Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
What manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God?
Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not.
Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure, whosoever committeth sin.
Transgresseth also the law.
For sin is the transgression of the law, and you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth, in him sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous.
Even as He is righteous, he that committeth sin is of the devil. For the devil Senate from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning.
00:10:10
That we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.
And wherefore slew he him because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous? Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death unto light, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the breadwinner. But whoso hath this world's good, and see if his brother had need, and shutteth up his vowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in Word.
Neither in tongue.
But indeed, and in truth, and hereby we know that we are of the truth.
And shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
And this is his commandment that we should believe.
On the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandments. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and He and Him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us.
We will not be able in great detail in just one reading go into the whole chapter, but the Lord can help us by His Spirit to perhaps point out some of the important points in this chapter.
And.
Before we do comment, let me say that verse four is very badly rendered.
Mr. Darby said he would never read that verse the way it is in the King James.
Sin is not the transgression of the law. Sin is lawlessness.
There was sin in the world before the law was in this world, so that's a very bad rendering.
But another thing that is interesting is that in John's writings.
He does not use the term sons of God. He uses children of God and repeatedly in the King James just like here in this verse here.
There is sons of God in verse two. There is one exception in John's writings and that is in Revelation at the very end where sons of God is used. But otherwise it's always children. Now you might say why?
Make an issue of what is the difference of sons or children? Aren't we both? Yes, but the point is that children, we are children by birth.
We are sons by adoption and.
Somebody who might.
Have been born into a family. I remember brother Albert pointed that out.
Might say to somebody.
That is adopted.
00:15:00
As if he is in a better position, having been born into the family. And this adopted son says they couldn't help but had to take you. But they wanted me. They adopted me. But we're both sons and children. Children by birth, sons by adoption. And Paul brings out sonship. You know where you find that, especially in his writings.
But not that we want to dwell on that lengthy, but it's a very.
Encouraging thought that we are both children and we are sons and John brings out especially being children. Except for one exception in Revelation, but.
Paul points out the sonship.
The children.
Fair resemblance to the parents, don't they?
I look around and I see children here and I probably don't know their names, but I can guess their family.
While their appearance.
Well, John is Speaking of those who are children.
And the characteristic of a child of God.
In verse 9, for example, whosoever is born of God does not commit sin for his that's God's seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he's born of God. Well, that's the new man.
So we have that characteristic of God.
Cannot send.
The earlier part of this epistle took up, didn't it, the sin if any man sinned.
So there is the possibility of us allowing the old man to.
Show up.
And there's a provision for it. Interestingly, it doesn't say when anybody sins. But if so, he doesn't make an excuse for us and say, well, you're going to sin. But he knows how weak we are, and he makes a provision for that. But still, we're children, and the children have the characteristics of the family.
And it is not characteristic of the family of God to sin, is it?
It is we are if we sin, we are not acting characteristically as children of God.
There is that possibility that we may, but we are not acting as children of God. Then it's interesting to consider that you have the family in John's writings. That's why it's birth, like you say, into God's family. It's not the Church of God in the John's writings and it's the family of God. That's why it's children, it's nature and it's.
What's characteristic of God's children? It's another expression that occurs a lot in the first Epistle. In the 11Th verse you see it. This is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that word from the beginning. And that refers back to the very first verse of the Epistle, that which was from the beginning.
Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon.
And our hands have handled of the word of life beginning. There is the beginning of the manifestation of divine life in this world, eternal life and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we who have been born into God's family have that very light.
So we're going to see what's characteristic of that life in this epistle.
In Genesis one verse one, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
We don't know when that beginning was, but that is the beginning of anything created.
The heavens and the earth, the angels obviously were in existence already when that was taking place, because the Scripture tells us they rejoice when they saw it taking place. But then in John's Gospel we have the Lord Jesus presented as the one that had no beginning. In the beginning was the word. That means to say the Word had no beginning.
00:20:10
But in John's a pistol at is the incarnation.
That had a beginning when he took humanity into union with his person. That had a beginning publicly at a conference. Somebody was making this statement that it wasn't the incarnation.
And then linked it up with Luke, where the Lord said to his disciples, he were from the beginning with me. That is the beginning of his earthly ministry.
But in John's epistle, and that's how we have learned from those that knew the Bible better than us, and God used them to recover much of the truth. This is the way it has been explained and has been accepted amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord, that that is the incarnation, and there is a beginning, but.
How wonderful.
That in this epistle and in John's riding.
You have much about love and light, you know. These are two things that come up repeatedly, you know. And when it says that he that is born of God does not commit sin, we are seen in the divine nature, you know. And this is characteristic of John's writings too. He sees things black or white.
You know, and nothing in between.
But the other writings that show just like in Galatians.
The conflict between the spirit and the flesh, you know, they're a chose that we looked at as those who still have the flesh within. But here the believer is viewed in the divine nature and that nature does not sin.
Just noticing that.
The word love shows up in that first verse. It's love that bestowed this upon us.
God's love that brought us into the family.
In fact, the enmity of the world towards the Lord, toward our Savior, shows up against His children too. Therefore, the world knoweth us not because it knew Him not.
We can't expect different treatments than they gave our Lord.
The world is explained in chapter 2, isn't it?
Uh love not the world verse 15 neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world.
The love of the Father is not in him, so it's a system of things that is directly contrasted to the love of the Father. Either your joy enjoy the love of the world or the love of the Father. You cannot enjoy this same two at the same time.
The Lord Jesus in this world walk through this world in the enjoyment of the love of the Father. There is no place this world had for him. And if we walk in that enjoyment too, brethren, and that is the antidote to worldliness, that is not merely just saying you couldn't, you shouldn't do such and such it is.
Enjoying the love of the Father. Oh what a blessed thing it is to realize that we are in love, brethren, in the love of the Father that will keep us from this world and worldliness.
It's helpful for the young people to understand that the word world is not always used in the same way.
Here in this epistle is already Brother Bob said that it's the system of things away from God and the devil is the God and Prince of this system of this world, the God religiously, the Prince politically. You know, many Christians don't recognize that and they get involved in the religious aspect of the world.
00:25:02
And devil has religion for men in the flesh.
But also he is.
The Prince of this world. That's why for Christians to act according to the truth of this, we're not in the world, but not of the world. We're pilgrims and strangers. You know, we belong to heaven.
Heaven is our home.
And we're looking for the day when the Lord comes to take us there.
You know, that's our destiny. And we are just on a journey. You know, just like the Israelite when they left Egypt for 40 years, they were in the wilderness. And Mr. Darby said this world is a wilderness. White, you know, explains to us the spiritual lesson of the wilderness journey for what we learned from the children of Israel. There's nothing in this wilderness.
That sustains the spiritual life.
You know, they had to have the manna from heaven and the water from the rock, you know, to be sustained. And we have that in the Lord Jesus. You know, we have food and we have refreshment and both of that to us, there's nothing in this world system that will satisfy.
The Newman.
We all find it in the Lord Jesus, and that divine nature delights in these things, and the Spirit God helps us to enjoy it and to live it, to let it have an effect and walk according to what our souls enjoy, because we have the capacity for divine things because of the divine nature. But.
We have only power.
To walk what the divine nature enjoys through the indwelling spirit. I think we mentioned that before. That's the difference between Romans 7 and Romans 8IN Romans 7 you have a man that has knife and he enjoys even the things of God, delights in it, but he has no power to walk accordingly. But then in chapter 8 you have the Spirit of God-given as the power.
To help us to do what the divine nature delights in.
And we all have that. If we don't have the Spirit of God, we're not even Christians. Let me emphasize that if we don't have the Spirit of God dwelling in our bodies, we are not Christians. The Old Testament sayings had light, but they cannot be called Christians.
Only we as Christians have the Spirit of God dwelling in our bodies and that is what makes us Christians and makes us different from anything that ever lived on the earth before the day of Pentecost or those who will come to believe through the Gospel of the Kingdom after the Rapture. They will not be indwelt by the Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus comes and takes us home, according to 2nd Thessalonians 2, the Spirit will leave with us. He will still work, but He will not indwell anybody. He dwells in the church collectively and in the individual lever individually.
All when he writes to the Ephesians.
2nd chapter He says we were by nature the children of wrath. Notice the tremendous transformation that we have here now in verse 2.
He loved. Now are we the children of God?
By nature, children of wrath God's sovereign grace reaches us down and now we are children of God changed us completely. I guess there should be the corresponding change in our deportments. You know the Lord had against the children of Israel and Deuteronomy. Their spot is not the spot of my children. They weren't deporting themselves as children of God where they they they were certainly most cantankerous people. Just a little sampling was of what Paul.
Human nature is.
00:30:01
But now there should be a corresponding deportment. And as much as we are the children of God, outwardly it may not appear so. That's what the second verse says. It does not yet appear, but we shall be. Outwardly we are subject to the same frailties and sicknesses, temptations as others. As our brother stated, we have an indwelling spirit. You know. We have the power of the wherewithal to avoid so many of the things that the ungodly cannot refrain from.
And they're perilous against it. But we have one within who is a greater than the one that's in this world.
We have the characteristics, don't we? But it seems to indicate that we aren't always like him and.
End of that second verse, but the third verse brings before us the.
Purifying effects that if we live as those that are children of God, it's going to keep us pure. Every man that has this hope in him put a capital H there, hope in him, purify himself even as he is pure.
So we like to, we'd like to live up to the characteristic, to the family. And even in natural things we see that there are family characteristics, family things that all the children fall into and like to do that because it's the way their family operates. Well, the family of God is to be kept pure.
So if we have this hope Indiana, him, it's going to keep us pure.
I think that verse two also refers to what we will be at His appearing, our physical appearance. Now we have that nature, we have the right desires.
That nature, we have been born of God morally and spiritually, but I still got Gray hairs on my head, still got wrinkles on my face. And people might say, well, if you say you're a Christian, why do you suffer sickness and disease? And why do you die like just anybody else if you're one of the children of God, well, that transformation is coming, isn't it? And it will be manifest at his appearing.
We're listening to.
One of old Mr. Harry Hajos talks and he said in that day, brethren, when we are in the glory, the angels are going to look at us and say, I can tell that's one of the children of God. We will look like children of God then.
We may not appear that way now, but we will in that day.
We still will recognize Bob Tony in that glorified state when it says be like him, that means morally and physically, as you said. And if you want to know what that new body is like, look at the Lord in resurrection. You know, then you know what we will be like. He could eat, but he didn't have to eat to sustain that life.
You know and.
He couldn't face possibly death anymore. He was not subject to death even as a man. He laid down his life, but that cannot happen any longer. He cannot lay down his life again. And we will not be subject to death. We'll have a body like unto His body of glory, Philippians. So we will be like him, but we still recognise each other, just like on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Where you have a picture of millennial scene, Moses and Elias were recognized as Moses and Elias you know. But how wonderful to be brought into full conformity to Christ will only take place then will not only be morally but also physically brought into likeness with the Lord Jesus.
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure, the hope of his coming again.
Is really something that searches us, doesn't it, brethren?
Have a little text in my house in my kitchen.
Sometimes the kids get arguing in the kitchen, you know?
That it has three. It's not scripture, but it has three lines to it. The first line is say something you want to be saying when Jesus comes.
Next line, do something you want to be doing when Jesus comes. The last line, go somewhere you want him to find you when Jesus comes.
It really does searches.
I'm spitting out some fiery words and the trumpet calls.
Were caught up to meet the Lord.
At that moment.
No, brother, and it is something that really makes us think twice how we're living.
He delivered momentarily, expecting the call to go home.
Bringing us into conformity with Christ is an ongoing work now.
And God wants to see Christ in US.
Who belong to him and he's working towards that end.
And the story has been told that a missionary came to Africa.
And preach the gospel. You know that was before they had.
Wrote that they have now, you know, they used the river as a road. So we stopped there at a village by the river and preached the Lord Jesus through them and somebody came to him and he said, I know that man, he lives up the river. What was he talking about? There was another missionary that had lived or was living up the river and had lived in such a way. When the new missionary told them about the Lord Jesus, he was reminded of that missionary up the river.
You know, that's a beautiful story. Christ is to be seen in US, and that is what God is trying to bring about in the life of all of us who belong to Lord Jesus. More of the Lord Jesus in US to be seen. That is what God's purpose is. And you know, the world doesn't see the Lord Jesus at this point.
But He can see him in his own, you know, and we can in our own feeble way show some of the characteristics that are perfectly seen in the blessed Lord. Love is one of the things you know, and of course here it speaks especially of loving those that belong to the Lord Jesus. But.
00:40:15
You can certainly show love of God that He has towards the Sinner.
You know the evangelists that goes out with the gospel. The motivating force is the love of God, but also love for the lost in order to bring them in. Love is the most powerful force in a Christian life.
It would be good, perhaps science, to explain in verse four what lawlessness is. Sin is lawlessness. We know that transgression of the law is sin, isn't it? But it's not a complete.
All inclusive definition of what sin is. Transgression of the law is sin. But sin includes a lot more than that because like you say before.
The law was ever given. There was sin in the world. What do you mean when you talk about law last night? What does that mean?
Not subject to any regulations. You know, man, if he recognizes that there is a creator, why don't they want to accept that truth? Because if they recognize that there is a creator, then they know they have to answer to the creator, you know, And lawlessness just doesn't want to have any rules, any restrictions.
Do what you please, you know, Believe in yourself as it sets up on that sign, you know, Believe in yourself. Please yourself. If you like it, do it, you know. But most people, even those who are not Christians, realize that there are some moral principles that a man should consider and live up to. But.
There is no power to live pleasing to God.
For men in the flesh.
And how wonderful that God, before he expects us to do anything pleasing to him, he gives us a divine nature and then he gives us the Spirit of God to empower that nature. And we have absolutely no excuse for sin. As Christians, we do sin if any man sin. It's not when if there is the possibility for a Christian to sin.
And how wonderful that the advocacy of Christ.
Comes into play not at the point when we repent.
From the time that we sin, you know He is there as our advocate, and I believe it is His work by the Spirit that finally leads the believer to repent and to be restored again. But in the meantime.
He maintains us. We are not stopping to be children of God. He maintains us. You know, he's our advocate or our lawyer if you please. You know, he maintains us in the presence of a holy God at all times. But.
A wonderful that we go on in communion and fellowship with him and that we do not only.
Please him that we do not grieve the Holy Spirit. We can quench the Holy Spirit by not allowing Him to lead us. That would be quenching. We can quench the Holy Spirit by a system that we send up among the Christians also in our individual life. Not let the Spirit lead us, but we can grieve Him.
If we.
Sin. The Spirit is grieved, you know, and he has to occupy us with our sin to lead us to repentance.
00:45:02
We turn to Romans 5.
We'll see clearly.
That, as Bruce Force stands, it is not correct. It would be a contradiction.
In Romans 5.
And verses 13 and 14 before until the law.
Sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there's no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned. After the similitude of Adams transgression, who was the figure of him that was to come? Now Adams?
Sin was the breaking of the law. He was told not to eat to the fruit of a certain tree, and he did. That was a transgression. That was a breaking of a law, and it was sin. But this 14th verse shows us that from Adam to Moses there was no law, and yet there was sin, because there was death, the result of sin and Adam.
Fear of him that was to come.
In First Corinthians 15, we read of the first Adam and the last Adam heads of a race. Adam was the race of sinners and the last Adam is Christ, and he's the leader of the sinless ones. So we're under that headship now, aren't we, in that family rather than.
Were in Adam's family too, but we're under the purity of the heavenly family in in first John 3.
John speaks of the Antichrist and in 2nd Thessalonians 2 That man is called the man of sin.
And he is the very height of what is given in verse four since his lawlessness. And in Daniel Chapter 11, he's called the king, but he's called the king that does according to his own will. He knows no other law than his own will. There is a reporter in Bosnia during the conflict there who was a veteran war correspondent, and he reported back that though he'd been in many conflicts, he'd never been.
In more fear.
Than he was in the conflict in Bosnia because as things broke down, there were roving bands of soldiers who had no captain, no government, no one to answer to. And he said, I see now that man is at his roots are basically evil. And I've never been in more fear in my life. I've seen what man is unrestrained, without law and maybe an example that even the youngest can understand.
You know, if there's a nice big mud puddle out there and boys and mud puddles seem to attract each other, and dad says don't jump in that mud puddle and they do it, that's a transgression of the law.
But even if Dad doesn't say don't jump in that mud puddle and you go and do it, you know when Dad catches up with you, he's not going to be happy. And so even without a law, to go and jump in that mud puddle is just doing your own will without any thought or acting, without any consideration of your father's will. And when man acts without any consideration.
Of God's will when just his own will is his only law? That's lawlessness.
It says in the Proverbs, the plowing of the wicked is sin.
Not that there's anything wrong with plowing in itself, but the wicked do. They plow in their field just like a Christian would, but he does it without reference to God. Absolutely no reference to God.
I had a field and I found somebody plowing out there one day and go out and say whoever gave you permission to plow on his field, he said. Oh, was I doing something wrong?
Yeah, it's wrong to do it without reference to the owner. And that's what sin is, isn't it? It's doing their own thing without any reference to God. That's the principle of lawlessness. Don't like any restriction put on you?
00:50:02
Well, we have to love our brothers.
And in Christ, not that it is always easy.
Because sometimes brothers are more difficult to love, just like we have children.
We raised 10 of them.
Some of them are more obedient than others.
But we did love the mall, you know, and, but sometimes we can make it difficult for our brethren to love us because of the way we carry on and the spirit that we manifest. But.
Love.
Is of God.
And he loved us when there was nothing lovable in US. You know, he loved the Sinner. And so when it speaks of love in this epistle, it doesn't mean natural love that speaks of divine love. You know, we love because he first loved us. You know, unfortunately, the rendering there is falling short that says we love him.
Because He first loved us. The correct rendering is we love because we first loved us. We have the capacity to love because in Romans it says that He has poured out His love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That's why we can show love, true love.
Any natural affection is a wonderful thing in itself, but Divine love goes further.
You know, it doesn't love the person for what we find in that person.
Morally.
But we love because he is the child of God, and therefore we have the privilege of loving that person and hopefully even when we have to perhaps faithfully speak to that person.
That the motive is love. You know that we really want to help that person. Just like when parents discipline their children.
They don't enjoy.
Punishing children. But they do it because they love them and they didn't want them to grow up crooked. That's why parents punish children, right? They don't want you to become a bad boy, do they?
That's why we have commandment to love one another.
Commandments isn't that interesting? And I think if you look carefully in John's Gospel and John's epistles, there's seven times.
You're commanded to love one another.
Not as in the Old Testament which commanded a.
Man to love his neighbor as himself. The reference point was how much you love yourself. You love your neighbor that way. But now we have been given a new nature that loves like God loves, and so the Lord Jesus changes. The reference point says love one another as I have loved you.
Now the reference point is not ourselves, it's.
The way he loved us.
That's a challenge to remember that like you say, sometimes those we love may not be lovable, but the character of love that we're talking about is love that loves when nothing is lovable. It's not the question of the object, it's the question of the source. We love because He first loved us. It's the character of God's love.
In verse 11 we have it. This is the message that we have heard from the beginning.
That we should love one another, verse 23 This is His commandment. That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment.
Interesting that it should be repeated so often to love one another.
But I like to remember Mr. AC Brown speaking about the commandments of the New Testament, and he said that is the directives of the new nature that we have of God. I think that's a good way to put it. The commandments are that which directs the new nature.
00:55:19
You have the capacity to love, and so we have the command to let that direct that new nature and loving one another.
What's that? John 15? You should love one another that you join me before you have any comment on that. Yeah, that's another one.
Of your enemies, the scripture says that was not expected of one under the law.
Of your neighbors.
But in discernment on the mount, that is one of the statements, Love your enemies.
You know.
So.
The grace of God and the divine nature given to us enables us to do that.
And it certainly isn't easy.
When you have an enemy, perhaps he has done some real harm or slander you, you know, circulating false rumors about you. The tendency is that we react in a carnal way.
But that's not what should take place.
In spite of that, we can show love.
And if we find it difficult, then we should think back to the Lord Jesus.
What he suffered on that Christ and there's love never was shut down. Could not damn up that stream of love. It just flowed wider and wider.
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What a touching statement it is, as it has been said. While they were driving the nail through his hands, he said, Father, forgive them, you know, and that is what you find then in his servants. When Steven is stoned, you know, he prays for his enemies and Paul, you know, when he had to appear before Caesar in the second epistle to Timothy.
The brethren should have been with him, but they also took him. But he didn't want that to be held against them. He said, After all, the Lord stood with me, you know so sometimes.
We could rightly expect more from our brethren than what we do get from them, just like Paul in the second epistle expresses. But he didn't want that to be held against them. So he had a spirit of forgiveness. You know, we can learn that only in the presence of the Lord Jesus going on in communion and fellowship with him.
For time is going by and I was just thinking.
Some of the latter verses 14 that says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death to several tests in first John as to whether you're a believer or not. In the second chapter it's loving his word, but here it's you know you've passed from death unto life if you love your brethren.
And if any of you are like I was.
For many years, never sure that I was really saved. You know, this is a test. Do you really love your fellow Christian? Do you love your brethren and.
So it says, we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
Our desires to be with other Christians.
And not hang around with the ungodly. We'd rather be with believers.
And there's another thought in the 16th verse which.
And I got help from from my brother sitting in this room enjoying it.
In verse 16 it says, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Now the Lord Jesus actually gave up his life when he laid it down. But the thought that was given is.
This is something we can do daily is to lay down our lives for the brethren. What does it mean? Doesn't mean give up your life, use your life, use your life. So you lay down your life. Someone calls you at a very inconvenient time and they need help. They need you so well, it's not too convenient now. Sorry, no, you drop what you're doing and you go to help.
01:00:26
I think that's one way you could express it. You lay down your life, your lives for the brethren, and probably a lot of this is carried on behind the scenes.
I'm sure that there's been a lot of love shown to us and we don't even know who showed it because we were given meals and somebody worked hard at that and somebody cleaned up and there's been a lot of love shown in that way. And maybe some of those folks that were called on to serve would rather have been doing something else.
Even the visitors that were asked to serve at the meal times, maybe they would rather have gone somewhere or been with other people, but I didn't notice anybody acting like they were under a burden. They seemed cheerful. Everyone that served us at the seniors table, they were very pleasant and and just went out of their way to to help us and to serve us. Well, that's and a little evidence isn't it, of laying down your lives for the brethren.
Those are the real laborers at a conference, aren't they? Yes.
Otherwise, told when he was going to a country where he might endanger his health, you know, whether he wasn't worried about his health.
And he quoted this verse, you know.
Laying down being willing to lay down your life for your brethren.
You know, and when we think of Tim and Elaine in Africa, you know, that's not a picnic to be in a place like that. We can pray for them.
But days we'd sacrifice connected with being willing to live in circumstances like that. So. But hopefully love is what prompts anybody to do what they do.
For the Lord, love for the Lord, and love for the brethren.
Remember Brother Alarcon telling when he first went to Oaxaca, Mexico to preach the gospel? Very dangerous. A lot of bandits in that area said one night he got up to preach and they didn't have any room large enough for them to preach in. So it's out in the open air.
He said as he stood up. One brother stood behind him, another stood beside him on the right hand and another on the left, and he.
Tell them you can sit down, brothers. Now we're going to stand here. He couldn't figure it out and he asked them afterwards, why did you do that? He says. There was danger that some bandit might shoot from the distance and try to shoot you and let them hit us and not you.
Risen to 17th verse.
So I have this world's goods and see if his brother have need and shut us up his bowels of compassion from him.
I have many books in my library that were given to me by Brother **** Gorgons. And I asked him, I said, Brother, why do you give me these books? You know I can buy them if you won't. Brother, I see you have a need, spiritual need, and I want to meet that need to supply it. He wasn't going to shut up his bowels with compassion.
From.
Our time's up, but we just got this note about Brother ****.
He thinks the Lord is calling him home.
Please pray that the Spirit will be sustained by the Lord if it is the Lord's time.
They may be spirit and suffering and gently ushered into the Lord's presence. His life has been marked by displaying the love of God towards the whole body of Christ and to lost souls, particularly the poor and prisoners. You know about His prison ministry.
In the coming day, many around the throne of God.
I mean dead at the deck and supporter molested them to the door of salvation and Keith sent this note, he says. I'm one of them. I really grieve for the thought of Dad struggling for air.
01:05:14
This morning when he told me how hard it was to breathe, I mentioned that he'll have no trouble at all taking in the sweet air of heaven, and he seemed to enjoy that thought. I remember him in our prayers.
Look to the Lord.
Our blessed God and Father, we.
Saddened that the.
On our side of things to hear this brother.
Nearing death's door on this side of glory. But we know.
Our God, that thou wilt soon receive him into thy presence, Lord Jesus. And so we just pray that though it's encouraged, this dear St. this labor that has toiled for thee. And I just trust now that thou witch to give him thoughts of thyself and comfort his soul and those of the family, and encourage his heart. And we just thank thee for the.
Love that he has shown towards many and so we would just commend him to thee and.
And two, this would remind us of the solemnity of life that it is at best very brief.
And though it seems long in many ways to those that are younger, it has.
Very short and so we just probably know there's a concern the brethren here that for one last time that the word of God would be offered the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ would be offered and that there is one here that.
Still indifferent to thy love, our blessed God, that thy spirit thou wouldst break that hardened heart, and that they might receive that love that is so longing to take them and to bring them into eternal joy and happiness. And so we ask help for the speaker, and for we're just thankful though, that thy word is powerful and rich and can do its work despite the servants. And so we just looked at thee now for this little time and asked this as we pray and.
Thy sons worthy and precious, name as Savior, sinners, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
This evening I'd like to quickly briefly talk about salvation's drama seen at Calvary and witnessed and evidenced in the two thieves there on the cross as the two responses to the work of the Lord Jesus. And before I do that, though, I'd like to read some verses in Deuteronomy chapter 30.
Sorry, chapter 32 and verse 29.
Oh, that they were wise.
That they understood this, that they should or would consider their latter end.
Anytime the verse begins with, oh, I feel it's the heart of God pleading with men. O earth, earth, earth. There's many verses in the Bible where it begins with O and so we should listen to the heart of God. And he wants and implores you that they would understand this, what that you would consider your end. Here's the dear brother going. He knows where he's going. He has utmost confidence and many of us do have confidence of where he's going. We know in whom we have believed and we have that confidence.
But where are you going to spend eternity that maybe there's some here?
And it's been told so often the gospel over and over and over. I know in our family, a child often reprove hardness is heart. That's the danger of hearing the gospel over and over again. You think, well, maybe some other time. I know I did. But you don't have time. You don't know about time. So where are you going to spend eternity? Consider it. Turn back one chapter on page over there, the 30th chapter.
Especially for most of you in this room have been raised in Christian homes. Verse 30. Verse 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it no good to know it headwise. You've got to do it. You've got to accept, you've got to take sides with God. Do it. Verse 15. See, I've set before thee this day life and good and death and evil. Verse 19. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you.
01:10:17
That I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life. God wants you to choose life. He's a life giver and He wants you to choose life. But life is full of choices. But there's only one that really matters, and that's the one that you make about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the only one that will have eternal consequences. Everything else is temporary, can change, but there's one choice you must make.
And that has to do with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of you may be apathetic and different. Put it off. You know that's a choice. That's a wrong one. That's a wrong one. You don't know your time. But it is a choice, but a wrong one. And so a loving God implores you to choose life.
Eternal word of God says that he that believeth on the Son hath life, and he that believeth not on the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That's serious, that's awful. We don't even like to contemplate it, but that is the reality, dear. 1 The wrath of God will abide upon you. Well, let's turn to Luke 23.
I mean, I like to read just briefly the 32nd verse through the 40.
43rd verse.
And there were also two other malefactors LED with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said, Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his garment, and cast locks, and they parted his raiment and cast locks. And the people stood, Behold him. And the rulers also with him derided him, saying He saved others.
Let him save himself, if he be the Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If they'll be the king of the Jews, saved thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews, and one of the malefactors which were hanging rail on him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.
Well, maybe you're saying, well, I'm not a malefactor.
I'm as it says here.
A malefactor, but in Matthew calls them thieves. Some of the thief well begged to differ with you. The Word of God says otherwise. Turn back to Malachi chapter 3, just the end of the Old Testament.
Malachi Chapter 3.
And verse 8.
Will a man rob God?
Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ties and offerings?
Ye have robbed me. God says you have robbed me. If you're not mine, if you haven't taken sides with me, you've robbed me.
I like to think of the ties of that which we give of our bodies, so maybe our natural life and the offerings that may be of the spiritual life.
So you are a thief. If you're not a child of God, you've robbed God. And that are the worst type. You're robbing God.
Your very existence was given to you in this life. Life is a gift from God, but maybe you've used it for self. You've been endowed with talents and gifts, but you've used them for self. And maybe you've been blessed with good health and strength, but you've used it for self. Most of all, you've robbed God for communion and fellowship and worship. And that's what God wanted. The Father seeketh worshippers, and we owe that to Him. Not out of constraint, but He wants the willing people.
And so we have robbed God in many ways. We've wasted time and strength in the pursuit of disobedience.
And sin.
So see in the thief a picture of yourself in the sight of heaven. Your condition is desperate, and your heart is as wicked as the thief.
Let's go back to Luke.
01:15:05
So at Calvary we have free crosses.
And it wasn't that by chance that these were thieves, God could have in His sovereignty placed other.
Criminals on the cross, but he saw to it that there was 2 Thieves.
And it was two responses to the Lord Jesus Christ in the middle.
And I want to see, I want you to vision yourself there at Calvary.
Where? Which side are you going to stand on?
Which side are you gonna stand on?
The one thief.
It says in verse 39 and one of the malefactors which are hanging railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ saved thyself and us.
Reviling, rejecting what a fool is about to enter eternity, and he's reviling the very Son of God, the one that could save him, and he's reviling cursing the Lord Jesus Christ in the middle.
What a fool. What about you?
What's your response to the Lord Jesus?
But there's another malefactor.
He's repenting and believing.
And that's a wonderful thing. That's what we want you to do. Repent and believe, take sides with God, see the Lord Jesus in the middle as your Redeemer and your Savior. But you need to answer that question, Where are you? You need to answer that before God tonight or this afternoon.
As many in this room that are trusting and hoping and praying that if there is anyone here that they'll be sheltering under that blood.
But what must you do to be saved? We haven't got a lot of time, but it's seen very quickly here and that's.
Make salvation simple. It's not hard. It's so simple. It's a gift. What's so hard about a gift? You just receive it. So salvation is not hard, but there is a few conditions.
Therefore, but the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God?
Seen thou in the same condemnation, and we indeed, and we indeed justly, for we receive the due rewards of our deeds.
Dost thou not fear God? Fear God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. God is light and God is love. God is holy. And this thief began by the Spirit of God to see his sin, to see his need. And that's the first start of your step towards God, is to fear God. God is wrathful, God hates him, he cannot have in his presence. And so this dear one by the Spirit of God began to see in the Lord Jesus.
A savior and he says, and he rebukes the other one. Dost thou not fear God? It's a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God. And this one was the beginning to see that he takes sides. The second thing is to take sides with God, he says.
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss.
You need to take sides with God. You need to take sides with God against yourself. This thief realized practically that the soul that sinners it shall die here he was hung out on the cross with two other maleifact in the Lord Jesus. He realized that he had lived a life of crime. He was paying the price. Maybe you're not going to pay the price quite yet. Maybe you don't know the Lord could come, but if you continue on in their sins, you might also by the government be judged and pay a life of.
Pay for the life of crime in jail or something. But this one was realizing practically that the soul that sineth it shall surely die.
Let's look at a verse in the Book of Lamentations.
Isaiah, Jeremiah. Lamentations.
Chapter 3.
In verse 39, Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands.
Unto God in the heavens we have transgressed and have rebelled.
01:20:04
Let us search and try our ways. This this thief was beginning to search his ways.
So he sees himself as a Sinner.
The question is, do you?
To you if you do not see yourself as a Sinner.
Really, there's no remedy for you.
A drowning man who refuses the life raft or the lifesaver. If he doesn't see himself as drowning, he's not going to receive help. So if you do not see yourself as a Sinner, I pity you.
Foolishness. The only thing that awaits you is the wrath of God. The wrath of God abideth upon you. That's a foolish choice, solemn. And you make God a liar and Calvary redundant. All the things that we hold precious and you know to be true.
Are nothing that's.
Insane. That's insane. Don't delay. There's no reason to delay that. You benefit nothing by delaying.
Draw nigh to me, and I will draw an eye to you. This man began to draw an eye to God. This man, he says, has done nothing amiss. Isn't that wonderful? Can you think of the heart of the Savior there on the cross?
Being totally misunderstood, as my brother said today, none to comprehend, none to understand, and yet there was God the Father gave the Lord Jesus Christ a little foretaste of what his work would do, and he gave him this repentance center to encourage his heart. If you remember in the course of events.
The only words he have heard so far.
His Father forgive them for they don't know what they do. He hasn't seen the Lord Jesus go through the three hours of darkness. He hasn't heard the Centaurians say true of the Son of God or the veil rent or the rocks rent. He hasn't seen any of that. He has only heard Father forgive them. And seeing how the Lord Jesus maybe looked at these ones that were railing on in the compassionate, his eyes saw his bloody body. But that shortest sermon that our brother just said, Father forgive them.
But they know not what they do what.
Impact it had on that poor thief, shortest Thurman, but it sure had an effect upon that man. And that effect was.
Two verse 42 The other thing you need to do and he said unto him, Jesus he said unto Jesus, Lord, Lord, Remember Me Lord, if thou shalt confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised from the dead, thou shalt be saved Lord a wonderful it's a miracle and really salvation is a miracle just as much as our earthly life is a miracle. Salvation is a miracle this.
Rotten thief, that was the offscouring of society that the Romans said let's get rid of becomes a St. by the Spirit of God.
So he confesses him as Lord. It's wonderful. That's all he heard, he saw first hand. And we had those verses today in Isaiah 53.
And you don't have to turn to Barrida, verse 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with His stripes we are healed. And so he saw in the Lord Jesus.
This one that was atoning for him.
And he cries, Lord.
And the response of the Lord Jesus is beautiful and it's encouraging to our hearts.
There's a verse in Isaiah 30.
I think it's first.
19 Isaiah 3019. He will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of thy cry. When he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
He will be very gracious. How quickly the Lord Jesus responded to this thief.
How quickly Ezekiel 18.
01:25:08
There it is.
Ezekiel 1832 Says, For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, sayeth the Lord God, wherefore turn yourselves and live ye.
God takes no pleasure in the death of man. He created hell for the Satan and his angels, and he has no pleasure in the death of man.
Back in Lamentations 3, there's a verse in 57. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee. Thou said his Fear not, O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou hast redeemed my life. O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause.
Have you seen him as your savior? That's the question. Have you seen him? He drew near. He's withdrawing God. He will draw near.
All you have to do is call, call upon the name of the Lord and He'll respond. He is gracious.
But Can you imagine the resounding joy in heaven when that thief took sides with God against himself and called this one, this suffering Savior, Lord, joy in heaven? And you can add that joy tonight, not only if your brethren, but for, for glory in heaven, for God's glory, if you accept the Lord Jesus Christ tonight as your Savior.
Verse 42 it says, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
You know God doeth exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think. And here this thief, like that particle son, didn't know the heart of God. But the thief asked to be remembered in an earthly Kingdom, but Christ assured him of a place in paradise.
The thief asked to be remembered that the Savior declared that he should be with him, not just remembered in some, I have a Hindu friend that believes in reincarnation, and I asked him, he's a dear friend of good businessmen. And I said, well, what happens when you finally get spin off the wheel and this Nirvana stuff and he says, well, you float as a spirit in space. They said, well, that's kind of lonely in the darkness of space. What are you doing? I mean, come on, that's ridiculous. I said in Christianity, it's a relationship. We're going to be with God the Father and the Son and other believers. We're going to be in happy fellowship, not just floating around.
We're going to be with him. We're going to be with him. And so this one.
Received a response right away, so call upon him. That doesn't take much. It doesn't take much at all. How can you refuse such love? Choose life, choose life. Just close and reading beautiful hymn that we have.
In 321, and I'll start with the second verse, the dying thief beheld the lamb expiring by his side, and proved the value of the name of Jesus crucified his soul by virtue of the blood.
To paradise received redemption's earliest trophies stood from sin and death retrieved. And I trust you can put your name in here and join all of us who have already accepted. We too, the cleansing power of known of the atoning blood. By grace I've learned his name to own. Which brings us back to God. To him. Then let our songs ascend. Who stooped in grace so low. To Christ the Lamb, the sinner's friend.
Let Ceaseless.
Phrases flow.
Close in prayer our God and our Father. We are just so thankful.
That thou was invited all to come. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Thou art such a God.
Of love, of life, and now has implored anyone in this room tonight that is still indifferent to choose life.
And so we just pray that thy spirit, thou, would convict anyone in this room, and draw them to thyself for those cords of love.
And so we just thank you for these times that we've been hand over thy word, much responsibility, much truth has been given, and we just trust that it will encourage us. Those that are thine who walk more faithfully at a little time remaining and may be faithful in all that we do and say, and that Christ may be glorified in our bodies which are his. And so we looked at thee with thankfulness and pray in thy sons worthy and precious name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.