Pine Summit Conference: 1996
Table of Contents
God for Us
Address—P. St.Vincent
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Our times are in thy hand.
Father, we wish them there.
Our life.
Our soul, our all, we leave entirely to thy care.
Our times are in thy hand, whatever they may be, pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to thee.
Our times are in thy hand.
We'd always trust in Thee until we have left this weary land and all Thy glory. See number 257.
What if we might turn to the Book of Hebrews chapter 3 for a verse? Tended just to read a few verses together.
Here and there.
Hebrews 13. Hebrews 3. Sorry.
In verse 13.
But exhort one another daily while it is called today.
Where the word exhort is to encourage one another daily.
Wildest call today, the desire today to encourage one another from the Scriptures. Tonight we read also in Hebrews chapter 13 that.
We are exhorted there also to encourage one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching.
And then it's turned to Romans chapter 14.
All well known verses of scripture.
I'm sorry, Romans 15, verse 4.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.
That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
You know, we all, we all need encouragement. We all need comfort, young and old alike. We're all passing through trials and difficulties. We all need comfort and encouragement, and it's nice to get it from one another. Thank the Lord for the measures that we do.
We need each other, but there's nothing like getting it from the scriptures.
For our own heart to rest in.
How we need the scriptures before our souls.
In these days.
I'd like to turn to Psalm.
56 in verse 9 for part of a verse.
And the end of verse.
End of verse nine. I've enjoyed this verse, this portion, the end of the verse for myself many times in the past. The last part of verse 9. For this I know.
God is for me.
Do you? Can you see that, dear ones tonight?
That God is for me. I know this. You know, this isn't just for old folks. This is for everybody. Can you say you're young folks also that you know that God is for you? How wonderful to know that that God is for me. Can you say that? Oh, he wants to reveal himself to you if you haven't received the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
He wants to know that he is for you, so much so that he's provided the Savior for you, that you might be saved and that you might know him each day of your life. And so how wonderful to know and be able to say with the psalmist here is this, I know God is for me.
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If God before us.
Who can be against us?
You got you're on the witting side here once if God is for us.
Who can be against us? There can't be.
Not even Satan.
He has no power over us anymore.
Having believed in the Lord Jesus, oh, he may seek to oppress us.
And ensnare us and things like this. But God is for us. Oh, how wonderful to believe that the God of heaven is for me. Dear a young one, you could say that for yourself. I'd like to turn to Psalm 34.
Solve 34.
I'll start reading at the heading of the song.
The Psalm of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech or ash ASIC Asus who drove him away and he departed.
Now, if you know that, what happened here, David?
Was fleeing from Saul. He was fearful.
That Saul was after him and that he was going to kill him and take his life. And so Saul was after David, we know. And David flees from him, and he goes to Gath, and he puts himself under the care of the king of Gas Achish. But you know he isn't there very long.
And he finds himself in deep trouble. He finds he begins to fear for his own life.
And how does he behave? It says he changed his behavior.
I think of David, who had slain Goliath.
And he finds himself in a kish. He thought by reasoning in his own mind.
He said, well, I'll find a place of refuge over there in gas, get away from Saul. But he got us such straits and difficulties.
And he saw that his life was in jeopardy even there in Gath. So how is he going to get out of this predicament that he got himself into by his own unfaithfulness, shall we say, his own reasoning?
He acts like a madman. He gets on his knees and he starts scratching at the door and spit runs down his beard and he acts like a crazy man. And the king says get him out of my presence. Well, what a humiliating experience for David to pass through. Very humiliating.
But he got out of that situation.
And we find him next in The Cave of a Dalam.
And I believe that that's where this Psalm 34 was written, in The Cave of Adolf. So having experienced this sad humiliation that he had just passed through.
We read here from the words of David.
He says I will bless the Lord at all times.
And it's just thought blessing. I will bless the Lord.
At all times that I have on my heart tonight, a little bit to speak on and also.
Some of the all things, just in a brief, broad measure.
You know these times that we have in our life, and we all have them, young and old alike. This time is a season, a period of time in our life that we may pass through. It may last for a few moments. It may last for hours, days. It may last for a week. Months may last for a year or more.
There are times in our life that we pass through in the ways of circumstances in our life. Some are more difficult than others.
As we sang in the hymn, Pleasing or painful?
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Some of these things that God allows in our life in the circumstance of our life.
Are these periods of times? I will bless the Lord at all times. You know, God never intends that the trials in our life should cause us to doubt His love, but yet we might trust Him more.
It's easy to praise the Lord and to go on in a happy state when everything is going our way, as it were, when things are are pleasing to us.
Things are going smoothly, no rough waters like when Peter was walking on the water and looked around and saw all the waves and the storm. Now, it's easy to be a Christian and be happy as a Christian when things are nice and smooth. But what about when the circumstances of life come our way? And you know, beloved, I'm not talking.
To anybody, I'm talking for myself.
All here we all need the encouragement of the scriptures.
How is it are we able to trust the Lord to be able to bless Him at all times in the midst of these circumstances and trials that we might be called to pass through?
Let's turn to Romans chapter 8 again for a well known verse. Hold our place here.
Let's turn to.
First Peter. Chapter one first.
We are all called to pass through.
Situations that the Lord allows in our life.
As we will see, it's all for a purpose of blessing, as we read here in first Peter chapter one.
We read about the inheritance of verse four that were kept by the power of God through faith and then in verse 6.
We're going to be greatly rejoice, but now for a season.
For a season.
Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
For a season, you are a manifold temptations. I left out three words.
If need be.
If now for a season, if need be your heaviness through manifold temptations, you know that word manifold means various. And you know every one of us can relate to this various trials, how numerable they are. Each one of us knows the trials that we all pass through.
But how precious to realize that is for a blessing.
For blessing to us, and as a needs be and needs be on God's part for us in His love.
You're in heaviness through manifold temptations at the trial of your faith. Be much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Well, when these distresses and griefs come into our lives, that we can realize.
That it's a needs be that God has purposes of blessing for us.
Oh, I remember Chapter Brown years ago used to tell us that you know when a trial comes our way.
It's already been weighed out in the balances of the sanctuary before the Lord sends it our way. He's already waited before he says it, as it were.
Now we read in First Corinthians chapter 10 that there is no temptation or trial.
Let me just read that verse.
In verse 13 there is no temptation taking you, but as such as common demand, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tried or tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Oh how God, I want to realize.
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That in these needs be these trials, these various manifold trials that come our way.
That is a needs be, but it's all weighed in the balances of the sanctuary before it comes to us, and He has given us that which will enable us to make a way of escape that He may be able to bear it. Dear young child, young person here, even you have trials in life, but how wonderful to realize that the Lord's over at all, and He loves you and He desires.
Blessing and all, He wants you to trust in Him and commit all things into His hands. We have to take up a little bit later. Let's now turn over to Romans chapter 8.
Verse 28.
We know that all things work together for good. To them who are to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Oh, how wonderful to realize that all these things, all these times.
All these trials are working together.
For good.
As though they are all shaken together in our life. They have a purpose. They're working together. Each one is working with each other. These trials, these circumstances in life are working together.
For good to them that love God, you know, wonderful to know these things. It says that we know that all things work together for good.
Do we know that when we pass through trials, you know many Saints in this various room, this very room here tonight, many are passing through various trials and circumstances of life.
Multitude of the various kinds.
But do we realize?
That they're all working together for good to them, that love God, they're working together for your good. Oh, how wonderful to realize this and to know it. And you know, there are trials sometimes.
That come into our life that we've grown as we read earlier on in Chapter 8.
So much so that we don't even we can't even speak about them, we can only grow about them. But even in this.
In the earlier verse it says the Spirit likewise help with our infirmities, for we know that we should.
We know not what we should pray for.
Or as we ought. But the spirit itself maketh intercession.
For us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Oh, how wonderful to know that even in the deepest of trials.
But all we can do is simply to grow that the Holy Spirit takes those groans, translates them into the language of heaven and all how God hears those and he understands and He knows.
Two Corinthians, chapter 4.
Verse 15. The first part of the verse.
For all things are for your sakes. Think of it. Here's the all things again, all things ALL all things work together for good. All things are for your 60 How wonderful to realize that these circumstances that God allows us to pass through.
Or for us.
For our sakes, they are never against us. Isn't it wonderful to realize that whatever is allowed or a life.
Is never against us, but always for us.
That we may get the comfort from the scriptures and we spoke earlier the comfort of the scriptures.
To be able to lay hold of these things by faith, to enjoy them as we pass through these trials, and yet to be able to bless the Lord at all times.
First Thessalonians, chapter 5.
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Verse 18.
In everything.
In everything.
Give thanks.
For this is the will of God.
In Christ Jesus.
Concerning you.
In the midst of these things, these trials, these difficulties.
We are burdened, Brian. We're not aloof from them. We suffer. We roam.
But to be able in the midst of it.
To give thanks, I will bless the Lord, David said at all times.
Is it possible?
Well, here's the comfort of the scriptures to realize.
In these things that it is the will of God for us. Think of it.
That this is the will of God.
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
To be able to rise above the trial or we suffer, we groan.
But be able to still trust the Lord.
To be able to give thanks to praise his name.
Well, there's always room for praise. There's always room for Thanksgiving. In the midst of everything that we may be called to pass through, may the Lord, by His grace, encourage our hearts to be able to trust Him more in these difficulties and trials.
It says in Ezra is the part of a verse peace and it's such a time.
Peace and at such a time, oh how wonderful to have.
Peace in our hearts.
In the midst of trials and difficulties. And again, beloved.
I need this verse for my own soul as well as anybody.
The Lord lays things in our hearts and allows us to pass through circumstances that maybe we might understand these things a little bit more.
But to be able to everything to give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
Concerning you.
No, we are not indifferent to the trials that we have passed through.
We suffer.
We pass through chastening. Hebrews tells us that.
Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. How wonderful to realize when things are allowed in our life, that because our Father loves us.
He loves us. It says in Corinthians that he chastened the people there in Corinth, that with sickness and even death.
It's trials that they might not be judged with the world. The Lord deals with us now in this life and he has a purpose which we'll speak on here in a little minute. Oh, it's that we might be conformed to the image of His son, to be conformed.
To the image of His Son. All this is working in a process in our souls and in our spirits, that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. This is His purposes with it, is it not, beloved brother?
And so we are exercised by these things.
David says in Psalm 23, Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Oh, that Rod, perhaps in discipline that we need.
Oh, it's done in love if it's applied. Or that staff, that crook and the staff that grabs the little sheep and grabs it, pulls it into the pathway again.
Keeps it from going out of the way.
Supplements said by others that.
There are three things in the ways of God's dealings with US1 is punitive, and that is.
That if we fail, if we've sinned, the Lord may deal with us regarding that sin and allow things in our life that would bring us to a point of repentance and with the purpose of restoring us.
There's also the purposes of things allowed in our life to prevent us, that staff to keep us in the right way, the narrow way.
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And then there's that also. That would prepare our souls.
Glory. There are souls that pass through trials, you say, Well, why does the Lord pass them through a trial? Surely it should have been somebody else.
But are not hearts being prepared for His presence in all these things? All of our hearts are being prepared, whether it be through this discipline.
In one form or another, our hearts not be prepared.
Well, how wonderful. Know that the Lord knows the end from the beginning.
We come to a trial, a circumstance that all here it is before us.
It seems such a burden to us.
But you know the Lord, He's already seen the end results.
We don't see the end results. Our place is to trust Him for each step of the way through that circumstance, not to doubt His love, to be able yet to bless Him at all times.
Jacob says all these things be against me. We were just reading about. All these things are for us.
Jacob saw them in the light of being against him.
And he had all these disciplines, the punitive, the preventative and the reparative disciplines in his life.
He said all these things be against because lovely brother and young people and old one as well. All these things are for us all that we might lay hold of that more and more. Let's turn back to Psalm 34. Just quickly want to touch on about four verses.
I believe this is a precious Psalm and I.
Believe in the song of these 4 verses that we will see.
The various types of trials difficulties that one may pass through.
Verse four, and these are an application. I'm not saying that they're full teaching, but at least an application. I'd like to make them tonight. Verse 4I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
We've all experienced fears of one sort of another, haven't we?
I sought the Lord and He delivered me from all my fears. I remember years ago a brother saying that most of our fears never materialize. They are Dragons.
Imaginary.
And if we think back how we've been in situations, I've had three or four major things facing me, perhaps at work.
You know, I say, Lord, how are we going to get through these? You know, a week or two later, they're all gone. For example, they're all gone.
Lord's worked about I was facing putting big burdens up there problems.
The Lord worked him out. We've all experienced this, I'm sure. I'm not saying anything anybody else has an experienced. So there are fears that the Lord was to deliver us from. Seek the Lord and He'll deliver us from those fears.
Verse six. This poor man cried.
And the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Here again the Lord hears and he says out of all his troubles, the other was all his fierce. Here's all his troubles. Where the word is distresses could be word distresses. And this is something that we could all, we all experience our distresses in life. How broad that might be distresses, whatever it might be in life, a distress.
Health, financial, family, whatever it might be.
This poor man cried. The Lord heard him, he hears, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Quickly move on here to verse 17.
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The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
You know there is suffering because one is a Christian in this life, suffering with Christ and suffering for Christ in this life.
Suffering as a righteous person in this life. Oh how we suffer, just growing by the things that are around us, the evil, the violence, the corruption. We suffer in that way.
We suffer because we want to take a stand.
For the Lord Jesus.
They're young people.
If there comes a time in your life.
That you're put on a test as to whether you're going to confess that you're the Lord's.
Confess him, trust him for the courage, and he'll help you through it.
Suffered as a righteous person, we belong to the Lord, and now we suffer because we're Christians. The world does not understand us, but it says here the Lord delivereth them out of all their troubles.
You know some of this deliverance may be through debt. How many martyrs have stood for Christ?
Faithful to the end, and they cost in their lives. They were delivered. That which was a fear at one time has now been a blessing to them. Death ushered them into the Lord's presence. We sometimes think the worst that can happen, but Usher says not quite remembered into the Lord's presence.
So there's deliverance, maybe even through death.
The Lord is near unto them thereof a broken heart.
Save as such as be of a contrite spirit.
This word broken has the thought of being shivered shattered.
The Lord is near someone today whose heart whose affections have been shattered.
Just shivered apart.
Is there one here tonight? The Lord is near.
For a broken heart. For broken relationships.
The Lord is near. Oh trust him. Bless the Lord at all times.
Till they save us. Such as be of a contrite spirit. The word contrite has the thought of bruising, bruising.
When the Lord was in the synagogue, he stood up for to read, and he read from Isaiah the prophet. He says I was sent to preach deliverance to the captives and to the broken hearted. I better read it till I get it right. But.
Recovered his sight to the blind, and descended at liberty. Them that are bruised, them that are bruised, the thought there is bruised by calamity. Anybody had any calamities in their life?
Here we have the verse The heart is broken.
And the spirit is bruised.
These are trials that we pass through from time to time, yet the Lord is near. He's never far off. All beloved, may you, young and old alike, if you pass through the experience.
Look to the Lord Jesus to trust Him, to look at Him. When all else fails around you, there's one refuge, one resource who is always the same. He never changes. He says I've loved you with an everlasting love.
You know, it says here that in verse.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of the mall. Here again there's the deliverance out of the mall ALL.
And you know that deliverance is soon to take place for every child of God in the face of this world. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. He's going to catch his own out of this world. The Lord himself is going to descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and a trump of God. And we wish our lives and the dead in Christ shall rise 1St, and we which are alive shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. That word caught means to be snatched away.
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Just take it away.
That could happen. Why we're here tonight. Isn't it a wonderful prospect? What a comfort of scriptures this is. The end of that Portage is wherefore comfort one another with these words. We started out with comfort of the scriptures. Oh, are these scriptures a comfort to our heart that we might trust the Lord more to know that our times are in His hands as we read.
In Psalm 31, we sang in the song.
My times are in thy hand, Father. We wish them there.
You know, a Christian should never use the expression that he is devastated. I've heard that expression.
And a Christian should never say that he's devastated. He may be going through some very serious trials and difficulties.
But you know.
We always have the Lord. We always have the Lord Jesus. Isn't that a comfort to know that we have Him, that we are never without Him?
So in Psalm 55, just in closing, it says.
Cast thy burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee.
If you read the margin in Mr. Darby's translation, it says.
Cast thine assigned portion upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee.
Oh, what a comfort we have in the Scriptures. Encouragement to cast it all on the Lord, to encourage us to walk with Him, to call upon Him in the day of trouble. He is near. He will never leave us or forsake us. That's a promise. Again, the comfort of the Scriptures, or may be encouraged tonight by going over.
In a simple way, these few scriptures, may they be a blessing to our souls.
And turn our hearts and our thoughts heavenward to see the Lord Jesus there, there on the throne who's always interceding for us. We have an intercessor there on high in the glory. And oh, he's there to hear our cry and to bring us to this wilderness scene is soon going to end at his coming, and it may be tonight Even so, come Lord Jesus, what the Lord?
Our God and our Father, we come to Thee now, and we thank You for these few moments we can have over Thy precious Word.
And what a comfort the Scriptures are to our hearts. O our God and our Father, we pray that Thy word might be precious to each one. We think of the dear children here, and the young people and each one of us who are older, that there might be that comfort from the Scriptures. That the Lord Jesus may be made more precious to our hearts to realize that He is with us as we walk through this wilderness scene.
And all that there might be.
That calling Him and seeking His presence in this sea, oh, we thank Thee, He's always with us, but that we didn't lose that sense of His presence. Blessed Savior, we pray for each one in the room once again and ask Thy blessing as we commit ourselves to Thee for the night, asking for Thy care and keep Thee now. Thank Thee again for this time the worthy name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I was thinking perhaps we could sing one hymn.
146 is it?
Let's see here.
Yeah, let's see. Yeah.
Perhaps the?
1St 2:00.
And the last verse.
So let's start it please.
Hello.
Burdens, Bases and Bars
Address—B. Brockmeier Jr.
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
With 250 and the echoes of grace.
Oh Lord, we would delight in thee, and on thy care depend to thee in every trouble. Flee are safe on sailing, friend. Notice also the third stanza, which we don't have in the little flock. Why should we thirst for aught below? Father is a fountain near a fountain, Which doth ever flow the fainting heart to cheer #250.
Like to read about a half dozen references to begin with to lead into the subject that I would like to take up this evening. The first would be in First Kings chapter 5.
First Kings chapter 5 and verse 13.
And King Solomon raised a levee out of all Israel, and the levee was 30,000 men.
And he sent them to Lebanon 10,000 a month by courses, a month they were in Lebanon and two months at home and at Aniram was over the levee. And Solomon had three score and 10,000 that bear burdens and four score. 1000 healers in the mountains beside the chief of Solomons officers which were over the work. 3300 which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
Now turn to Nehemiah chapter 4.
Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 7.
But it came to pass that when San Valid, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites and the Ashtonites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made-up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer into God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them. And Judas said, the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish.
So that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversary said, They shall not know, neither see till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
And primarily thinking of that expression in verse 10. And Judah said the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed.
Or the strength of the burden bearers. Faileth. I'll turn to Matthew, Chapter 11.
Matthew 11 and those well known verses.
28 through 30.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden.
If you notice Mr. Darby's translation, it says ye that labor in our burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Turn to the 23rd chapter now.
Matthew 23 Then speak Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat all. Therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do, but do not ye after their works, For they say and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulders.
But they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
And a complimentary passage in Luke 11.
Luke 11 and verse 45.
Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying, Thou reproachest us also. And he said, Woe unto you also, lawyers, for ye laid men with burdens grievous to be born, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. And finally in Galatians chapter 6.
Galatians chapter 6 and verse 2.
Bear ye one another's burdens and soul fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.
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Well, perhaps you noticed the thought of burdens mentioned in each of these references, and I would like to take that thought up in a general way to begin with and then make a few comments. And then more particularly, I would like to look at the service of one of the sons of Levi.
You recall when God brought his people?
Out of Egypt into the wilderness. And he established that Tabernacle. There was three sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Marari that were assigned specific burdens to carry through the Tabernacle, through the wilderness. They each had a particular burden to bear, a particular service that they needed to attend to. For instance, the coauthites carried all the holy vessels.
The Gershonites. They carried the curtains and coverings and so on.
And the moral rights covered or that carried rather the boards and the bases and the bars and the pegs and things along that line, that which gave the structure to the Tabernacle. But before we get into that in detail, I just wanted to notice a few verses here with respect to burdens.
Because the first reference we had had to do with Solomon building the temple. And those, you might say, were the glory days of Israel, just as in Acts chapter 2, we see, you might say, the glory days of the church. Very brief in number, we might add. But it's a beautiful thing to read that early chapter of Acts, those early chapters of Acts, and to see the power with which the testimony was carried on there. And they were all with one accord in one place.
And there was an abundance even go to the 13th chapter. I've been struck with this and it brings out five prophets or teachers there in the assembly at Antioch. Saul or Paul was one of them. And there was four other capable brother in there, Barnabas, yet another Simeon, Lucius and Tim and I believe was the others. So there was there was real a real wealth and abundance in that assembly at Antioch. And we see the mighty power there was in the prayer meanings.
Well, we have a little bit in picture here in First Kings.
And we find that there was such abundance as the House of God was being built that Solomon recruited 30,000 sent him up to do service. You work a month and take two months off because that was the abundance. There was more than enough to to take care of the burdens that had to do with the House of God.
But you know, we don't live in days like that. We don't live in days when.
We work a month and take two months off in the Lord's things. You know, Paul can speak about the burden of the assemblies that pressed upon him daily, daily, not monthly, not once a quarter, but daily. And we find here that Solomon had 70,000 men that had the service of bearing burdens. There was an abundance, but we're not living in those days. We live rather in the days.
Such as we read about in Nehemiah chapter 4.
Now you recall what happened after God established his testimony in Israel and power and glory and Solomon. We know the slide began quickly and before Solomon's son had ended his generation, there was a horrible split in the Kingdom of Israel and 10 tribes went with Jeroboam and only two remained at the divine center.
And we know that things did not improve, although there were some happy moments in the reigns of Hezekiah and also Josiah. But as the testimony wound down there at the very end, there was a godly king Josiah that was raised up. But Josiah made a fatal mistake. And that was there was warfare going on, and Josiah thought he would get involved with that warfare.
And the king of Egypt had to reprove him, and say for bear thee from meddling with God.
And Josiah didn't listen, and I believe three times Josiah heard those words. For bear thee for meddling with God. Josiah, this is not your concern. Stay out of it. But Josiah got involved and we know that in that battle an Archer unaware slew him and he died. And then after that there was 4 kings, young men. They took over the reins of administration of the Kingdom of Israel. Jehoi has Jehoiakim or Eliakim.
Jehoiakim or he's also spoken of as Jeconiah or Konaya. And then the final king was Zedekiah.
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Who rebelled against God? Governmental hand of the king of Babylon coming down against them. He fought against the government of God. When Jeremiah told him to submit, he fought. And the result? The sad result of Zedekiah. The last thing he saw before he had his eyes put out was his two sons slain in front of him.
Lost everything because of his rebellion because it was refusal to submit to the government of God.
He lost his children, He lost his eyesight, and he lost his liberty. And now we find that he was taken down to Babylon, place of religious confusion and type. And so that was how the Kingdom of Israel, how it ended up. And they, the people of God, those two tribes, went into captivity. But God in his grace recovered a remnant from those two tribes to come back to Jerusalem some 70 years later, and they established the temple and as the old men.
As they saw the glory of the temple, there was number glory to the temple, not what it was in former days. There was rejoicing, but it was a far cry from what it was before. Ezra Haggai rather encouraged them to look on to see the coming glory of that house. But then after Ezra built the temple, we find that Nehemiah took about the most difficult work of restoring separation to the people of God, building the walls again to protect.
The inheritance that God would give to his people. And we find here that when this exercise took effect that there was immediate opposition.
And it's most instructive in the book of Nehemiah to find the character of opposition from these enemies of the people of God, because their tactics are the same today, because we find that these enemies of God, first they get angry, then they try the intimidation tactic, then they say, we're going to report you for rebellion to the king. And then what do they do? They flatter them, Then they get sweet. Then they say, well, let's just meet and have a little discussion about this. They try every tactic to try to stop the.
Of the Lord but Nehemiah and these men of God understood what was going on and they refused every attempt of the enemy to corrupt the work there at Jerusalem and it was a difficult work. They had the enemy from without trying to stop this work of separation and stopped to that there might be mingling and it's a whole another subject in the book of Nehemiah of how the enemy came in to Jerusalem and upset things, but we find.
Here, Judah said the strength of the burden bears faileth. Now what was the burden that they had to take up was there, It says there was much rubbish and I would suggest that rubbish was what remained.
Sennacherib or from Nebuchadnezzar as he as he moved in there with his with his host some. No, it wasn't it wasn't Snacker, it wasn't Nebuchadnezzar and the king of Babylon. They came in and destroyed the.
The Temple and all that was in Jerusalem there that this rubbish perhaps still remained.
From this sad devastation, and so is the people of God sought to begin to clear things out. It was a real burden. And as they considered the government of God that had come upon them, justly so because of their ways, carrying all this rubbish out was a real burden to them. And it caused the bearers of burden strength to fail. But I'd also like to make a practical application here.
You know, sometimes perhaps you wonder why is it that I'm not making any spiritual progress?
Why isn't there any joy in my life? How come the word of God is dry to me?
How come I find no delight in seeking the Lord's face and how come there's I would rather be anywhere else but that At the assembly prayer meeting, why do you thought sometimes like this come up in our hearts? I would suggest it's because there's rubbish in our life and we need to get that and we need to bear the burden of clearing out that rubbish in our life because it hinders us in going on to please the Lord and all the things. And you know what I'm talking about, all the rubbish that we bring into our life, it just dampens us.
Crowds out the things of God. And so there's just a glimmer of desire and our hearts to the precious things of Christ. Oh, it's a burden. But these men and then we know that they completed the work, but there was a need and sometimes we perhaps we even feel it today with so many trials that come upon us.
It just seems like, as it says in Ecclesiastes, the clouds return after the rain. No sooner is one storm dawn, here comes the next one. What's going to happen next? And all the strength of the burden bearers faileth. Well, perhaps we feel like that. And so that's why I'd like to pursue the thought of bearing burdens a little bit tonight. And also particularly the service of Murari.
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What we also read in Matthew 11 because they're the Lord Jesus says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden are burdened.
And I will give you rest.
Now that's a wonderful application in the gospel, and we often use it that way.
Oh, don't we see it, the sorrow and the sadness that is written on men's face. They're burdened down with sin. The Lord wants to give them rest. But oh, how stubborn our hearts can be. And perhaps there's even one in the room tonight. You're a Sinner before God and you know it, and you're not happy. Then. How can you be happy when you know at the end of the path is eternal judgment is the wrath of God? Oh, the Lord Jesus wants to give you rest of heart. All He wants you to find rest and give you that.
Rest knowing that your sins are forgiven. Oh, there's no rest. There's no peace to the wicked.
All once you come and embrace the Savior and find that rest and knowing your sins are forever gone through the blood of Christ. But you know, even as believers we sometimes get heavy the burdens bear us down and the Lord would invite us to to say, let me say come unto me, I will give you rest and then he speaks in the.
The next verse take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Now what is the yoke? You know a yoke is what brings two oxen together. And I just thought of it in this way that the Lord says my burden is light. It's not a heavy burden, but there is a burden and I believe the yoke is this that if they felt sense of the Lord's presence with us as we go throughout.
Day, it's a light burden, it's a yoke, but there's an acknowledgment that we are united and we are connected with another. We're walking in fellowship with the Lord. And has it ever happened? Perhaps you were tempted to say something that you perhaps shouldn't say, but yet you had the sense that the Lord was with you and you felt a restraining hand upon you, that there was some impression on your heart. They said, I better not say that.
I better not do that. I better not go there. What was it? Well, it was the yoke of walking with the Lord and His presence with you, and it put a check.
Upon you. Oh, it's sad when we throw that off, when we throw off restraint, but that's the path of rest. And the Lord says, yes, I have a burden for you. But it's light. It's light. I was thinking, as Dave was speaking this afternoon, he referred to Genesis 49 about Issachar. There it says he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant. Now what does it say? He became a servant to tribute.
And it says, I think in the verse before Issachar is a Bony *** couching down between 2 burdens. 2 burdens.
You know, the Lord wants us to have one burden, that is the burden of pleasing Him. And it's a light burden. But sometimes we get couched down because there's two burdens. And maybe it's because we take on a burden that the Lord wouldn't have. And maybe it's because of this occur. If we look at that in a typical way, in a prophetic way, how the Jews have sought to get land and they have given themselves unto tribute in order to get that pleasant land, but they're never going to get the land that way. It's not by toil that they get the land, it's when God.
Gives it to them that they have rest and they have peace. But oh, how many times we find ourselves under burdens or under tribute because we're seeking to attain things that the Lord hasn't given us, perhaps his material things and we labor and toil for it. And what happens we couch down between two burdens. Well, I also wanted to read those verses in Matthew 23 and and also in Luke 11.
Because there you have the the work of the Pharisee now.
The Pharisee.
Is known for, was known for his legality. There was three things the Pharisee wanted everybody to know about. You have it in the, I think the 6th chapter of Matthew. The one thing is when the Pharisee prayed, he wanted to make sure he had an audience that everyone could see how spiritual he was. He was a man of prayer and he wanted all to recognize it. And the Lord said he has his reward. The Lord's instruction for us in prayers go into the closet.
Don't make a great display about it. Go in there where you're not, not interrupted. But the Pharisee made a great show of prayer and then he also made a great show of giving. Anything wrong with prayer or anything wrong with giving? No on both counts. Of course not. But when the Pharisee gave, he wanted to make sure the trumpet sounded and everybody would see just how largely he gave, just how generous and just how sacrificial he really was. He wanted that to be known among his peers. And then the other thing the Pharisee did was he fasted.
And he had a long face showing his self denial, showing how he would refuse that which even would properly belong to Him. So steadfast was he with his spiritual zeal, but it was all the flesh because he did it for the eye of man. Is prayer right? Absolutely. Is giving right? Absolutely. Is fasting right? Absolutely. But it's not for the eye of man, it's for the eye of God. Now these Pharisees, you see, there is a hype, there was a.
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A hypocritical way about them because what they did was they bound burdens that were heavy to be born on others.
And that's the principle of legality, it's been said that the law demands.
And grace supplies.
I thought of it in this way just from my own observation.
It has seemed to me, and sometimes those that cry legal quote, UN quote are often themselves the chief offenders. Now what I mean by that is this. There may be someone seeking to walk in the fear of God and dependence upon God and with exercise and walking in a path of separation from the world, and that may bother some consciences. And so the label of legal is put on that particular soul.
But you know, and that it can be so we can take up a very.
Uh, you know, a path like a monk or a hermit. And it's not separation according to the mind of God.
And there's room for for for admonition in that regard. But you know, sometimes there is I may, I may put a label of legal on somebody when in fact is simply to ease my conscience, when that person may in all fear of God, be seeking to please the Lord. But what is it that governs me? I'm walking in a very worldly, in a carnal way. What is it that stops me from doing something? It certainly isn't the fear of God.
Why? It's just a legal principle that that that I'm guiding my life by.
Oh, if we're walking in the fear of God and seeking to please the Lord, we're going to be happy, and there will be a far truer path of separation to the world than anything the Pharisees could drum up. Because it was all for the eye of man, and their work was to bind burdens upon others. It's a wretched principle to put burdens on others that God does not put upon them. And what does the Lord say?
And you don't even turn a finger to help, lift a finger to help as they lift a.
Um.
You know I lost my reference.
Well, that's all right. Thoughts there her dad growing up now and then maybe some of you did too. Why don't you turn a finger to help? Well, that's what the Pharisees, they didn't turn a finger to help. And the Lord had to reprimand the the doctors of the law in that same way. Oh, let's not be burden binders. Let's be burden bearers. That's what the Lord would have. That's grace. That's Christianity. And that's what I read in Galatians chapter 6 because there was a region.
Where?
Bad doctrine swept. It wasn't just in a single locality. Now, because bad doctrine is like that, it was in a region, it spread, it spread around to these different assemblies in the Galatians, in the Galatia region. And so the Lord speaks to them. He says, bury you, one another's burdens and soul fulfill the law of Christ. Now that wasn't characteristic of the law of Moses. It certainly wasn't what the Pharisees were trying to do.
No, they were binding burdens. They were making life, sheer drudgery and sheer hardship for their brethren because of these things that they would hoist upon them.
But that's not Christianity. Christianity is bury one another's burdens and soul fulfill the law of Christ not beautiful the law of Christ. That's Christianity is to help fear 1 anothers burdens.
And then in the fifth verse we read about every man shall bear his own burden. Notice recently that in Mr. Darby's translation he has a note stating those two words for burdens are different. And the one verse of one burden where bear you one another's burdens. It's the same word that's used in Matthew chapter 20 about those that labored and had borne the heat of the day. It was a very great burden. And that's what we have in verse.
Two, but the verse in the burden spoken of in verse five is the same word that's used in Matthew 11 from my burden is light.
And Brother Bill was missing the other night that these two burdens, the one would have to be due to something that is excessive, something that is, you might say above and beyond, while the other burden would have to deal with the normal responsibilities of life. And so we see that we each have that responsibility. But in a day when burdens are greater and the strength of the burden bearers faileth and there's not 30,000 or 70,000 burden bearers.
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God would seek to reach our hearts that we might take up with the thought of bearing one another's burdens. Now, I've taken much more time than I intended to, so let's turn back to Numbers chapter 3.
And look at the burden of the Marorite.
Numbers chapter 3 and verse.
36.
And under the custody in charge of the sons of Mariah shall be the boards of the Tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that service thereto, and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
That will be sufficient. That gives us what the burden of the mirror right is.
Now, as I say, each of these burdens of the different sons of Levi and I don't want to be taking a side trip here about that. It's very it's very beautiful. The Suns the coauthites that have to do with carrying the holy and the precious things of God to the wilderness. And really it's a privilege for us brethren to do that the precious truths as far as the person of Christ and the work of Christ and the fellowship into which he's brought us.
And our position in Christ, all these things, these precious truths that God is entrusted and committed to the assembly.
It is our privilege to be true coauthites and carry these things throughout the wilderness. Koath's name means assembly, and how good to walk in the truth of the assembly and of the precious truth of God. And it's a burden. It's a burden, isn't it? Especially when it's challenged, especially when it's attacked, especially when the day wears long. That's a burden to carry these things. And then there was the Gershonite. His name means stranger in the work of the Gershonite was to carry the coverings of the Tabernacle and also the curtains.
And the curtains would give, you might say those white curtains would set apart the Tabernacle from the wilderness, and it would give character to the people of God. And it was the testimony of the people of God to the world, that path of righteousness and path of purity that the people of God should pursue through this world. And then those coverings to protect the Tabernacle, which was the House of God where God dwelled, that we might have that.
Exercise and that desire and that burden that we walk through this world that we properly reflect.
Christ here in this world, that we walk according to the truth of what a Christian is here in this world, and that we protect that which God has given us with respect to the House of God. But then this moral right, His name means bitter, and his work is most instructive because he was to carry the boards, the bars and the bases, or I think it says sockets in the King James here. And what would that suggest to us?
Will the bars I'm not going to take the time to read in Exodus 36. We simply don't have time for it.
But we find that the bars, they stood up right, 10 cubits, and they were a cubit and a half wide, and underneath those bars were two bases or two sockets of silver. Now those boards, I believe would suggest to us, the people of God, there is a difference between the Tabernacle and the temple. We know that the House of God is presented in a couple of different ways to us in Scripture, and we find in Peter's epistles how the House of God we're spoken of as living stones.
But in the Tabernacle it seems to be more of the thought of the boards which likewise would represent the people of God.
Now those boards were 10 cubits high. That would speak of responsibility to God.
And we each our responsibility to stand before God. You might say there's that 10 cubits high to stand in our responsibility before God. But then they were a cubit and a half wide. And justice this quick thought that 1/2 in Scripture often speaks to that which is not complete. And so the cubits, these boards were a cubit and a half wide, that is, they weren't complete without the other boards. And so, brethren, we need one another, don't we?
Sometimes we like to get on the path or we don't think we need anybody, but you know, the Lord brings things into our lives and we find out, yes.
We do need our brethren, don't we?
Think of Paul right when he was first converted, and there they were circling around the city, ready to kill him. His brother led him out of the window in a basket, down so he could escape. The great apostle Paul spoken then, of course, is still Saul. There he was hanging in the basket, dangling by his brother down the side of the wall. And it seems to me here was Paul who was so mightily raised up and used of the Lord. He had to learn.
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Important principle right at the beginning of his of his service for the Lord, and that is you need your brethren Paul.
There was number miracles there. He was dependent on his brethren to get him down as there he was completely dependent on the Lord. Yes, they depended on his brethren in the basket above him. And so God brings these things into our life sometimes where we realize we may want to go it alone, but God brings us in to say, no, you need your brother. You're only a cubit and a half wide. You're not. You can't go it alone.
Well, the moral right he was to carry these bars, these the boards through the wilderness that would speak of the Saints, of the Saints of God.
His name means bitter, and it seems to me in this way that.
Put it in the lines of the hymn. I think it's 187 and little flock, oh Lord, thou 2 once hasted this weary desert through once fully tried and tasted its bitterness and woe. So there's a bitterness that the Lord felt in this world. I'm not talking about this bitter sphere or we won't forgive somebody or something like that. I'm talking about the bitterness of the way. And Murari felt that.
He felt the bitterness of the pathway you might say that his brother were going through and it was a burden upon him.
And sometimes it's that way. Well, this isn't it, brethren. We know there's a burden and we, we just, we know there's not anything we can do to help our brethren. And what does it do? We just fall on our knees because we know the only one we can turn to is the Lord himself of whom we sunk we.
It's good if we come to that point, to bear the burden when we come to the point where the needs and the hurts among the people of God become bitter in our own soul where we're felt. But there's something else as well as far as burying the bars, the boards. Rather there was bearing the bars and bearing the bases. And I'd just like to say a few words on this because it is so important. The enemy wants to come in and divide now the bases.
Were used that the boards might stand upright.
How many of the Saints of God have fallen because there hasn't been the bases underneath them? Murari carried the bases that the people of God might stand, that the that the boards might stand upright. And then he also carried the bars because the bars would tend to fall apart without being linked together with these, with these bars. And this was the work of them, all right. And this should be what should weigh on our hearts and be a burden to us, not only the needs of the Saints, but that the Saints might stand.
Before God and responsibility in a way to bring him glory and pleasure, and also that they might be united together with a bar.
And so I'd like to just briefly as we, as we closeout the meeting tonight, to go to the New Testament and just look at a few of the epistles and find some bases and find some bars that would cause the Saints of God to stand and that would also cause our hearts to be knit together in love.
Turn first to Acts 20.
I know that's not an epistle, but we have the thought.
Acts chapter 20 and Justice, verse 32.
Paul speaking to the elders of Ephesus. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Well, you know those those sockets of silver or those bases of silver.
Those there was two under each, under each board, and there's so many lovely thoughts I believe we could draw from them. Perhaps it speaks of the death and the resurrection of Christ.
But in this chapter, in this verse, I'd like to apply it two things needed to cause to enable the Saints of God to stand upright. It's what Paul commended the the believers there too.
To God and the word of His grace.
They might say prayer in the word of God.
That we cannot stand properly if we're not reading the word of God and we're not praying.
I've mentioned this but it comes to mind and we'll just use it as an application. Spoke to a brother earlier this week and said how are you doing? Are you still reading the word? He said no. He said I'm in an all time spiritual low. I'm still praying but he wasn't standing.
He's fallen, but he wasn't reading the word of God. There is in my memory a very distinct.
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Impression.
About 2025 years ago, my late Grandpa Brockmire used to drive down for dinner on Lord's Day afternoon and he had a friend whose name was Irwin Moon. Dr. Irwin Moon, some of you may have heard of him, that was made many Christian films. He was quite a scientist and made many Christian films and they even showed him. I remember in elementary school they would show these films carefully edited, taking the part out about God and creation and so on out of the film.
But there were some very interesting films that he that he developed. One was on bees and another one was on.
The River of Life, I think it was called, about the circulatory system and all wonderful documentaries you might call them. And so one day my folks said to my grandpa, would you like to go up and see Irwin Moon? He said, yes, I'd like to see that. I haven't seen him in many years. And so we, we drove up in Hacienda Heights and one large day afternoon and we, we visited there. It was quite, a, quite a happy visit.
And.
Then my grandpa and Doctor Moon began to speak about some sister that they both knew. And Irwin Moon said, he said that sister gave me my first Bible, and she wrote in the flyleaf of that Bible something that's been a real blessing to me. And it was this, and perhaps you've heard of this before, but it was this. This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.
And if we go headlong into sin, it's because we've neglected either or both the word of God in prayer.
We need those two bases of silver to support us that we might stand.
Upright for the glory of God. And then there was you might see the bars, which is able to give you an inheritance among all of them that are sanctified. Because God doesn't just expect us to go on as a free agent, Mavericks, doing what we think is right before the Lord. He has brought us into a fellowship one with another. We are united among all them that are sanctified. God is called out of the nations, the people for himself and has united them together.
When all God wants the bars that were united together.
Turn to Romans 15 as well now.
Romans, chapter 15.
I'm sorry, Chapter 161625.
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 kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest. We'll stop right there. Two things, the gospel and the mystery.
Paul's gospel, he said in Romans 11. He purposed to come to them in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
And how good to read the Epistle to the Romans, and be established in the fullness of the Gospel of Christ, that not only are my sins gone and put away, but that sin nature within me has been condemned at the cross of Christ. In my standing before God is a child of Adam, is gone and done away with, and now I stand before God as a new man.
The fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. But there was also the mystery of Christ and the church, the unsearchable riches of Christ. It has to do with the body of Christ. Now God has made one new man out of Jew and Gentile, uniting them together in one body and one new man. And again, it's the collective side of thing. So we need the gospel, truly, but we also need the mystery of Christ in the church. One time a brother was speaking to me. He had gotten cold, and I think he had left the gathering at the time.
And he was referring to a brother's ministry and he says all that brother talks about is the assembly. And I said, yes, all that brother talks about is the mystery. All that brother talks about is the unsearchable riches of Christ. He said, well, you have a point. Yes, but the trouble is often is with our hearts. And I'm not saying we can't emphasize one line of truth and neglect of all others, and that's not right either, but how God would desire that we're established in the gospel and in the mystery.
There's so many more verses I'd like to turn to, but.
I'll just grab a couple more and we'll close here. 1St Corinthians 1.
I hope I'm making clear what I'm trying to bring out about the basis. It is that which would cause the Saints of God to stand.
In their personal responsibility for the Lord that we don't take tumbles and we don't lie as a fallen board in the wilderness. That's the basis. So now here we're going to read about some bars. First Corinthians chapter one and verse 10.
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Now I beseech your brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and there be no divisions among you, but that she perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are the House of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
I'll stop there. We know the context. We know what was going on there in Corinth. There is these little factions, these little, little schisms that we're developing and working.
There were those that were going on, no part of any faction.
But there were these factions that were developing because man was being followed. And that's the sure consequence whenever man replaces Christ or whenever an idea or some pet.
Theme of of things takes the place of Christ.
And so Paul beseeches them that they would be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. This is the bars of the Tabernacle. And how can this be? Why have we read in Exodus 36 we'd find there was one bar that shot through all the boards. I believe it's a picture to us of the Spirit of God that touches us all, that indwells us all, that unites us all together. The Spirit of God must be given His place if the Saints of God are going to be bound together.
But you know, also on those boards there was these little tenants that connected one board to another. And you know, in practical ways there are brethren that we are closer to for one reason or another than others. There's these tenons we need to be knit together in love. But these bars, there was that one bar that shot all the way through. There were these other bars that connected the boards. And perhaps we have those in Ephesians chapter 4.
Perhaps we'll just turn to it.
Those things that would keep the Saints of God bound together, that there wouldn't be schisms and a pulling apart.
Ephesians 4 and verse one speaks of walking worthily, of the vocation wherever we're called, with all loneliness. There's one bar in meekness, there's another bar with long-suffering, there's a third bar and forbearing one another in love. That's the 4th bar. And then endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace is in the 5th bar. That's not original with me, but I've enjoyed it. The unity of the Spirit. What is that? I don't know if I can describe it, but I think it's what we read in Acts 2 describes what the.
Of the Spirit is they are all together, with one accord in one place.
One accord in one place, the Saints gathered together on the truth to express the one body, but even more than that, because they were the 1 accord. And how can that be so? How can there be the bars that would unite us together? Why with the meekness, the long-suffering, for burying one another in love with all loneliness?
This is how the Lord can keep us united together. And although we might have that burden of the moral right that we might desire, that our brethren might stand, that there is the prominence of the Word of God and prayer in our life, that there is the appreciation for the gospel truly, but also the mystery, also the Church of God. Not that it's the Church of God exclusively and nothing for the gospel, but there's both that we might stand.
And, as Paul could tell, the Corinthians.
He did not want to have dominion over their face, but as helpers of their joy, by faith ye stand.
Oh, we don't stand walking in somebody else's exercises. We stand by walking in personal faith before the Lord, whether conscience exercise before him, walking in the truth as the Spirit of God makes it known to us, so that we have those bases. And then likewise, brethren, we have the bars because we know how the enemy loves to divide and how the wolf loves to scatter. We need those bars that would unite us together, that we might be perfectly joined together.
In the same mind and in the same judgment, and that we might bear the burden of moral right carrying those boards.
Having a burden for the people of God and all the sorrows that we pass through.
That we might be sustained in the wilderness, that we might not.