with him.
And there was a great victory in Israel that day. So we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord.
And then we can encourage one another, because I really believe that true fellowship springs from the measure in which we enjoy fellowship with the Father and with the Son. You know, it says in first John, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And in the measure in which we enjoy that, then what does it say? It says if we walk in the light, if he is in the light, that is, if we enjoy that fellowship with the Father and with the Son, It says we have fellowship one with another. Why is it that sometimes we get together?
And we say, we come away and we say, well, there wasn't much true fellowship because true fellowship is our enjoyment of Christ together. And we say there wasn't much, there wasn't really an enjoyment of Christ with one another. Well, I say again, I cannot enjoy Christ with my brother if I haven't enjoyed Christ in my own soul, if there has, if I haven't let him wash my feet. I'm not going to wash my brother's feet and encourage him in the Lord. And then I would just like to say a word to.
In connection with ministry in the assembly.
Because I believe that we need to have the word of God before us in the assembly as well.
And you know, man is an extremist. He's the pendulum swings and I believe that God has given us ministry in the assembly to guard against that.
You know, I believe that when ministry is taken up in the assembly, there's a balance. Because if I bring out something that's not true or wrong, the spirit of God is given. Liberty can use another to correct it. If a brother brings out something that is just one side of the truth, another by the spirit, can bring out something to balance that. Some can bring out the doctrinal principles, others can make a practical application, and some can bring out the gospel from the same portion.
And when ministry is taken up in that way, in the assembly, we receive a balance and brethren. I just want to encourage our hearts to avail ourselves of ministry in the assembly in the way that God has given us. Because I often think of that verse that says Ephraim, is a cake not turned. And you know yourself that if you put a cake on the griddle and you don't turn it, it becomes too well done on one side and not enough on the other. And I have noticed that those who do not avail themselves of ministry in the assembly.
They're like that. They become one sided in their thinking. I don't want to discourage personal reading of the word of God. It's very, very vital and important. And the Spirit of God can bring the truth before us as we read the the word of God individually. But you know it says of the assembly, it's the pillar and ground of the truth. Now I don't believe the assembly teaches, but it's in the assembly we learn as taught by the Spirit of God and so when the Spirit is given liberty in the assemblies.
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Then the truth is brought out, and there's that balance. And then I would just say, too, that there's a there are plenty of warnings in Scripture as to not following the light of God's word. You know Jeremiah in the 13th chapter of that book, he weeps for the people of God as he pleads with them to hearken in his ears. For the Lord has spoken, and he speaks of how they had refused the light of God's word, and now they had come to a point.
Where they were stumbling on the dark mountains, where they were looking for light, but they refused it so long that their feet were stumbling. And he says, there all I can do is weep for you, you know, As I look back over my few short years, I think of those who refuse to walk in the light of God's Word. And now they've come to situations that just seem insurmountable. And they want light, perhaps, but they refused it. And now they're stumbling on the dark mountains. And so as we take up the word of God.
As we read it, as He gives us light and instruction, we need to seek grace that we would follow.
The instructions from God's Word. And I believe, as I say, that this book is sufficient to answer every difficulty and every situation that arises. Even in the assembly in 1993, you know, I've often said that there was a large bookcase in my parents home as we were growing up. It went from the floor to the ceiling, and on the top shelf up near the ceiling, there was a row of books that mostly collected dust. They didn't get read very often.
And they were old books that our parents had studied when they went to school. And sometimes on a snowy evening or a rainy afternoon, we would get those books down and we would read them as we used to say, just for a laugh, because we stay quiet. We've left these things behind long ago. Wise men's opinions change, ways of teaching change, and those books were out of date. But all God's word is more up to date from the daily newspaper. It's it's what's happening today.
And that's why Paul said to Timothy, till I come, give attendance to readings, to exhortation, to doctrine. I believe that's vital, brother. And you'll forgive me if I unburden my heart a little bit, just in closing, because I feel that this is a day when doctrine is being set aside. But you know, over and over again in the book of Timothy, Paul brings before this young man the importance of sound doctrine. I've never counted, but particularly in the second epistle.
He brings before him the need for sound doctrine, and when he gives a list, he always puts doctrine at the beginning.
Thou hast fully known my doctrine and manner of life. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. And what's the first thing for doctrine? And in Acts 242 we find there that the early believers continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers. Why is doctrine first there? Because it was the basis for everything else. It was the basis for fellowship, for breaking a bread, for prayer.
And even people in a worldly sense, when they form a society, there's some common denominator, some interest, some theology or philosophy that brings them together. Those who are interested in fishing form a fishing game club. Those who are interested in reading for a book club. There's something common that unites them. And what is it, brethren? What is the basis for being gathered to the Lord's name? It's the fundamental doctrine of the word of God.
And particularly that which was given to the Apostle Paul. And we need to cling to these doctrines. We need to hold fast. And you know, sometimes I'm afraid, and you'll forgive me if I speak very plainly, but I'm afraid sometimes we make statements that may sound very pious in themselves. They may even be true in themselves. But they're only one aspect of the truth. And there is an off repeated statement made today. We're not gathered to a doctrine. We're gathered to a person.
Now, brethren, that is true, may we never lose sight of the person of Christ. We will be preserved as we see Him and Him alone in the midst, as we see no man save Jesus only. But, brethren, let's remember that doctrine is vital. It's important. It's the foundation for everything else.
01:00:04
And it says that in the 138 psalms thou hast magnified thy word.
Above thy name, let's never put, as it were, the name above the word I speak reverently.
God says He placed His word above His name and were never justified in doing anything, even in the name of the Lord Jesus, without the authority of God's word. Well, I'd like tomorrow evening to continue and to look at some other things that he would be have us to be occupied with in relationship to His coming. But all Brad and we may be home by then. We may see his lovely face. May we have this before us, May we be watching. May we be waiting.
And may we be listening for that assembling shout that's going to.
Gift of God
Gospel—J. Hyland
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God loves the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. Salvation full at highest cost. He offers free to all Oculus love with wondrous love. The love of God to me to brought my Savior from above to die on Calvary hymn #14. Will someone please start it?
We ask God. I'd like to begin by reading a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Psalms Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3.
Ecclesiastes, chapter 3 and verse 13.
And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor. It is the gift of God. And then I'm going to read a verse in 2nd Corinthians 9.
00:05:13
2nd Corinthians 9 and verse 15.
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Well, these might sound like 2 strange verses to connect at the beginning of a gospel meeting.
But I'd like to speak a little bit this evening of this expression, the gift of God.
Because I believe, as we will see, as we take up some scriptures that bring before us God's gift, I believe it will speak or I I trust it will speak to our hearts. You know, we were singing tonight of the love of God. And isn't it a thrill to our souls tonight to be able to lift up our hearts and our voices and sing of the love of God, to be able to proclaim in this sad, sin, sick world that there's a Savior in the glory?
That God so loved the world. The world that he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life, say the heart of God tonight. That is allowing the good news of the gospel to go forth even in 1993. You know the ages have rolled on since the Lord Jesus was here in this world, and God is long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish, and the very fact that the gospel is still going forth tonight.
And the very fact that we're here with God's word before us tonight is just the proof of the love and the grace that's in the heart of God. Man sometimes has a gross misconception of the heart of God. He thinks of God as a judge. He thinks of God as an angry God who delights in punishment. Well, it is true. God must judge because of his righteous character. And God indeed is holy and God is light. But all I'm thankful to God tonight is also a God of love.
That even though men have sinned, and even though you see today how full blown sin has become in this world, because sin is not only practiced tonight in this world, it's preached and glorified. It's encouraged. But all tonight, God's heart is a God is a heart of love, and the gospel is good news. You know, I don't often get an opportunity to read a newspaper, but I was staying in a home some time ago.
And there was a paper sitting on the table, and so I picked it up and I scanned the headlines of that paper on the front page.
And you know, there wasn't 1 positive headline on the front page of that newspaper. And I put it back on the table and I said to the man I was staying with. I said there's no good news in this newspaper and there's not much good news in this sad world tonight. And yet when we open God's word and we present a message of love, we present the good news that Christ is the savior of sinners. I marvel, I marvel that when a message like that is presented.
That man doesn't want it. You know, if man could just enter in in some measure tonight to the heart of God.
When a gospel meeting like this is called, rooms like this wouldn't be able to hold the people that would want to hear. If people only realize that God loves them, if they only realize how much he desires their blessings and their happiness both in this life and when we leave this world. I say if they only in some small measure could enter into the heart of God. When a meeting like this was called, a room like this would be packed. But sad to say, man doesn't enter into the heart of God.
He doesn't realize how much God loves him and all. Tonight I wish I could tell you how much God loves you.
But you know the love of God is past finding out it passed us all understanding, never mind telling. But if I as we take up these verses, my desire and my prayer is that if there's someone here and you're not saved, you haven't tasted of the love of God. My prayer tonight is that you will taste of that love. That the love of God will so touch and melt your heart tonight, that you'll come to the Savior, that you'll receive salvation.
Because that's the prayer of many in this room, and that's what they desire of the heart of God. You know, those who come to a gospel meeting who are lost in their sins, they do one of two things. They cause rejoicing in the heart of God and in heaven itself, or they cause grief and sadness to the heart of God. And if there's someone here and you're lost in your sins, if you come to the Savior tonight, there'll be joy in the presence of the angels of God.
00:10:07
Over 1 Sinner that repenteth. But if you go out the door tonight and you're still lost in your sins, think of what that will mean to the heart of God. Well, as I say, I'd like to look at this little expression, the gift of God. And I read this verse here in Ecclesiastes because here was Solomon, the greatest king of his day.
And he recognized that for a man to eat and drink, and to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
It was the gift of God. He recognized that those temporal things, those mercies that he received and that man received were a gift from the hand of God. In fact, he repeats this statement just a couple of chapters later. And you know, as I read a verse like this, I think of man tonight in this world.
He enjoys all the benefits that God will allow him to have, all the mercy, and he has plenty in a land like this and the land of Canada, where I come from, plenty of mercies. Sometimes perhaps it may seem like there's a bad year on the land and so on, but man enjoys plenty of mercies in a land like this, and Solomon said that for a man to enjoy that which he had worked for, it was indeed the gift of God.
But, you know, there are so many in this world tonight, and they want all those things that God will give them. They want all those blessings, all those mercies, but they don't want the bluster. You know, I think of the prodigal son. He came to his father and he said, father, give me. Isn't that the heart of man? He's willing to take all that God will give him. But you know, the prodigal son, while he wanted what he felt was rightfully his, yet he didn't want the bluster. He didn't want the company of the father. He didn't want the father's house.
And so he takes what he feels is rightfully his, and he leaves the Father's house. He leaves the place of blessings. He goes away from the Father, and he goes, and he spends his living in what he thinks is a good time. Isn't that what man is doing tonight with the things that God has given him? He takes them, and he has a good time. He consumes them upon his lust. He enjoys to the full, because there are pleasures in sin for a season. There's pleasure for a little time.
But it really doesn't satisfy without the bluster, without God himself, without the Lord Jesus. This world is too small to fill the human heart. Only the one that made us can satisfy us. Only the Lord Jesus can fill and satisfy the heart. I think of that woman in the 4th of John. Let the Lord Jesus met there as he sat on the well. And that woman came and she was a Sinner and she came in to get that refreshment from that well that only refreshed her for a little time.
And then she had to come again and again and again, day after day and year after year, because that water that came from the earth, it only refreshed for a moment and then she needed more. And I've often thought as she came there from year to year, no deep no doubt she had to let down that bucket deeper and deeper and deeper to get that water that's satisfied for a little while. And isn't that the way it is? Within man tries one thing and it satisfies for a little while.
Then he has to try something else, and something else and something else but oh, if he would just turn to the Savior, he'd find satisfaction because the the Lord Jesus said to that woman that he would give her living water so that she would never thirst again. He told her that she he was the only one who could satisfy her belongings and the thirst of her soul. And so Solomon here he recognizes.
That those things that he had, those mercies from God, they were a gift of God. And we don't want to despise the many things God has given us in in a land like this. He's given us many things. But all I say how sad, how sad to leave God out.
Just like that rich man in Luke's gospel that the Lord Jesus told about he fared sumptuously every day he had the best.
But what about when he left this world? The time came when he had to leave it all behind all. He had nothing. He lifted up his eyes in a lost eternity because he had left God out. There was another man the Lord Jesus told about, and he had wonderful crops. He had much good laid up in story. So I'm going to tear down my barns and build greater to store all these wonderful things. What did God say about him? He said. Thou fool.
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This night, shall I soul be required of thee? You know, there is a solemn verse in the book of Amos. I believe it is. It says prepare to meet thy God. You know, I suppose we're always preparing for something. A child goes to public school to prepare them for high school. Then they go on to high school to prepare them for the workplace or for college. Then perhaps they go on to college to prepare them for a job. And then when someone gets a job, they set a little bit aside because they're thinking of the day when they will be able to retire and not work so hard.
And so we're always preparing for something. The boys and girls know that when they get up in the morning, they have to prepare for breakfast and prepare for school and so on. But oh, how sad. Man prepares for this life, but he doesn't prepare for the next. He doesn't look beyond this world and man says when he dies, it's all over. But you know the Lord Jesus told about those two men in Luke's gospel. And it's true, they both died. But he pulled aside the curtain.
And showed that there was something after this life, that when man drew that last breath, it was not all over. And so it's wonderful to be able to enjoy the mercies that God has given us in a land like this. But how solemn when man goes on, room for pleasure, room for business. But for Christ the crucified not a place that he can enter in the heart for which he died. Well, we have a wonderful verse here in 2nd Corinthians 9.
And here the Apostle Paul, who could refer to himself as the chief of sinners.
He bursts out at the end of this chapter and he says thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. You know, I believe this verse contains a very wonderful message because I believe in this verse we find the greatest gift that was ever given to man, and that's the gift of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul says there aren't words to describe this gift. It's unspeakable. And the Lord Jesus indeed has come.
Into this world he came, a babe in Bethlehem's Manger. He grew up rejected, hated, despised. They tried on several occasions to get rid of him. First of all, there was no room for him in the inn. Then you'll find that Herod decided he wanted to get rid of the Lord Jesus while he was a young child. Then you find on another occasion they came to take him, but his hour was not yet come. On another occasion they were going to cast him over the brow of some hill.
Pride our way within. Crucify and they say in their hearts, we will not have this man to reign over us. They deliver him unto Pilate, the Roman governor, who has him scourge he. They take him, and they lead him out to Calvary Cross.
And there that man, that God had created, and that had come forth from the hand of God, and been declared as very good.
That very preacher had fallen to such an extent that he was the very instrument that God used to nail his son to a Roman gibbet. And there the Lord Jesus on Calvary Cross, he bears the sin. He lays down his life. He sheds his precious blood. No wonder Paul bursts out at the end of this chapter and says thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. You know I come from the town of Smiths falls ON.
And through that town runs the Rideau River. The Rideau River begins at the Saint Lawrence and flows through up through our area from Kingston through Smith Falls and on up to the nation's capital, Ottawa. And there it dumps over the Rideau Falls into the Ottawa River. And you know, in the winter, it being very cold up our way, that river freezes very deep. In fact, as it runs through the city of Ottawa, they.
Plow it off and it We boast of the longest skating rink in the world, about 7 miles long.
And you can skate therefore usually several weeks during the winter, but you know sometimes when the ice melts and the.
Begins to melt in the spring, we will often get warm rains.
And the snow melting and the ice sometimes freezes very thick, and so there can be quite a bit of water on top of that ice, perhaps two or three feet. And often it will cause flooding. And so they send out government workers in row boats to place dynamite at strategic points in that ice.
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And then they will move away quickly and activate that dynamite, blow up that ice so that the water will flow freely down that river and prevent flooding. And one time there was a man out in a boat, in a row boat, and he placed the dynamite where he was supposed to. And in his haste to move away from that scene, the boat tipped over. And you can imagine how frigid two or three feet of water would be on top of two or three feet of ice.
And so he realized he wasn't going to survive very long in those frigid waters.
And so he was able to scramble up on top of that capsized boat. Well, his flight wouldn't have been so bad, but at that point the water begins to run swiftly as he was not too far from the Rideau Falls. And so you can just picture the scene. A man crouched on top of an overturned rowboat, moving towards certain death. But some on the shore saw his flight and someone very quickly called the fire department and they knew that he had to pass under a bridge.
Just before he would go over the Rideau Falls. And so the fire department rushed to the scene, and as they saw that man coming down the river, they lowered a rope over that bridge so that that man could grasp that rope and be pulled to safety. And as that boat came close, they placed that rope so he there there would be no that he would pass right under it. They held it ever so tightly.
But to their dismay, he never made any effort to reach up and grasp that rope.
And as he went over the fall, he was heard to say, I'm frozen to the boat. His hands had become frozen to that boat because of the freezing waters on the on that overturned boat. And as that crowd turned away in dismay, someone was heard to say, if they'd only lowered a man, they could have saved him. He couldn't save himself. You know, man in his sins was lost and guilty.
And dead, impressed passes and sins, unable to save himself. But God has sent down a man.
Into this world, the Lord Jesus has come in obedience and love. The Lord Jesus has died, and if there's someone here tonight and you're still in your sins, you cannot rid yourself of one sin. All people would like to do anything to get rid of their sins if they feel it would give some credit to themselves. But there's nothing tonight that man can do to get rid of one stain of sin. But God has sent a man into this world, and the Lord Jesus has come and died, and now He's offering salvation.
Not on anything that I can do. I stand here tonight as a safe Sinner. My sins are washed away in the precious blood of Jesus. But it's nothing that I have done. It's because I rest on the work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary Cross. And if they'd only lowered a man on that rope.
He could have grabbed ahold of that other man and pulled him free and saved him. No, the Lord Jesus has come down to rescue.
You and I, because I mentioned that God has to judge because of sin.
But God never judges without doing two things. He always gives a warning, and he always makes a way of escape. And the way of escape is through the Lord Jesus. Tonight you see this principle brought out with God whenever he judged you. Remember the story of the flood. And God sent a deluge in Noah's day. But God, though he had to judge because of the wickedness of man's heart at that time he did those two things. He provided a way of escape through the ark.
And he gave a warning because Noah preached righteousness, I suppose, for 120 years.
And so there was number excuse. When that door was finally shut and the judgment began to fall in the form of a flood, there was number excuse because that door had stood open and all who went into the ark were safe, were safe. And there will be nobody in the lake of fire who will be able to blame God. There will be nobody who will be able to say that they have. They didn't have opportunity. You see it again in Jonah's day because.
God looked down on the city of Nineveh. He saw its wickedness. He said he was going to destroy that wicked city. But he did again. He did those two things. He sent his servant Jonah to proclaim that message, and Jonah cried. Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. There was a warning, and when the people repented, God didn't send the judgment at that time. But, you know, it's a solemn thing. If you turn over to the Book of Name, you'll find that about 100 and 2000 and 30 years later.
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The judgment finally did fall on Nineveh because when God says, judgment is going to fall.
God's word stands, and God has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained. He has stayed the judgment Yet another week, yet another day, yet another few hours. But as sure as we're sitting here tonight, the judgment will fall. You know there are people in this world who laugh. They scoff. When people speak of judgment, they say, where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep?
All things continue as they are, even until now, but all tonight, God has given a gift.
He's given his Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and it says in this was manifested the love of God toward us.
In that he sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. You know, we had that verse for memory this summer.
At the Bible hour in Maine and New Brunswick. And the children learned that verse in each year of the 6th areas where we were privileged to hold children's and gospel meetings. And I wondered what that word manifested meant. And so I took the trouble to look it up in Websters dictionary and I thoroughly enjoyed what it said. It said the word manifest means to clearly show, you know, God has clearly shown to this world His love.
In the giving of his son, he leaves no doubt in the minds of this war, in the mind of this world as to his love, because he has given the greatest gift that has ever been given to man. You'll excuse a story that perhaps some have heard me tell, but I think of it in this connection. I was visiting with my wife and oldest daughter one time in St. Thomas ON and when I visit a city or an area.
That I have never visited before. I always like to know what that place is noted for because.
Every city in town has its claim to fame. I come from the town of Smith Falls and as you drive into Smith Falls we boast that we have the only Canadian Hershey plant. But I we were visiting in Saint Thomas and so I asked the folks we were staying with. I said what is St. Thomas ON noted for? Well, they said when we're out for a drive later, we'll show you. And they drove us by a square in that city and to my surprise there was a large life-size statue.
Of an elephant in the town square. Well, I thought it rather strange because usually when you drive through a city.
And they show you the town square. It has statues of famous people or people that have contributed to that community. But here was a large life-size statue of an elephant and there was a very interesting story connected with that with that elephant. Her name was Jumbo and she lived over 100 years ago. She was the largest elephant ever on record. She weighed almost 7 tons and she belonged to the Barnum and Bailey Circus. And the circus over 100 years ago came to St. Thomas ON. And in those days they traveled by train. And so the train yard was busy.
With the unloading of the equipment and the circus animals, and along with the other animals, they unloaded Jumbo and her baby calf.
Well, if you've ever seen an elephant at the zoo, you know that even a baby elephant is quite a size. And if that elephant decides to be stubborn, there's not much anybody can do about it. And this baby elephant decided that she wanted to be stubborn, and it's decided that it wanted to stand on one of the railway tracks in that busy train yard. Well, it wouldn't have been so bad, but there was a train speeding into the train yard on that very track, and you know, they couldn't move it. And God has given animals a very wonderful sense.
Mother elephant since the danger for her baby. And so she went up that track a little way and she stood on that railway track between that oncoming train and her baby elephant. And you can imagine the impact of a speeding freight train hit a seven ton elephant. And some hours later that mother elephant died. And you know that story touched my heart. And the next day when I was out, we were out visiting my wife and I I said I like to drive by that statue again.
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And I said, I'm going to make an unusual request. I'm not used to getting my picture taken with statues, but I said I'd like you to take my picture. And sometimes I get that picture out and I look at it because it reminds me of a far greater love than a mother elephant for her baby. It reminds me of the love of the Lord Jesus who died for me. Not when there was any response to the Lord Jesus who died for me, not when there was any response in my heart.
Not when there was any love towards him. In my heart there was, there was no doubt a response of love between that mother and her baby. That mother not only loved the baby, but no doubt the baby loved the mother. And the mother was willing to lay down her life for for her baby. But all the Lord Jesus died for me when I was a Sinner. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. I love that verse that says greater love hath no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friend.
I suppose that is the greatest display, the greatest expression of human love, that one would willingly die, one would willingly give up their life for their friend, for someone they love, and for someone who loves them. But oh, divine love goes beyond that. The Lord Jesus died for me not when I was his friend, but when I was his enemy. While we were yet sinners, well, there was enmity in our hearts. He came. And when God sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Did he know how man would treat the son? You know, there are many beautiful examples in the Old Testament.
Of the Father sending the Son. But you know, those examples always fall short. And it used to bother me a little. But I have learned to appreciate those shortcomings because to me they just magnify that of which they speak. They are pale, reflections, feeble foreshadows of the Father sending the Son. Let me give you just a couple of examples.
When Jacob sent Joseph to the camp of his to his brethren to see how they were doing.
Did Jacob have any idea on that occasion how they would treat Joseph? And when Joseph came, went in willing obedience, Did he know how his brethren were going to treat him and that he wouldn't see his father for years and years and years? You know, I wonder if Jacob had had any idea on that occasion that his son was going to be treated in that way and that he wouldn't see him until he was an old man. I wonder if Jacob would have been so willing to send Joseph on that occasion.
The son that he loved above all his other sons, if Joseph had had any idea what was going to take place.
That he would be taken, and that road that of many colors would be taken from him.
That he'd be put into a pit and then brought up and sold to the Ishmaelites and taken down into Egypt.
Had he had any inkling of what was going to happen that day, I don't think he would have been so willing to do his father's bidding. Just another example, when Jesse sent David to the camp of his brethren, I wonder if Jesse had any idea of what was going to transpire, how that David was going to go down in the valley with just a stone and a sling and a fight with the champion of the Philistines. I think if he'd known that on that occasion, he would have kept David home. But oh, they were just tail reflections.
Father sending the Lord Jesus into this world. And God the Father knew when the Lord Jesus was sent into this world, he knew what it would cost. He knew what the end of the pathway would be. The Lord Jesus knew what it would cost to do the Father's will. And yet he said, I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. Where did that will lead him? It led him all the way to Calvary's cross.
Lord Jesus, know that when he said, Here am I send me. Indeed he did. And yet such was the love of God the Father, and such was the love of of the of the Lord Jesus the Son, that both were willing on that occasion, even though they knew what the end of the pathway would be. Again, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. I'm going to tell another little story, and you'll pardon me, but you know when I was going to school.
We studied British history, being Canadians, and we studied about David Livingstone.
But you know, when I studied about David Livingstone in school, I didn't realize that he was more than just a famous explorer.
For the British government, who explored much of Africa when little was known about that continent. But, you know, David Livingstone was far more than a famous explorer. He was a child of God, and so much did he love the Lord Jesus. And so much did he appreciate what God had done for him in giving his Son to die for him. That his desire was that he would go to that continent, and he would tell the natives there who had never heard of the love of the Lord Jesus.
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He would tell them the glad tidings of salvation, and so he went to that continent.
And he ran into many difficulties. And one time he and his wife and their child were staying in a village and preaching the gospel. And David Livingstone knew that down that river, just a short way, there was another tribe of Africans, And his desire was that they would hear the gospel as well. But he had been warned not to visit that tribe. He had been warned that they were a very savage tribe of natives. And he had been warned that if he went there he would probably forfeit his life.
But such was his love for those souls that he wanted to tell them of salvation. And so one day, against the pleadings of others, he and his wife and their baby got into a boat and started down that river. And as they neared the area where these natives lived, they were startled to hear blood curdling, screams and war, whoops of all sorts. And they could see figures running through the trees, waving us beers and so on.
And as they approached the land, they tried to make these natives see that they had come for their good, that they had come in peace. But they couldn't seem to convey that message to those on the shore. And so after every attempt had been made, David Livingstone, with much feeling, said to his wife. He said, give me the baby, and you can just imagine a man and his wife sitting in a boat, a savage tribe of natives on the shore.
And David says to his wife, Give me the baby. And after some hesitation she handed him their child. And he stepped out of that boat to wait ashore. And in his outstretched arms he held the trials toward those people. And they say the effect was amazing. Those men quieted down immediately because he held out that baby in his arms. It was the sign that he had come in love and come in peace.
All I say, God has given us that sign. He has clearly shown his heart of love.
In giving his Son the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are you going to have him tonight?
Is there someone here and you don't know Jesus as your savior. You know, a man went down one time into the depths of a coal mine to preach the gospel to the miners that were working down there. And they didn't seem very interested. And so he was preparing to leave that mind and he had to step onto an elevator to bring him up the shaft of that mine. And he said to the operator of the elevator, he said, what do you think of the gospel? All he said is too cheap.
Well, the man said to him, He said, how do I get out of this mine? Well, he said, you stand on this, get in this elevator and you'll go to the top. Always said that's too easy, That's too cheap. All the men said you wouldn't say that if you knew the cost to sink this shaft down into the mine. It was even life lost so that you can get on this elevator and ride safely to the top. All the evangelists said is just the same with the gospel. You say it's too cheap, but it costs God his son.
It cost the Lord Jesus his life. He was the merchant man who, when he found that treasure, he went and sold all that he had that he might purchase the treasure. He was the one who, when he had found one Pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had so that he could purchase that Pearl for himself. He gave up everything. And what does he want in response? What does he want in return? He wants you, He wants me. He wants the response.
Of our heart. Well, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gifts. And we're going to look at some other scriptures now that bring before us the gift of God in a little different way. But that which we look at now is all based, all founded on the works of the Lord Jesus. It's all based on this gift that was given by God, the greatest gift that was ever given, because there's no blessing apart from this gift. You know when man sinned in the garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve reached out in disobedience, and took that which they were forbidden to eat of God immediately announced that the woman's seed, which was the head of the serpent, because God had no other way of blessing apart from his Son. And God looked forward to the work of Calvary, and God blessed Adam and Eve in the garden. There it's true that death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. It's true by one man's disobedience, sin entered, and death by sin.
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And it's true that God had to drive Adam and Eve out of that beautiful garden because of their sins. But He did bless them. He made them coats of skin. And how could he bless them on that occasion? Because he looked forward to the work of Calvary. And all blessing that has ever been shown to man, whether it was in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, or whether it's in 1993, is all based on the fact that the Lord Jesus has died and shed His precious blood. Let's turn over to Romans Chapter 6.
Romans chapter 6 and verse 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And then I'm going to read a verse in Acts chapter 8.
Acts, chapter 8 and verse 20. But Peter said unto him.
Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. And then I'm going to read one more verse back in Romans Chapter 11.
Romans Chapter 11 and verse 29 for the gifts and calling of God.
Are without repentance. Well, here we have another gift.
The gift of God, which is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, God has given the gift of his Son.
And now because of that, and because the Lord Jesus has died, God is offering another gift to man tonight.
He's offering the gift of eternal life. You know, the boys and girls here understand what a gift is. They understand that when someone comes in on your birthday and presents you with a gift, you don't have to pay for that gift. All you have to do is reach out and accept it and say thank you. You know what gift does cost something? It costs mother and father something to get you a nice gift on your birthday. But you know they're glad to do it and they paid the price just as God.
Has paid the price. The Lord Jesus has paid the price and now that gift is offered free.
Because that is what marks a gift from a reward. I was trying to explain this one time to a group of boys and girls in a gospel tent up in Nova Scotia. And I was having a little bit of difficulty. And so I reached into my pocket and pulled out two coins. I put one in each hand and there was a little fella on the front row on one side. And I said to him, I said, would you like the coin in my hand? Well, he thought that would be very nice. And so I said, you come up and you try to open my hand and you can have the coin. Well, I let him work for a few minutes of that coin.
And when when I would, when he would open one finger as he was opening another, I would close the one he'd already opened.
And when I felt that he had worked hard enough for that coin, I opened my hand and I let him have it. There was a little girl sitting on the other side of the room, and I asked her if she'd like the coin in my other hand. And so she came up, and to her surprise, as she approached, I opened up my hands and let her take the coin. Well, there was a moment of hesitation. She reached out and took that coin and said thank you. And I tried to impress upon the boys and girls that that was the difference between a reward and a gift, and that what God was offering them eternal life.
And he was offering it as a free gift because the price has already been paid. But you know, if mother or father came in on your birthday and offered you a gift, how would they feel if you refused that gift after they had gone to some trouble and they knew it was something you had wanted for a long time, they'd be pretty disappointed if you said no thank you. I don't want it. And you say how foolish. And I know there isn't one person here, young or old, who would refuse a gift on an occasion like that.
But I'm afraid there are people that go out of gospel meetings like this, and they have had the gift of God, eternal life offered to them and they refused that gift. I say again, how does it make the heart of God feel tonight when he has provided the remedy for sin? When the Lord Jesus has died and shed his blood so that God can reach out in blessing to mankind and offer him the free gift of eternal life? How does God feel as men and women and young people?
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And boys and girls go out of a hall like this and they say no to God's gift. You know, it is a solemn thing because when one enters a lost eternity, there's one thing that they that they have, they they retain. And that's their memory. You know, we spoke of those gifts that God has given us in a temporal way. And you know, those are all going to be left behind. Those things that Solomon said a man works for and enjoys because it says we came into this world with nothing. And it is sure.
That we can take nothing out. But there is one thing that man retains, because hell it says, it's a place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. And the Lord Jesus said, he that rejecteth me and receiveth not my word hath one that judges him the word which I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day. Have you ever heard John 316 before? You probably have, and I quoted it at least once during this hour.
But you know how solemn to have brought to mind a verse like that in a lost eternity, and yet have it no longer applicable to you as to a point of refuge? How solemn to have that verse rise in judgment. And you will realize, as you remember a verse like that, and no doubt many others, that you had opportunity to be saved and all. How frustrating and a lost eternity to realize that there's no hope. You know, I think that must be one of the most awful things about hell is the fact that there's no hope.
Because if you're sick, or you're in pain, or you're in a bad situation, you can get through today. Because there's always hope that tomorrow things will be better. And so we get through that difficulty now, looking forward to the time when things will be better, but there'll be no such thing in a lost eternity. You know that man in Luke who wanted one drop of water to cool his tongue? He didn't ask to be released from that place because he realized that his doom was fixed.
That there was number opportunity to leave that place. All he wanted was released for a moment from the torment of that place in which he found himself. But oh God's desire tonight is that all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. That's why the gospel is still going forth. That's why God is still offering the gift of God, which is eternal life. And Peter had to rebuke this man here in Acts because he thought that the gift of God could be bought.
You know, it is an insult to God when man tries to work for his salvation, when he feels that if he puts so much in a collection box from box from week to week, if he lives a certain kind of a good, what he would consider a good life, that that will merit him favor with God and that he will be able to get to heaven on that basis. You know that really is an insult to God. If someone brings a gift in and presents it to you, and you offer to pay for it, how would they feel? And yet I fear that's what people are doing. That's what this man here.
Enacts. He tried. He thought that he could obtain a blessing by something that he could do.
That he could buy. But Peter said to him, my money, perish with thee, because thou thought that the gift of God could be bought with money. And then we find 2. In this verse I read in Romans 11. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Or I believe the thought is here is irrevocable. You know, I'm thankful that tonight I stand here as the possessor of eternal life, and I am thankful that God having given given me that gift.
That gift is irrevocable. He will never take that gift from me. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance or irrevocable. You know, when my sister and I were children at home, we would have something that I would have, something that she would want, and she would have something that perhaps I would want. And so we would trade commodities. I would give her the book she wanted. She would give me the toy I wanted. But you know, in a day or two, we were sorry for having given that away.
And so we would want it back. And we used to have a name for that. But all God, when he gives you something, He never takes it back. If for eternity, why would it be called eternal life if it wasn't for eternity? It says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No man can flush them out of my father's hands. No man can pluck them out of my hand. I am my Father, are one, and I stand here tonight as a possessor of eternal life.
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And thank God I will have that light forever and ever and ever.
I don't always enjoy it. Perhaps, perhaps I act in a way that's wayward. But all thank God. If the Lord Jesus were to come tonight and give that shout, everyone in this world who has put their trust in Jesus, whether they're enjoying it or not, will be snatched out of this world in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. And don't ever let anybody tell you that you can be the possessor of divine life one day and lose it the next. It's blasphemy.
It's against the teachings of the word of God. I say The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable and so secure tonight am I in Christ, having received that gift of eternal life, and finding myself securing him, so secure am I that if God were to refuse me now, he would have to refuse his own dear Son, who was ever His delight, and who glorified him as to the work of eternal redemption. And that is impossible.
That is impossible. He cannot refuse the Son who glorified him on the earth and finished the work that he gave him to do.
And that's the security in which I stand tonight. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Let's turn over in closing to Ephesians Chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourself. It is the gift of God. Well, every one of us who sit in this room this evening and are sheltered by the blood of Christ, every one of us who have received eternal life, it's only been through grace. Paul spoke of himself as the worst Sinner that ever lived, but he said the grace of God was exceeding abundance toward me.
Through faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus Christ, Jesus came into the world.
To save sinners of whom I am chief. He recognized that it was only the wonderful grace of God that had reached out to us, to him in his needs. And every one of us who are saved here tonight is only the grace of God because we didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve to be saved. But oh, God's grace reaches out to the Sinner. They marveled when the Lord Jesus was here. They said this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. You know, the enemy sometimes said very wonderful things about the Lord Jesus.
They set them in derision. But the statements themselves are wonderful, and I'm glad that even though they made that statement in derision, it was true. He did receive sinners and eat with them, it says on another occasion, then drew near all the sinners and publicans for to hear, for to hear them. They marveled on another occasion that he went to eat with a man who was a publican. But oh, that's the grace and love that's in the heart of the Lord Jesus that seeks our blessings, seeks the blessing of sinners.
Four times and for eternity. But here we have another gift in this verse. And I believe what he's bringing before us here is that faith is a gift. You know, sometimes at the end of a gospel meeting, people say, well, I find it hard to believe that as the Gospels presented, perhaps they would be more honest if they said I find it hard to believe God. You know, if we find it hard to believe God, he's willing to give us the faith to believe It's a gift, but he's willing to give that faith. And maybe there's someone here and you say, I find it hard to believe.
That a Sinner can come and through simple faith in the Lord Jesus receive salvation.
Just like that, Philippian jailer believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and he believed, rejoicing with all his health.
You say? I find it hard to believe that a Sinner can be brought into blessing. That simple. But all the God is willing to give the faith tonight. It's that we sang this morning. Phase two that trusts the blood through grave. By that same love we gained else sweetly as it suits our case, the gifts had been in vain. God has not only given the gift of his son, Not only has the blood the remedy been shed, but now He gives the faith so that we can lay hold.
On eternal life, all come tonight. Take God at His Word if you haven't already.
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His desire is for your blessing, you say. I can't believe it. God will give you the faith. Look to him tonight and let's remember that God has given us many gifts. His heart is such a man that he pours out his blessings upon mankind. It says the rain falls on the just.
And the unjust he gives us many temporal mercy, mercy, as Solomon said, For a man to eat and drink and enjoy the fruit of his labor, it is the gift of God. But remember, there's been a greater gift given to man, that unspeakable gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as a result of that, God is offering another gift tonight, the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and all that gift when he bestows it upon you, that gift is for all eternity and all tonight He He is offering not only salvation.
But He's offering the faith to believe. Oh come, because there may not be another opportunity. The gospel may not go forth again. The Lord Jesus is coming. The door is going to be closed. And how solemn for those who have heard, when they come in a future day. And they are on the outside of the door, and they knock and say, Lord, Lord, open unto us, but that door is never opened again. And those words come back in their in their ear to ring in their ears for all eternity.
Me, I never knew you. Oh, don't wait to hear those words. Hear the words tonight. Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus stood on that last day, that great day of the feast, and pride if any man thirst.
Let him come unto me and drink. I wish tonight I could save your soul, but I can't do it. Only the Lord can save a soul and all. If there's someone here and you want to be saved tonight, don't put it off. Because as surely as I pray and say Amen, Satan is going to interject every kind of distraction and every kind of thought to take your mind off what has been spoken of from God's word Tonight all come as we pray, receive Jesus as Savior.
It's as simple as that. If you come tonight, you'll receive eternal life and you'll be happy here in this world and for all eternity. Shall we pray.
Lord's Coming Pt.2
Address—J. Hyland
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Prepared there is the home the rest we love, and there our bright reward. Hymn #48 will summon. Please start it.
Well, I'd like to continue on this evening with the subject we had before us yesterday afternoon when we were together, the hope of the Lord's coming and our responsibility and relationship to that hope. But before we go on with that, I'd like to read one verse in James, Chapter 5, I believe it is.
James chapter 5 and verse 8. Be also patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord. Draw nigh. Well, this takes us back to where we started yesterday as we read that promise from the lips of the Lord Jesus in John 14 as he encouraged his disciples before He left them. He said, I will come again.
Now it's true that we find the seeds concerning the truth of the Lord's coming sown there in John 14 by the Lord Jesus himself. But we don't get that truth developed until we go on in the epistles, particularly Paul's ministry, because Paul brings before us the heavenly calling of the church, and he develops that precious truth as to the Lord's coming. And in First Thessalonians he leaves, as it were, nothing unexplained as to how that event would take place.
And here we have a nice encouragement too, because we're told to go on in the past that he has for us, knowing that the coming of the Lord draws nigh. And isn't it a comfort brethren to sit here tonight and know that not only is the Lord Jesus coming for his own, but he's coming at any moment that we're one day nearer home, that as the clock kicks by and that second hand goes around, it brings us closer and closer to that moment.
When we are going to see the face of our lovely Savior, isn't this what gives us strength? Isn't this what gives us courage to go on? Wouldn't it be a sad thing if all we had to do was to look back and to look around? I wonder sometimes at those who don't know the Lord as their Savior, who don't have the hope of His coming, don't have the glory before them, how discouraged they must become when when difficulties come into their lives.
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When they come to the end of this life, naturally speaking, where some trial comes in that just seems insurmountable because we know that there's something far better. I think of two verses. The first one is in the end of Isaiah chapter 5. It says if one look unto the land, behold sorrow and darkness. If all we had were the horizons of this sad world, how discouraged we would be as we see the world getting worse and worse.
And write for the judgment of God. But what a contrast we get in the book of Hebrews, where it says, looking unto Jesus to look on to that one, to see him there at the Father's right hand, The one who glorified God in this world and now is glorified there in the heavens. And that one who is the object for our faith and we know where the journey is going to end, Paul said. Forgetting those things that are behind. I pressed towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
What is the prize in the Christian life? The prize in the Christian life is always Christ, and so we're going to see him perhaps this evening, and we can put our finger on a verse like this with assurance and know that the coming of the Lord draws nigh. But as we took up the other afternoon, there's responsibility in connection with the truth, and I'm going to repeat a statement that I made, because if we get nothing else out of these talks together.
I'd like us to remember this, that when God brings me into a place of blessing.
And gives me light as to that place he has brought me into. There's always responsibility connected with it. And I just say again too, that when we seek by grace, and it's only by grace, but when we seek by grace to carry out in the light of God's word our responsibility, those that which he has given us to occupy us until he comes, then and only then is there joy and power in our Christian lives. And so the other afternoon we spoke of two things.
That he would be. That he would have us to be occupied with until he comes.
We found in First Corinthians 11 That we were to he says there as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup. You do show the Lord's death till He comes. That's his desire for us, that we would remember Him in the way that he has asked us to, and until that day when we will no longer need a loaf in a cup as a reminder. But we will see his lovely face, we will see the marks in his hands and his feet and in his sides, and praise him for all eternity.
Then we found too that in Timothy he said, till I come give attendance to reading and how important the word of God is. It's sufficient light for our whole pathway, just as the manner we were Speaking of it lasted them through the wilderness until they entered the promised land. It was sufficient food for them all along the journey. Well, I'd like to go on now and look at some other things that he would have us to be occupied with.
And again, everyone of these things that we are going to look at are in light of the Lord's coming.
Because that's the fruition of everything. That's the moment for which the Lord Jesus as the man of patience, is waiting. He's waiting for that moment when he has his bride with himself. He's longing, as it were, for that day when he will enjoy unhindered the company of his people. And Brennan, isn't it a wonderful thing to realize that as we look into his lovely face, not only are we going to be satisfied?
But he's going to look at us and he's going to see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. They say there's nothing like a mutual feeling, but there will be no mutual feeling like that mutual feeling of satisfaction in that coming day when we gaze into his face and he gazes into ours. Well, let's turn first of all, then to Revelation Chapter 2.
Revelation Chapter 2 and verse 25.
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But that which ye have already.
Hold fast till I come. And then notice chapter 3 and verse 11. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Well, here we're given an A charge, here a challenge, shall I say, from God's word, and that is to hold fast until he come. Now, brethren, he wouldn't tell us to hold fast until he come, if he wasn't going to make provision to the very end.
And I believe that the resource that we have in Christ tonight is the same limitless supply that the people of God have always enjoyed. You know, there is never any excuse in Scripture for giving up. I may give up and I may give God lots of excuses, but I'll never give him a good reason because he's provided all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And so he has a path of faith for us till the end. His desire is that we would hold fast.
But he never asks us to do something that he doesn't provide the means to carry it out. And we can never look around at the condition of things, whether it's the condition of things in the world, the condition of things in Christendom, the condition of things in the assembly. And we can never blame the condition of things on failure or giving up. You know, when Paul wrote to Timothy in the second epistle, and I would just say, by the way, that second epistles always bring before us days of weakness and ruin.
They bring before us decline, but as Paul writes to Timothy in two Epistle.
He writes of the breakdown of everything. He writes of the breakdown in the in government, the breakdown in the home, the breakdown in the assembly. But amidst it all, he says to Timothy, continue thou. In other words, he says, Timothy, there's no excuse for failure. There's no excuse for giving up. You can go on amidst the weakness and amidst the ruin. And while I believe, as I said the other night, there is a corporate testimony and will be to the end.
Yet we find that the last days are always characterized by individual faithfulness, by those who perhaps had to stand alone. It was difficult, you think of Caleb and Joshua. They brought up that good report, and all the others spoke against them. Not just the other 10 spies, but the whole congregation of Israel spoke of stoning them. But there they stood, thankful in their day and you find when the Lord Jesus was born.
There have been, first of all an appalling condition of things in Malachi. And then if you read a secular history of the 400 Silent Years, you'll find that things had deteriorated even further. But there were those few faithful who are mentioned. As the book of Matthew opens, only six mentioned by name. We know there were others because it says all day that look for redemption in Israel, but there was just six mentioned by name. There was.
Mary and Joseph.
Simeon and Anna and Zachariah and Elizabeth. And there were those faithful ones.
Going on amidst the ruin and what a blessing they got at the end of Paul's life at the in Second Timothy we find that there are just 12 mentions that he commends as he puts down about to put down his pen and give up his life for the testimony of Jesus. Just 12 mentioned, but again there they were going on faithfully and amidst the ruin as Paul could say there all day in Asia.
Be turned against me. And so he gives us the strength, He gives us the grace for whatever the hour and whatever the ruin that has come in. And he gives us this exhortation to hold fast. Now I realize, brethren, it's only the grace of God that keeps any one of us, and it's God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure, if there's any desire in our hearts to follow the Lord and to be faithful to him in some way.
He has put that desire there, but nevertheless I believe there needs to be spiritual energy exhibited.
There needs to be exercise, just like Daniel in his day. Daniel was brought from Judea, and he might have said, well, it's a different day here in Babylon. And we used to believe those things when we were back in Judea. But, you know, everybody's giving up and going along with the crowd. Is that what Daniel did? No. It says. And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat. He had that purpose of heart to be faithful in his day. And brother And I really believe that it takes purpose of heart to live in the days in which we find ourselves.
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Not just a desire, because desire is good, but the sluggard desireth and hath nothing.
And sometimes I hear people say, well, so and so has a nice desire. Well, that's good, but it's not enough. In the days in which we live, it takes purpose of heart. That's why Barnabas went down and exhorted the early believers that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. It takes purpose of heart to cleave or to hold fast. Well, I've been impressed with how many times in the New Testament we have this little expression. Hold fast. You find it many times in Hebrews.
But, you know, I've been impressed with how in Matthew 26, and I realized the context is a little different there. It's in connection with Judas and the betrayal of the Lord Jesus. But there's a little expression there that I have sometimes thought of in this connection, and this is what it is. Hold fast.
To him, brethren, that's what we need. We need to have our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to see no man save Jesus. Only we need to hold fast to him how often we put confidence in our brothers. And thank God for our brothers. Thank God for those who have been an encouragement to us. I can think of older brethren who have gone on in the path of faith for many years, and they've been a wonderful blessing to my soul.
And it says whose faith follow. But if we're looking to our brethren, we're going to be disappointed, because I don't believe our brethren are ever given to us as the object for our faith. You know, as he gives that long list of those in Hebrews 11 who lived by faith and triumphed in their days at the end of it all. And it is true, they're given to us as an encouragement, But at the end of it all, the spirit of God is very careful to show that they're not the object for your faith and mind.
He immediately turns our eyes heavenward and says the object for your faith is the Lord Jesus. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and will never be disappointed if we look to him. Some of us were Speaking of this today. How that if we're looking to man we'll always be disappointed because I believe one of the great lessons that God is teaching us today is contained in that verse in the 119th Psalm it says I have seen an end of all perfection.
Maybe you say, well, that brother let me down, but that other brother, he'll never let me down. Be careful, brethren. We're going to see an end of all perfection if we're looking for it in the flesh, it says the grass withereth, the flower faded, that is, it puts on a display, but there's really nothing abiding. It's just for a little time. And so we need to look to the one who is altogether lovely, the one who will never disappoint us.
Haven't you experienced? Sometimes you have a friend and you find some very wonderful things in that friend, qualities that you appreciate and admire.
But, you know, you might get to know that friend a little better. And there are just some things that are lacking. Sometimes we're disappointed when we get to know somebody a little better, because I never thought I'd see that in that person. But when, as we are occupied with the Lord Jesus, as we walk with him, as we're better appointed, do we find anything that disappoints? Oh, no. We find he's the altogether lovely one. He's the one who will never fail us. And so, brethren, I really believe that we need to hold fast to him.
I think of the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. They got their eyes off the Lord, and they got their eyes on Moses and Elias. 2 Great, two of the greatest men in the Old Testament. Honored names, we might say. But you know, as Peter says, let us make free tabernacles.
One for thee he gave the Lord first place, but then he said, and one for Moses and one for Elias. Immediately those two men disappeared. And when they lifted up their they lifted up their eyes. They saw no man. I like that you know, scriptures are tremendously accurate. And they saw no man. Comma says Jesus, only with themselves. Brethren, that's what we need to see. We need to see no man, do not look to men in the flesh, but to look and see him and him alone. No man.
Save Jesus only well then, in Second Thessalonians, I believe it is. We're told Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to hold fast to that which he had brought before them, both in Word and in ministry. Because the Apostle Paul was given the truth concerning the church and the heavenly calling of the believer and the truth of the Lord's coming. And I really believe that this is something that's being given up today around us, and that is Paul's doctrine, that ministry that would.
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Detach us from this world.
In every way, oh brethren, we need to realize that we are goals and aspirations and our blessings are not in connection with this world. We need to hold fast to Pauls ministry because I say the spirit of God is very careful in the New Testament to detach the believer in every way from this world. You know, when the Apostle Paul and the other New Testament writers, when they write to an assembly.
They never write to the Saints of Colossi or of Ephesus. They write to the Saints in Colossae or at Ephesus. Because, brethren, it's true that we are in in this world and we're at Pella tonight. But I trust there's some realization that we're not of this world now. That's what Paul's doctrine brings before us. In fact, Paul received much of this truth, not here in this world, but I believe at that time when he was caught up.
To the 3rd heaven, and heard unspeakable words that it was not lawful for a man to utter.
And so careful is the spirit of God to be captured from this world in every way that we find in Revelation. When he speaks of that time when we will reign with Christ, it says we reign over the earth. Again, very careful that we're not connected with this world. I've enjoyed 2 scriptures and that connection. We find that the blessing for Israel in Matthew 25, it says it was from the foundation of the world.
Because they will be blessed in that in that way their portion is an earthly portion. But Paul brings before us in Ephesians that the blessing for the church. It says we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. And so let's not give up Paul's ministry, let's not give up that which would lift our eyes above this world. And because you know, you see a sad illustration with Lot in the Old Testament.
Lot lifted up his eyes, but he only lifted up his eyes as far as the horizons of this world. And he chose that was which was for present advantage. He chose the well watered plains of Jordan. Of course, I would say that the whole thing began with a strike between breathing. Isn't that sad? You know, strife amongst brethren can lead to a very sad course of things. It led to a very sad course of things in the life of Lot. Well, he chose that which was for present advantage.
He separated from Abraham. And, you know, it's interesting that later on Abraham lifted up his eyes. But he lifted up his eyes to the heavens and to the stars. And God said he would bless him in that way. But what of the life of Lot? He pitched his tent towards Sodom. Pretty soon he was living right in Sodom. He no longer had a tent. And then he was sitting in the gate where the politics of the day would have been carried on. But you know what a sad history because?
There was a loss of testimony and, you know later on when judgment was pronounced on that guilty city.
And Lot spoke of judgment coming. He seemed as one that moth. He lost his testimony. They said he's built everything for present advantage, and he's built everything in Sodom. His goals and his hopes have been here in Sodom. How can he speak of judgment to come? And you know, Lot was a true child of God, and he didn't come under the judgment that fell at that time. And every true child of God, whether they're looking for the Lord's coming or not.
Are going to be called at the Rapture. But lot had to be dragged out of Sodom. I trust we don't have to be dragged out of this world. I don't mean literally, brethren, but I believe there's a sad commentary and there's a warning because if we build our hopes and our goals in this world, we're going to leave it all behind. You know, it's good to realize that that which we have in a temporal way is not really our own. We're only stewards. And it says it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful, but the Lord brought before his own that what was really their own were the true riches.
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Those spiritual blessings that we're going to be are going to be ours for all eternity. Those things that we're going to enjoy in a fuller way when we're there in the glory, those are the things that are our own. And he says lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not breakthrough and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Are we laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven? Are we living in view of that day? I like the way the poet put it. He said only one life.
Will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Well, then we find too that we're exhorted in Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words. And I believe this is something applicable in the day in which we live. Because, you know, sometimes we there is the tendency to take Scripture out of its context and to misapply it. And, brethren, I've been impressed how that we can take Scripture and justify anything we want to do.
But, you know, I think we need to be careful that when we take up the word of God, we take it up in the light of the whole context of God's Word, that we take it up according to the truth that he has given us because it says they're hold fast, the form of sound words. Or I believe it ought to read an outline of truth. And Timothy was told to have this outline so that when he took up any portion of the word of God, it was in the light of the whole context. And I think this is important in the day in which we live. I've sometimes likened the truth to a jigsaw puzzle.
You know, you can take a piece of the jigsaw puzzle and you can put it in the wrong place, but not only do well, you have to force that piece, but nothing around it will fit properly and every piece will have to be forced and the picture will be spoiled until you go back and you remove that original piece and put it in the right place. And so that's the way it is with the truth. And you know, it's not really hard to have an outline. I realize we can spend our whole life on scripture and still only have an outline, but you know, it's good to see what.
The outline of the truth that has been given because the different writers were given different ministries, different lines of truth. And it's really not hard to know what Paul's ministry brings before us. And Luke's ministry and Mark's ministry and the New Testament writers and even the Old Testament writers just to have some outline, some idea of what they teach so that we handle the word of God properly and we rightly divide the word of truth.
Well, I believe these things are important again we find in connection with the word of God.
That were exhorted to hold fast to the faithful word. And if you notice, I believe it's there in Thessalonians, it's in connection with decepting error. And I just want to say something on that, particularly to those of us who are younger. Because, you know, I believe that sometimes we feel that in order to detect error we need to be be involved and to study up on that line of things. But I really don't believe that's how we detect error when something is presented that's not the truth. How are we going to know?
That it isn't the truth Because we're familiar with that line of things? No, because we're familiar with the truth as we're familiar with the truth. Then when something is presented that isn't true, it doesn't have that ring. You know, tell her at the bank May be able to detect false money. Counterfeit money. How does she detect that counterfeit money? By handling counterfeit money? No, by handling the real money from day-to-day. And she has a feel for that which is real. And then when something false is passed.
She immediately detects it, and so it says be wise concerning that which is good.
And simple concerning that which is evil. And I realized that sometimes perhaps we do have to have some outline of these things in a specific case. But I believe to be occupied with all the false doctrine and evil that's propagated in the world today. It will not edify. In fact it's very defiling. But what will edify and what will build a bulwark against that which is false, is to be well rooted and grounded in the fundamental truths of the word of God.
Then we read in Hebrews 2 That were to hold fast our profession and the confidence of the hope until the end. And brethren, let's never give this up. That hope of which we have been speaking, that hope of being with. And like Christ, I say if we lose sight of the goal, we're going to be discouraged. If the runner doesn't have a goal in view, he's not going to press on. He's not going to put everything he has into the race. That's why Paul often spoke of himself.
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As running a race and he said let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us.
How can we run with endurance? It's the whole fast that hope, because he's given us that hope, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. And you know there's a reward even for having confidence. Perhaps we feel sometimes we are so weak, perhaps we feel we can't do anything. But it says pass not away. Therefore thy confidence, for of such is great recompense of reward. Satan is busy today to rob us of our confidence, to get us discouraged, to get us to look of that which is ahead.
And so we're told here to hold fast until he comes. But you might say the days are dark. You say you don't have any idea what I'm going through at school or at work. Well, perhaps I don't. But I do know this, that the Lord is sufficient. He's able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. And I've enjoyed that portion. At the end of Isaiah 40, it says they that wait upon the Lord.
Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings of Eagles. That is, if there is a difficulty. The eagle just rises up. I was reading at the eagle the other day. He just rises up above the storm. They apparently have a wonderful sense from God that tells them that a storm is approaching. And so they rise up above the storm and they soar above the difficulty. The Lord can help us to do that. But then there's something else there. Not only shall they mount up, but with wings of Eagles.
They shall run and not be weary, you say? I can't get above the problem, but the running person, at least he's still running and he's finding daily strength, and so it's saved by my God. Have I leaked over a wall? But you say I can't do that? By my God, have I run through a troop?
But you say, I'm just down to walking. They shall walk and not faint. In other words, brethren, whatever our situation.
The Lord is sufficient. We can never say that we're too weak or we fail too badly, that we can't go on from here. He's able and he's able to keep us until the end. But then I read this verse in the third chapter, because here we have not just an exhortation to hold fast, but he said, and not just till he comes. But he says, behold, I come quickly, hold fast. In other words, he would encourage us to just hold on another few moments, because as I say, you might say, well, how much longer can I hold on?
The days are so dark and the situations insurmountable. But you know, I enjoyed what a brother told me who knew something about the sea, he said. You know, if the fisherman is out in a boat and there's a storm and he's lost, he said he can always tell when he gets close to land because the water will all of a sudden become rougher. And I thought of that. When that mariner hits that rough water, all of a sudden, does he give up and say it's all over? Oh no, it just gives him a fresh burst of energy.
It gives them fresh encouragement, he says. There must be land just ahead, Brethren. Do the waters seem rough? Do the situation seem difficult? Do the waves seem high? It's just the proof that we're almost at the land and imagine what it's going to be like when we get to the Father's house and we sit down forever in his presence, and there'll be nothing to mar our enjoyment. Imagine having nothing to bother you, nothing to annoy you. There's always something.
Something physical, something in connection with our surroundings, something from within, a burden or a worry or a care. But imagine what it will be like that in that day when there won't even be a side in the father's house. And so he says, behold, I come quickly, hold fast. Maybe I can illustrate it this way.
Suppose you're up on a roof and you slip and you're going over the edge of that roof and you grab the gutter as you go over, and you're holding fast there. And after a while you say I can't hold on any longer and someone says just it's just another moment. The ladder's almost here. What does that encouragement do? It gives you courage and fresh energy just to hold on to that bar because you know it's only going to be another few moments. That's what he's telling us here, brethren, He says It's just another few moments. I'm coming quick.
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Just hold fast. Don't give up the truth. Because, brethren, I really believe that compromise is letting the barrier down slowly. You know, if I have a if you have a brick wall and you take A roll of bricks off the top of that wall, it perhaps doesn't seem like very much. And perhaps nobody misses that row of bricks when they're gone. And so you come along from time to time and you take another row off, and another row and another row.
Pretty soon the barriers are down and nobody misses the barrier when it's gone.
But the barrier has been removed. That's what compromise is. That's what Satan wants us to do. Just give a little here and a little there. It doesn't seem like a very great thing. But pretty soon there's been a complete giving up. And so behold, I come quickly, hold fast that which thou hast that no man take thy crown now. Brethren will never, as we've often heard, will never lose our salvation. Every believer is going to go at the rapture.
Whether they're living for God's glory or not, whether they're looking for the rapture or not, every child of God is going to go. But I don't believe that's what he's bringing before us here. But he says, hold fast, that no man take thy crown. You know, if I give up the truth, that doesn't change the truth itself. The truth remains absolute. And I believe too, that God is going to have those in this world until the end who seek to walk for his glory and honor, both individually and collectively.
And if I give up the truth, if I give up my crown, so to speak, there's going to be others who God is going to raise up, who will value it. He will give the crown. He will give the reward to another. There will be lost in my soul. But he's going to have others step in. Who will value the truth and who will seek to live for God's glory? And so he encourages us to hold fast that no man take thy crown. Well, now let's turn over to John 21.
John 21 and verse 22 Jesus saith unto him.
If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.
Well, in the context of this verse we find that the Lord had been speaking to Peter. Peter had been restored. Peter had denied his Lord three times with those and curses, but now he had been fully restored. The Lord has spoke to his heart earlier in this chapter, as he said to him, Simon, lovest thou me?
If Peter was going to follow the Lord, his heart must be touched. And I really believe there's only one way to be a true disciple, and that's to have a heart attracted to Christ. That's to have a heart where there's no other object in it but the person of the Lord Jesus. Because where our hearts are, there are, our feet will follow. And so he had touched Simon's heart and he had spoken to him something of the pathway that he was going to suffer in following the Lord.
And Peter sees John standing there, and he turns to the Lord, and he says, And what will this man do?
And I believe that the Lord answered Peter in the verse we read in a way to show Peter.
That well, Peter, well, the Lord had a pass for John. That Peter was responsible to follow, not in the path that he had for John, but in the past that he had for Peter. Let me illustrate it this way. Sometimes when we were children at home, particularly my sister, and we would be left with a task to do, perhaps to clean off the dinner dishes in the evening and wash up. And so Mother would leave us to that path, and after a while she would come back in the room and she would say Jim.
You're not doing what I asked you to do. And I would usually say, well, Jennifer's not doing her part and Mother would always answer, you do what I asked you to do and I'll take care of Jennifer. Now that's in a sense what the Lord was telling Peter here. Now I want to temper that by saying that I believe that we have a responsibility one to another. It says no man liveth to himself and no man dies to himself. We're told in Galatians to bear one another's burdens, and we're told that the members should have the same care.
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One for another, in fact. I've often wondered why there wasn't someone in that third loss at Pro as who would The Shepherds heart could have gone over to Utica and warned him of the position he was in, warned him that he was nodding off to sleep, and that he was sitting in a precarious spot. There didn't seem to be anyone who took that, took that time or had the heart, but if there had been, it might have saved Utica's that fall and it might have saved a lot of grief.
There on that day. But nevertheless, I believe that when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, who am I going to be responsible for? Am I going to be responsible with how well my brother or my sister followed in the path of faith? I'm going to be responsible for how I follow the Lord. Now that's what the Lord was telling Peter. He says, Peter, you're responsible to follow me. I have a path for John, and I'll take care of John if I will. That he carried till I come. What is that to thee?
Follow thou me. He brings it down individually.
And his desire was, and his exhortation was that Peter would follow in the past. Because as I said the other afternoon, every one of us are given a path of faith. It's individual. And we need to seek grace that we would follow that path that he has marked out in his word. And so this was about, these were about the last words the Lord said to the disciples. Follow me. Is there something difficult in that? You know, sometimes I get lost in a strange city.
And I stop and I ask for, ask for directions. And the man who gives me directions says, well, you go 2 miles and then you turn left and I think it's three blocks from there. And you turn right and then you turn left again. And my head begins to swim, and I can't follow that. And then perhaps he says, well, I'm going that way, Just follow me. Don't you like somebody who will do that? That's what he's done, brethren. We're just to follow him. He hasted through this world in the path of faith himself.
And now he has. He's there, as we had in Hebrews 12, as the object for faith, because he walked in obedience and perfection, the path of faith and obedience. And now he's the object for your faith and mind, and he simply wants us to follow him. There's a nice commendation given with Caleb. I've never counted, but several times it tells us in the life of Caleb that he wholly follows the Lord. Isn't that a wonderful commendation?
Holy followed the Lord. He had discouragement. It wasn't easy to stand for the truth in his day. He knew that that land was waiting, that land flowing with milk and honey. He knew, too, that God's promises were sure, and that Jehovah had promised to drive out their enemies. But he quietly turns back into the wilderness with the people of God, and he goes on quietly, I suppose, for 38 years before they finally entered the promised land. It wasn't easy to go back into the wilderness knowing.
That they could have gone in and possessed that land.
But he wholly followed the Lord. I used to wonder why Caleb's name meant a dog.
Because usually a dog doesn't have a very good connotation in scripture. But I believe there are two things that characterize a dog. He's a good follower, and he's faithful to one master brethren. That's what he wants. He wants us to be disciples, to follow him in the past that he has for us. And so if I will, that he cherry till I come, what is that to be? Follow thou me, and I say again, perhaps everyone around you may give up.
But you can still go on and follow the Lord. He's made that provision. And if we have that single heart and that single eye, he wants to guide us. If thine eye be single, then thy whole body shall be full of light. David said, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Well may we seek grace to follow in that way. True, we need to have a care one for another, But I just say again before we pass on.
When you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, you won't be responsible to give an account for your brother or your sister. You will be responsible to answer for those things that were done in the body and whether you followed in the path that he had for you. Now let's turn over to 1St Corinthians Chapter 4.
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First Corinthians chapter 4 and verse five therefore judge nothing before the time.
Until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, And then shall every man have praise of God. Well, it's interesting to notice that the judgment seat of Christ is taken up four times in the New Testament. Every time it's in a little different connection. We find it taken up in connection with our whole life brought into review.
We find it taken up with our in connection with our service. We find it's even taken up in connection with our attitude because God is looking for those things that he can reward us with. Maybe my attitude was wrong, but I did the right thing. Maybe I did the right thing but in the wrong spirit. But God will will honor whatever He can. He's just looking for that which he can reward us for. But here I believe it's in connection with our motives.
And it says here to judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. Now I would just say that I believe, strictly speaking, in the 4th chapter here you have motives. In the 5th chapter you have actions and brethren. There was something in the 5th chapter that needed to be judged. There was an evil allowed at Corinth. It was a serious evil, and it required the judgment, the discipline of the assembly. And Paul writes to them by divine inspiration.
And leaves nothing unexplained as to how this judgment was to be carried out. And so sometimes there are those things, those actions that need to be judged in the assembly. Because we are gathered to the Lord's name, we're at the Lord's table and his glory and his honor must be maintained. But to me it's very interesting that before he takes up that subject of something that needed to be judged at Corinth, he says judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. Now I don't want to take away from what I've just said, but I do want to say this brethren, that I believe there are some things that are never going to be straightened out this side of the glory.
Perhaps you say that brother said something against me, that Sister Set did something and the Lord didn't come in and straighten it out. Well, maybe he won't. This side of glory, You know, sometimes we look at things like Solomon from a natural standpoint, and Solomon said that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is rough cannot be made plain. Don't you feel that way? Sometimes You say it's never going to be straightened out, but I think there's a glorious answer to that verse in the 40th of Isaiah.
Where he speaks of a day of manifestation, it says the crooked shall be made straight.
And the rough places plain, and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. It takes faith to leave those things with the Lord. You know. As Paul sought to serve his brethren, and particularly the Corinthian brethren, they misunderstood him. They counted him as the off scouring of the earth. He said, the more I love you, the less I be loved. But he said, I just leave those things with the Lord. He said, I know whom I have believed.
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed.
Unto him against that day, he said. I know there's a day when everything will be brought to light in his presence, and a day, Brevin, when he will place a proper sense and a proper value on what was done for him. You know, we do things for our brethren sometimes, perhaps, and we're misunderstood. Perhaps nobody appreciates it. Jonathan was used one time to win a great victory in Israel, and Saul came along and tried to get the credit for himself.
But God had the record down properly, and God has the record down properly. He's writing up the people. We find that Mary poured out her ointment at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and all the disciples spoke up against her, but the Lord answered to show that he placed the proper value on the response.
Of Mary's heart and what she did in pouring out her ointment. And so isn't it a comfort to know that we can go on in the past?
Serving the Lord, seeking to be faithful to him and to just leave those misunderstandings, to just leave those things that it seems are never going to be straightened out. To just leave them till that coming day. And I've enjoyed a little expression that in the description of the heavenly city in the End of Revelation it says it's clear as crystal. Now we see through a glass dimly. But the brethren, there's a day coming when everything is going to be clear as crystal.
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And as we see everything in the light of his presence, we're not going to question his ways there. We're going to praise him for his ways with us. Because I believe we're going to see that everything was working out, not just for a purpose, you know, I might have a purpose, but it might be a selfish motive. But everything is working out for a purpose of blessing. Everything, even in chastisement. Its way is for our our blessing. Whom the Lord loveth. He chasteneth, it says He chastens us for our prophet.
That we might be partakers of His Holiness, I can't say. I always chasten my children for their profit. Sometimes, if they're making a lot of noise, they're doing something I don't want them to do. I say stop, and I don't make so much noise. That's not for their profit. That's just for myself. He never chastens us. He never allows something that isn't for our profit, and that's the way we're going to see it in the coming day. Perhaps some have heard me use the illustration, but you know, when my wife is along with me on a trip, she keeps a little handiwork to do as we're driving and visiting from place to place.
And I know nothing about handiwork, but I do know that sometimes if you look at the back of the canvas, it's just a tangle of threads. You can't even tell what the picture is from the back of the canvas. But when she's finished the work, you turn it over and you see that all, every one of those seemingly tangled threads had a purpose in making up that beautiful design, brother. We view things from the backside of the canvas now, but we're going to see that every one of those tangled circumstances.
Had a purpose. Again, I want to say and be very clear that we don't overlook our evil. We're not indifferent to sin. But I say again, I think there's many things that are never going to be straightened out this side of glory. But they will at the judgment seat of Christ, in the light of his presence. And in that day everything is going to be manifest, even the motives of the heart. And every man shall have praise of God.
Brethren, are we living in view of the judgment seat of Christ? Are we living in light of the fact that everything is going to be brought to light and he is going to reward? In fact, I believe that the judgment seat of Christ will take place very quickly after we're home in the glory, because in the end of revelation it says, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work to his work, because I don't believe he's going to delay to reward.
In fact, if you notice in the 4th of Revelation, as soon as the heavenly scene opens, you'll find that they're redeemed already have their crowns, those rewards that they are given for faithfulness. True, they cast them at his feet because they realize that it wasn't anything in themselves, that it was he that had worked in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure. But I just say that because I believe as soon as we get home to glory, he's going to reward his own for faithfulness.
Are we living in light of that day? Do we have that before us to seek to be faithful to him?
And, brethren, sometimes it thinks we think of what it costs us to be faithful to the Lord.
But all as we think of that day of glory that is ahead, Paul as he thought of what was ahead, he counted the things he counted dear. They became as nothing. They weren't important to him because he knew what was ahead. He'd been caught up to the 3rd heaven and heard unspeakable words. He'd been there in the presence of a risen, glorified Christ. And so to have that before us, because it says where no vision is. The people perish if we don't have a vision of the coming glory, if we don't have an enjoyment of that in our souls now.
We're not going to press on, you know, in the 11Th chapter of Second Corinthians, Paul gives that tremendous list of things that he suffered in the path of faith. And I used to wonder why. How was it that he could go on day after day and year after year and suffer things that you and I have never been called on to suffer in the path of faith? How could he do it? Well, the very next chapter tells us he speaks of that experience when he was caught up to the 3rd heaven.
He had that before his soul. He knew what it what was awaiting him. And with that before him he could go on amidst the tests and the trials. And I do believe as we're left here, we're going to see more that will test. And because, brethren, there are two things that we're never going to be rid of until we get home to glory. One is the attempt of the attack of Satan, because Satan is opposed to everything that is of God, and the other is the school of God.
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We're never going to graduate from that school until we get home, and so there are going to be the tests and the trials.
But I believe there's full provision made for the pathway. Well, in closing, I'd like to go back to the verse that we began with yesterday in John, Chapter 14.
John, chapter 14 and verse 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Well, we think of this in connection with the truth of the Father's house, and that's what he was bringing before the disciples. But you know, it's remarkable here that he doesn't say I will come again and receive you to the Father's house.
Now that's true, brethren, we will be ushered safe home to the Father's house. But he says, I will come again and receive you unto myself. Because what is it that's going to make heaven? Is it the fine things that no doubt we will be aware of? The gates of Pearl and the street of gold and the hearts of music? I don't believe that four walls and fine furniture make a home. It's the presence of those that dwell there. And what is going to make heaven is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe when we get one look at his lovely face, we're not going to take our eyes off him for all eternity. I have a comfortable home in Smiths Falls, and as I near the end of a trip, I look forward to being home in Smith Falls. Not because I have a comfortable home, but because my wife and children are there. And so that's what's going to make glory the presence of the bridegroom. They're the bride by his side, they're the friends of the bridegroom, but they're all occupied with Christ.
Going to be the center of everything in that day. But you know, I've been encouraged too to realize that when we get home to glory, not only are we going to be in happy, uninterrupted fellowship with himself, and I believe that that is paramount, but we're going to be in uninterrupted fellowship with one another. And you know there's not going to be one seat empty in the glory. I enjoy that because in Revelation 4, verse 4.
It says, and I saw four and 20 elders, 4 and 20 elders and four and 20 seats. Every seat is going to be full in the glory, 4 and 20 elders, 4 and 20 seats. And it's a thrill to my heart and an encouragement that sometimes I look around the meeting room and I see the empty seats of those that I have enjoyed happy fellowship with. And some of them are, thank God, stay home in the glory. Some have chosen another path. But as I see their empty seat, it is a thrill to my soul to realize that in that day when I look around the glory, there won't be an empty seat there.
All the mind of heaven will be won, will be in perfect harmony with himself, perfect harmony with one another.
All we little realized, brethren, what a day of glory is ahead. But in the mean time, brethren, may we seek to be faithful to him. May we seek to hold fast. May we seek to be occupied with the things that he has told us very definitely in his word that he would have us to be occupied with. He has told us he's coming. He's told us he's coming quickly, and in the meantime he says Occupy until I come. This desire is that we would remember him in death. His desire is that we would give attendance to readings.
His desire is that we would hold fast in light of that day of glory. His desire is that we would seek to be faithful and follow him in the path he has for us. His desire is that we would leave those things that sometimes we feel need to be straightened out, that we leave them in his hands, realizing that he's above all that his son over his own house and head over all things to the church, which is his body.
And then to just go on quietly, I think again of Caleb. He turned back into the wilderness with the people of God.
No doubt he could have thrown up his hands and been discouraged and say it's all over, but, you know, it's interesting. As he turned back there, you never read again of Caleb until he entered his possession, until he went in to take the promised land. And I've just thought of it this way. He went on quietly and faithfully for those 38 years with the people of God, and God honored him. That's what he wants us to do, brother. Go have that hope before us. No doubt, Caleb, as he saw those discouragements, as he saw the rebellion of the people of God.
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Over those years, no doubt what sustained him was the fact that he had seen the good land.
And that he was, he knew, on the authority of the promise of God, that he was going to come into his inheritance.
And enjoy that good land. I say, brethren, what is going to preserve us, Why, how are we going to go on amidst the difficulties? And with the people of God is to realize that we're going on to something far better. And so God gives us two things, and they're brought out in the last verse of Scripture. It says, there, surely I come quickly, that's our hope. And then it says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. That's our present portion. And so David said the Lord will give grace and glory.
Grace meets our present needs, and glory comes at the end. Well, we may hear that shout tonight and be safe home. May we be watching, brother. May we be waiting. And may we be listening for that shout that will call us to himself. Shall we pray?