Open—B. Conrad, C. Little
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Return to the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs, chapter 16.
Have it on my heart this afternoon.
To share some burdens or exercises along the lines of government.
Principles of government.
And that may seem, uh, possibly the younger ones like, uh, we're setting out for very dry subject, umm.
I think, uh, if we.
Consider various realms in our present situation here on earth, on our way home to glory, where we need government.
Am I not loud enough back there? I don't know how much to put into the mic or.
Doing fine, thank you, he says. I'm doing fine.
But if you can't hear, uh, please wave your hand or something.
So I'd like to share some exercises that have been, uh, going through my mind for many, many months.
And so just to start, I'd just like to read a few verses of the first in Proverbs 16, verse 32.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.
And he that ruleth his spirit, and he that taketh a city.
Uh, Proverbs 25.
Similar passage, last verse in the chapter Proverbs 25.
Verse 28.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.
So obviously these first verses applied to the first thing necessary in any responsibility that we have, whether brothers or sisters, mothers, fathers. And as I've been walking around through the meetings, there just seems to be dozens and dozens of younger people, uh.
The Lord tarries, just ready to strike off into responsibilities, uh, in the workplace, making a living, uh.
Looking to the Lord for a wife or a husband and then having responsibilities in your home where government is required. Uh, we're not going to speak. I don't believe this afternoon about literal government because the scriptures, uh, teach us that's not really a place that a Christian is intended to be.
So let me turn to Ephesians 5 next.
Well known verses just to.
Have them before us.
Sorry, Ephesians 6.
Verse four. He fathers provoke not your children to wrath.
But bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of heart, as under Christ, not with iservice, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill, doing services to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
And you masters do the same things unto them, for bearing, threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven.
Neither is their respective persons with him.
Then over in uh, first Timothy.
We have the sphere of the Assembly as well, where there is the need for government administration.
I Timothy 3.
I really don't intend to return to these passages in detail, but just to walk through them. First Timothy 3 and verse one. This is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a Bishop or overseer, he desireth a good work. A Bishop then must be blameless. The husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, with good behavior, given to hospitality, apartment to teach, not given to wine. No striker not greedy of filthy lucre.
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But patient not a brawler, not covetous one that ruleth well or conducts well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God, and so on.
And then in, uh, second Samuel.
I think it's around the 23rd chapter.
Second Samuel 23.
The last words of David.
So I take it a reflection on David's part.
Verse 2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
God of Israel, said the rock of Israel, spake to me. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God, and He shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God, yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, covenant ordered in all things ensure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire.
Although he maketh not to grow.
And then in Ezekiel chapter one.
Ezekiel, Chapter one.
For the sake of time, I'm just going to read verse 10.
This is a description of these four living creatures in the vision that Ezekiel had. Verse 10 of Ezekiel one. As for the likeness of their faces, they forehead the face of a man and the face of a lion.
On the right side and they forehead the face of an ox. On the left side theyfore also had the face of an eagle.
And then finally, Revelation chapter five, I think it is.
Chapter 4. Revelation.
And here again we have.
For beasts or four living creatures in verse 7.
Revelation 4 and seven, and the first beast was like a lion.
And the second beast, like a calf or an ox.
The third beast had a face as a man and the 4th beast was like.
A flying eagle.
Before I I, I'd like to speak about these four, but I think we can consider attributes, divine attributes of government, as God would like to see it and as God will carry it out.
To his own pleasure and satisfaction.
The characteristic of a lion of a calf or ox.
Man and a flying eagle.
I wish I could, uh, give exposition, adequate exposition on these passages in, in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation four. I think you'll have to look for someone else for that. I, I really can't even say as I've meditated on it, why the order is different in Ezekiel one from, from Revelation 4, although I have thoughts on that. But I would just like to go back and, and visit a little bit in these different aspects of government.
And see what we can learn and what we can get encouragement and help from as we seek to apply these different attributes that we see in God's natural sphere to the realms in which we are responsible to either carry out government or be in subjection to government. Now I held my finger in Second Samuel 23 because.
As I think of this passage, it just seems to me David is sitting here reflecting.
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A beautiful time in his life, reflecting a man of myriad ups and downs in his life. Like Jacob had a time at the end of his life when he was able to reflect and to look back as a blessed and happy man.
Over a life that had also had many ups and downs, many failures. Men of like passions as ourselves, to put it that way. And here we see David meditating upon what governments and he was a king. He had been chosen to be a king. What government? What carrying out kingship should really be like.
And so he says, he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. He knew that was the case.
And yet, as he says in verse five, although my house be not so with God, he has to admit that it hasn't been that way with him. As you think of David's history, you know that there were failures in his own ability to govern himself.
Grievous failures in his ability to govern himself. And that's why I read those verses in Proverbs first. Then we see that in his home there were failures to govern his children. And the atmosphere and tone in order of his home, uh, the one flowed from the other. And we see in his public dealings, sitting in the gate and his dealings with other nations and with the men who were leaders in his Kingdom, there were failures there too that cost sometimes.
A grievous price some even paid with their lives. As I go through these things, I just want to take this little digression to say that there's not a thing probably I'll mention this afternoon.
That I don't think about because it failed in it.
And the, I think of these different things almost weekly, daily, uh, in the spheres of the assembly and in the, in our work life or business life and in the family and in my responsibility to govern my own spirit.
And yet David in this passage in Psalm 23, he seems, his thoughts seem to go from himself reflexively up to one, just as he reflects on his own inability. Although it be not my house, be not so with God, that his reflections go to one as he refers to here He shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, as a tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
And so, as we go through these four attributes, trying not to take too much time, perhaps the Spirit of God will lead us into reflections upon one who governed himself perfectly, and one who in the domestic sphere conducted himself perfectly. One who, going in and out amongst his people, conducted himself perfectly, and one who, when he comes with.
10,000 of the Saints will be displayed a man of perfect perfect strength, perfect stability.
Perfect and complete, utter divine wisdom.
And all of that exercised in wise and perfect judgment.
So that even at the end of the Book of Revelation, when.
If you've ever listened to the whole Book of Revelation, say on a tape or had it read to you or read the whole book cover to cover and you get to the end and it's so solemn.
And then when the pronouncement of the Lord's coming is mentioned those several times, in light of all that you've read and the knowledge that you have perhaps still loved ones that are abiding with the wrath of God upon them, children or brothers and sisters or parents.
Yet at the sense of the wisdom and grace and the glory of God's ways in government, the Saint has led to say Even so.
Even so come Lord Jesus. Even if it means all that, Even so come Lord Jesus.
And so in meditating upon these four attributes, the first one that I would like to speak about here is the character of a lion.
I suppose it was, uh, our late brother Adrian Roche who find myself, uh, remembering many things that he said to me. And he used to say that, uh, a good way to understand scriptures with Scripture. And I know there are many in this room who have heard him far more than I. And if you're seeking to meditate on the word of God and you're not sure what a figure or symbol means, because God speaks and figures and symbols and look into the scriptures themselves to explain the symbol or figure.
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So if we went back to Proverbs and I don't want to take time to do that, we read what a lion is a figure of. He's the strongest amongst beasts and turns not aside for any and boys and girls and and young people and all of us. So I speak to my own heart. This is a day.
Maybe I'm just more aware of it than I used to be when there was a real just an amazing lack of courage in the natural sphere, in the personal sphere.
And in any sphere that I myself walk in and out of a lack of courage and strength.
As we apply that to ourselves, we say how we need courage and strength to not be turned aside in the convictions our brother brought before us in the book of Ruth when he went back to chapter one, the first thing, the steadfastness that she purposed in her heart and how we need this courage even in the little things to stand for the Lord sometimes when we're eating in a public place. I don't mean to embarrass any of my children.
But sometimes we're in a public place because we're traveling and we're going to give thanks for the food. And I look around to see if I've got their attention, and I see their furtive looks with their eyes this way and that, because the tendency is to see who's looking or who's watching.
Well, that's not just something children do. Maybe they do it a little plainly than the rest of us, but how we need courage to identify ourselves with Christ in this day, even in the little things. Even in the little things. And how much more those of us who are older need them in the affairs of our life.
We think of the lore coming forth.
And we see in revelation that he has given that title, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But even when he was down here in his humiliation, a man of naturally speaking lowly birth, the dignity and the moral strength that characterized him all through his pathway, the Spirit of God eclipses most of his youth until you see him at 12 years old, and you see him there in the temple in perfect comeliness.
Uh, sitting and listening and asking questions. I think it's those three things in that order. Sitting and listening and asking questions. And then it says they were astonished at his answers.
And we see in the beginning of as we read the beginning of his earthly of his ministry in Nazareth, when he stands up and calls for the book and reads, they immediately want to throw him over the brow of the hill. And that man in that lion like strength, that moral perfect moral fiber and character that he displayed in himself, He just walks right through the midst of them at times when you or I would be in danger of being compromised by.
The social setting that we're in, such as at a wedding, the Lord was faithful when He spoke to Mary.
At times when he might be in danger, you and I might be in danger of being turned aside by for this reason or for that, we see that the Lord never lost his bearings, always a man of strength and dignity.
Some 1516 years ago I was in an address, umm, only six or seven of us in a small meeting and I and I always remember it was on the Book of Revelation.
But the only thing I remember is that the brother stopped midway through the address and he, by way of digression, he made this comment. He said that he said that a child of God should always conduct himself with dignity and humility.
And that stuck with me, at least the knowledge of it. And I would hope that there would be some display of it, but he said dignity and humility. And when you think of those two things, they're really an unlikely pair or couplet in a natural sense, because in the world, dignity is connected with pride, with people of, of high place or, or as you know, we have various slang words to describe people that, uh, sometimes are, are dignified.
In a in an unwholesome way.
But in spiritual things, dignity coupled with humility. And the brother went on to say, why dignity? Because of the place to which we've been brought. You know, our late brother Albert Hale sometimes used to tell the story of, of, uh, I think it was a Prince, I'm not well versed in royalty, but a Prince that was on a, a, a voyage on a ship. And there was some holiday or some occasion when they went across the time zone or something. And Albert used to tell the story how.
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Unbecoming it was for this person of a royal position.
To become involved in some of the foolishness and play that they got involved in. I can't tell the story like he could. And but Brother Albert was was making the same point. Oftentimes the dignity that should become us because why? We've been lifted up from a horrible pit, from the dust and from the dunghill, but we've been given the place of Suns. Each one of us who are Christians has an extremely dignified place. Think of the name that's called upon us. Think of the destiny.
That as ours perhaps before this day is out, think of that worthy name by which we are called. It becomes us to conduct ourselves, whether young or old. And it doesn't mean that that that nature is ignored when the children between the meetings or anything like that. I think you understand what I'm getting at and humility. Why? Because how did we ever get into that place? Pure grace, pure, pure sovereign grace that would reach out to you and I when we were determined to head the other direction.
And arrest us, almighty love arresting us, and bringing us in sovereign grace to such a place like that. So dignity and humility becomes us. And with the Lord we see that dignity even at the times of the greatest humiliation. Was reading on on vacation the other day.
Starting to read for the third or fourth time a book that I I'm not ashamed to heartily commend. Brother Mark Steiker sent it to me once by Mr. WJ Hawking called the son of his love in a book.
Obviously about the the Son of God.
And he, he writes in that book, he makes a comment that, uh, that, that I, I found so edifying. And that is along these lines that we often read or, or think as we read John's gospel about the Lord Jesus, the son being the scent, one of the father. But he points out in some of the places in that book that there's another side of things that is just most elevating to see. And that is that it was proper to the Son of God.
And the dignity and majesty of his person to arise up in the Godhead, and to proceed forth and come from God, and without taking the time. But in John's Gospel, chapters 8 and chapters 17, we see these two things.
We see the sun rising up and proceeding forth from God. And then secondly, in those passages he says He was. He refers to the fact neither came I alone or of my own, but I was sent of the Father. And it's a wonderful thing to enjoy. The Son of God is the sentiment of the Father, but very elevating in our souls too, to see Him. It was not a robbery for Him. It was not a thing outside of His proper sphere.
To be able to arise in the majesty of his being and to come forth. But the point that he was making is that when you read John's Gospel chapter 19, as elevating as it is to think of the Son of God proceeding forth from God and coming into this world.
As an act with which he was incomplete.
Union with complete, the Father and the Son together, deciding in eternal counsels. This is what we're going to do. And then the sun rises up and goes, and the Father sends him. But then you read in John 19, you read about how they took him and passed him back and forth between Herod and Pilate.
And we thought a little bit perhaps this morning about his visit, so marred more than any man's. The thorns, the beating and the scourgings kept up all night. But then when you read in John 19.
Let me just refer to that to do it proper justice. The same word.
John 19 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him.
And the soldiers planted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, And they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail King of the Jews, And they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto him, Behold, I bring him forth to you.
That you may know that I find no fault in him. You say, OK, Pilate's going to bring him forth. It says in verse four. But notice the language of verse five in John's Gospel. He's not brought forth by anyone. It says then came Jesus for.
Same words, same person, same dignity, majesty of one who receiving such treatment still is that in that lion like character, perfect self-control, even such a one as the Apostle Paul when he was smitten there by thee, those that accused him, he quickly shot back with with a response which I cannot remember in the book of Acts. Uh.
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He called the man a whited wall.
And uh, and then he quickly, uh, to, to his credit, he recovered himself and said, I wish not, brethren, that he was the high priest. And he quoted a verse of Scripture to show that he was wrong and he shouldn't have responded that way with his tongue, but with the Lord.
We don't see any need for recovering himself, he sometimes answered, and he sometimes stood there in the dignity of his silence.
Verse five again. Then came Jesus.
Wearing the crown of thorns in the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man. I think of this passage, and I think of the absolute dignity.
And majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ coming forth even at this time.
As characteristic of his whole pathway down here.
Well, going back again to Revelation 5.
What a need I see in my own soul for this strength. And the apostle Paul in writing to Timothy, and we can apply it to ourselves.
Would encourage Timothy not to be fearful. We read in Revelation that one of the things that uh, those who are thrown into the light of fire will be thrown therefore as they were fearful and unbelieving.
And so Paul writes to Timothy.
To say God is not.
Have to read that Second Timothy one. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sound mind. Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, and so on. So why do we need strength to not necessarily to do some great thing?
Not necessarily to do 1 great act of devotedness, but to be able to go on consistently in the face of the danger of shrinking from identifying with Christ because of being ashamed. I find that is a is a a temptation to myself. And it's been mentioned that the crown of life in the New Testament is mentioned in two occasions, one in respect to those who are martyrs who stood.
And how we've been encouraged at times to read through Miller's church history or other books. And we've read about different ones who, who love not their life unto death and who stood majestically in, in dependence on the Lord with this lion like character, a young maidens with, with, uh, their family members, uh, imploring them to, to, uh, recant and holding the little children there. And these young sisters going instead in faithfulness to Christ to their death. We read of whole villages of, of.
Of believers going off the mountains in persecution, in, in tears and on and on. That the clergyman in England, uh, who recanted, uh, from his, uh, profession of faith in Christ. And then as he sat alone in a prison cell after having been double crossed, he went back again and he said, no. He said, you burned me at the stake because I can't remember the exact. I think his name was Cromwell. You read about it in Miller's church history. And I remember again Brother Albert Paho mentioning it several times.
And as they did take him out and they burned him in a public place, I think the place is still marked in England today, I'm told. And as the flames came up around him when he was tired to the stake.
They said that his last, they could see him thrusting his right hand down to the flames 1St and saying that unworthy hand, that unworthy hand. And so there are examples of people who have, uh, access to the same grace that you and I have. We may not be called upon to such a dramatic display of faithfulness to Christ, but not only is the crown of Mar of life mentioned in connection with, with such things, but also I believe it's in the book of James.
Chapter one and verse 12. I'll just read it. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.
Or when he has tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them.
That love him well, there's nothing in there about being a martyr giving one's life. But for the young brothers and young sisters who go through grade school or junior high school or high school or in the workplace, or perhaps ridiculed or ill treated or passed over for favorable treatment. You perhaps we will go through our life being reproached and suffering for the name of Christ in ways that we don't even know about.
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But it is to encourage such ones who go on in the day by day path of seeking to be faithful to the Lord, that this crown of life, those who endure temptation, and it may be just a simple temptation not to give in, to yield to the foolishness of the jokes and of all of the things that press upon us almost every day.
And again, I think, look where I see so many here from Dorothy, I think of our brother Roach. And uh, I've often thought of his comments. Uh, I don't know if he really said this to people, but, but I remember him mentioning in reading meetings, he used to say, he said, uh, he says they tell, would tell me jokes at work. And he said, stop right there. He says, if I laugh at your joke, I'm a fool because fools make a mock of sin. Well, I've never been so bold myself, uh, to quote that verse like probably brother Adrian Roche did.
But I've often thought of it and sometimes I've had the grace just to turn on my heels and go away. I don't want to listen to this. And, uh, well, that brings us to the next attribute here, in addition to a lion, in addition to our need for strength and courage.
The calf for the ox.
It's not like a lion.
But a calf and an ox, I think in scripture speaks of patient endurance, Endurance and labor, especially for others.
You know, you say, well, I've known some men who used to work with oxen. Why wouldn't they use a horse? Well, a horse is is kind of skittish, but an ox is characterized by getting down into the furrow and putting on the yolk and just going. And they could say some of the menus to tell me, so you can, you can shoot off a gun right next to them. They just go. They just go. And in First Corinthians, I think it's in Chapter 9, it speaks of not muzzling.
Uh, the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn and it says, doth God take care of her oxen or only take care of her oxen? So I think the figure of an ox is to continue with this thought of the need for courage to stand fast. The thought of an ox is to persevere in it, to continue on in it. And how, what a need we have in our personal lives as Christians not to give up exercises that once we had.
Brother was telling me yesterday at lunch, he said it's a day of going down, going down. He says, I see it in myself too. And so we have need. And the apostle Paul again, writing to Timothy uses that word continue, continue, thou. And whether it's in our exercise to keep on in, in the governing of our own spirit.
To like we read there in Proverbs, uh, to be slow to anger, to possess the fruit of self-control or whether it is with our families or in the workplace or in the assembly. You know, you sometimes think of your brethren in the assembly, especially if it's larger. And there are a lot of different brothers and sisters. You can al almost sometimes classify them a little bit in these attributes. And some that I can think of, they're, they're just like the ox. They're the ones that are always there, always laboring, never with a lot of show.
When something needs to be done, it ends up being done, and if you inquire about it, it was often done by them. The ox or calf, impatient, steady, going on and on and on. We don't know how long the Lord is going to carry, how soon he will come. But if the Lord tarries longer, we will need, as things outwardly get weaker and weaker, we will need more and more grace from the Lord.
To continue on in the testimony that he has established to his own name. Brethren have been speaking lately about how people almost shrink even amongst their own brethren from speaking about the privilege of being gathered together. We sometimes lose. Leave that word out. Gather together to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know. The truth of God is obviously has not changed. It has not changed.
And we could perhaps quote the verse in Galatians that if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Either I was wrong to leave what I left, or I'm wrong now to leave. What's the truth? One or the other?
Well, I don't know that anybody has ever raised.
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Uh, to any honest conscience satisfaction, any principles or reasons that the truth of the ground of gathering is not true. But we can see in our own hearts a tendency, as the day grows weaker, to be like in second, the days of Second Timothy, to be ashamed of the testimony, to be ashamed of its character and weakness, to be ashamed perhaps of its littleness, or what it we since it appears like to others.
But how we need to continue?
In this, as Paul again wrote to Timothy, continue in those things that thou hast learned, and been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And someone pointed out to me that that of whom is plural. I used to think that that of whom meant from the Lord that I learned these things from the Lord. And ultimately any spiritual truth we learn, we learn from the Lord. But I believe that it's plural there, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
And if it's plural, it has to refer to the many, many teachers that you and I have been privileged to be around, to be exposed to, to listen to. And so I think in that passage we learned that God is not only jealous of his word and of his truth, but he takes particular care in how it is communicated to us. And he has raised up vessels that have displayed the truth in some measure or other in their lives to be the ones who would communicate it to us.
And also points out to us that we, it, it is proper for us to look for the display of truth in the lives of those who communicated to us. And so we ask ourselves about these ones who have gone on before us. How have they gone on? Has the, has the fruit of the Spirit been displayed in their lives? No, to me, I, who was not raised in a Christian home would have been around long enough to have known, uh, many, I could say use the word many.
Many of whom are with the Lord now.
That there has been adequate testimony to me that the truth has laid hold of many before me. That it's been displayed in lives, and that the truth is indeed the truth and it works to speak just practically. It works in a life.
To produce fruit for God's glory and to produce blessing in a soul, in a family, in the assembly, and wherever we might be. And so the second aspect of a calf of continuing on devotedly, consistently, not just being on again and off again in the workplace as many of us day by day work to earn our living, to work with people who are more like horses.
Then oxen is a very distressing thing and the more responsibility someone has given in their in their home or in their business life or in the assembly, if they display a constant changeable character, why it it? The more responsibility is given, the more disruptive it is to the lives and the families of those who are in subjection to that particular authority. So how needful it is to have the strength and and the the moral bearing.
To govern ourselves to be, uh.
To go on rightly and to continue in going on rightly. And so this brings us to the third, the face. The face is a man. Uh, again in Galatians it says it's good to be zealously affected always in a good thing. It's not good perseverance in, in a bad thing is, is, is called by the name of stubbornness. But to press on in a good thing, we say, oh, that is a virtue, a spiritual virtue. That's perseverance.
That's continuing on and the direction that we take is a function of the Lord's grace working in US and in these days in the New Testament to our intelligence. And so for my own my own meditations upon this next thing the face of a man is the thought of intelligence and I think I don't wanna keep taking too much time here, but in Colossians chapter one.
Colossians 1.
And I'm just going to read from the middle of verse 9.
I remember seeing just this portion of the verse.
On a text in someone's house.
Someone had made this text written in honor.
A text and given it to them for a wedding present and seeing it there above the fireplace with the first part of the verse deleted, You know, just kind of isolating it that way. It it enabled me to remember it a little better. So I just want to read from that word. Desire, desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might walk worthy of the Lord.
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Unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in or I think it should be increasing by the knowledge of God, strengthened with almight, according to his glorious power. Unto all patience, and long-suffering with joyfulness. While many of those attributes I think, are referred to in those few verses, but what I particularly turn to the passage for was this expression Desire that you might be filled.
With the knowledge of his will.
How easy it is as parents to fall into the snare of being so concerned about our children's advancement in reading and writing and spelling and how they hold a pencil and those kind of things, or how they throw or kick a ball and to be just a little bit careless.
And whether they are as believers, whether they are growing.
In their appetite and then they're laying hold of divine things. And this passage we read in Colossians one was really a part of a prayer.
The expression of what the apostle prayed.
And it certainly would perhaps be something to consider for us at our prayer meetings to have more things like this in our hearts.
These aspirations for one another, on our hearts, we think of that one was an Epiphras who prayed for the Saints. How how does that go? That they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God?
When's the last time we prayed for someone or some person in the local assembly or some person we knew with that kind of an aspiration for them, that they might stand perfectly complete and all the will of God? And to pray, as we think of the younger people at the point where decisions in life are made, which we heard about yesterday, praying for them that they might desire to be filled with the knowledge of His will. What beautiful thoughts we have just brought right down to us in the Word of God.
The aspirations implanted in the Newman and the affections given to for one another and for the Lord, that these things may be part of our desire for one another.
And so the third thing there, intelligence, as we think of a man, you know, I, I, sometimes when we, we go to conferences, they're held sometimes in schools and I walk up and down the halls with everybody else back and forth to the meals. And you see what the children are exposed to nowadays. And, uh, one would think from the, the drawings and the posters that the earth is ready to just shrivel up any day if the children don't save the earth.
And this kind of thing and from the kind of business and the way things are in the work world, at least in this country and I assume it's the same in Europe and in Canada.
Uh, without being funny or facetious, you would come to think that is would be far more damaging to someone's, uh, from the government to, to damage a protected fish than a person. And there are, uh, sad to say, a constant corruption and murders going on in every city in the United States almost.
As an assumption, but men and women today.
Uh, Satan seems to have focused, uh, away from annihilation by nuclear power over onto another distraction for the people of the world, which is, uh, uh, so-called impending, uh, ecological environmental crises. And I can remember as a little boy going down into the grade school and, and the, the air raid drills and putting my head down between my knees and.
And all of that kind of thing. And we felt that, and this is what we had to do. And today that fear seems to be gone. They have another one. And if that one is is passed, they'll be another one if the Lord tarries. But I say all this not to be funny or cute, but to encourage all of us, the children as well as the rest of us, that God is on the throne. We think of how it says in the Psalms, uh, early in the Psalms.
Uh.
00:45:02
Let me just pick that up real quickly.
Psalm 11 verse one. And the Lord put on my trust. I'll say you to my soul, flee as a bird to your mountain.
But all around us today, boys and girls and younger people too, there are people tugging at your coat sleeve as looking for you to flee to their mountain, to flee from some supposed or real danger. And I'm not making light of, of taking care of things on the earth. We're stewards, whether it's of a, of a house or a house locked or of a farm or of a city. And I, I'm not trying to make light of responsibly dealing with materials and things like that. That's.
Not encouraging that kind of carelessness.
But I think you see my point more and more these things are pressed in and so that, uh, children and younger people and the rest of us too, perhaps can be swept up in, uh, in fighting these, uh, paper Dragons and, uh, being, uh, solicited to, to flee as a bird to some mountain. But as the, as the psalmist goes on to say, verse four, the Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold his eyelids. Try the children of men.
There is a battle going on. There is a battle, it's a spiritual battle. And though the flavor and character of the world, it, it, it, it manifests itself in different ways. The world has still been the world and it's been the world as the brothers brought before us yesterday for a long time. Its character was stamped in the, in the, uh, earliest times. And when John wrote about it in his epistle, the world was the world characterized by the principles we read about in the reading meeting. And it is still today.
And so we need intelligence to put before our own hearts that which really should be the direction, really should be the purpose of our lives down here rather than just to get ahead in this world or other things or to spend our energies like Samson going round and round, uh, for the Philistines, but to have a sense of purpose. Why did God put me here? What is the purpose of my life? How should my energies and my responsibilities be prioritized?
From the word of God and the Apostles prayer was for us to desire to be filled with the knowledge of His will. Man is a unique creature and God created man and even in his fallen state I believe scripture teaches.
Such as in James, that men ought not to curse men because man was made in the similaritude of God.
Man is a special creature, and man is not like other animals. 1St Corinthians 15 teaches us by the way, children, that there is one flesh of beasts and another of fowls. I think it says another officious and another of men. So rather than having to study all kinds of books to refute evolutionists, I think this is.
Let me pull that out quickly from First Corinthians 15.
All flesh, verse 39 is not the same flesh. There is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts.
And other officials, another of birds. That's simple, isn't it? That's the word of God. There's different kinds of flesh. And man was made and given a special responsibility. Man has a special place. And how we need to realize and realize we have a stewardship going through this world as human beings or as men in the general sense, to be here for God's glory, to conduct ourselves uprightly, uh, before the God who created us and how much more now.
As those who have been redeemed by one who came Himself took manhood and died in our stead, to redeem us and bring us into a new creation. And soon He's going to catch us up, and we're going to be arranged around Him. He Himself, the first born of many brethren, as one of the hymn writers has put it. He wears our nature on the throne. The very Son of God came down and took manhood into His person, and has risen and ascended into the glory of God itself.
As a man, it's just a real an astonishing thought to think of. And so the characteristics of intelligence in governing ourselves, our families.
The assembly and so on. And finally the 4th beast flying is an eagle. An eagle is, I don't know much about any animals really, and I don't know much about Eagles. But from Scripture we read that their home was in the high places. I think it's in job you read that the eagle makes his home and the crag of the rock and the high place. But the eagle in Scripture is characterized by swift judgment. Not just by judgment, I don't believe, but swift judgment.
00:50:02
And you can see.
I I think you can see how these things flow from one another, the the lion and the ox, and then the intelligence of the man, the face of the man, and finally the swiftness of judgment.
And we need his, uh, brother was mentioning to us lately in, in a reading meeting at home in Holden. Even as children, when something comes before us or something is said to us or we're exposed to something, we need to have that swift eagle judgment.
To use our spiritual intelligence.
To decide what something is, to make a judgment or determination, what is that thing? One brother said that when he was raising his family, he always used to call things as much as he could by scriptural names. Because the world, as you notice it, calls certain sins and certain abominations by names that over a period of time make it sound not that bad. But try it at work or at school sometime. Call one of these particular sins that is all around in the world by its scriptural reference.
Call it an abomination, call it wickedness, call it what it is, and you'll find that you get raised eyebrows around you at work and so.
The brother was saying at the reading meeting, even for the children to make a judgment in their mind immediately and to act upon that judgment. And we see today in the world all around us a lack of all these things. I see them in my own life. I see them in my responsibilities at work where we have responsibilities to decide about people.
And what a helpless feeling it is to try and assess someone's character, to decide should they be put in that position or should they be entrusted with that responsibility or not.
And sometimes when failure comes in, how difficult it is at times to judge the character of something. You know what it says of God. God is the God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. What was the moral, uh, thrust behind why someone did what they did? God can see that you and I can, and how we need to look to him for wisdom. But in this world, there's an absence of judgment. It's gotten so far that light is passing for darkness and darkness for light.
And.
Judgment, even in things that a generation ago seemed simple, the whole, uh, fabric of, of civilization was basically unanimous in its assessment of various habits or of various lifestyles or practices. Today, Satan has succeeded in throwing everything up. Everything is off, off balance. Everything, nothing has gravity to it anymore. Everything is relative. Pick and choose, just like a a big moral buffet.
And so more and more as the younger people, I see them heading off into this, uh, corrupt world. God has given us as believers all things that pertain unto life and godliness. As someone once said, we have a full toolbox given to us as believers. We have everything we need for this journey as we depend upon the Lord. We don't need anything new or different that hasn't been furnished to us through the man on high in the glory, the Spirit of God indwelling. And we have God's heavenly and divine wisdom brought right down to us in this book, the word of God to guide our feet through this world otherwise.
We would just be.
We would never make it through, would we? We would never make it through. And so judgment like a flying eagle, to be swift to judge. We see it even in our own children who are not even.
Even grown how things we see sometimes that we've let slip that if we had been swifter to nip things in the bud, certain attitudes or practices or or just just a certain look on the face be lying a certain attitude that that as parents, it's our responsibility to deal with. But if we pass over it, if the flying eagle isn't there in in our in our governing of our homes and of our families, it develops into something else and pretty soon into something else.
And pretty soon we have a real problem and we wonder why. And perhaps in your work experience you've seen the same thing in an office or in a company. I've seen the same thing. I've seen moral breakdown even amongst God's principles of men in this world where there was a slowness to judge when a when a moment of truth came and it robbed those that man or those men of their ability to carry out proper government of their even of their business affairs. And so.
I as I said, I've been meditating upon these attributes, feeling my own need for strength, my own need for grace to continue on until the Lord comes. If he doesn't keep me, I won't be kept.
00:55:08
That's been pressed home to my own soul. If he doesn't keep me, I won't be kept.
Maybe when I, when we were younger and, uh, we tend to think that we're gonna just go zooming right on through with, with first love and spiritual momentum. But, uh, brother Malcolm Hollowell, when I used to see him after a long absence, he say, how are you? And his word used to say was kept. And uh, I don't think that's, that's funny anymore. It's a wonderful thing to be kept, to be kept by the power of God through faith under salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. And so may the Lord give us courage, boys and girls, you're, you're in a world that is all mixed up.
The roles that Satan just wants to bring everything into a mishmash where where true moral strength is called weakness, where weakness is called wisdom, where ******* is called liberty and where true spiritual liberty is called legality. Where males are encouraged to be like females and females are encouraged to be like males. And these distinctions that God created, you know, he created man, male and female created he them.
He could have created it some other way, but he chose to create male and female. He has created various polarities and, and various things in their order in this world and woe to us if we ignore these things. You're, you're heading through a world. We are all heading through a world that Satan is successfully shaking and mixing all up. May the Lord give us all to keep our bearings and to keep keep our bearings. By what saith the Scripture? What is light? What is dark?
And when the Scripture says it is a in, in, in principle, in the Old Testament, an abomination for a man to, to put on woman's clothing, or, uh, for the females, an abomination to put on males clothing other than matters of dress, which are important. There is something speaking to our characters here. And May God give us all the grace, whether we're young ladies to carry that stewardship of being a young, of a human being, a female, a lady through this world.
Where, where the whole fabric of society would seek to, to, uh, push you from that. And the same with the young men and their responsibilities and those of us in middle age. I guess I'm arriving at that. And all of us, whether old or young, in our various positions we're in, in life under authority and with responsibilities for authority. May we look to the Lord that as we had before us yesterday, we may walk as he walked in his steps and display something of these beautiful characteristics that soon are going to be displayed.
From one end of the earth to the other, the earth is going to be filled with the knowledge and with the glory of the Lord and we're going to have the privilege and opportunity to see a man rule in righteousness. His coming is going to be like the bright shining after the rain. We're going to see true wisdom and strength and C1 who whose name is the same and C1 with that perfect wisdom to be able to distinguish things like Solomon will. Washington was only a a small picture to be able to discriminate things in judgment.
And to see one who judges things righteously and with the intelligence of a divine man.
Can we please turn to Peter's first epistle?
The first Epistle of Peter.
Chapter One.
Some of the thoughts that Brother Bruce has brought out has come before me in connection with what he said concerning being kept by the power of God.
So I just want to read a few verses here and look to show you or look onward to a day when God is going to make his acclaims on this. So just let's read beginning with verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively or living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.
Reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice. Though now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold temptations or trials.
01:00:11
That the trial of your faith being much more precious.
Than a goal that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise.
Call attention to these little points, call attention to the fact that He's looking on to another day that may be found unto praise and honor and glory, glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Now, beloved Saints, Peter doesn't tell us of the Lord's coming for us, but he brings before us the fact of the Lord's appearing, and that will be the time of manifestation.
But I was thinking as our brother Bruce was speaking, we have this inheritance. It's undefiled and fade fadeth not away. And it's reserved in heaven for you. Each one of us, each child of God here has a reservation in glory and no one can take that place. It's yours for time, for all eternity. It's reserved. You know, we have reservations here sometimes that we make reservations with a doctor or a dentist or.
Perhaps even a something to be done with our car and we have to cancel those reservations. But here is a reservation that will never be canceled because God has made that reservation. And I want to call your attention to this part of it. It says here we are. It's it's an inheritance that's incorruptible and undefiled. And a lot could be said, but that's not my thought to go into the inheritance in detail. But it says it's, it's, it's undefiled.
It fades not away and reserved in heaven for you. But in Peter we find that he tells us this because it tells us that he said, Blessed be the God and Father, according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us. Of course, here he's speaking to the Hebrew to these children of the dispersion begotten us again. They were once begotten by they were God's people. But here he says begotten again by the.
Resurrection, uh, of Jesus Christ and the dead Now it's something that God has done, established.
And they've been brought and given this marvelous relationship to God and brought into a, and having a reservation that will never be taken from them. But beloved Saints, as our brother has been speaking, I thought that in between that time of glory, uh, when we're gonna enter into that inheritance, we, we're in a world that's opposed to God. And there are many trials and difficulties in this world. Sometimes we get into difficulties because of our own.
I'll weighs, but here I believe God is telling us. The Lord is telling us through Peter.
That it says here we're kept by the power of God. But notice what it says through faith. How did you get saved? How did I get saved? How do I have eternal life? Because I saw the Lord. No faith. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The medium of our contact with God is through faith. As it tells us a little later in this chapter. We have not seen the Lord. No one in this room has.
But he believes on the Lord Jesus because God has given him the faith to believe it. So the the thought of salvation is entirely upon faith, entirely believing God, believing what the Lord Jesus did, believing that I'm a Sinner, I need salvation. And so I have it's faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
And it's faith toward God. And also I think of it here. So we're kept by the power of God, but knowing we have an inheritance, are we going to just walk carelessly through the world and, and just go on and say, well, I know I'm gonna, I've got a reservation up there. I've got heaven is ahead of me. So I can just walk along in this world in a casual way. Let's not be casual with God. Let's be real with God is real with us. And he wants us to walk in paths pleasing to him knowing that.
We have a an inheritance that's undefiled and fades not away. But notice what he says. It's through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Peter speaks of that last time through faith because faith is the medium. That's how we have it. That's how you receive your salvation and it's the only way you're gonna be kept is to and enjoy it. God is gonna keep you, that's true, but he wants you to enjoy it.
01:05:06
And so it's through the medium of faith, it says, faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. But now he comes to the fact that the the point of this world, it says, wherein ye greatly rejoice. That is, we greatly rejoice in this inheritance through faith we have it.
He said, But now there's a season right now and that season is now, he says for a season if need be, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold trials, trials. I'm sure each one of us here at this very moment are thinking of some difficulty. They have some trial that you have something you may, you may face tomorrow, something that is, uh, that is troubling you even now.
Because we have trials, they are difficulties.
And as soon as needs be, as our dear brother or Gordon's father used to tell us, needs be on our part, but it's a purpose of love on His part. His desire is, and I wanna show you that in these verses, His desire is to bless. His desire is to give us even joy. Even now in the past where there are many difficulties, I'm sure again, there are some, some in this crowd today, this audience today that have something that is pressing upon you. There's some difficulty, some trial.
That you're not looking forward to. Or you can just go to the Lord about, you can pray about it. You can ask God to give you the grace to bear up under that trial because he loves you and he's made it all possible for you. He's kept he's, he's keeping you and he wants you to enjoy that fact of his truth. Well, I don't wanna take a lot of time, but I just want to show you here, he says in heaviness through manifold temptations or trials.
Then verse seven, that the trial of your faith, notice that it is a trial of faith. Why is it a trial of faith? If you don't bring faith into the trial, if you don't bring God into the trial, take God into the trial knowing that he loves you and he's reserved a place for you. You're not going to be able to pair it very well, gonna be discouraged perhaps, and all discouragement comes from the enemy. But God wants us to be encouraged. And so he says that the trial of your faith.
Being much more precious than a goal that perishes. I believe what he's bringing out here is that some, some trials can be very, very, very serious trials, very trying, very test severe tests of trials. Why is God allowing this that He might bless us at our latter end? This is God's whole purpose is to bring you and me into that fullness of blessing in glory and joy, in joy and in glory.
So I just want to point out three little points here that I believe are very, very helpful and have been an encouragement to me.
That the trial of your faith being much more precious than a goal that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, real test, real tests of fame. Some of us have illnesses. We have, uh, there are others that have trials of, of uh, discouragements, uh, family difficulties, uh, perhaps, uh, difficulties with children, difficulty in the assembly trials, real trials and their test, they're tested as it says the fire might be, but be found.
But that that that test, it says that it might be found unto praise. Unto praise, not praise. Yes, let's turn over to umm.
Praise umm.
My eyesight a little bit. Let's turn over to 1St Corinthians for a verse.
Mm-hmm.
First Corinthians every chapter 4, yes.
First Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 5.
01:10:01
Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord shall come. Paul brings before us the Lord's coming back. Who has who? Both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. Then shall every man have praise of God. When is this going to be? God's desire is to.
Uh, he's going to be have his praise from God in the coming day through all the trials and difficulties. Yes, as it tells us in our chapter here to the, uh, that might be found unto praise at that time at a coming day when the manifestation takes place. If you notice the, the, the language there that, uh, it says that every man that, that then, then shall every man have praise of God.
God's desire, beloved Saints, is to praise.
For all the difficulties that you have been through, the greater the trials, the greater the praise will be in that day of glory. How beautiful that is to think. And so the trials here Peter says that they might be found unto praise, and then honor, honor also.
Uh, John, Chapter 12.
N.
And verse 26.
If any man serve me, let him follow me.
And where I am.
Shall also my servant be?
If any man serve me, him will my father honor.
Isn't that precious to think that here we are centers saved by grace, eternal life, going through a world that's opposed to God and difficulties and trials and God's desire is that the coming day He wants to praise each one of his own. He wants to honor his own, and he will. God is going to do that to me. It's so precious to see that as Peter brings that out here at the end, he says at the appearing, praise, praise.
And honor how lovely they are the Lord Jesus could say if any man serve me, let him follow me. Let's not follow men. You got you. Our salvation was is based upon the fact that we've we followed we saw that we were sinners, we followed Christ and this is what the pathway is for us. Even though it may be difficult, even though there are many trials, there are many and severe trials to yet it says he that verily I say to you.
If any man serve me, let him follow me. Follow me. The Lord Jesus wants us to follow him. Are there difficulties in the past? Yes. As we follow on him, follow the Lord Jesus, we find there are many difficulties. But he says follow me and where I am, there shall also my servant be. Where is the Lord Jesus at this very moment? He's at God's right hand and this is his desire for us and he wants to, not only is he honored there by God the Father.
But he wants to honor us also, He wants to honor you. He wants to honor each one of us. But he can do it and we'll do it in connection with what we have borne here and how we have walked here and how we have conducted our ways and desire to follow him in the pathway. And the path is not an easy path that no one, uh, try to tell that tell you that because it's not an easy path. I used to think when I got saved, although all, the, all the foreign path of roses, I found out there were many thorns in those roses. There were many difficulties in the past.
But in that coming day, think that God is going to honor each one in this audience, Every child of God who has any trials had any difficulties at all. He's going to praise you, and that will be a praise that will be unhindered. There will be no hindrance there, and He's going to honor you. Isn't that beautiful? I think of it so often that a poor Sinner like me, saved by grace and going through all these difficult, is God. His desire is that He might.
Not only praise.
Are you going to honor any man, serve him, serve me, him will my father honor? How beautiful that is to think in the coming day, God is going to honor every child of God as he honors honored his son. How precious. And then just, uh, one more little thought here in our chapter, uh.
01:15:11
And glory.
Praise, honor and Glory, Second Corinthians, chapter 4.
Verse 17.
Very beautiful verse.
For our light affliction.
Which is but for a moment.
Worth it worketh for us.
A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Affliction and glory, affliction here, glory there. God's desire, dear Saints of God, is to bless. But we can't. It can't be so now, because we're in a world as opposed and the trials are here. But in that coming day it will all be over, because then the trial of the faith, it says much more precious than a goal that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. It's going to be found unto praise, going to be found unto honor.
And glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Just think each one of us in this room today that know the Lord is our Savior. We're gonna be in go. I'm gonna see you in glory. And there's gonna be praise on uttered praise there. We have praise to God. We praise God, but there's he's gonna praise us too. That's his desires to bless praise and he's gonna honor us. And glory will be our portion for those countless ages of eternity. So let's not be discouraged by the TR in the trials of the way.
Let's take courage and seek by God's grace to follow Him in the path regardless of the trials.
Blessing is ahead, and glorious blessing too.
Lead on Almighty Lord, lead on the victory, encouraged by thy blessed word, with joy we follow thee 312.
Is there any delivery order number for delivery delivery boy?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don't know why I do whatever now. I know it's not young. I'm looking for whatever I know.