Regina Conference: 2000
Table of Contents
David Warrior King 1 Samuel 30
Address—E. Wilson
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I want you to turn with me first of all.
To the New Testament, to lay a little groundwork first before we look at the old to develop what I have on my heart this afternoon.
The Book of Philippians.
Chapter 4.
Let's pick this up from the sixth verse. This is Philippians chapter 4 verse #6.
Be careful for nothing.
But in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, but your request be made known unto God. I just want to quickly comment on that verse before I read a couple of others.
You know, it's a great thing.
That our lives should be characterized by carefulness. But the thought here is not to be overcharged with care.
To be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, because prayer as we know.
Is that which would express dependence upon the Lord. And that's important because that's our pathway. It's to express that dependence upon Him because we are dependent people.
And then you notice this phrase, and it's interesting that we spoke about these things this morning. It says with Thanksgiving. I suppose one of the things that characterizes the present day in which we live is the fact that people are not characterized by Thanksgiving. Now, if any people on the face of the earth should be displaying this, it's certainly believers the importance of Thanksgiving.
And I really believe, brethren, that we only cultivate thankfulness by cultivating a thankful spirit. And we do that by living in communion with the Lord. There's no question.
And then we see the wonderful result in verse seven. And this is important and the peace of God.
Now, later in this chapter, we have the God of peace.
And we can't really enjoy the God of peace until we have the peace of God. And it's very interesting, the peace of God.
Which passes all understanding. It doesn't need explanation.
We live in a day and age. We live in a world where everything's got to be explained, right? Well, there are things in this world that cannot be explained. And I like to think that this is one that's unexplainable, although it's a wonderful and blessed truth. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep or will Garrison is the thought here your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And that's important. You dear young people, if there's one war that's being waged today, it is for the hearts and minds.
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Of the young people.
But if you knew how active the enemy is, to get your mind to get it occupied and onto everything and anything but Christ, because we have three very powerful foes.
That's actively engaged in this work. We have the world, the flesh and Satan.
How would you describe the world?
It's that whole mass of things out there that has been devised by man. His hopes, his dreams, his aspirations, what he hopes to be, what he hopes others will be or might not be. That's like the world, you know. And by the way, in the Old Testament there's a king. I believe in the judges, who portrays that.
Kushan, Russia. Say him. Yeah. His name means double Lord of Darkness. That's just like the world around us. It's alienated from God. By what nature and by practice.
Isn't a great thing that as believers, you know, the position that we've been brought into by sovereign grace, we're hidden from that. But oh, may our state correspond with it. May we realize that we have a glorious inheritance and that we really don't have anything to do with this world because we're passing through it. Thank God we're not of it, although sometimes we act like it's ours. We should be horrified, really, to have anything to do with it.
And that's interesting. Another thing is the devil. Now that's Ephesians 2, the Prince and power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.
That's very interesting. And a king that would set that before us in the Old Testament, I believe, is Jabin, king of Hazor. It tells us in Deborah's song that the stars in their courses fought against him, you know?
And that's like Ephesians 6. You know, there's that struggle in the heavenlies. You know, it's very interesting in Ephesians 6 that the devil's only mentioned twice.
But it's delivered, and the reason is, is because people always have the tendency to think of them as a monster, which he is.
But Scriptures, careful there, I believe, to set before us the fact that He is our adversary and He's going to do everything and anything he can to keep us from enjoying that inheritance.
And then of course, the last one is the flesh.
Judges says now Moab or that Eglon king of Moab, and it says that's very interesting was a what a very fat man.
That's interesting, isn't it? I'm not poking fun of you people, you know that. Maybe you know, a little big.
God, I'm thankful that God loves big people, you know?
What's their problem? Sometimes they have a tendency to look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Don't forget that.
He loves me and he loves you, and the outward appearance is not what's important to him. We heard this morning That's important to take care of ourselves, but that's the important thing is the inward man. That's what God looks at.
Very interesting, isn't it? Now he was a very fat man.
That's the flesh, isn't it? That was the flesh. And by the way, when that dagger went into the belly, it says the dirt came out. That's the natural man, and that's exactly what he's like. There's nothing good about him. He's dirty.
Now I use this illustration with a kid sometimes when I speak, you know. Now I know in the other translation that it uses the word spider in.
Proverbs chapter 30, The spider taketh hole with her hands and is in King's palaces. I know JMD translates that lizard, but I'd like to just think of it in connection with a spider because the old spider has two body segments, a little body segment and a big one. And I like to think that that's like the old and the new nature, that natural part that you see, the outward, the flesh, you know, he's like that small part. And by the way, that's the part that changes the fly into mush and eats it, right? What a graphic description really that is of the flesh within us, isn't it true?
Anesthesia, that flying and it pumps in that stuff. It turns it all into mush and then it sucks it out. And that's what the old man loves to feed on. He likes to feed on garbage. But the second part of that, spiders.
Bigger. And I like to think of that as the new nature. The new nature is so much bigger than the old nature.
It's not confined, it's not limited. It's like our inheritance that we have in Christ.
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Let's go back into the Old Testament and I want to speak this afternoon on something which has been on my heart.
All my waking hours through the night last night, I was before the Lord and I.
And I just asked the Lord for a confirmation on what I should speak on. It's very interesting that the brethren.
Suggested you know Second Timothy 3:00 this morning.
And I'd like to go back to Samuel, first Samuel chapter 30, and that time in David's life when there was a day of departure.
We learned from chapter 27 of that same book, and I'll take the time to read it there in verse one. This is first Samuel chapter 27. David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines, and Saul shall despair of me to seek me anymore in any coast of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand.
Well, we find that David here has a lapse of faith.
And that we find that he goes into the enemy's land to sojourn there. And I think that's sad, but if we're honest with ourselves, we all have lapse of faith from time to time.
And so let's get over to chapter 30, because there is such a thing as the governmental ways of God.
In our lives.
Aren't you thankful this afternoon that God, in his wisdom and in his love and in His grace, will never leave us to ourselves?
Too much was paid for our salvation, for the God of all grace to simply leave us, you know, to choose our own way and our own devices. And so he comes in in a governmental way here, and he deals with David.
I don't want you to think this afternoon that these things are overwhelming. I don't want you to think of the men and women of the Old Testament.
As superheroes, the Book of James tells us that they were people who were subject to like passions as ourselves.
And that's the great thing about reading about these Old Testament worthies. There were men and women like you are a hoe. But they had a wonderful God, didn't they? Like we have?
Yeah, I heard the song too. Our God is an awesome God. I'm going to tell you something. He's more than awesome. He's good. He's great. He's wonderful.
And our poor little language can never begin to describe just exactly who this glorious person is.
Think of that. Think of being gathered to him and to his name alone.
All right, let's let's read a few verses here.
It came to pass when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day. Keep this in mind that when you read of the number 3.
The third day in scripture it's the difference between life and death because the children of Israel were to go 3 days journey into the wilderness.
It's wonderful that in First John, it tells us that we have passed from death or we have passed out of death into life. That's the third day. That's the difference between living and not living. That's the difference between having what really matters and not having anything at all.
But here it's in connection with discipline. You know that He makes all things work together for good. Even the necessary discipline in our lives, He makes that work for our good. God doesn't do these things to hurt us. He does these things to help us.
Now I know the world has got this all backwards. We're living in a day, of course, when discipline means nothing and children are left to do what they want. But children left to themselves. Proverbs tells us this. They bring their mother and their father to shame, right? You boys and girls, you want to be thankful that you have parents that have a concern for your soul and they don't let you do what you want to do. I'm thankful I had a mom who did not let me do what I wanted to do.
Maybe I wouldn't be here this afternoon.
Maybe you wouldn't be here this afternoon.
But that's one aspect of the love of God. It is faithful.
The Lord is faithful.
The Amalekites had invaded the South. Amalek is a picture of what in Scripture the flesh.
Their picture of the flesh. Remember how we mentioned that earlier, that the flesh is an enemy, one of those enemies? They had made an invasion on the South.
You know the geographical points in Scripture are important too. And why is that? What do we learn about the S country? The S country in Scripture sets before us, I believe, the idea of easement, taking it easy. Abraham drifted toward the South, it tells us. Then we find him in Egypt.
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Don't ask the Lord for an easy time in your pathway because it may not be the best thing for you.
Very often it's not the best thing for you.
Spiritually, Christians should never take a vacation.
As you can be sure of one thing, that if Christians take vacations, the devil is going to be there to suggest the itinerary, right?
I hope I got that word right. Kathy's always at me said you never say itinerary, right. I sometimes I say itinerary. She said no, Hon, that's not right. Itinerary, let's get it right. It's itinerary, isn't it? We don't get it right and sometimes we don't get it right because we're not in communion with the Lord. And by the way, we'll never get it right unless we are in communion with the Lord. That's the great thing about it.
And it's Spitzen ziklag and burned it with fire. You know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of what we have in Two Corinthians 5, right? Our lives one day are going to come in review at the judgment seat of Christ. And everything that is of the Lord is going to receive its reward. And everything that isn't is going to be, is going to be burned up. What does Hebrews tell us? Our God is a consuming fire. That's why. And so I pressed upon you, dear young people, this afternoon. Are we living our lives?
With a view to that day.
Are we living it with a view to that day? Hold your place here and let's go over to Genesis chapter 24. I touched on this the other night, I think, in speaking in Winnipeg, but I'd like to bring it out here because I believe it's important.
This is Genesis 24, and in that wonderful chapter, there's a lot of activity.
A lot of activity, but then it seems at the end of this chapter we get this verse, and I think it's very instructive.
Very beautiful. This is Genesis 24 verse 66.
It says here the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
Just like the judgment seat of Christ, because the man here, the servant here is a picture of the Holy Spirit, OK? He's a pitcher of the Spirit of God. And as a picture of that, he tells Isaac, Isaac, here's a picture of the heavenly bridegroom. And one day my life will be unfolded there at the judgment seat of Christ. Now, what the Spirit of God did through my life and did through your life, that's what's going to receive its reward.
But if I live for the flesh, if I live for sense, if I live for time, that's what's going to go up in smoke.
Now I want to say this, that these things are important because right now, right now, even here in this room, what is our attitude toward these things?
I'm sure that everyone of us.
Would love to hear and I believe will will hear but would love to hear from the lips of the Lord Jesus that wonderful commendation. Well done.
Thou good and faithful servant.
Well, let's go down in this chapter. The women were taken captives, verse 2, but were therein.
They slew not any either great or small, but carried them away and went on their way.
May I be permitted to say this this afternoon that sometimes there are things worse than death?
There are.
And it could very well be that one of the things that's worse than death is a Christian who continues to go on.
In ways that are not pleasing to the Lord.
Made these things exercises, may they exercise the heart of the speaker too, that we will not carry on with things which we know to be a direct hindrance to others and a direct disobedience to the Lord.
Well, it's very interesting. The women were carried away captive. But you know what's interesting about this is we have a tendency to look at the enemy and say, well, they carried them away captive. Yes, but the groundwork was laid long before this. You see a believer turning out of the pathway, a dear brother, a dear sister, and you say, oh, that person made a blunder. But what about the pathway up to it? Remember this, dear ones, that departure in the things of God does not come overnight. It begins with little things. Our brethren, we're talking about those things this morning.
It begins with little things. Suppose you're asking yourself right now, well, what's wrong with this? Well, what's wrong with that? Maybe we need to ask ourselves the question. Well, what's right with it?
If it's of the Lord, it'll be right, right?
But if it's herself, we know that it isn't.
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What a pathetic thing we see in verse 3. David and his men came to the city and behold, it was burned with fire. Their wives, their sons, their daughters were taken captive.
Chester suggested that him this morning. In the little flock. In thy presence we are happy. In thy presence we're secure. In thy presence, all afflictions we can easily endure.
In thy presence we can conquer, we can suffer, we can die. Wandering from thee we are feeble.
Let thy love, Lord, keep us nigh.
While they were taken captive here and David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. Was the was the weeping a good thing? Yeah, I think it was. We read how Peter wept when he denied his Lord. And I begin, I believe that the beginning of his restoration began when the Lord turned and just gave him that one look. That's when it started right there.
It's a great thing.
David's two wives were taken captive. The Hinnom, the Jezreelite. Is Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite. How deeply David must have felt this, especially in connection with his second wife. Because I'll tell you something, Abigail was a godly woman.
I think of the dear brother that I know down in the East.
And recently his wife was taken away from Stan knows who I mean.
And he's often told us, you know, I really miss my wife now. I really do.
And I think he said to one of us not long ago, he said I really didn't value her like I should have.
I would encourage you, dear brothers, to value your wives.
Nourish them and encourage them and feed them with Christ. And I'll tell you this, you're going to be rewarded handsomely if you do.
The godly woman.
Is a crown of virtue to her husband. The world has a little saying. Behind every Goodman is a better woman. That may be true.
But I'll tell you this, that a godly wife is indispensable to a brother who seeks to go on for the Lord. Oh, you dear young people, how important it is to marry in the Lord.
I believe that three criteria needs to be met if you're going to marry That person should know the Lord, that person, if you're gathered, they should be at the Lord's table and that should be the person that God has chosen for you. You say, well, how will I know that you're going to know it if you live in communion with Him?
You're going to know.
I just want to say that this afternoon, don't look at the physical beauty.
Don't think of how handsome the young man is. Don't think how pretty the girl is. It's all deceitful. It's all I suppose. She's in an accident and she's all burned and cut up. Will you love her then?
Could happen.
No, it's the inward that's what matters. It's the inward.
Well, let's go on here. This is just a powerful chapter.
David was greatly distressed.
For the people spake of stoning him, now he's not only carrying the heartbreak of losing, you know his wives and his children, now his brethren are down on top of them.
I talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
David was here.
But I think that of all the scriptures that show us the turn of the tide, to me one of the most encouraging in the Word of God is what we read of next.
It's getting pretty bad, like Psalm 91, you know, if we live in communion, we're going to tread on the lion. And by the way, the line in Scripture I believe, is a picture of discouragement. Persecution, I suppose, could be considered. But I really think that the major thought is the fact that the roaring lion in Scripture is a picture of discouragement. And that is one of the most effective tools that the enemy is using today among God's people.
They're giving up because they're discouraged. Are you discouraged this afternoon?
As the roaring lion come into your life and as he whispered to you, just give up, it's not worth it. Is that what he said to you?
That's very interesting. In Psalm 91 it also says thou shalt tread upon the lion, and I'm skipping over a part of a verse there to get to the next part. It says this and the young lion. That's like a new discouragement boy. David had it piled up on top of him here.
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You say to yourself, I'm down under it right now. I just cannot take anymore bad news.
And then what happens along comes the second lie and the young lion, and it's like, you know, another discouragement piled on top of the first one. Oh, who's at work behind these things? The enemy, the enemy. But keep in mind, allowed of God. Now let's just drop down in the chapter. He was greatly distressed.
And David said to Abby Athar, the priest, a himalek's son, I pray thee, can't you hear the urgency in this? I pray thee, bring me what?
Bring me hit her the effort and Abby out there brought the hit her the effort to David. Now, keep in mind, at the priesthood at this time, you know, had basically been decimated by salt. The priests of the Lord had been put to the sword earlier and Abiathar had escaped. And it's just like our day, you know, things are not as they were back in the Apostolic days of the church. The Pentecostal days of the church after the church was first formed were not in those days anymore.
But we are encouraged, dear young people, to strengthen the things that remain.
We are. We're encouraged to strengthen the things that remain.
I'm sure David appreciated the fact.
That he had this this effort.
This reminder of the priesthood, you know, as far as man is concerned, everything's been ruined, but as far as God is concerned, nothing has changed.
To think this afternoon that I have access into the presence of one who loves me and loves you, that we have access into the presence of one this afternoon who is concerned, Who cares?
And knows everything that goes on in my life. Why wouldn't I want to seek the sanctuary? Why wouldn't I want to come to one who loves me perfectly and understands all my cares and all my difficulties and all my problems?
Well, David understood this. He understood this. The people who were around him didn't understand this, but David didn't. But David understood it.
He calls for this.
And. David inquired at the Lord. I want you to pay particular attention to these next few statements here, because they're beautiful. David inquired. Asked the Lord.
Saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?
Now that was pretty definite, wasn't it? The prayer here was quite definite. Shall I pursue? Shall I overtake?
Which brings me to another question. Are you and I definite in our prayers?
Are we definite when we address the throne of grace?
And I can't help but share this little story with it. I've enjoyed. Maybe I've worn it out, doesn't matter.
I think of the dear younger brother that's back home in the Newfoundland Assembly. It's quite possible that you know who I mean. All this brother is quite definite. You know when he prays. Never forget that conference in Stellerton in 1996.
Just after I went into the Lord's work. We're in the prayer for the Gospel.
And there were some lovely, lovely prayers that were raised there on behalf of sinners and the importance of the gospel that night. Anyway, his younger brother came in and he got down on his knees and this is what he said. He said, Lord Jesus, he said, someone needs salvation tonight, would you please save them? That's all he said. That's the prayer of faith, isn't it? I want to tell you, there was someone saved that night and there was a girl saved on the following Tuesday night.
Definiteness in prayer shall I pursue, shall I overtake.
What does the verse say in Corinthians? He's able to do far exceedingly above all that we ask or even think. Let's, let's see how the Lord answers this. And he answered him, pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake. Now if that had been left there, had been left there, the Lord would have been just to leave it there, right? Because that's all that David asked for. Shall I pursue, Shall I overtake?
God doesn't do that, does he? Look what else happens and without fail recover all.
This is precious, isn't it? Yeah, sometimes we may be definite in our prayers, but sometimes we still don't ask according to the mind of God. Or sometimes the character of our prayers don't really reach as high as they should or maybe could.
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But he tells David here, you're going to recover all.
Brethren, this verse is such a comfort to me when I think that we live in a day when we have an enemy that's active and there has been ravages made, you know?
But as a blessed thing isn't it, to realize and that we're with him and came to the brook visor where those that were left behind stayed.
That's very interesting, 600 of them. And they, you know, they make their way down to the torrent visa now. I just want to say something in connection with this, which I think is interesting.
They get down there, you know, and we're going to read how some of them stayed behind.
Sometimes we're not pursuing like we should, and sometimes the discouragement has made such an impact in our lives that maybe we can't pursue.
But isn't it a blessed thing to realize that though maybe we can't sometimes, our God never fails to leave us without a resource? I'd like to think of that in connection with the torrent here. Bezel or the brook never leaves us without a resource. David pursued he and 400 men, 200 abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over.
I'm just going to pause and make a comment there. I wonder sometimes if these men could have pursued if they had taken the time to encourage themselves.
As David did. Funny, I failed to read that verse earlier, and I'm going to I'm going to go back to it.
I'm going to read the end of that sixth verse.
David encouraged himself in the Lord.
His God, it could have said. David encouraged himself in the Lord, in the Lord God.
And that would have been right, right? That would have been correct. He encouraged himself in the Lord God, but doesn't say that. That's why I enjoy the little articles in Scripture, don't you? David encouraged himself in the Lord his God, his God. That's beautiful.
Like then we pass the desert too. But Israel's God is ours. He's ours.
They found an Egyptian in the field. I want to ask you a question this afternoon. If Egypt is such a great place, what was this Egyptian doing found out of his his element?
If Egypt was such a great place at this time, why does this young man found here lying in this field?
Now to ask the question is to answer it right if this world is such a great place.
Why is it that men and women are not finding the satisfaction and the joy and and so on and so forth that they hope for, if it's such a great place?
It's interesting, isn't it? They found an Egyptian, noticed this statement in the field.
They found him in the field.
Where would you find most Egyptians?
I would say probably down by the Nile fishing, right?
Because that river is ours. That's what they said. They're talking about their resource.
There are no resources for the believer. Apart from Christ there are no But this is a young man, a young man of the world, an Egyptian. My, what a pathetic thing. What a pathetic thing when you see individuals who aspire to go after the things of this world, dear young people, and they don't find any satisfaction.
Sometimes they're found like a broken heap in the field picture of the world. We had that this morning. The world.
That's where he's found. But it's lovely to hear, to see what they did here. And they brought him to David. They brought him to David.
Now to go back into Proverbs for a minute, the 30th chapter, it talks there about the Ant. It says this. The Ant makes preparation in summer. She prepares her meat in summer. Go to the anti sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. She prepares her meat in summer. Very interesting. A great naturalist. I think of his name. His name is Walter Wilson. He's no relation.
But he made this little observation about the Ant. You know, just for you boys and girls, how you listen to this.
The Ant will come into, they'll send a scouch, you know, into the kitchen and it'll come in there and it'll find where that piece of bread or that piece of sugar is. And it'll come out of the kitchen and it'll go off and it'll meet another Ant and it'll lay that piece of bread down of that sugar and it'll tell that other Ant where it's found that piece of bread for that sugar. That's what you and I need to be doing with our lives. We need to be telling others about the bread of life where we found that bread.
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Or how that bread has nourished us and how there is no true joy and no satisfaction unless we know Jesus, the bread of life. One other thing, when that piece of bread is there, no other Ant will come and take it. Isn't that interesting? Human beings could learn a lesson there. You kids don't take something that belongs to somebody else.
That's a lesson. That's a little lesson that the aunt teaches us. Interesting isn't it? That's like First Corinthians. It's the base things of the world that God has chosen and things that are despised. For what purpose? To teach us little spiritual lessons.
You don't find that in the elephant, right? You find it in an Ant.
Insignificant. Just squish the thing under foot and keep right on walk and then don't pay any attention. You know it's just insignificant really.
No, it's not. It's not insignificant. All of these things have lessons to teach us.
Well, they got him there and he did eat and they made him drink water. I just want to make a comment on this.
He ate and they made him drink water. I am really thankful that my Sunday school teacher had us.
Learn the Word of God by way of memorization. I am thankful for that, aren't you?
One time I could quote the whole first chapter Revelation. I don't know if I can do it now, but I could quote that. And I learned other verses. I learned the 23rd Psalm and I learned I learned John 14 and Ephesians one and one of my favorite chapters, 139 Psalm.
That's a great thing, you know, when you don't have your Bible handy to be able to drive down the road in the car and say in the beginning with the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were created by him and without Him was not anything made that was made in Him was life, and that life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Isn't it great to be able to quote the word of God, but not only to be able to quote it, to believe what you're quoting, to say this is God speaking to us from His Word.
I'm thankful that my mom and my dad and my Sunday school teacher.
Made me drink.
I think probably when I first took it in, I didn't realize what I was doing, but Oh my, when I look back on my younger days, I realize now the impact that the Word of God made the impression that it made.
I want to encourage you, dear Sunday school teachers, to do that, to set the Word of God before the children. Give them verses to memorize.
What Psalm 119 say thy word? Have I hid in mine heart, that what I might not sin?
Against these great things.
And they gave him a piece of cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. Why not bread? Because this is the food of of Canaan, that's why. And you and I this afternoon, as Christians, we have a wonderful inheritance.
There's food there, there's comfort there, there's light there, there's everything that we need for the new. We have it all in Christ. Why is it then that the young people, why is it you, dear young people, that you and I turn to the weak and beggarly elements of this world? Because we do not believe in that inheritance that we have. That's our problem. That's our problem.
Think of a dear brother years ago, he used to say, you know what our problem is? He said we're some of the most miserable millionaires on the face of the earth. He said, and we are. We have a glorious inheritance and we're not taking the time to enjoy what we have in Christ and to live in it and to walk in it and to be a blessing and a help to others. Why is that? Because.
Sometimes, I hate to say it, we're unbelieving believers. Remember how we spoke about that this morning, how Israel came up to the land for the very first time and.
There they are, and the 12 spies are sent in and the evil report is brought back. Why did they turn away from Jehovah unbelief?
Remember how we mentioned about how they came back 40 years later? Two spies are sent in, they go to rehab, and rehab tells them why the inhabitants of the land are fainting because of you, For we heard. What did you hear, Rahab? We heard what the Lord your God did to the Egyptians.
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Then you bring it down further. The ark is taken through their disobedience, you know. And what is the Philistine say? Let the ark return to Israel. We don't want to incur the wrath of these holy gods. Don't you remember what they did to the Egyptians? Oh, no, it hadn't been lost on the enemy, but it was it's, it's interesting how these things get lost on believers.
Is our God force? Of course he is. Does he love us? Yes he does. Does he want us to be happy? Of course he does. Then why is it that we're not availing ourselves of these things? It's simply rank on belief very often and self will.
What a question we have next, or what a statement we have next. His spirit came again after he had taken this in, for he'd eaten no bread nor drunk any water. 3 days and three nights. What a pathetic position. And you know, dear young people, this afternoon to say this to you. And I want to say this to my heart.
That's a serious thing when a person gets in a condition, so to speak, when they have been deprived, you might say, of spiritual food for three days and three nights.
A serious thing.
Three days and three nights.
Credible.
David said unto him, To whom belongeth thou? I hope there's no one in the room this afternoon who's without the Lord Jesus, because this question is pertinent for you, and it's also pertinent to those of us who are Christians. To whom belongest thou? What a question. But I often say that the questions in Scripture are just as important as the statements, because sometimes God asks questions to drive home a point.
To whom belongeth thou say, well, I belong to the Lord Jesus? Is our lives showing that we belong to the Lord Jesus? Or are we like this Egyptian that's found out there in the field without sustenance and nourishment for the pathway?
You know, it's incredible, really.
To whom belongest thou? Whence art thou? And he said, Look at the confession. I am a young man of Egypt, not an old man, a young man.
And that's just exactly where men and women are today. They're worldlings.
Young man of Egypt noticed this straightman right here, servant to an Amalekite. What a pathetic physician to be in a servant to an Amalekite. You know there are servants here this afternoon.
There are those who are the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I hate to say it, but there may be someone here this afternoon who is a servant to their flesh.
They're a servant to this world. They're a servant to the devil. What a solemn thing this is.
I'm a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. Look at this. My master left me because three days are gone. I fell sick in this. Pathetic.
This worse than pathetic, it's heartrending. Is a young man left to die? I'm going to tell you something, young people, when the world is done with you. When the world is done with you.
It'll leave you just like this. Amalekite master left this servant. My, this is solemn, isn't it?
The world has nothing new to give. It has no true, no lasting joy. It has nothing, nothing to give.
And when it's done with you?
You're going to be done for unless the Lord of glory comes in in grace and lifts you out of the graveyard of this world.
I said it's sad.
Now he tells them, we made an invasion upon the South. There's the South again of the Cheresites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire. Now there's some pretty interesting geographical points here.
First of all, we have the South of the Cheraside. Two of the Cherasites, oh, they were part of David's bodyguard.
You know, sometimes as believers, we may be great guardians for the truth, but I'm going to tell you something this afternoon that you and I are going to get tested on the truth that we proclaim to know.
Sometimes we may know a lot of things about the Lord Jesus. That's subjective knowledge. But do we know the object for ourselves, the Lord Jesus Christ? That's objective knowledge. It's to have an object bright and fair.
And upon the coast which belongeth to Judah.
It's interesting.
What a favored place Judah was on a favored land this was. But God allowed this, you know, He allowed the enemy to do this.
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And then it says.
And upon the South of Caleb.
Now we find that this invasion has been made into Judah. Now it comes down to a family.
Sometimes the enemy does that. Sometimes he'll come in and sift an assembly, and then sometimes he'll come in and he'll sift individual families.
He's like that, you know, and God will allow it.
Simon, Satan have desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, but thy faith fail not.
You know, that's one of the things I've enjoyed about the 139th Psalm.
Is the fact that a wonderful fact that there isn't a particle of time that goes by that our great high priest doesn't think about us, pray for us, love us, and in general has made himself, you know, has made himself, as Philippians 2 Says, of no reputation, taking the form of a servant ministering to us in every way. Because I love what one among us has said. He is going to use all the resources of the Godhead to bring us home to the Father's house. Not some of us, all of them.
Now we're getting to understand a little bit about this wilderness through which we were passing, and how dangerous it really is, how difficult the days are in which our lot is cast. But we have one who is greater, my dear, more loving, more compassion, Compassionate.
And brought him down.
And we burned Ziklag with fire. David said to him, Can't thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God that thou wilt neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. One thing becomes very, very clear in the statement of this young man to David, and it's this The human heart has very little apprehension of what the grace of God is really like.
And I have to admit that for myself, I have very little apprehension of what the grace of God is really like. David had showed the kindness to this young man and he turns around and he says to David, after this, now please don't deliver me into the hands of my master. I don't think David had any intention. Do you? Given the heart of this great man because he's a pitcher of the Lord Jesus Christ, you think the Lord of glory is going to give you up once he's purchased you with his own precious blood?
No, he isn't.
Let me take a little bit farther.
I don't I don't only think that we feel within our, you know that we we.
We don't even know what grace is. Let's take it even a little bit farther and say this that as a natural man in my unregenerate state, I despise grace. Isn't it true?
Not only do we not understand what it is, but as natural men and women, we despise it. You know why that is? It's because of the pride that's within us.
He said to the rich, he said to his disciples, Unless you humble yourself and become like little children.
You're not going to enter into the Kingdom of God. What did he mean by that? Now we know that that's important in connection with salvation.
But if we're going to learn the mind of God, if we're going to become Christ like, we must become childlike, and that is only done in humbling ourselves before him. That's a great thing. What are children like? They're trusting. They believe what they're told.
How important it is you, dear parents, to set the truth before your children because those first impressions that are made on their souls may have lasting impact through what their lifetime which we spoke this morning. How important it is to have the truth of God. Imagine little hearts being occupied with those Pokémon cards and feeding on this stuff. We have no idea the impressions that that is making on impressionable hearts and minds. See them with a pure word of God.
I said to male not long ago, my daughter. I said Mel Han, I said I can hardly wait till Michaela gets old enough. You know that I can get my little guitar out and we can sing. Jesus loves me for the first time. She said, Dad, you're too late now. What do you mean, Hun? She said. I picked that little girl up in my arms every day and I whisper the words of Jesus in her ear every day.
Don't start with what she's saying. Don't start when she begins to talk. Start before.
You dear mothers, you have such a responsibility with your children. Feed them with Christ.
And live a consistent, godly life before them, too. I think of my own mom. That's the way she was. My mom would not say one thing and do another. She was consistent in what she set before us. She would not say something and then do something else herself. There was that consistency and how important that is.
00:50:18
I've got to get on because our time is just about done here.
When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread upon all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing. Why doesn't that sound like our day? And that just like what we're what we see around us today? Is there anything wrong with eating? No. Is there anything wrong with drinking? No. It's in the excess of these things that's the problem.
That's the problem. But that's what we find today. You know, it's really sad. If you see Christians caught up in these things, it's really sad.
And what else does it say? And and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. Now that's an interesting statement, isn't it? We don't have delineated here what we had in the previous verse. It's out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.
Do you want to be left or just, so to speak, leftovers at the judgment seat of Christ someday? Are you going to have an abundant entrance?
Are you going to be saved yet? So is by fire, which I'm sure everyone of us would want to hear the approval. Well done thou good and faithful servant.
David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day, and there escape not a man of them, say 400 young men which rode upon camels and fled. You know what David sets before us in the word of God, what his life sets before us. His life sets before us the aspect of a warrior king, because there's coming a day when great David's greater Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is one day going to come back to this world.
If he came today, all the Christians who know him, he would come in the air, he'd give one call and we'd be gone.
Isn't that beautiful?
It's going to happen any day now. Approximately 7 years later, he would come as the warrior king.
And I want to tell you this, all the filth of this world and all the blasphemy and all the hearts sentences and the heart speeches that are being hurled against the Christ of God, there's coming a day, you know, when God is going to deal with that. There's a day coming when he's going to come back to this world. And so help me, this world is going to light up with His glory.
Coming.
And when he finishes, when he starts, he's going to finish.
Every rightly instructed Christian enjoys this because the last time this world saw the Savior, he hung as a dying man.
Between 2 criminals on a criminal's cross.
But God is going to see to it that every knee is going to bow to Jesus. What a glorious day that's going to be.
What a glorious day. Only 400 young men escape here on camels.
The execution of that judgment is going to be ordered in such a way that that glory is going to be carried.
To the farthest remote is down. That's the number 4 here to every corner of the globe.
That judgment.
Couple more things and we're finished.
And David recovered all but the Amalekites had taken carried away.
David recovered all.
Faithful, faithful word of the Lord, pursue David. You're going to recover all.
That's beautiful, isn't it? He recovered all. I like this. David rescued his two wives. Now, I don't know what your thought is on this. I don't know what your thought is on this, but I'd just like to share a little thought that I've enjoyed.
Maybe he's coming for us will be almost like a rescue.
I've heard brethren say since the time I was gathered that the truth of Jude may very well be that looking for the mercy, our deliverance bodily out of this world may be just that, a mercy.
And then if he comes approximately 7 years later, he will come for the rescue of Israel.
He's going to deliver that, people.
It's like the enemy will be just ready to just crush out that name and he comes and he rescues because he's going to rise as the Sun of Righteousness. Malachi was what? Healing in his wings. Glorious day.
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Let's just drop down. I'd like to hear other thoughts on this. By the way, if some of you have other thoughts on this, what this may mean. But that's, that's what I've enjoyed. There was nothing lacking to David or to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoiled nor anything.
That they had taken.
To them.
David recovered all.
Touching brethren, David recovered all.
I can't help but feel that heaven is going to hold a few surprises when we get home sure of it.
I think of the words that J&D penned many years ago.
Our hearts, deep longings more than gained, when God is rest, shall give.
Our hearts, deep longings, more than gained, when God is rest, shall give you longing for home.
Are you longing to quit this world, this veil of tears, sorrow, suffering?
Say, well, not really. I'm having too good a time. If you're having too good a time, you're enjoying the things of this world, you're enjoying the things of this world. You're forgetting that you're a heavenly person.
May, in His grace to us and in His love, He calls us to turn to Him, that we might realize this world through which we're passing is not our home. If I feel comfortable here, there's something wrong.
One final thought.
Verse 26 David came to Ziklag, he sent out sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present or a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.
Beautiful, isn't it? Then it tells us about the different towns, you know, in this same chapter, but I'm not going to take the time to go into that. But I just want to say this in closing.
There's coming a day.
When heaven is going to be everything that I ever thought it would be and much, much more because of one glorious object, the Savior that we've come to love and know through sovereign grace. My eyes physically have never seen Him.
But I have his love letters.
I have instruction.
And the longer I live and the more that I live in communion with him, and I'm sure you can say this to everyone of you.
Who know him and who love him. He does grow sweeter as the days go by, doesn't he?
He's altogether lovely. That's my desire for each of us, especially you dear young people, that you will see this world for what it is. It's all vanity and vexation of spirit. It's all pursuit of the wind.
Think of Him we often used to sing as kids. If you want your real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart. Isn't it true? That's where the joy is, It's in Christ. It's not in the pleasures of sin for a season, it's in Christ. That's where the joy is. He says to those dear ones that he loved. Behold a present, a blessing, a blessing.
You want to be a blessing, Live in communion with the Lord. Give yourself wholly to these things, Timothy, for in so doing thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. What a great heritage we have in Christ. Well, let's let's not be so miserable. Let's enjoy what we have, unless it quaint ourselves more with Him, so that we'll be at peace, and we'll enjoy those things that He's given to us for our sojourn through this world until that glorious morning arrives.
For which the heart of His people had longed. For the coming of the Lord Jesus, in which His own large and loving heart has longed. For when He takes us home to be forever with Himself. Just want to leave these few feeble comments that it might be an encouragement to us to press on until He comes. Read this chapter for yourself. Don't take it from me, Just read it for yourself too. And you'll, you'll see some of these wonderful things. The Spirit of God will open this up to you and you'll see.
Yeah, the truth of these things, David, God's warrior king, and then Solomon, picture of the millennial reign of Christ, finished by saying this one thing, I'm going to repeat it. There was dominion in Adam. Get your pens out and write this down. There was dominion in Adam, government in Noah, fatherhood in Abraham, judgment in David, royalty in Solomon, but in Christ, all these glories will meet and shine together. He is a king.
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And yet a father.
To Solomon and to Abraham of God, that's the one we've come to know through sovereign grace, the One who has saved us and as we heard this morning, has called us to glory and virtue. Blessed be his name. May we live for the glory of His name and for the blessing of his people. Until he comes. Let's pray.
Anathema Maranatha 1 Corinthians 16:22
Gospel—K. Harman
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Want to welcome everyone to the Gospel meeting tonight. Many here that I know, but there's some I don't know. But I want you to know that God knows you. He knows your heart and He knows why you're here tonight. Perhaps you're invited to be here by some friend. I want to tell you that you couldn't be any better place on earth. Believe that it's true.
Wherever the word of God is proclaimed.
You have the privilege of sitting under the sound of it and listening to it, and I trust that you'll not only listen to it, but you'll be a doer of the Word as well as a hearer of it. And that if you are not, if you're hearing your sins tonight, you don't know Christ as your Savior. I would urge you to listen to the words that are being spoken tonight and not the words of the speaker, but from this book.
From the word of God, for it is the living word of God. And it's a book that will be forever open in heaven. It's open here tonight and it will be forever open in heaven. And by thy words thou be justified. By thy words thou shalt be condemned and.
This is the living Word of God, and what you do with this will determine.
Your eternal destiny.
Solemn thing to think about that there could be such importance in one book between 2 Covers as we have here tonight. I want you to solemnly think about it.
And each one of us, whether we are St. or centered.
We have a responsibility to listen to this book, don't we, and to act according to it and to let it have its power over our lives and our hearts. Let's begin our meeting tonight by singing number six in our hymn sheet. God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified.
Sinners, Jesus died, all the glory of the grace shining in the Savior's face, telling sinners from above. God is light and God is love. All who in his name believe everlasting life received.
Lord of all is Jesus. Now every need to him must bow.
I trust you will bow the knee tonight, if you haven't already.
Number six.
God in mercy.
And.
As well.
Respect and I don't explain what I'm going to run from.
Turn with me for a verse in One Corinthians.
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Chapter 16.
Verse 22.
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let them be Anathema Maranatha.
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let him be Anathema Maranatha.
You know what that means?
Anathema Maranatha.
Let him be a curse at the Lord's coming.
The Lord is coming.
Let him be a curse anathematized at the coming of the Lord. And you know, the Lord Jesus said, Behold, I come quickly.
And Saints in this room, everyone that trusts in the Lord Jesus, that loves the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus. That is the next important event that is going to take place in this world. The last one was the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. All other events that have taken place have been secondary to any to that great event.
That center of two eternities.
Where none other than the blessed Son of God.
Who humbled himself and came down into this world? Who said, here am I send to me when that council took place in that bygone eternity? And there was man in all his sin, without a Savior, unable to help himself.
And there was that council between God and his Son.
Who will go for us? Was the question.
And the answer was here am I send me?
We're told in the book of Proverbs that his delights were with the sons of men.
That is.
God had a special interest in you and in me before this world ever began.
Is that beyond you? It's beyond this poor mind of mind to even conceive. But it's true that God loved me.
Before I was even here.
He had it marked out for me long ago.
And my friend, tonight you are in this room and this same one that spoke to my soul and gave me light, brought light into my dark soul a number of years ago as a young child.
Wants to bring light into your soul tonight. He wants to make you a member of his family.
Perhaps you're sitting here as one who has heard the sound of the Gospel many, many times before. Perhaps your parents are at the Lord's table. Am I talking to someone here like that tonight who has never loved the Lord Jesus Christ? I want to tell you, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
Are those pretty severe words?
You mean he would curse us?
At his coming.
Me.
I haven't done anything wrong. I live in a good Christian home.
And you can go on and say, Lord, I am not like other men are just like the men in Luke's gospel. I'm not like this man is.
And in your own eyes, you think you're pretty good. And without any, any any.
Sin anything too bad at least to be cursed at the coming of the Lord, When the judgment of God falls upon this world, as sure as you and I are sitting here tonight, that judgment is going to fall, for God hath appointed a day, and in which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man.
Whom he hath ordained the Lord Jesus Christ, that one whom you must love if you're going to go.
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To see him, there's only two places the word of God tells is appointed unto man once to die.
And after this the judgment.
Anathema Miranasta.
It's all in words.
But you know the Word of God tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This man up here speaking you to you tonight is no exception.
For the Word of God has told me that I by nature and by practice, was a Sinner.
And I needed a savior.
And that same word goes out to you tonight too, that you are sitting there in your seat, either in your sins or you're sitting there in Christ.
One of two positions.
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior?
I want to ask each one of you. I don't want you to put your hand up, but I don't want this to be a personal question.
That you would find yourself sitting here tonight in the very presence of a thrice holy God whose eye is resting upon you and knows everything about you.
Nothing is hid to him.
All things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. You can go into the depths of the sea, you can go into the clouds, you can go wherever you want, and you cannot get away from Him.
No, He knows all about you.
And you know.
There was a woman in the 4th chapter of John's Gospel who was a Sinner, a great Sinner, and she found herself into the in the presence of the Lord Jesus as he walked these dusty streets of this world as the Savior of sinners, as the Son of God, as the Son of man.
And he said to her.
If thou knewest the gift of God.
Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. If thou who is the givingness of God? That's the kind of God we have, my friend, One who wants to give you happiness. He wants to give you eternal life. He wants to give you a home in heaven.
And this woman, when she found out who's.
In whose presence she was, she went to others, and she said, come see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? She found herself naked and open.
And the eyes of him with whom she had to do.
She found herself. Her whole pathway, her whole life was in full review before these all seeing eyes of that man who came here to seek and to save that which was lost.
You know, it's a wonderful thing to be able to unfold your soul.
To someone who truly loves you.
And who loves you just as you are?
Maybe you're trying to hide from God tonight.
Maybe you're trying to keep back something that you don't even want to tell him, something only you know about in your life. Perhaps you're feeling, at this very moment, the burden of your sins.
And you don't know where to hide. I want to encourage you, my friend.
Just take them to Jesus.
And tell them all about her.
For we are told, you know.
That if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive them.
This is the kind of savior we have. He isn't. It says that He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Judgment is his strange work.
But you know, everyone of us has been found in the same condition.
And we had turned everyone to our own way. And you know, the wrath of God abides on all those who do not have the Son.
Do you know that judgment is coming upon this world?
Do you know that those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus as Savior have been delivered from the wrath to come?
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It's coming.
And this is coming as sure it's coming as sure as the sun will rise in this world tomorrow.
Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever man soweth that shall he also reap.
And if you reap to your flesh, you will also have the flesh also reap destruction.
And so you sit here tonight, my friend, with the eye of God upon you.
And he knows all about you.
He loves you.
And he wants to save you.
What do you want to do about it?
Are you not uneasy in his presence?
When you know that here's someone who knows all about you, just think of a person, a peer of yours, who might know certain things about you. You're very uneasy in his presence. You can't face them, you can't meet their eye. What would it be like? What is it like? What will it be like to stand before one who knows everything, every detail of your life, everything you have ever done, every thought you have ever thought, One who knows you completely, through and through.
And he wants to save you, and you save no.
If a man loved not our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let him be Anathema Maranatha. God has done everything that he can.
There's nothing more he can give.
Story was told.
I don't know whether I can get all the details, but I would like to give this little illustration just as well as best I can.
To illustrate what God has done.
There were a couple that went down as missionaries to a land, I believe it was New Guinea. It was at a place where they practiced cannibalism. And this was less than 40, less than 50 years ago, and they practiced cannibalism.
And this couple took a little 18 month baby down into that area.
And they tried to bring the gospel to these people.
Very scary situation.
Because you never knew.
What would happen from one moment to the next? He found that these people had no word in their language for love.
They couldn't understand the concept.
And he tried to bring before them the love of God.
Couldn't reach them, it just just didn't faze them.
He he labored with them.
I I'm not sure just the what the time element was, but for a good amount of time he found out that these people practiced.
Friendliness.
And they would befriend a certain person and they had ulterior motives for it. And they would take that person and they would show themselves to be the friendliest, just as friendly as can be, patting them on the back and inviting them to their to their little social circles. And just when his guard was down, they would murder him.
They would murder him in cold blood.
They had no concept.
Of affection towards one another, Of love or compassion.
They just had a burning desire to.
Find somebody and lull them into a false security and then buy them. They would kill them. We have an enemy like that.
Who Who puts? Who has allurements for you and for me? He dangles the carriage before you, and he invites you to partake of it.
He's the God and Prince of this world, and he did this to Adam and Eve in the garden.
And they partook of the fruit that was on that tree and plunged the whole creation, the whole atom creation, into what we have today, into sin, degradation, sorrow, everything that is a result of it.
00:20:06
Disobedience to God. So we have an enemy that does the same thing. And just when you think you're happy, just when you think you're, you're at ease and at peace all of a sudden.
You're ensnared.
So this couple didn't know what to do. These people lived in trees. They built their houses about sometimes almost 100 feet in the air.
These trees were so huge and it was because of their enemies. I can see why they would do it, couldn't you?
At least they find a little safety up there.
But they built their houses way up there and they never bothered this man.
And his wife. But they just could not get through with them. To the gospel, with the gospel. One day. One day he was.
Up on this platform. And he was, he was in this Hut with one of the natives and all of a sudden there was a great commotion outside. And he went out there and there was a man with a little child here and a man with a little child there, and they were coming towards each other.
And there was wailing and there was crying and all of a sudden.
From the crowd, the mother would run out and grab that child and take him back again. Just couldn't see it happen, he said. What's happening here?
He said they're trying to produce peace between these two tribes and the only way they can do it is what the peace child?
And so this went on for some time, and finally another man came forth with his little boy.
And he presented him to the other man, and that other man gave his son to him. They exchanged sons forever. It was the peace child. And he said, he said, what are they doing? And he said this is the only way that they can bring peace in that tribe. And never again, never again can they have war with each other. They understood that. They understood the importance of losing.
A little child, their little child.
And he said that's it.
And he said this is what God did for you. He said, I've been trying to tell you this, all this, all this time.
And the light dawned on him that this was the secret to being able to bring the gospel to these people.
And he began to use their own illustration of the peace child, and he said, this is God's peace child to you.
God loved you so much and you had been at enmity against Him, and He wants you. He wants to bring peace into your life.
God so loves you that He gave His own peace job for you, that you might be at peace with Him, and that you might go to live with Him. He had to bring it down to simple, simple language, but they got it.
They got the picture and from that moment souls began to be saved and that whole, that whole tribe was just brought it in peace. And there's such a change came over that whole tribe as one by one by one, they began to come to the Lord Jesus because they saw that illustration of how much this God so loved them that they could, that he could give his only child.
His only begotten Son. And I say to you tonight, my friend, the same words that you've heard before, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten silence.
That whosoever, and that means you, whosoever believeth in him.
Should not perish.
But have everlasting life.
The gospel in a nutshell never changes. That never gets any different because God has put his seal to it, He said. There's nothing more I can do for you than this. What more can I give than my own son? Perhaps they will reverence him.
But what did man do when he came into this world? They said, Come, this is the air, let us kill him. And so the Lord Jesus came unto his own, which were the people of Israel, the Jews at that time. He came onto his own, and his own received Him not.
00:25:11
But as many as received him to them gave he power, the right, the privilege, the liberty to be called the children, the sons of God. You want to be called a child of God tonight?
You know you're a child of the devil if you're not.
The Word of God looks at you as an unbeliever, as a child of disobedience, one who wants to go his own way, one who has nothing to do with God, one who who fulfills the lusts and the desires of the flesh, the fulfilling of these things that only end in death and judgment.
Is that your?
Is that your future?
You dear young people.
I don't know what's going on in your heart or in your life. I don't know anything about it, but I know that God knows. And He looks down into your heart, each one of your lives right now, and He knows what's going on and He knows that.
That Satan is desirous of having you.
And if you don't belong to Christ right now?
Then you are an enemy of God.
And you are?
A servant and a slave of Satan, because to whom you yield yourselves member, or a servants to obey his servant, ye are to whom you obey.
And if you obey Satan, if you obey sin, you're a servant of Satan.
But if you've come to know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
You can become a bond slave of his.
What's a bond slave? Well, you know the story of the Lowell. You've perhaps heard the story of the little slave. I'm sure it's not new to anybody here, but I'll tell it again. I was a little slave girl who was on the market and she used to be sold and they were bidding for her and bidding for her. And the price was going up. And there was a man there who kept bidding the price higher and higher and higher, and finally she was sold to this man.
And she came to him trembling.
And he said, Dear, I have bought you to set you free.
That's redemption, you know.
That's redemption. Redemption isn't just being bought back again, but it's being bought back to set us free.
She said. Oh, master.
I'll serve you forever.
That's a bondservant.
And you know, it's not a case of being serving someone to in order because of you're under ******* but because you love the master, because you want to serve him forever because of what he has done. He paid the price to set her free. And no matter what it was, the higher the price, the more it meant to her, you know, and.
If you are a 50 pence debtor, you're just as much a debtor as a 500 pence debtor.
And you know the Lord Jesus paid the price to set you free.
Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do you know, do you feel in your soul that what he has done, he did for you?
Do you feel it?
Do you see the Lord Jesus there at Calvary's cross?
Hanging there, nailed to that cross by his own creature who set away with him. We will not have this man to reign over us.
He came to to do good, and He did those many, many miracles in the sight of all men. And there's so many miracles that the Word of God tells us that the world itself cannot contain the books that might be written of the mighty works that He had done in his few short years here as a man on earth.
And these same people that he did these mighty works to could say away with him.
He went across to the land of the gatherings, and there there was a man who was possessed with an evil spirit.
And he delivered him from this evil spirit, sent those spirits down into the hogs, the pigs, and they went running down into the deep, and they were drowned. And the people of the land said, Get out of our coasts, of our pigs.
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That's in effect what they were saying.
They didn't want him, and yet they saw these mighty works.
Are you sitting here tonight and you see the Lord Jesus hanging upon the cross, and he looks down, as it were from at you from that cross, and he says, Behold, and see if there be any sorrow.
Like Mysore, is there nothing to you? All ye that pass by? Are you passing by the cross tonight?
And you see the Lord Jesus hanging there, and you are amongst those who sat down and watched him there.
And mocked him.
Or does it mean anything to you?
As you pass by that this is Jesus of Nazareth, the one who came to save to be your savior. You know the book of Isaiah says that there is no other God like me. He says adjust God and a savior.
The two in the one person isn't that wonderful. You think of God as one who wants to judge.
Adjust God, and you know when God judges this world, all the universe?
Including the things under the earth will have to acknowledge that God was just.
And God was righteous in doing it. Every knee shall bow.
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We read in the Book of Revelation that when that last vile judgment is about to be, I believe it is the vile judgment is about to be pronounced. There's silence in heaven for the space of 1/2 an hour.
Can you imagine?
What this is telling us, God does not want to judge, but to be a just God he must judge sin and he will judge.
And so he's a just God.
I would not be a righteous and a just judge if I were to let you off free before my.
Court for something you had done without paying the price would I I might be very.
Kind, you might say, Oh, he's very kind, Judge. He let me off. But I wouldn't be a just God, a judge.
But if I should.
If I should bring my son out and say son pay the price.
This man has nothing to pay it with.
And my son pays the price. He pays the price for that crime, whatever it might be.
And now the payment has been made and I can set this man free. The payment has been made. Now I can be just.
But to set them free without a judge payment being made would not be just, nor would it be righteous. And how can a God who judges this world not judges in righteousness? How could he be a just God and a righteous God and a judge, if he would let you go free?
Without paying a penalty for your sins.
But we have nothing to pay. You say I can't pay it. No, but the price has been paid. And I want to tell you God has given you his peace, child.
Do you accept it? Do you? Are you interested tonight?
Just think now as we stop and think about this verse that we started with.
Think of what God has done.
Is ye righteous in judging you if you don't love what the Lord Jesus Christ?
He loves his son and he knows what his son has done. He knows the price that was paid on Calvary.
And he knows.
How much it means to him.
And you know, if not one Sinner came to Christ in this whole world, God would have been glorified in the death of His Son.
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The only man that ever walked upon this world, the face of this earth that God could look down upon and say, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. He can't say that about you or me. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
To see the just, the good and the evil.
And what does he see?
There's none that doeth good and no, not one. They're all together become unprofitable.
And so.
What is God going to do?
Well, He sent His only begotten Son into this world to pay the price in order that He might have you and me with him, in order that He might bring many sons to glory.
Very soon now, the Lord Jesus is coming back again.
Do you love him? I say again, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let them be Anathema Maranatha.
Is that your position?
Oh, he doesn't want that, you know. He's done everything he can for you, everything possible.
I want you to come to him now, tonight.
Flyhalchi between two opinions. Someone in the word of God has said, why halt you between two opinions?
And is that where you are tonight?
You know.
You can't fool God because you can go out of this room as you came in.
And he still He knows all about you. He knows that you are still in your sins. He knows that those sins will take you down to hell unless you accept what He has done for you.
You can't hide from God, Come to him now. The Lord Jesus has come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Just think of what God has done for you and what He has done for me. Does not bring out the love. Doesn't that cause you to to love what he has done to love our Lord Jesus Christ?
Just look at that word, The Lord. What is the Lord?
It's one who you are responsible to.
Jesus was the man who walked on this face of this earth. God, man, God manifest in the flesh, and Christ.
That is the position that God has given him.
The anointed one, he's the one that's coming back again and he's going to take his rightful place. If if we would read.
I want to read just a few verses in Revelation chapter 16.
There's too much in the Book of Revelation to go over in the few minutes that we have, but.
Just to give us a little idea.
What the wrath of God is going to be like Do you and I, my dear friend, tonight ever stop to consider what the wrath of God is going to be like in this world? Have we?
If you were to sit down for one moment and justice get a little, little glimpse of what that would be like, you would tremble in your seat. I guarantee you it would make you tremble to think that you could be upon this earth when God pours out that judgment upon this world for the rejection of His Son.
Let's just read a few things here.
I just select chapter 16 of Revelation.
We'll just go over quickly. I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went and poured out his vial.
Upon the earth, And there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. And the second Angel poured out his vial upon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea. And the third Angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood. And I heard the Angel of the water say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Didn't I tell you that this world, the whole universe?
Would say Amen to that holy righteous judgment, for they have shed the blood of the Saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the 4th Angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire, And men were scorched with great heat and blasphemy in the name of God, which hath power over these plagues, And they repented not to give him glory.
00:40:24
And the 5th Angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast, and his Kingdom was full of darkness, And they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. And the 6th Angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
And the 7th Angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done. That's the end of the tribulation period. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, And there was a great earthquake, such as was not, since men were upon the earth so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts. In the cities of the nations, fell in great Babylon, came in remembrance before God to give unto her.
The cup of the wine, of the fierceness of his wrath, and every island fled away in the mountains were not found, and there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven.
Every stone about the weight of a talent.
55 lbs And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great. We won't go any further.
I just want to read this because it is so vivid and so.
Awful.
When we think that this world and what you and I find our place right now.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
You love this world so much you don't want to let it go. I tell you, it's going to be taken from you.
And you'll have nothing. You'll lose that which you've rejected.
You have the opportunity now to accept God's offer.
Of salvation, and you will escape the wrath that is coming upon this world.
Am I making this sound too awful?
Is this too vivid for you?
My friend, God makes it vivid.
And he is anxious for you to be saved.
God is love.
And so he sent his son. But God is holy, so he will judge the world in righteousness by that same man. Oh, my friend.
Don't tamper with the things of God. Don't tamper with the truth of God with this book.
Now has accepted time. Behold, now is a day of salvation. How often have you heard these scriptures? How often have you been sitting in a gospel meeting where the entreaty was the same? Come, the Lord Jesus says, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as will. And that is the entreaty that goes out to you tonight.
And will continue to go out as long as we are left here in this world.
But once that door is shut.
God said in the days of Noah, my spirit shall not always strive with men. And you know there was an extension, shall we say put on to the life of man there yet 120 years.
And in the 120 years was up yet seven days.
God was not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And he waited, and he waited yet seven days, and then he closed the door.
When they.
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Went into the Ark and then he sent the judgment the flood.
And it was so awful and so great, it changed the face of the whole earth.
When the fountains of the deep were opened up, and the heavens were opened.
What a tumult there was, what an upheaval, and the earth today has the shows the effects of what took place at that time. But man was judged for his rejection of the testimony that went out from the mouth of Noah at that time. Every nail that he put on that ark, every board he put in place, everything that took place, they watched him there. And it was a testimony to them as he built, as he built.
Until.
The day came when Noah went into the ark and all his house and God shut the door.
That could be tonight, my friend, for as it was in the days of Noah, shall it be so? Shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.
They ate and they drank, they married, they gave in marriage until the day when Noah went into the ark. And that's what it's going to be. It's going on in the same way today.
You see all things, as they say, and as it says in Peter, that all things continue as they were from the foundation of the world. Where is the promise of his coming, they say.
And they mock.
But you know, to love the Lord Jesus Christ, you have to believe Him.
Do you believe what he says? Do you believe the Lord Jesus? Do you believe what God says?
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word believeth him that sent Me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation or judgment, but is passed from death.
Into life, just like Noah. The door was shut. Noah was in the ark, and it rose above the floods of that time, and they were safe, and they came out onto a new earth.
My friend, you and I have an ark and his name is Jesus.
God has provided it for your safety and mine.
Why don't you come on board now?
And then you can say that you love the Lord Jesus Christ. It can't be said of you. Then. If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. Let those words think into your soul, my friend.
Let them mean something to you, the wrath of God abideth upon you otherwise, and they shall not escape, when the Lord Jesus Christ, we're told, shall come with his angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the power of His glory.
When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints. Oh my friend, what a day is waiting.
For this world, it's an awful, awful day that is awaiting, but it will come.
It will come and it may be tonight, but all on the other hand, what a glorious day is awaiting for those who love our Lord Jesus Christ and will not be mathematized at His coming, but will be taken out of this scene into the very presence of Him who loved them and gave Himself for them. Is that your portion, my friend? I trust dis of everyone in this room, you dear young children, young people.
Have you closed in? Have you? What are you doing with Jesus?
Are you making him your Savior? Have you made him your Savior by trusting in him? Are you making him your Lord of your life?
You know you're going to spend eternity with him if you love him.
Live for him now.
But you know if you don't love him, you'll spend eternity.
With the devil and his angels. I hate to say that even I don't like that, but it's true.
That God has prepared a place for the devil and his angels. Not for you, but.
If you love not our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be judged at His coming and you will have to spend your eternity.
Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Where that old serpent, the devil who who deceived Adam and Eve in the garden so many years ago, is going to meet his doom.
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And you will be there with him. You don't have to be. It's not prepared for you.
God loves you. Remember? God sold out this world.
That he gave his peace, child for you.
That you might be at peace, having made peace by the blood of His cross. Oh, there's so many scriptures that we could turn to, but.
I do trust that tonight enough has been said that will make you realize the jeopardy that you stand in right now without Christ.
Come to the Lord Jesus now.
And he'll save you forever and forever.
Shall we sing #4?
Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me. Long I was chained in sin's darkness. Now by his grace I am free Savior of sinners, Savior of sinners like me, shedding His blood for my ransom. This is the Savior for me #4 on your hymn sheet.
Christ is the Savior.
Bar heads.
Jonah
Children—S. Allan
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Yeah, yeah.
You know, boys and girls, the Lord Jesus lost not only the girls, he loves the boys, doesn't he? He loves all of us. And I was wondering on the last two verses if we could all sing the the stanza and then we'll have the girls sing the first, yes, Jesus loves me. And then we'll have the voice thing. The second, yes, cheaters loves me. Then we'll all join in on the last two lines. OK, And we'll do that for the last two verses.
All right, verse 4.
J.
He does. Jesus loves me, everyone. Yes.
I trust him until the dark night. He will make me go on my heroes.
You know, when I sing these little hymns, boys and girls, I like to try and think of the Bible verse that the writer of the hymn was thinking of when he.
Wrote to him and I was wondering.
What verse in the Bible would tell me that Jesus loves me? How would I know that?
Can you can anyone here quote a verse that would tell me yes?
Very good. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Now I'm going to ask a harder question. Where is that verse found? Where is that verse found? The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Who can tell me, shall I pick out somebody?
Kim, can you tell me where is that verse found? That might be hard.
Can you tell me?
Well, it's found, I guess, the person that gave me the verse. OK.
Right, Galatians 220. Very good. OK, who is another hymn for us? I gave out the first one. Now I'd like to hear someone else choose one.
How about can you give me a hymn you'd like to say? Have you got one on there you'd like to sing?
#45 #45 That's a good one. And you know, back where we come from, we like to do the actions for that one. Should we do the actions all right?
Two little.
One time it's just big and you can stroke it. One metal heart for him now in my universe.
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Now, it might be a little more difficult to decide what Bible verse they were thinking of when they wrote that hymn, but you know, it's very important. It isn't boys and girls to use our eyes and our ears and our lips and our hands and our feet for the Lord's glory. He's looking down, isn't He? And he can see it.
And we should remember that we should be walking to please him. Remember Paul, when he was first saved, he said, Lord, what will thou have me to do? So that's a nice little hymn. Why don't we try the next 146 glad TIDINGS? This is another one we like to sing. And have the girls sing their line and the boys sing their line. So shall we try it #46 Glad.
Can anyone tell me one verse, one word that would be the same as glad TIDINGS? Glad tidings? One word that would mean the same thing?
Who can tell me I shouldn't be looking just in the front row? Is anyone?
How about one of the James is back there? Can you tell me what another word would be for glad tidings?
Can you think of a word?
Well, one we often like to use is the word gospel, isn't it? We often have a last night we were very privileged to hear the gospel being preached here. And it's glad tidings, isn't it? It's the true and it's the wonderful news that the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And that's what this hymn is talking about. All right, who is another hymn for us?
Anyone.
OK, Mr. Wilson, 4141 All right #41 That's the favorite, I think, with a lot of children too. Around the throne of God in heaven will many children sing. You know, boys and girls, if you would be so wonderful, if every single person in this audience here this morning would be around the throne of God in heaven, I hope that every single person here knows the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
And then we'll be around the throne of God in heaven. OK #41 round.
1, 372.
Glory, glory, glory, glory, glory. Glory takes the God.
Champions.
Now watch things like some precious blood he calls and white and greens, thinking, glory, glory, glory, glory to God.
Now you'll notice that third verse asked the question. It says what brings them.
00:10:01
To that world above, that heaven so bright and fair, where all is peace and joy and love, how come those children there, what's the answer to that question? What brings them to that world above? What's the answer to that question?
Who can tell me? Well, I think we have it, don't we? In the last verse?
Because the Savior shed His blood to purge away their sins. Boys and girls, have your sins been purged away in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus? Have you ever come to Him as a Sinner and acknowledge that?
You're that you're unsaved and that you have these sins and the need to be washed away. Have you ever acknowledged that you're a Sinner? Well, it tells us here that if we do, we'll be among that number that.
Is around the throne of God in heaven. Well, maybe we can sing also #47 that's another one that I enjoy. When he cometh, when he cometh to make up his jewels 47 when he.
Appreciate anything you heard. Well, I think you know the closest practice is beautiful and.
There's no I thought the time of life is crying around the garden.
Is given to me right? Just over his crown. Now I'm going to ask a very difficult question.
What verse was the writer of that hymn thinking about?
When he wrote that hymn, and that is a hard question, boys and girls, and I don't know if I'm going to ask you to tell me, but the answer to that question, or at least that's the verse that I think they were thinking of, is found in the book of Malachi. And I'll just read it. It's found in the third chapter and the 17th verse.
They shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts.
In that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serves him, so the Lord Jesus looks on each boy and girl, each man and woman here as one of his jewels that will make up his crown on that coming day. Well, maybe we should just look to the Lord Jesus now for a few moments and ask his blessing.
Now, boys and girls, I always find it very difficult to know what to speak on. I don't know if there's anyone else that has that difficulty here, but you know.
I come from Nova Scotia. I don't think there's very many people here from Nova Scotia.
I think besides my own family, there's only one other person and he gave out of him back there #41 Mr. Wilson. And you know, life in Nova Scotia is quite a bit different than it is here on the Prairie, isn't it, in Regina? And a couple of weeks ago I took my children down to a city in Nova Scotia called Halifax. And the reason why we went to Halifax was because they were having a race down there. Now, I'm not in the habit of going to races, I want to say.
But there are these tall ships.
Have you ever heard of tall ships? Very long, At least as long as some of them are as long as this gymnasium. And they have huge masks that go up maybe one hundred 150 feet. And they got large sails. And they're called tall ships. And they were having a race from New York City to Boston to Halifax and then to Amsterdam. You know where Amsterdam is. Can you tell me where Amsterdam is?
00:15:10
That's a hard question, isn't it? But it's a way across the ocean in a country called Holland. And they came to Halifax and they were going to sail on across the ocean to Amsterdam. And, you know, I was fascinated by those ships because I remember when I was a child, I used to go to what was called Fisher Ave. Mission in Ottawa. And on the wall there there was a picture of a large, tall ship and it was called the Gospel Ship. I don't know if you've ever seen that picture. I'm sure some of those who are older here, Mr. Gray back there, I'm sure remember this picture that I'm talking about. And on every cell there were.
Gospel verses and it was called the Gospel Ship. And so I wanted to go down and see those ships and you know, I went down on this Monday morning and there must have been about 65 of them in the harbor at Halifax.
And they began sailing.
Past this pier where I was standing with my family, all 65 of these ships, and they all had their sails up. It was wonderful to see. And you know, when I was just thinking what I should speak on this morning, I thought, you know, I would like to tell a shift story. And I'm sure boys and girls, that you know, the ship story I'm going to tell you. But before I speak to you about that story, I want to say that in a certain sense, we are all sailing on a voyage.
That might seem sort of hard to understand, but you know, boys and girls, you were born into this world. We had a man here that had a birthday yesterday, didn't we?
And he has been sailing, you might say, on the voyage of life for quite a while, about as long as I have been. And some of you have not sailed along very far, but you're heading in that direction. These tall ships we were talking about, they were heading to Amsterdam. And I don't know if they're there yet because it must have taken a good month for them to cross the ocean and no ships. But anyway, we are sailing on a voyage. And where are we heading?
Where are we heading? That is the important question. We're heading either to heaven or we're heading towards a lost eternity in hell. Isn't that sad? I hope there's no one traveling on to a lost eternity in health. But we're traveling across the voyage of life, as you, as we could say. All right now, I thought I would tell a story, and I know that you know this story. Well, maybe you can tell me what are some good ship stories in the Bible?
Have you ever thought about what some of the shift stories are in the Bible?
Christy.
Very good. When the Lord said peace be still, you remember he was in the back of the boat and the disciples were very frightened because of this terrible storm. And the Lord stood up and he said peace be still. That's right. That's a nice shift story. Another one.
Well, have you heard of the story of Paul sailing from, I think it was Caesar Reed of Philippi, and he went underneath the island of Cyprus and across the Mediterranean Sea to Malta or Malita and then on to Rome. Remember that story? Well, the one I wanted to tell about is found in the book of Jonah. You know that story, don't you? And you know, I think one of the most difficult things about reading about this, the story of Jonah is trying to find the book in the Bible.
And.
You know it, it's good to memorize boys and girls, the books, the Bible, and I don't know how many of you can do that, but I no doubt the gospel tend for many years in Nova Scotia, we used to learn the books of the Bible. So I like to say Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. OK, so we're going to take a look then at Jonah chapter one and our time is running away very quickly. And so I'm not going to read the whole chapter here. I'm just going to talk about it.
We find here that it says the word of the Lord came unto Jonah.
And boys and girls, that's very important. The Lord delights to speak to us. It's not that today He comes and whispers in our ear, How does the Lord speak to us today? Can you tell me? How does the Lord speak to us today? Can you tell me?
He wants us to know His will. So how does he speak to us, Kim?
The Bible through this book, this book is God's word and that's where he speaks to us and we find here in the Jonah. However, I'm not quite sure how the Lord spoke to Jonah here, but it says the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of a Mithi. I saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.
00:20:14
Now, this was a very difficult assignment for Jonah. The Lord said, Jonah, I want you to go to Nineveh. Now, boys and girls, you probably don't know much about Nineveh, but it was on the River Tigris, way over in the Middle East, and it was the biggest city in the world at that time. I don't know what the biggest city in the world today is, whether it's Mexico City or Tokyo or I'm not sure, but Jonah was to go to that largest city.
And he was to cry against it. In other words, he was to tell those people the judgment was coming. You know, last night in the gospel, meaning we had our brother speak to us about the solemnity. The judgment is going to fall on this world. And Jonah was to go to that city and he was to tell them there was going to be judgment. Supposing the Lord said to you, I want you to go to the city of Regina, and I want you to tell the people in that city.
The judgment is going to fall in that city.
Well, that's what Jonah was required to do. And it was a very large city. And you know something, he didn't want to do it. And you know, sometimes there are times in our lives and we don't want to do what the Lord asks us to do. And So what does Jonah do here? It says he rose up to flee unto Tarshish. In other words, he said, I can't go, I can't go. And so he got on a boat and he was going to sail towards Tarshish. Now it's now it says he fled.
You know, there's a very important and a very nice verse now, Mr. Wilson said the other night.
Oh, I wonder if anyone can answer this question. He said one of his favorite chapters in the Bible was in the book of the Psalms. Does anyone remember what Psalm it was that he liked particularly? Who was listening carefully? Christy.
No, I'm sure Mr. Wilson likes something. Oh, Mr. Camp here, 139 right. That's Mr. Wilson's favorite, Psalm 139. And there's a very good verse there that I don't think Jonah had read very often. He had the book of the Psalms then, And here's the verse. Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and whether shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there if I make my bed in hell.
Behold our there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall I hand lead me in other words.
We can't flee from the presence of the Lord Jonathan. If he got on that boat and went to Tarshish, that everything would be OK. But he forgot that he couldn't flee from the presence of the Lord. Boys and girls, here we are sitting in this room. The Lord is here. He hears what I'm saying. He knows what you're doing. I'm sorry. It says that all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Well, he gets here in this boat and he starts fleeing from the presence of the Lord, and it says he went down to Joppa. You know, when we get away from the Lord, there's only one way to go. And which way is that? Down, down, down. You know what's been so sad? I have seen teenagers, I have seen older people that have gone away from the Lord and their life just goes down, down, down. Isn't that sad? Well, he went down and you know where he went? He went to this place called Joppa.
And you know what Joppa means? Joppa means pleasant. Pleasant.
And I'm sure it was probably a nice day and everything was going his way. And he thought, boy, this is going to be good. I don't want to go to that city, Nineveh, but I'm going to go down here to this pleasant place called Jaffa. And so he said, it says here he found a ship going to Tarshish. You know, I've wondered sometimes why he wanted to go to Tarsus. But, you know, there's a verse in Second Chronicles that tells us a little bit about Tarsus. I'm just going to read it. It's found in the Second Chronicle, Second Chronicles 9.
And it says this about this city.
For the King's ships went to Tarsus with the servants of Hurum every three years. Once came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver and ivory and apes and Peacocks. Have you ever seen a Peacock? Ever seen a Peacock? They're beautiful. I remember sometimes going to this wildlife park and these male Peacocks would strut along and they would open their.
00:25:09
Tails like a huge fan. Beautiful.
And, you know, people used to like to have these Peacocks in their garden. Well, Tarsus was the place these Peacocks came from. And apes, monkeys and ivory and gold and silver. I wonder sometimes if Jonah thought that's the place I want to go, where there's all this these wonderful things. And, you know, sometimes we get away from the presence of the Lord, boys and girls. We like to go our own way. And we're attracted by the things in this world. But we had in the meetings just yesterday.
That were not to love the world, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
Well, Jonah, here he went down.
To Joppa, and it says he paid the fare thereof. Boys and girls. That's a very important lesson for us to learn. If we go our own way. It might seem pleasant at first, but there's a price to pay. There's a price to pay. There's a verse in the Bible that says this is found in Romans 6. The wages of sin or the pay of sin is death. Death.
And boys and girls, if we go our own way, there's going to be a high price to pay. The devil dangles lots of things in front of us, but he doesn't tell us there's a very high price to pay. But you know, the verse says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. What God wants to give you, what the Lord Jesus wants to give you, and he gave his life that you might have. It is eternal life. He wants to give you that light.
That comes from himself, that is from himself. Well, Jonah here he gets down, he goes to Tarsus from the presence of the Lord. But you know, as I said before, he couldn't escape from the presence of the Lord, and he got on that ship and he went out into the sea. And guess what happened? What happened after he goes in that sea? Yes.
Right. They're got they're got a big storm. That's right. And you know why there was a big storm? Why was there a big storm?
That's right. And who made the storm?
That's right, I'm going to read a verse in Psalm 107 that will tell us just what this little girl is telling. What's your name? What's your name?
Pardon me, Camille. OK, well, let's just look at Psalm 107. This is what it says.
And I'm going to read from the 25th verse. He commandeth, that's God. He commandeth and raises the stormy wind.
Which lifts up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths. Their soul is melted because of trouble. And boys and girls, I don't think there's anything that would be more scary than to be in a boat like Jonah. I would take it. The boat that he was in wasn't like one of those huge tall ships that I was talking about, but probably a smaller ship that might have been from here to the wall long. And he was going along and all of a sudden the wind began to blow and the waves went up and the boat went up like this. And then I went down.
Way down like this and it got very scary and the way he started rolling over the tops of the sides of the ship and it was very frightening.
But you know where Jonah was when all this was happening? Guess where he was? It tells us, it says Jonah had gone down. Oh, there's that word again. Down, down into the sides of the ship. And he lay and was fast asleep.
Can you imagine sleeping in a storm like that?
I don't think I would have been sleeping. You know, I've been on pretty rough storms. I remember going over to Newfoundland on the ship at Christmas time and it was rough. When you're walking down the halls, you've been walking like this because the ship was just going up and down. It was quite frightening. It was a smaller ship and it was frightening. But Jonah here, he was down there in the hold of that ship and he was sound asleep. And you know, boys and girls, when we get away from the Lord.
And we start going our own way. Often we're spiritually asleep. And the Lord sometimes has to bring difficulties into our life to make us wake up. Wake up. And so we find here that he was down there in the bottom of the of the ship. And you know, he's going to quote a verse from Romans 13, it says it is high time to wake out of sleep. And for Jonah here, it was high time that he waked out of sleep. And So what happened?
00:30:12
It says the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper, arise call upon thy God.
If so, be that God will think upon us that we perish not they have been praying to their gods.
Of course, when they prayed to their gods, all they were doing was praying to an idol. That's all. You know, it's sad when people worship idols, isn't it? Eh? I was talking to a Christian girl and she lives over in Thailand, and she told me, she said, you know, there was an idol in our backyard. We were only renting the house. There was an idol in our backyard and the head fell off it, she said. And the people were so upset because the head fell off this idol that they had to have.
A ceremony that lasted two or three, two or three hours to make sure that the spirit from the idol didn't go over into somebody else's house.
And she said, you know, it was so sad. Well, you know, there are many people that pray to idols, but all they're doing is praying to pieces of wood and stone, aren't they? And there are demons behind it perhaps. But they weren't these men. They weren't praying to the Lord. And they went down to join. And they said, Jonah, wake up, wake up. Call on your God. We're going to all drown here.
And so it says here.
It says in verse seven, and they said everyone to his fellow, come, let us cast lots that we may know for whose caused this evil is upon us. You know, these men seem to sense that this trouble had come because there was somebody on the boat.
That had offended God, and it says the lot fell on Jonah.
And so they came to him. And what did they say? Tell us, we pray thee, for whose caused this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation? So these men, they said to Jonah, what is your occupation? And girls and boys, that's a very important question to ask ourselves. What is our occupation? What do we do in our free time?
You know, we talked the other day about what? Playing computer games. You know, I think that's something we really have to be careful about. It's a time waster for one thing, and the Lord has worked for us to do, and we have to be careful. And so they said to Jonah, what is your occupation, boys and girls, what's your occupation? What do you desire to do to please the Lord or to be like Jonah and going in the opposite direction?
Well, he said to him, what is your occupation? Whence cometh thou? Where did you come from? And then they ask, what is your country? What country did you come from? You know, some people might say to me, where do you come from? And I might say, well, I come from Nova Scotia. But you know, there's a better answer than that. Supposing somebody came to you and said, where do you, where are you going or where are you? Where did you come from? Maybe I'll ask this question that says, what is your country?
What would be a good answer to give them? What is your country?
You could say Nova Scotia, you could say Washington or wherever it happened to be Saskatchewan. But you know, a good answer would be I am a Christian, I know the Lord Jesus, Heaven is my home. Wouldn't that be a good answer? And that would be an opportunity to speak to someone about the Lord Jesus because, you know, we're not really, we are citizens I suppose of Canada or the United States, but really our citizenship is in heaven. And so they say to him here, what is your country and of what people art thou?
Whose people are your people? Well, boys and girls, I want to tell you it's good to remember that we're part of God's family if we know the Lord as our Savior, aren't we? And we're all brothers and sisters in Christ. Well, these are very important questions that were asked. And So what does Jonah say? He says I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which has made the sea and the dry land. Isn't that a wonderful answer?
I fear the Lord. Old girls and boys, do you fear the Lord? It says the fear of the Lord.
Is the beginning of wisdom, and the Lord Jesus wants us to grow up.
To fear him, it doesn't mean that we're to be afraid of him. It's just that we are to not want to do anything that would just please him. Well, here was Jonah. What a foolish thing for him to be saying. I fear the Lord and at the same time running away from him. If he feared the Lord, why was he running away from? But you know, the men instantly understood what the problem was. This man has fled from the Lord. That's why we have this big storm.
00:35:10
And so they say to them, They say, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may become unto us? For the sea rotten was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea.
Well, the men didn't want to do that. They tried everything to stop the water from coming into the boat. They threw out the cargo. Nothing seemed to work. And so finally, what do they do? They took Jonah, I'm sure. One man took him by the legs, another man took him by the hands, and they threw him over the board, overboard.
And he went right down into the water. But what happened to him? I know you know the answer. What happened to him?
He started going down the water, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, all the way down and all of a sudden what came along? It says here that the Lord prepared a great fish a verse.
17 And yes, the last verse. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and three nights.
You know, some people find that story hard to believe, but you know, it's in God's Word and I have no doubt it actually happened.
You know, I remember Mr. Bauman saying one time in a gospel meeting in Chicago, he was trying to define what faith is. And you know what faith is, God says it, I believe it, and that settles it.
I think that's right. The way you said it, Mr. Bowen. God says it, I believe it, and that settles it. And so when God tells us that Moses, that Jonah was swallowed by this fish, it might have been a whale, I believe it. But you know, the Lord has allowed something like that to actually happen. I heard one time boys and girls of some whalers who were out trying to find some whales and a man fell overboard and they thought, oh, he's drowned, we can't find him.
And then they caught this whale and they brought it up onto the onto the ship.
And they noticed in the loyal stomach there was a movement, a bump. So they opened up the whale and guess what was inside? The man who had fallen overboard and he was still alive. Now they tell us that his face was all sort of shriveled from the the acids in his stomach, but he was alive. So the Lord has actually allowed that to happen to a person fairly recently, which just proves.
The truth of this story?
And I know our time is just about up, but you know, it tells us here that Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and three nights. Now, you know, there's one thing that we shouldn't forget, boys and girls, when we read these stories, and that is that there's something the Lord is telling us about his son, the Lord Jesus. And even though Jonah had gone a long piece away from the Lord and he had been thrown into the sea and swallowed by the fish, what does that speak of? The fact that he was in the whale's belly or the fish's belly 3 days and three nights?
Well, I'm going to read a verse in Matthew chapter 12.
That tells us, and I think this is very beautiful, even though Jonah had failed so miserably.
There was a special teaching in what had happened to Jonah. Notice Matthew 12 and verse 40.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. So just like Jonah was in that whale 3 days and three nights, the Lord Jesus, when he was crucified and was taken down from the cross, he was in the earth.
For three days and three nights. We could say a lot more about that. It's very interesting. But you know what we've often enjoyed, and I'm going to say to those who are a little bit older, boys and girls, that in the second chapter there's a lot of we hear what Jonah was thinking when he was in the whale's belly, knows what he says. Verse 3 Thou hast cast me into the deep in the midst of the Seas and the floods compassed me about all thy billows and thy waves have passed over me.
You know, as Jonah said those things, he was prophetically Speaking of the Lord Jesus and sometimes in the breaking of bread, and boys and girls were going to have the breaking of bread, Lord willing, just after this meeting. And we're going to remember the Lord in his death. Sometimes we read these verses, don't we? Because they remind us of what it was like for the Lord Jesus to go into death for us and to take that awful judgment at the hands of God.
00:40:22
Well, there's only one more thing I want to say, and then I'm going to close at the very end after Jonah had had this terrible experience.
Notice what it says in the ninth verse. But Jonah is speaking. I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of Thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. As soon as Jonas said salvation is of the Lord, what happens first hand? And the Lord speak unto the fish. And it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. As soon as Jonah acknowledged that salvation was of the Lord, the fish vomited him out, and he was preserved.
And boys and girls, that's a very important lesson to learn, isn't it? As soon as we acknowledge that the Lord is the only one that can deliver us, then he delights to come in and answer our prayers. And Jonah, here, he was saved, wasn't he? And then we find in the next chapter, and we don't have time, that the Lord said to him again, Jonah, arise, go to Nineveh. And what did he do? He obeyed. Now I wish we had time to go on with that, but we don't, and I think our time is up, so we better just pray, OK?
Bless God and.
Faith
Address—R. Klassen
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Let's sing together him 174.
Perhaps we could rise and sing this him as a prayer together in the presence of our Lord. M174.
Our.
Way.
Of change.
The mind and heart.
To fill Vipassion.
Let's open this very precious book to.
A question that is raised in the 18th chapter of Luke's Gospel.
We've had some questions brought before us.
And sometimes we.
Perhaps have the attitude of our childhood. Maybe you weren't like me, but sometimes an older one would speak to me and I just wouldn't say anything.
And my father and mother were distressed. With that kind of a spirit, they said, why don't you treat them respectfully and answer their questions? And if you don't understand what they said, just politely ask them.
And sometimes we treat the Lord like that. He asks questions and we just figure, well, it's for someone else.
But this question is found.
In the middle of verse 8.
When the Son of Man cometh.
Shall he find faith on the earth?
And we can say that the tenderest heart.
That was ever found in this world.
Asked this question, it's not a harsh question.
It's not a question for someone else.
And will not have any confusion as far as the teaching of this verse as the Lord spoke it. It's still a future day when He comes back after the great tribulation. This question is going to have great import. Will the Son of man find faith on the earth? Thank God He will, because His Spirit is going to be poured forth and there's going to be that spiritual exercise after deep plowing at the great tribulation and brought in.
But we won't go into that. But the Lord said this to the disciples. When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith? And there was an impact in that question to the disciples hearts that gave them to go on in faithful service to the Lord and enter into martyrdom. Most of them. John might be an exception.
And that question this afternoon has this same import to us.
Will he find faith when he comes for us? Perhaps there are many in this room that under their breath would say yes. I want to be walking in the path of faith, in energy and independence. And when that moment comes, it's just the thing to do, to rise to meet our eternal lover.
00:05:06
Now we find this question placed between two scenes. You have a woman that's coming to an unjust judge and she's pressing her cause. And he's saying, well, you know, I'm going to have to probably give in to this woman. And we look at the situation. We say, oh, what confusion. Then we look over to the other side and we see this proud Pharisee standing in the temple and he's raising his voice there and the words are hitting the ceiling and coming back down on his head.
And here's a poor publican standing afar off, and he won't lift up so much as his eyes. And as we look at this situation, we just walk away, say it's just confusion.
But the Lord is saying in a world of confusion.
Will he find faith?
Will he find faith? I may misinterpret and misjudge what I see by my eyes and sad if I do. But the question is, will there be faith when He comes in my heart?
Now we have an awful opposition to faith.
I don't know whether to say it this way, but I'm going to say it because.
It's the way it's impressed me that the opposition of faith is pride.
Pride of heart.
And those two words are very interesting. They both have 5 letters.
And the middle letter is I.
And so they seem to kind of stand together, but diversely apart.
And the acrostic of pride. One of them might be this.
P standing for pursuing, R for riches, I for this person right here.
And D for DE aside and E for everything. Do you have the picture? Pursuing riches, I decide everything.
Oh that's the pride of man. He can stand on his own 2 feet. But here's this broken hearted publican standing afar off and with him there is faith. He smites his breasts and says, God be merciful to me, the Sinner. Oh what a day to dawn in our lives.
When we just stand the center before God and have forgotten everybody else, I feel so naked and undone before the eye of God, with whom I have to do. And so the acrostic of faith is forsaking all I take him. Oh, how beautiful. Now I'd like to amplify this just a little bit in the 13th of Proverbs before we go on with faith.
Now this is where we find that verse about pride.
Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 10.
I remember as a young boy this really getting under my skin to have such a direct statement. Only by pride cometh contention. So there got to be other sources beside pride. Now here it is. Only by pride cometh contention. And what a warfare, what a struggle.
That what a thing to submit to this.
This is what stands in opposition to the pathway of faith. And then notice it goes on, but with the well advised is wisdom.
Oh, that's faith, taking counsel from God. There cannot be wisdom any higher or any greater that will stand for eternity.
But if we look up at verse 7.
It says there is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing.
There is that that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.
I've enjoyed this saying that goes like this.
A discontented person is never rich, and a contented person is never poor.
00:10:09
There was a man that uttered these words in the word of God. He said, He that walketh in pride, he is able to obey.
That wasn't the Lord that said that, That was Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty monarch.
Who just stood immortal, you might say, in his mind.
To think of justice dropping down on the ground as an animal to eat grass.
And in that abasement to find a meeting place with God, you know, I'm thankful he said that because it comes home to my own heart of the abasements that have come into my life.
And the heartache and the sorrow, and to find there to meet with my eternal lover.
And to be lifted up not in pride but in strength, to go on in the pathway of faith, that path that meets with his companionship. You're not going to go the path alone.
It may seem like it.
Yesterday it was mentioned about peer pressure.
And I can look back in my childhood and I can remember those that were very close to me.
As friends.
Grew up in the assembly, that very favored place began to feel.
The distance coming in.
Aren't we going on with the Lord? Aren't we going to take a hold of the ministry that's coming to us? Well, you know, well, just the spirit of carelessness, you know, answer, but just going on like this.
The day comes when they dropped out of sight.
That's a painful experience. Not too many escape it.
Now thinking of one who was a real pal to me and saw the day when it was goodbye.
And when he said goodbye and went on his way I said he must be a hell bound Sinner and I didn't realize it.
And he went on his course, and I would hear things that would just bow my head and heart and sorrow.
One day, the word came.
You should go and see him. There's been a work of God in his heart.
Couldn't believe it, didn't know what to expect. I appreciated the report.
And I went and I found that as I was told.
And justice in passing on this trip. I expect him to see him again.
Trusting that the Lord will restore the ears that the locusts have eaten.
Oh, don't let pride stand in your course this afternoon. There's an opportunity.
I appreciated what our brother said yesterday about his brother being there in the sports league, an ungodly place for any Christian to be.
And certainly the Spirit of God gives him the sea, the gross emptiness of his course, the empty glory of this world.
And you know, it was so strong, if I can put it in my own words, as I was impressed, it was so strong. The only way out was for the Lord to shatter his leg and make him just a cast off. That wouldn't be back. How gracious of our God, but that's how mighty the conflict is. Faith. We heard about Jonah this morning and he was in that fish's belly for three days and three nights. And I raised the question, when did he start to repent?
Probably at the last hour.
Of that, stay there. That's how we can hold out against the one who has bought us with his precious blood.
And so as soon as the work of repentance, you know, it's not a long stretched out, long drawn out situation. No, they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. Salvation is of the Lord. There he is on dry ground to be taken up as a vessel to warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come.
00:15:19
Well, let's turn into the faith chapter to see those dear ones who tread the path before us.
And to draw from their lives that encouragement that we need this afternoon.
Hebrews Chapter 11 and verse 21.
By faith, Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. Oh, we've heard that this morning. Such a wonderful way. By faith, Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones.
And by faith Moses when he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child.
And they were not afraid of the King's commandment. By faith. Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Verse 32.
And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barrick, and of Sampson, and of Jephta, and of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets?
Now we've read.
About two companies here.
We've read about three men who exhibited faith in Egypt.
The other 5-6 exhibited faith in the land of Canaan.
And we'll have more about that later.
But when we think of Egypt, we think of that world that just is right there in front of us, demanding our attention and our time and our energy and our ambition.
And to just be a constant distraction to us. But I ask the question, does it need to be?
Here we have Jacob. The Spirit of God brings before us a man.
Who fills about 24 chapters? The Book of Genesis.
And I used to read the life of Jacob and wonder why did God linger over that life so long to give us so many details that I just didn't know what value there was. But you know, the older I get, I find the life of Jacob nothing but a charm to my soul. Because here was a man that had divine values. He valued the things of God, but he had a nature that just went about things.
Totally apart from God's ways.
And so.
We kind of wind up saying, well, you know, he was just a schemer and he had a checkered life and he just kind of a warning of what not to do in this life and so on that, you know, he was a wonderful overcomer in all the things that he failed in. And, you know, overcoming is the course of the Christian pathway if you don't overcome.
You're going to go down under. That's just simple physics.
And Jacob would not go under some way leaning upon God in great straits he overcame.
A beautiful life to meditate upon.
And so we come to Jacob.
He's.
Lived 130 years.
And he's there in the land of Canaan, probably has accumulated all that he needs.
As far as working for a living, that's over with and past.
But in the midst of all this comes a crushing famine, and he's losing everything that he's accumulated.
Losing us going.
And finally, the word comes.
We're going to Egypt. Joseph is ruler over all the land and he said.
00:20:05
Regard not your stuff, but come down. And when he heard that Joseph was yet alive, that dear man said, I just want to go and just see him, and then I'll die. I'll be content to die. But you know, the meeting was so wonderful, the joy of it that filled his heart.
Lengthen his life 17 years.
The joy of the Lord shall be your strength.
I have a treasured memory in my heart, dear brother Arthur Clark.
That we came to the Regina meetings. That may have been Craven that time, I don't remember, but.
This dear man welcomed us and our little family.
And you thought royalty had come to town. And after the welcome, he kind of said to me, he said, brother, he said please excuse me if I'm not able to attend all the meetings. He says my ticker doesn't work very good. And he said I just have to go for a rest. Well, I assured him with all the sincerity of my heart, please, just when you feel a need to rest, will certainly all understand that.
That you aren't just skipping meaty just because you don't like to be here.
Well, I noticed through the first day that his chair was filled.
So the next morning we came together and I said, how did you fare the night last night? And he said, well.
Because I I really don't sleep very good and I said, well, if you need to rest today, why catch up and do it?
His chair was filled the next day.
The third day we passed the day.
We went into the prayer room. He was sitting there and as a chair empty beside him. And I sat down to him and I said, Brother Arthur, I didn't see you miss any meetings.
Holy said they were so good, I just couldn't miss the meetings. I said, are you telling me that the joy of the Lord is your strength, that he laughed and he said, that's it. That's what's carrying me. And it wasn't long after that, a few days later, and the Lord summonsed him home. Well, here's dear Jacob. He's down now in Egypt, and he's going to be there for 17 years.
Jacob had the privilege of enjoying Joseph as a little boy born and growing up for 17 years, and then his brothers sold him.
And now Joseph can enjoy his father for 17 years in Egypt.
But, you know, we have to stop for a moment to visualize this scene when it comes to Egypt, his son Joseph told him. You know, it would be nice, father, if you would.
Make an effort to go in to see the monarch of Egypt. He was the greatest monarch in the known world at that time.
And his father said I would be glad to do that. And so the day comes when they are going to go in before the throne of Egypt.
And Joseph might have said, please excuse the supposition that he might have said to his father. Now, father, I want you to realize that there's a protocol here that you should realize I've been here and and you just let Pharaoh take the lead and you kind of follow along with the what the conversation is going to be. And I can see Jacob just kind of nod. You don't know if he got it or not. He's got his staff in his hand bent over a worn out figure.
And Joseph and his other arm, and they go in before Pharaoh.
And Jacob blesses Pharaoh.
The divine record is what did he say to him? I don't know. He might have said to Pharaoh. Pharaoh, we are so grateful that you have opened the door for me and 69 my family to be here in Egypt while this famine is raging and to give us the land of Goshen. I don't know, but he blessed him. And then Pharaoh says to him, to him, how old are you? It wasn't just a question. It was a puzzle month.
Does the character and quality of a man like this, does the years bring this on?
And Jacob could say to Pharaoh, Pharaoh, I'm on a pilgrimage and I'm just passing through. This is not my home. I'm just a Pilgrim on my way home. And he said, furthermore, few and evil have been the days of my life. If I can put it this way, he said to Pharaoh, the hand of the Lord has been upon me for discipline and for blessing.
00:25:28
That's what makes equality.
That's what gives the virtues of Christ. And it says, and he blessed Pharaoh. And can you not visualize it? Just like Jacob looks at his son, he says, well, I'm finished.
I'm ready to go.
It tells us about the meeting of Melchizedek, and Abraham says that the less was blessed of the better.
One day I discovered that the less was Abraham and the better was Melchizedek.
I thought Abraham was quite a great man for having won a great victory and.
But no, Melchizedek was the great of it. You know it switches here, doesn't it? The less the man on the throne was blessed of, the better.
Well.
17 years in Egypt.
And the day comes when he's on his deathbed and the announcement is made. Joseph is coming, Jacob.
And perhaps if we would have looked in that bedroom on that cot where he was lying, we just see a man that was just exhausted physically and mentally and perhaps muttering some incoherent things, and they get through to him that his son Joseph is coming.
And he strengthened himself, he summons all the strength he had, and sat up on the bed.
Leaning upon the top of his staff, what a sight of dignity and beauty.
And it's time for the blessing of these two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
That time has come.
And he's a worshiper now, spirit completely free.
And, you know, we visualize this Joseph taking those two sons, E Freeman, his right hand.
And I mean Manasseh in his right hand, an E frame in his left hand, and he's walking toward his father so that his father will reach out his right hand and.
Put it on Manassas.
And he cunningly, wittingly crossed over his hands upon these two boys.
And you can see Joseph draw back and say, not so, Father.
And you can hear the pathos in Jacob's voice when he says not I know it, my son, I know it.
And at that moment, Jacob is leaving a universal message to every heart in this world. What is that message? That message is that we are blessed in sovereignty and no other way.
What are you accept being blessed in sovereignty? You say no. That goes against my pride. That don't give me anything to do to show what the potential that I have. That's right.
It doesn't.
Blessed in sovereignty, what a resting place. Sovereign love and grace coming in not because of merit, not because I'm the first born in some family. It all goes by the way, just lest in sovereignty, which means that I now have personally to do with the God of glory.
And to know that great heart that blesses and sovereignty.
And so after this time of blessing is over.
As a word, he says, call in my sons.
You see these men in their 50s gather around the bed. They hear their father's last words.
I enjoy the way Mr. Bellitt put it. He said he was like a mighty prophet looking down through the corridor of time and all the curtains of dispensation falling to the ground, and he sees the exultation of the true Joseph in the coming millennial glory. Oh, what a legacy he left to those sons of his.
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Faith isn't faith beautiful?
Would it be all right to covet Jacob's life?
I think it would be all right.
Then we have Joseph by faith. Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones. Oh, when we think of the life of Jacob.
And all those acts of faith that were such a beautiful example of the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember thinking, while the Spirit of God could have selected something else that seems more more outstanding than this.
Just to give commandment concerning your bones, in other words, where you want to be buried.
But you know, to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ opens up the word of God to such a grand Vista that we wondered.
Why we were so slow to get some precious things, but they come in their time through meditation.
And so it's the last act that is recorded here in the book of Hebrews, of Josephs life, and it was the greatest. I believe it answers to what it tells us in Proverbs, that the path of the just is a shining light, shining brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter.
On to the perfect day.
Well, this was a real act of faith upon Joseph's part. Everybody else was buried in the land of Canaan. It was just the thing that you would automatically do. But he wanted to stay in Egypt as a testimony to all his posterity that God was going to visit his people and take them out of Egypt.
And remember my bones to take them with you. And it didn't make any difference how many welts would have been on the backs of the Israelites, as they had to make brick to walk by this casket that held this body.
Joseph said we're going out, the day of emancipation is coming and they lived in view of that day.
And so are we.
And you know that body, if you some of you have probably figured it out, laid in state for 145 years in Egypt.
You know a dead man can't talk.
And 145 years erases a whole lot of memories.
In fact, we say by odds, it's an awful chance to take that his bones would be remembered.
But the question is, why did he want to be buried in the land of Canaan?
Because in some respects, the land of Egypt was his land of glory.
That's where he reigned and was ruler. But you know, he wanted to be buried in the land and Emmanuel's land.
Looking on to that day.
When that man who was so shamefully treated on the cross, we had his sufferings before us.
To see him come back in exultation and glory.
And to think of the nation of Israel again, like us, sovereignly blessed, scraping along today is the tail, scattered and peeled and just in chaos.
The see them rise to be the head of all nations, to be the joy of the whole earth.
Would we dare to sit here this afternoon as the hell? I don't believe that's going to happen.
It's going to happen if you know that God who has purposed to carry out his purposes irregardless.
Oh, what a God we have. It's no wonder.
Jacob just worshipped.
The Song of Solomon we have. Who is this coming up out of the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?
There we have it.
Leaning on our beloved It's time to go home when we arrive at that point.
And then we have Moses.
What's interesting to me about Moses here is the fact that everything is recorded was before the law was given.
00:35:09
Grace was an operation.
Grace is what man is needed from Adam on to this very moment.
And so everything that takes place here is before the law, perhaps to remind us that faith does not come by the law.
Have you ever wondered what kind of an adjustment or adjustments that Moses had to go through?
As the people wanted God's holy law and they have to go through.
Getting the Law in his hands by the disposition of angels, and bringing it into the camp of Israel.
Painful, painful.
Painful to him.
And the extremity was so great.
Now when the Lord said to Moses, just get away from these people, I'll just make a great and mighty nation out of you, He just stood right in the breach.
That's not new, is it? Among the Lord's people?
We're here this afternoon because there have been those that have stood in the breach that would have scattered and divided us to the four winds.
Oh, how he loves us.
And to have those who love us too, That a willingness stand right there. They blot me out, but save my people.
And so in those years before the law, you know, it tells us that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, not by the law.
And So what a remarkable man Moses was when he sets a pattern, I believe that we dare not ignore in our Christian path. And that is that when the Lord takes us up, let us be his hidden ones. Don't be anxious to get out in the public light here. He's been in Egypt for 40 years, and he goes to the backside of the wilderness for 40. Say. That doesn't sound very wise. The man is losing his strength, his ability.
We cannot afford to ignore God's ways. A blessing.
Yes, the path of faith is not natural to us.
But it's what our new life that we have in Christ craves and must have.
Well, we come to the 6th then in verse 32.
And we might say this afternoon, well, I really think in my own opinion that it would be easier to walk the path of faith in the land of Canaan than it would be in Egypt.
And I might say, you know, it's a whole lot easier to walk the path of faith being together like this with a company of beloved brethren who are walking in the path of faith. It just makes it a whole lot easier. But you know, that isn't the way it is.
No. We are individuals before the Lord, and we have some lovely examples among us of those that are walking in dependence on the Lord. And we are free to imitate their faith, but we're not free to imitate them. We are a separate entity before the Lord, and he's going to take a suck because he's going to have a vast array of vessels that he's going to use.
He's going to fill your vessel different than he does mine, and when he takes your vessel and pours it out, it's going to be a blessing to my soul, because it's not.
The way the Lord has taken me up, but I can see it's the work of the Spirit of God and my soul is going to be refreshed.
And so these six men, their five judges and one king, and they're in the land of Canaan.
Was the path of faith easy for them? Not in any way, and we sometimes wish that the fossil Paul would have had time to give his thoughts about these men. But he did something better than that, and that is, he gave a listing of things underneath their names that are beautiful.
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And in this listing of things, there's one thing, there's actually three things that I like to point out.
There's one thing that they all had in common and it's found in that expression in verse 34 that says out of weakness were made strong.
You feel your weakness.
Do you feel your weakness this afternoon?
Look what you're eligible for.
The strength of the Spirit of God to come in.
And help you.
The second thing I would like to notice.
Is in verse 33 that is common to all six of these men, and that is that they wrought righteousness.
When did that righteousness begin?
When they were young.
The foundation was laid when they were young and they were going through the valleys of disappointment and heartache.
Expecting that the Lord would certainly bless him on this wise and it just evaporated.
2 Timothy 3:12-4:
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Our spirits prepare, and shortly we also shall know and feel what it is to be there. 70 in the back.
We sing.
So dry and so clear.
What? Sorry.
With our passage in Second Timothy.
And where would we want to begin? Second Timothy 3?
Verse 12 maybe, but maybe you could read chapter 42 please.
Second Timothy 3 starting with verse 12.
Yeah, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, but evil men and seducers show acts worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith.
Which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and His Kingdom. Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season. Reprove Review exhort.
With all long-suffering and doctrine, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lust shall they heat to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned on to fables. But watch thou in all things endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, For I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good, I fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith henceforth.
There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed on the Thessalonica, crescents to Galatia. Titus to Dalmatia only Lube is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
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Antichecus have I sent to Ephesus.
The cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and outcomes a string with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the Coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works, Of whom be thou where also, for he hath greatly withstood our words. That my first answer No man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God, that it might not, may not be laid to their charge.
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of the nested forests. Erastus, aboated Corn. Petrophemus have I left at my litmus sick. Do thy diligence to come before winter, Eubeless, greed of thee, and prudence, and lioness, and Claudia.
And all the brethren, the Lord Jesus Christ, be with thy spirit, grace be with you. Amen.
Paul Head.
Given us in the previous verse, what he himself had to endure in his path of faith?
And we can be thankful that we did not so far, at least in the East Land, have to suffer like Paul did. But this verse, where we started out with, will be experienced by anyone who desires to live godly. The story is told that one of the brethren that laboured among us in.
Some decades back was visiting in a home and this verse was being discussed.
And a brother.
Whose home? It was said to him, I don't suffer persecution. The brother's answer was live godly. He visited in that same home some time later and the brother said you're right and the scriptures are right. You know he suffered persecution. We do not necessarily get physically abused in these lands. The authorities even protect us, but.
Mockery and ridicule. This kind of a thing sometimes cuts very deep.
At the most painful thing is when we have to experience it from those who also profess to be Christians. You know that cuts the deepest, doesn't it? Just like David.
When his own followers were going to stone him.
But.
Live godly and you will find out for yourself, said you will suffer persecution. They might grant you as a legalist because you have the exercise of submitting to plain statements in the word of God.
I've sometimes said, and allow me to repeat it. If obedience to the word of God is branded as legalism, I consider it an honor if somebody calls me a legalist.
But obedience to the word of God can never be so classified, you know, it's obedience.
Well, this is a promise in verse 12. Yeah, And shall suffer persecution. You know, let's just don't look at the good promises. There's so many of them. But this is a promise. I mean, just like you shall suffer tribulation. That's a promise. And we we shouldn't shun the promises. We shouldn't have shunned what we don't like when God says you're going to have to enjoy it or go through it.
Its first Peter, chapter one, the trial of your faith, which is precious, more precious than gold though it be tried in the fire. So some of these things are the needed things for testimony too and it's really wonderful that we can suffer persecution, you know, Paul said. I believe it's Philippians chapter one, verse maybe 21. I know right where it is, but at any rate.
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He says one of the real privileges of a believer is to suffer for Christ sake. That's beautiful. He shall also be able to suffer. You know, this is the only time we can do that. This is the only time we can be in and we can be identified with the one that died for us in his rejection and reproach. That's part of the suffering. May I better read that when Philippians, I mean it, said it way wrong.
Philippians.
Chapter one. I'm sure Paul considered it a gift to suffer.
He didn't consider it a tragedy, you know, And I'll get there here.
Philippians one.
Maybe it isn't 29, oh, 29. Now for under you it is given. That's a gift in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, we know that's a gift. The faith we to believe was a gift, but also to suffer for his sake. That's a privilege, says Paul. Well, I know many don't consider it that way, but we ought to.
I mean to be identified with him in this world, regardless of the reproach or tribulation or persecution, I want to be identified with it. You know, I get a lot of nasty statements when I drive around preaching with my car, but I get a lot of beautiful ones too. So I don't mind they still heard at least that much, you know, and and that's what I want them to hear. I want them to get saved. They they naturally resist and hate it if they're not the Lord.
But it's wonderful to have fellowship through that way, so let's don't shun this, Peter says. Happy are ye? That's the thing. The spirit of glory rests upon you. So this is really a promise.
Paul sets a wonderful example of suffering.
And I'd like to look at that just a moment. But. But to do that I want to go back to verse 11 and just notice the three cities that he mentions. Persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. Those weren't the only places that Paul suffered.
But here, in this last book that this beloved apostle is writing, this is a letter being written just a few months, perhaps before he'll be taken out and martyred at the orders of Nero Caesar. And yet he mentions just these three cities as giving an illustration of how he suffered. And I'd like to turn back to Acts and look at that, because that was, I believe, that the three cities that were specially marked in his first.
What we call his first missionary journey. It wasn't his last journey, but it was at the very first. Now, by way of introduction, I'll just say that we know that there were two Antiochs. There was the Antioch where Paul was brought by the Barnabas, and that was not this Antioch. I think that was where Christians, where the disciples were first called Christians. But later in Acts 13 he sent out by the Holy Spirit and the first city that he comes to.
Or one of the first cities he comes to is this one that's mentioned in second Timothy Antioch in Pisidia. And let's start and just look at that real quickly.
Acts, chapter 13 and verse 14. But when they departed from Burger, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into a synagogue and the Sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the Law, the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent out of them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation.
For the people say I'm and so we have this wonderful address of Paul that is given at the invitation of the Jews in that city in Antioch. And by city it wasn't much suffering connected with that. They invited him to share whatever he had on his heart. The door was open. Well, we find that sometimes in our lives that whether it's whatever particular circumstance we're in, sometimes the Lord allows the door to be open and there's an earnest.
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You almost might say desire to hear.
What our belief is, why? What is this about being a Christian? And so on. And so we have those wonderful opportunities. But let's look at the end of this, down in the end of the chapter. It says in verse 48, when the Gentiles heard, they were glad again, not much persecution, is it? That's a wonderful result. And it says that and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
Again, not much persecution. It seemed like a real blessing there, but it's coming. And it says in verse 50, but the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city. You know, it's interesting. The places that persecution will come from. It can come from the very highest level of society. I suspect in Regina today, if you wanted to live for Christ and seek to live faithfully for the Lord, it would be. I want to be careful in my choice of words, but I suspect it would be much easier to do it in what you might call the poor sections of this city. And it might be very difficult to live faithfully for Christ in the very wealthy sections of this city. There are today what answers to the devout women and the honorable men. And they're raised up in persecution.
This persecution isn't a strong physical persecution. This persecution is more a persecution of despising because you don't fit in to our society and to our culture. And what you believe and how you live just doesn't fit. We just don't. We're not comfortable with you around. Why don't you just go somewhere else? Why don't you just leave us alone? We're not interested. So that's the first kind of persecution that Paul met at Iconium. And it says they leave, they shake off the dust from their feet. Well, hurrying on, it goes down and it says to.
In the next verse in chapter 14.
And it came to pass, or they come rather. I'm sorry, they leave Antioch and they come to Iconium. And again there's blessing, but now it's getting stronger. The persecution is becoming a lot stronger now because we'll just skip for sake of time. Verse 5, when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles and also of the Jews with their rulers to use them despitefully and to stone them beloved young people.
And for all of us, beloved brethren, when we live for Christ.
We may not always have a strong, terrible persecution for speaking well of Jesus, but it'll come. And there was blessing and initially it was just that you're a misfit. But then they got a lot more serious than Iconium, and now they're going to stone them. And it says when they were aware of it, they fled. I won't go into that. That's a wonderful moral lesson there. But let's go on real quickly and finish up here. And it says that.
They fled onto Lystra and Derby, and there they preached the Gospel, verse 8 of chapter 4. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet. Well, he's healed. Now. The persecution doesn't seem like persecution at all. The whole city rises up and say, oh, these are gods, let's honor them.
And beloved brethren, we can live for Jesus, live for Christ. And I say Jesus because you can be a Christian and and everything is fine, but you can't speak well of Jesus without feeling it. That's what will bring the persecution well. At first they thought this is a tremendous honor. The chief women, the devout women and the chief men, they weren't despising them. They wanted to worship them. And that can lead to just as severe a kind of persecution.
And I want to say that, brethren, because sometimes we think persecution, our mind is just bad stuff, Bad things, problems. Not necessarily. Sometimes you have an opportunity, beloved young people. You may have an opportunity in school, through sports, through drama, through academic achievements, to be literally worshipped. And you'll be recognized that here's a Christian look how good they're doing, and you can often be put in a place of being looked up to and worshiped.
But the minute you give the honor of that to Jesus, look what happens. It says that the Jews, those foes, they come down there.
And in verse.
18 Paul and his companions, they stopped him from worshiping verse 19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium. That was the first two cities where Paul had been preaching Jesus and beginning to feel the persecution, and it's following him. We don't get away from persecution. We're going to have it all of our life, just like Brother Bobby brought out. It's something we're going to have in one measure, another beloved brethren, all of our life. If we want to live for Christ, let's not think we're going to get to a plateau where, wow, I finally made it. I don't get persecuted anymore. But this persecution is the worst.
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It says in having they persuaded the people, these are the people who are just going to worship them as gods.
That was what they were going to do. And in the next instant they draw them out of the city and stone them and leave him for dead. That's the worst persecution now.
Forgive me for going on, but I just want to finish this up because I think this is a wonderful lesson. Remember now, Iconia or Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecution gets worse and worse till finally at Lystra where they were lifted up. And beloved young people, you'll get lifted up in this world and you'll get put in a position of prominence as a Christian. And the minute you seek to give the glory to Jesus, you're going to get stoned too. Not physically, but you're going to feel the pain of people saying, well, if that's what you are, we have no time for you. Get out of here. We don't want you. And that hurts as bad as stones, dude. The difference is that stones stop after all, because you're dead. The persecution that we feel keeps right on and the pain keeps right on. And that's part of the faith of a Christian life, to walk for the glory of Christ. When the pain doesn't go away and we got to keep facing it. And every morning you're going to get up and say, I've got to go right back to that environment.
And I'm going to get more stones, but look at this down in verse 21.
Paul is alive. And they go on down in verse 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again. Now get the order here to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Isn't that beautiful. They go right back to the very place where they've been persecuted and they do it in the reverse order. You know, nature would say, man, look what they did to me at Lystra. Boy, that's the last place I'm going to go visit. No, that's the first place they want to visit.
Christ was so precious to their hearts.
That they go right back to see those that had been saved and they start in the scene of their very worst persecution.
And they work backward down to Antioch and Pisidia, where they started. And, brethren, that's a wonderful lesson that I just want to share. They that will live God in Christ shall suffer persecution. Absolutely. But does that turn us from the path? No. The faith. And that's what faith is all about, isn't it? To have such a living faith, to say I can go right back to jobs, to school, to your neighborhood, to your those that are.
Unsafe family members.
And to the very places where you got the stones the worst. Remember when they were with David out their wilderness shimmy eye comes out and he casts dust and rocks and he curses David. He's angry at David, who felt the dust in the rocks and the stones. Those that were walking with David nearing. The nearer we walk with Jesus, the more we're going to get that. But that doesn't mean we stop and we go into hibernation and hide in a cave somewhere. Go right back to Lystra. Go back, go home to thy family and thy friends and show them how great things the Lord hath done for thee. Well, beloved brethren.
May it be that we can do that It's going to take faith to go back to the scenes of the worst persecution and there.
Tell him again about Jesus and maybe get the stones again and get the despising again and hear about how worthless we are and how you're just not fit for our society. But these brethren went back. I would like to make a suggestion on this point. Learn to refer to him by his name. Learn to refer to him as the Lord Jesus Christ or my Lord Jesus Christ. Make it a habit.
Don't just say Jesus. The world laughs it up. That isn't really it. Christ is His name has anointed of God our Father. He's the Messiah that was for Israel and that name is precious. God's chosen vessel for Israel and Lord is what he means to us. He's our master and ward. We belong to him and let's own him as Lord.
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Jesus means Savior. That's nice, but I like it. Surrounded by the rest of his name, Lord Jesus Christ. And of course your reproach will be greater, but the testimony is even greater than that. There's Jesus only movements. There's Pentecostals who like to say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Amen. But they don't say Lord.
They don't give him his full title and I just suggest that that's good.
Evil men at seducers shell vacs? Worse and worse. Doesn't that suggest that these men are in the Christian profession? You know, we have said earlier that this chapter points out especially.
What is in the Christian profession and the world?
Has always been against God.
But what we find is that there are those who fill the pulpits or claim to preach the scriptures. They are evil men and seducers.
Deceiving and being deceived. We have to be on our guard against those who take the place of being supposedly Christians. You know people say, Raul, are you a Christian? What do you think I am? A hidden?
You know, but no, there are a lot of deceivers in the Christian profession, undermining fundamental truth of Christianity. And but then, in contrast to that, Timothy is told, you continue in the things which thou hast learned, and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. Now that certainly refers to things that he had learned from Paul.
Just like we have in the second chapter where Dao has heard of Maine in the presence of many witnesses. But it isn't limited to what he learned from Paul. From a child he had known the Holy Scriptures that was the Old Testament, you know, the New Testament had not yet been written. And even at this time when Paul is speaking to Timothy, they didn't have to complete New Testament that we have it in our hand, but the scriptures he knew from a child.
Is the Old Testament.
And even these scriptures.
Are able to make us wise unto salvation. And I like to suggest that salvation here is more in the sense of preservation. You know, because we need New Testament truth to really come to know what salvation through faith in Christ is. But the Old Testament there are many things that will help us live godly.
To know what is expected of us, their principles there. And since we have the Revelation in the New Testament, we can intelligently use the Old Testament for instruction and correction and to help us in our Christian pathway. But you cannot.
Continue in something you don't have.
Hold fast that which thou hast you got to have it first, young people get it.
Older brothers and sisters, we all have that challenge put before us. Get it? You cannot hold. You cannot keep what you don't have and continue in it. You have to lay hold of it by faith, not intellectually merely. You know, I'm afraid sometimes those who have not continued, we have experienced that in our own short Christian life that they overthrew.
But they themselves have preached. Did they really have it by faith? You know. But it's so important that the conscience comes into exercise by the Scriptures. We have been told more than once. All truth enters by way of the conscience, not just merely the intellect. We couldn't lay hold of anything if we wouldn't have an intellect. But the conscience in heart has to be affected by the truth of God, and it has to have.
00:30:02
A forming influence.
Upon us for my character, our very being, spiritually speaking. I'd like to read some scriptures in in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in connection with what you're seeing. Heinz about the importance of of going to the Old Testament for some principles and.
And they were given the statutes and the commandments. This is you. And I are given the word of God now.
And they were to be obedient. Chapter 4 of Deuteronomy might restart from verse one. Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments of which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your Father giveth you. He shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of veil, pior for all the men.
That followed Bay opior The Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye did that with but ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land, whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore, and do them, For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people, For what nation is there so great to have ought so nigh unto them?
Who has God so nigh unto them as the Lord? Our God is in all things that we call upon him for.
And what nation is there so great that have statutes and judgments, so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life. But teach them thy sons, and thy son sons, especially the day that thou stood us before the Lord thy God in horror, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth.
And that they may teach their children and so on what words these are and and directly from the Lord through Moses. And you know, it says, we're told here in this verse 14 in our chapter continue thou on the things which thou hast learned. It doesn't end there. It much learning can puff us out. But it says and has been assured of. And I believe that Joshua and Caleb were two of those.
That, this, that were assured of this word, it got right down into their souls, and they were willing to go in and possess the land that the Lord had set before them. They were willing to do it against all odds. And those those giants were like, there were like grasshoppers in their sight, as far as that was concerned, the other said, we are as grasshoppers in their sight, but Joshua and Caleb saw the reverse and they were willing to go in and possess it. And you know.
Timothy Paul says of Timothy here thou hast been assured of them, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, as you say to for the present salvation to save you, to keep you until you enter into that land. And so God would have us to be assured of these things, and and to go into the land that and possess it. What is that land? It's all these truths that we have in the word of God.
And they're ours, and we can walk in them, and the length of the breadth of them and possess them, make them ours. But we must be assured of them in our own souls. And that comes, I believe, by meditation upon the Word and and enjoying it in our own souls, not just by reading them and learning them as some theological thing and popping us up. And then when trial comes, persecutions come, Lamel, they're gone. And we're gone. And we and and we become.
Lost dynamics for Christ.
You know everyone of us in this room, every young person, and especially I say, the young brothers in this room. If the Lord leaves us here, you can be a dynamic for Christ if you want, if through the Lord's help, but you must be like Timothy. Here he learned from a child, and he became a He was assured of them from the from the apostles mouth that these things were so and he enjoyed them and he was a servant that the Lord could use a fit vessel and so.
00:35:01
If the Lord leads us here, you're coming up and you're going to replace the ranks that of those that go on and leave this scene. And God can use you and the sisters too, As far as that goes, we're not eliminating anybody. We're all we're all in the body of Christ and we're useful and helpful. But let the word of God take a hold of us and and make it fruitful in our lives and we can go in and we can possess that land, I say, and we can enjoy it. There's nobody can keep it from us.
Except the enemy, if we let him. But God is willing to open up the land as we go in.
And as we the word says, if any man will to do my will, he shall know of the doctrine. You can go in and process it. I can go in and process it and enjoy it and share it with others.
Heights you mentioned in verse 13, the evil man and seducers shall wax worse and worse that they may be among us. I agree, but that's why the continual and I just want to turn to Jude because I believe he brings it out very clearly. Jude is our Malachi. I feel Malachi was for the day of apostasy among the children of Israel, the Jews.
And apostasy is practically upon us in Christendom. So I believe Jude matches Malachi. But Jude says in verse two or three. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered under the Saints. For there are certain men.
Crept is unawares who were of old, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly man turning the grace of our God into a lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now Jude is writing to those in the last days probably us. He's writing to us really, and Jude means he shall be praised.
The Lord well be praised if we continue in what we have learned. And I do believe there are those, although the Lord is very careful in His assemblies, and He does sift them out so that which is real will be manifest. But we have to be on our guard ourselves. We have the truth. That's all He was when he says earnestly contend for the faith. Once delivered, that's the whole truth.
The faith is the whole truth of God, and we have it so when I believe, when it says from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise under salvation. I think really I may be wrong on this.
It's Speaking of salvation that's different than the salvation of the soul. I believe it's keeping yourself here. You know, there are three salvations, and I believe he's talking about the 2nd. The 1St is the salvation we have in the Lord by God's grace. And I think Timothy already had that. You know, there was no question that he was a man of God and a St. but.
There is a salvation for all of us, which is the salvation of our life. Here. You can lose that, like Demas did. You can't lose your soul if you belong to him, but you can lose your life for Christ. The third is the salvation of our bodies, and I'm looking forward to that. This body is only good for the graveyard, but I'm looking forward to a new body. That's another salvation. There's three.
Here I believe he's talking about the second. Do you agree? Yeah, I think I suggested that also. I believe that that is the primary thought. But what I also thought in connection with brother Ken remarked about the young brothers.
We have to remember that there is no such a thing as a seniority system amongst the Saints of God. We are all functioning members in the body of Christ.
And Timothy was a young man.
And Paul says that no one should despise his youth.
We have to be careful that we do not intimidate young brethren from participating who have something to contribute, and sometimes more to contribute than the older ones. Let's be honest. And there ought to be liberty for such to participate. Of course it should all be as led by the Spirit now.
00:40:21
When we think of the book of Job, the young man waited till the older ones all had expressed their wrong use of truth. Should we suggest that kind of a procedure in the proceeding in the assembly? Give the older ones the chance to express and apply scriptures wrongly when there is a young person that might be able to express it properly right away? You see it has to be different in the assembly and.
So I'm just giving that to encourage younger ones who have been diligent in the things of God and have things to contribute, that they are not intimidated by the older ones. There is no such a thing as a seniority system, of course, when there are many older brethren at a conference and a younger person.
Takes almost half of the reading. That doesn't commend itself, does it? You know, But there is no such a thing as a seniority system.
The spirit of God is to lead and to guide and to use whosoever hero and don't make rules and regulations as to age. You know, when I grew up in Germany there were some bread and thankful and not in my assembly they said you should never open your mouth till you're 30 years old.
Because the Lord Jesus started his ministry when he was 30 years old. Well, my brethren in my assembly didn't feel that way. What about retiring?
The older better they stress that kind of attack don't apply the truth the other way. Retiring, what was it? 55, you know, No, we don't want to introduce a system that would interfere with the liberty of the spirit. Whatever is presented ought to be in the power of the spirit, whether it is a younger or older person. And we have to allow that liberty. And do we not? Even as older ones have to admit that sometimes.
We say things that are not quite right and need to be corrected. I hope we are willing to accept the correction because the order we get, the more difficult it is to accept correction. But that's what we have here, that the truth is to correct. That's one thing. And we never get to the point that we might never need correction. You know, and I trust the Spirit will give, the Lord will give us the humility.
Step correction when it is needed. May I give a caveat to your statement. We do not have a seniority system. I just think it's important here to take a little caution on verse. Chapter First Kings, First Kings, chapter 12. I'll be brief. Verse six, first Kings 12/6. And I do think this lesson is important and King Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon.
Father And while he yet lived, and said, How do you invite me that I may answer this people Now that's the elders. They were the older ones. They had gone through a lot with Solomon, And they spake unto him, saying, If thou will be a servant unto this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants.
Solomon's wisdom. But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him to his peers. Now I do say, brethren, when I was a young pup and gathered, I listened to the old brothers, and I thank God for it. We had some in our assembly.
That I looked up to yet, even though they're gone and I thank God for them, I would have been so wrong without the advice from those brothers and the example they sat in their walk. So I do think there isn't a seniority system, but there is this caution and caveat. Let's don't disregard the words of those that have gone ahead of us. I really feel like Amen.
00:45:02
Hebrews 13, verse 7. To remember them who have spoken the word of God to us, to consider the end of their conversation, imitate their faith and oversight. The wisdom is that the word of God uses elders for that office. There are things where we as younger person take a backseat. You might say the size of gift is different from oversight and there has to be liberty.
Of allowing a gift to be exercised. Oversight, they're the term elders is used. And so we have to realize there are times when we as younger ones take a back seat, so to speak and let the elders go through. I experience take the lead, but there is a difference in the exercise of gift. Remember how young these men were that brought youth to recover the truth.
Some of them weren't even 30 years old when the Lord started using them. So that's the exercise of gift. And we ought to have liberty there, but oversight and leadership.
That is usually connected with experience and maturity.
First Timothy 4 comes in there, doesn't first Timothy 4 and.
12.
Let no man despise thy youth. Notice how they?
Were the apostle exhorted them?
That the youth was not to be despised. What be thou an example of the believers in words and conversation, charity and spirit, and faith and purity?
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to expectations, to doctrine 15. Meditate upon these things, Give thyself wholly to them, by profiting may appear to all.
Take heed unto thyself, that's so important, that's the walk of the believer, and unto the doctrine continuing them. Or in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and then to hear thee so the effect of the ministry will be in proportion as the walk is in accordance with the word of God. There is a place for maturity, a place for learning.
A member of brothers saying.
Ottawa.
He says we should encourage the young brethren.
To participate a little shouldn't certainly cut them off, but, he says. I like to hear their voice. First of all, in the prayer meeting. I thought that was very good. I like to hear a young brother's voice when he starts out to minister publicly. First in the premium. There's a couple of verses in Leviticus 27 that might be of interest in what has been said here.
Leviticus, chapter 27.
Talking about the value of the male, verse 3 and by estimation shall be of the male from 20 years old, even under 60 years old, even my estimation shall be 50 sheckles and silver after the shekel of the sanctuary. And then you'll notice in the seventh verse, and if it be from 60 years old and above it would be a male, then the estimation shall be.
15 seconds.
For the female 10 shackles or it should be an exercise. Isn't it that those years between 20 and 60 are the prime years of life, and we should be exercised to use our what the Lord has given us for His glory?
I'd like to.
Add a little bit to the very helpful and I think we all feel very important things that are being brought before us. First of all, I want to go back to Brother Ken, what you read. I I I didn't want to interrupt, but I was going to have you ask you to read the 40th verse of that chapter and this kind of ties in, I think with another thought of what we've been considering. But would you turn with me back again?
To Deuteronomy chapter 4, where our brother Ken was reading and he read at the first part of the chapter, and we had brought before us the importance of.
Obeying the word of God and so forth, Let's go to the 40th verse. Thou shalt keep this Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 40. Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes and His commandments which I command thee this day.
00:50:08
That it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee just want to stop there and and pick up this thread now.
You know, it would talk to continue down the things which thou hast learned and been assured of, The J&D translation says of which thou hast been persuaded.
I think that we persuade people far more by our actions than by our words.
I think it's possible to know the word of God and have a tremendous grasp.
Of the Word of God, and of the writings of the beloved brethren of an earlier generation, that we rightly consider an absolute treasure.
And it's possible to have all of that and deliver all of that, and yet not persuade anyone to continue.
The word was to fathers.
To obey the word of God for themselves.
Their fathers, the heads of families, spiritual fathers that have a care for the assembly. Those were the Father's spirit. The Word came to them. You obey and keep my commandments. It'll be well with you and with thy children. That's persuaded. The children are seeing the example set by those older who love them, and they're seeing them walk in the past.
And that is being used to persuade them. They've already learned those things. You might say they've heard those things, but now they're going to be persuaded of those things. And, brethren, we desperately need that. And so we have Timothy, a young man.
And we've had some good, balanced comments on the various input of older brethren and younger brethren. But I want to point out in If you will please bear with me and turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 16, I want to tell share with you a little thought that's been much on my heart recently.
Regarding Timothy as a young man, and the part he was playing in the assembly gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
First Corinthians chapter 16.
And verse 10.
Now, if Timotheus come see that, he may be with you.
Without fear.
Four, He worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him now. Earlier we had the verse about.
In first Timothy about not despising, let no one despise. But here the instruction is not to the servant, but it's to those who are to receive the servant. And let's remember this about Timothy, the beloved apostle said. I have no man like minded who will naturally care.
For your state, this was a young man. What am I saying? I don't know if Timothy was a great, learned wise man or not, but I know he had a heart that loved the Lord Jesus and loved the Lord's people and cared deeply about how they got on. And so Paul was going to send or trusted that he would come to Corinth. Oh brethren, think of that. Why didn't Timothy get sent to Ephesus? They were going on. Look at the ministry that Paul was able to give to Ephesus.
Why wouldn't Timothy want to go to that place where such rich ministry? He went to a place that was wracked by worldliness. He went to a place that was in the worst kinds of moral problems as believers. And he went there because he had a natural care for the people of God, and he could look at that assembly and say, oh, they are precious to Christ and they need help. I want to go help him. And Paul has to say to the Corinthians.
Not to Timothy, but to the Corinthians. He has to say if he comes, see that he be without fear among you. I think that's what Brother Heinz was talking about earlier, that the young men shouldn't have a sense of fear. What if there's a young brother who has a heart burning to help the assembly to survive? Brethren we need.
Young and old, whose hearts are so attracted to Christ and so filled with the love of Christ. And they see what's precious to the heart of Christ and they're burning to see that preserved. And then they make a step. They get slapped. I'm not accusing anybody but all Let's be careful when we see the heart affection coming out among brothers young and old, who desire that the assembly be preserved and go on.
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Let's not put them in fear. Let's receive them and be humbled and say, why is the Lord in his kindness sending that brother to us? Is it because we too are a bit like corn? Is it because we too are marked a bit like the world in our associations and our hearts affections? Don't we have to kind of hang our heads, brother, and say, I think it's true?
And the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians he doesn't ball him out. He's been doing that, but he doesn't say you guys are so in trouble. I sure hope Timothy comes and straightens you out. He doesn't say that. He says if he comes, don't put him in fear. And all beloved brother and our brothers Stan. Read that about the age and we all understand the spiritual application. That doesn't mean when you're 19 you don't have to be exercising. When you're 1020, the exercise light turns on in your heart and at 60 it turns off.
What it's saying is there is a time of energy and care.
A time when you have that energy and desire that you need to give that to the Lord and brother. When we see brothers and sisters that want to do that, that have a natural affection for the assembly, let's not put them in fear. Let's get our arms around them and say, Lord Jesus, thank you for sending this one. Not build them up, not make them proud. That'll stumble them too, but not put them in fear. Let them know we need what the Lord is giving us through them.
And appreciate it. Well, thanks for letting me go on, brethren. But I just wanted to add that as a balance to what we're saying, we need the Timothy. I'd like to turn to Hebrews 13 just for one verse. And the balance, I like the balance, I think the ones who were.
Taking a lead are the ones who feel that they can do a little ministry. They sure love and encouragement of young people. I don't think they're putting them in fear. I know what you mean, but I I think they're guiding them along. You know, we'll soon be gone. And it's these young people that give us encouragement that they're ready to fill in the ranks. What reads verse 17? I'll read it of Hebrews 13.
Obey them that have margin is more right.
That guide you. That's the thought not so much rule. That is the thought that guide you and submit yourself for They watch for your souls. You know, young brothers, we love you and we're trying to guide. We don't try to be harsh or hard in that sense, but don't misconceive us. Don't think we're taking a rule over you. We want a guy we hope our walks enough to guide, too.
As they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief, but that is unprofitable for you. Not saying unprofitable for the ones that are helping out and leading or guiding, but it's unprofitable for those that will not take their guidance rightly for themselves, but also the ones who are a little older and have experienced more have to give account.
For themselves, of how they lead those that are coming on. I think our brother Wilson is a brother who is experienced what I'm talking about. When I first went to Pleasantville, I was amazed really. There was nice young brothers there, including brother Wilson, but they didn't say anything at the beginning, the old captain, the old assault that knew the word of God.
And have lived it. I mean, these are old brothers. They spoke. And then brother Wilson and the other young men, Sardi and others, began to speak. And I I thought that was the most godly thing I saw. And I wrote a pamphlet on it and never put it out. But I've got it and I read it every now and then. That taught me a great lesson. There's a difference between verse seven in Hebrews 13 and the verse that you have read.
The verse that you have read refers to local oversight. I'm emphasizing that as refers to local oversight. Mr. Kelly says. As to verse seven, that is a larger sphere of leadership than what is referred to in the verse that you have read. Obey the leaders. And he says they might have had also local responsibility as in the lateres. So what I'm saying is.
01:00:28
This verse that you are referring to fits in with what I said earlier. Oversight is connected with elders. But then remember first Timothy 3, those who were in that position, some of them were considered to have children still in their home. So they weren't 60-70 years old. They had still children in their home and they were already.
Into position of oversight.
Our challenge, brethren. As older brethren, one of the challenges is that we help the younger ones to learn to fit in profitably. We must not be satisfied. We just have an audience. What has happened? In some assemblies, prominent gifts were so dominant that others didn't learn to develop. And then all of a sudden the Lord takes them and there's nobody.
That can really profitably fit in, you know, they have to learn when they are almost having their first stroke. You know, I'm suggesting what I'm saying, that we should help the younger ones to learn to fit in because we need spiritually exercised tools in order to survive as assemblies gathered to the name of the Lord. When I came to this country, a brother that was a spiritual father to me, said Heinz, searched the scripture and see if it isn't true.
That those who God used for blessing amongst God's people.
Started early in life, and that is true. So. But in our society, sometimes young people are encouraged to be forward. We don't want that kind of encouragement. But what our brother John has read is so helpful, You know, we do not just look for boys that are able to talk and express themselves well. They ought to be a godly life.
That goes along.
With the usefulness in the assembly contributing to the ministry, you know and remember they don't have to be 60 years old before they can even be in local oversight. They have still children at home.
That's why we go to the example of Pleasantville. I wasn't idolizing an assembly. I don't know what it's like now, but I just gave that example that it is local on that verse I read. Before we go on, I'd like to ask a question. We've read the verse that says let no man despise thy youth.
How could Timothy prevent that?
And by his walk, right. But I just wanted to. You know what I that thought came to me now. So he someone despises him. What does he do about it?
How do I? How do I correct that? Is it not to be without reproach in his life? Is that right? I felt about the Ken. It is possible that Timothy Wong that lived like John has read the verses is still despised by somebody because he's young and we have witnessed that amongst the Saints. Oh, that's just a young brother, you know, as if you don't have to pay attention to what he's saying, although the young brother might well have been godly.
Spiritually exercised person. But what I'm saying is how does he?
When it says Let no man despise thy view, how does he?
What can you do about it? But be thou an example.
Be down example and then it goes on.
After there is the example in you, the living. Then it goes on. It says neglect not to give. The living comes first. I love that.
Acts Chapter One, the first verse. It's so precious it lays down the most vital principle for our Christian lives. Practically the the the former treatise of Theophilus have I written of all the things that Jesus began both to do.
And to teach.
Let's just take that principle and live it, brethren, in whatever little corner we are. Our blessed Lord Jesus, perfect man and very God. He began to do as man perfectly. We can't be perfect, but we can do. Be thou an example and teach neglect not to give. I think another answer can would be first Peter chapter 4 and I'd only start with verse 14.
01:05:26
Because the other is very good. But we haven't if ye be reproached, that's what you were mentioning. Despised Son, if he be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of God. Rest is upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief.
Or as an evildoer, or as a busy body in other men's matters.
Brethren, I've learned one thing from those in my assembly who were older.
When someone as I travel around, starts to tell me about some brother who is in fellowship, I tell them and I can tell it was derogatory. I tell them I don't listen to anything against my brother or sister. I cut it off right there. And I give that advice. Don't listen because.
Satan is the accuser of brethren and don't even listen. It will teach them a better lesson than anything else. But I just go on or as a busy body.
In other men's matters. And yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God. On this behalf, brethren, let's be sure the reproach is of Christ and pork Christ. Don't let the recruit be because of you.
Just to give an example, in school they pressure these kids before they're able to, to take it in or even understand to dance. And if a young girl says I don't dance because my parents told me I can't.
That's wrong. If she say I don't dance because I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, that's good. The reproach will be the right reproach. That's a very simple example, but you can apply it to anything.
Be Give Christ the credit, not you.
I don't smoke. That's your credit. But my body is the temple of God. Let's give Christ. You can use anything, but I believe that's what Peter is saying.
So they can't be a member of Brother Harry Hales saying walk with God in the spirit of God will testify as the rightness of your ways. So the burden is really on the young brother that he conduct himself in a way that gains the confidence of his brethren. If you come in to say, well, the brethren aren't doing things right, we've got to, we've got to change things. Why he might just as well go on home because the spirit of God is in the midst to lead and guide and to direct. And anytime there's a spirit of overthrow.
Beware. And David hath suffered that from his own son, didn't he? He overthrew him, and he had to suffer the humiliation of it. And we may have to too. But the Lord still sits over it all and he's going to go on with his purposes. So I'm just saying, you use the the word dynamic. If a young person is going to come in as a dynamic, you might just as well forget it. But I know what you were saying.
But to come in and humiliate it and Brother Douglas saying just feel a little niche, just give out of him at the end of this meeting, that's in keeping with what we have enjoyed, that's born of a spirit and we recognize it.
At verse 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Isn't that a beautiful guide to us? You know, this is God speaking to us, and he's given us the Holy Spirit so that we don't make any mistake. And that's what I love about it. Isn't that true? Well, you know, we don't want men's thoughts of what God meant when he wrote this.
And the new translation, so-called versions truly are giving men's thoughts of what God meant when he wrote this. And we don't need that. It's wrong. It's evil. It is dishonest. And one of the most popular ones. And I'm not going to get into translation one of the most popular ones. You can hardly buy a King James or a Darby anymore in the bookstores of the world.
01:10:28
They pushed this popular one, but it is so dishonest, It's poison. Enough said. Yeah, I think of what you're saying there, and that's true. He gives him one of the modern ones who says this, that the words have been put down so that every man can decide for himself what what rubbish. When you stop and think about, listen, anyone has ever done construction, knows this, that when you put form work in it is to form the concrete. The concrete does not form the forms. It's the forms that form the concrete. And when we come to the word of God, that's the way it is, our thoughts.
Should be regulated by the word of God. That's the point. Enough said.
Important that important that the younger brothers, all of us read the Old Testament because there's not only God not only teaches by precepts, but by also by example. And so those Old Testament stories that sometimes we tend to neglect, there's precious lessons for us in all of them yet.
The kings like Josiah, Hezekiah and many others. God shows us what was the result of obedience to His word or otherwise even the the ceremonies and the rituals of Leviticus. We we tend to pass over them as being dead.
Dead teaching. But there's they are replete with with Christ, and they're all types and shadows of precious truths that we have in the New Testament. And so we shouldn't neglect any part of the word of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
There's profit in all of it, and we shouldn't neglect any section of the Old Testament in our In our daily study, we benefit more from the Old Testament than the Old Testament Saints ever did because the life of the New Testament.
Gives us to understand the typical teaching in the old. Take for instance.
The offerings.
That the Jews had. They did not understand when they were bringing these offerings that they were types and shadows of that one and perfect sacrifice that the Lord Jesus would bring in due time. And when we get into the spiritual understanding of the sacrifices that will make the work of the Lord Jesus that much greater in our appreciation, you know, and it will even help us.
Intelligently.
Joining in on Lord stay morning, when we remember the Lord in his death, we will understand the difference between the sin offering and the burnt offering, the peace offering or the fellowship offering and so on. It's wonderful. And we have even referred to Exodus of Brother John, minister after the breaking of bread. And in the New Testament we have the statement Christ our Passover.
Has been slain. So the Old Testament is a picture book that illustrates many New Testament truths and don't neglect it. But be careful not to become fanciful and it might lead to what is called in the 4th chapter fables.
The mind has to be in subjection to the Spirit of God.
Every thought into the obedience of Christ. So be careful because I have heard some applications in connection with Old Testament scriptures that made my hair stand up. You know, be careful.
But it is a treasure book and it will help us take Exodus or take Genesis.
My grandfather used to tell me, you go through Genesis.
Carefully you have been through the scriptures, you know and wonderful. But what is going to result if we take heed to all of these scriptures?
01:15:07
We will be instructed in doctrine. We will be reproved. We will be corrected and be instructed in righteousness.
That helps us. Even the Old Testament helps us in that and that the man of God be perfect. That does not mean to read sinless perfection. Perfection is used in the word of God.
For full growth, and I believe that's how it is here, if we intelligently enter into the word of God.
That will make us mature and become full grown men and women in Christ. That is what the Spirit of God wants to bring about in the life of every believer. He doesn't desire us to remain babes. According to the time. He says in Hebrews 6 he should be teachers.
But they had clung to the types and shadows instead of seeing the fulfillment of it in Christ, and they were stunted in their growth. They were still bakes, You know, That's not a good.
Sign. You know, we should grow up to be mature, perfect, as many as are perfect causes. In Philippians 3, there is those who have reached.
Spiritual maturity in the same chapter says he was not yet perfect, but that is in connection with his being brought into full conformity to Christ. None of us has reached that until we will be like him and with him forever, but.
There is the possibility of reaching spiritual maturity, and that's what the Spirit of God is working towards. And he using the Word of God to bring it about, but not by intellectually leading us into it. Through faith we enter into it and make it our own, but none of the young people should expect to skip any grades and be perfect right away. You know there is the water which speaks of the word of God.
And you can get into your ankles. And I really look back and enjoyed that time when I was into my ankles. I mean, I was just thrilled with anything I found and I learned anything that the spirit of God will keep you going. Then you get to your knees and it's really nice to be to your knees and you pray more. You know, you got to get it from the Lord. And then you get up, of course, to your lawyers and you've got strength then to give it out to others.
And tell your friends and associates these wonderful truths. And then it gets let's see to the shoulders was it or I forget this, waters to swim in. Waters to swim in. Don't expect to start swimming right away. But when you're perfect, that means fully grown, able to take in more truth. You can swim, but you'll never get to the other side. Never. You just keep swimming.
And it's beautiful. You learn more and more. Well, you know, the Lord himself gave us a license to find himself in the in the first five books.
They said we have Moses and he said if you believe Moses you believe me. Moses wrote of me. So you expect to find Christ in in the first five books of benator.
And if you look for Christ when you're reading it, the Spirit of God is going to make sure you find him. It's beautiful. And these types and and principles that come out, they all speak of Christ is beautiful. And of course the Lord said in Luke 24, said the whole thing, all of them, you know, the prophets and the Psalms, things concerning me that don't expect to find anything else or just a good story. Expect to find Christ when you read this and you'll get so much more.
Than you ever expect that there is there and but Iran was speaking.
I was thinking of that scripture, that Timothy was well reported off by the brethren, and of course he had a wonderful background of faith that was in his grandmother and his mother was now in him, but already early. I believe it was made known by revelation that Timothy had a gift.
01:20:02
And Paul.
And the elders had fellowship with them. They put their hands on him. You know, gift is always somebody is ascended Christ. But Paul took Timothy, you might say, under his wings. And he learned from Paul, as we know from the scriptures referred to earlier much of the two. But he had a gift before he learned much of the truth from Paul. So.
My thoughts are to encourage the younger ones and try to help them along, because we need that very much, because I don't believe I'm overcritical. There's such a thing as constructive criticisms. The general understanding of scriptural truth among us is diminishing, and we ought to encourage more diligence in these things and encourage the younger ones.
To be diligent in these things and help them along. So we have to be careful not to be allowing the spirit of the world to come in and for the younger ones to take over, but help them along. And Timothy was well reported by the Brethren, you know, and and filled as we move amongst the Saints, to find such young men among us.
Thank the Lord for them. Yes, there are. But there are young men among us that cheer my heart. I enjoy the fellowship, and I can even learn from them this expression. A man of God, Isn't that a lovely expression? A man of thought, that is. That's that's the only reason you're here is you're just a man here for God.
I first of all I guess using an expression our beloved brother Stan Jacobson uses like Adam and Amen to that. But let's not leave our beloved sisters out. This scripture says all scripture is profitable. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable only to man. No, there is this. I want to I just want to suggest this as a as a consideration that in a day.
Breakdown and ruin.
Which is the day we're living in where all is in confusion and the individual has to walk the path of faith. The man, of course, is referred to, but we could have, I think, apply it that there is that sense of strength and energy that moves ahead in faith and doesn't give in to the confusion and the breakdown. And in that sense, everyone who knows the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, sitting in this room.
Can fit into a man of God, complete from Mr. Darby's translation, fully fitted to every good word. Now we've been talking, and rightfully so, about the role of brothers, specifically as brothers interacting in the assembly in various ways, and to encourage the young brothers to that public interaction. But there isn't, I would assume, I believe there's not a husband sitting here.
Who wouldn't say that? Their wife.
A sister has been a tremendous encouragement in the Lord to go on for the Lord. And so, while I fully agree with what we've been saying, beloved sisters, you too, if I can say it this way, can be men of God if you understand that application.
Fully fitted, complete, complete and all that we've been talking about. Fully fitted to every good work and how many times have I sat in an assembly?
And heard a love at older brothers say something like this. There is this dear elderly sister in our home assembly, and what a joy and blessing she is to that assembly. We won't raise our hands, but have some of you heard that kind of a comment? It's true, but what can we say but to say, let's desire that every one of us be complete, fully fitted to every good work?
Good work, isn't it? Are we supposed to be doing good work?
Of course, and I just give you one verse because we're almost out of time. But Titus, Chapter 2?
Begin with verse 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good work. These things speak and exhort. You know, brethren, there there is good work to be done after we're saved, not for poor never think you can do a good work.
01:25:25
As a Sinner.
Impossible. But once we're saved, that's why we've been saved. And that's really what I won't go on. I was going to say a few other things. I think 236. Allow one more verse, please, In Titus.
Chapter 3, verse 14.
And ours also learned to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. That means that fellow laborers, even of the apostle Paul, were working with their hands for necessary uses. Laziness and lack of diligence in these kind of works is not commendable.
236 Will may thy spirit guide our will our souls, and mold them to thy wills, that from thy paths we ne'er may stray, but keep thy precepts still, that to the Savior stat. You're full when you're still may rise, and all we think and all we do be pleasing in thine eyes. 236.
I'll come by the way.
It's the last 7 rolls.
And come on.
The brain.
And from.
The.
End when my history dreads God forever and for.
I do not.
Save God.
Standard goal.
We are still.
Hanging, right?
And all the winds and.
All the rain.
Hebrews 11
Address—D. Nicolet
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Let's open our meeting this afternoon with hymn #290.
Hymn #290 Why those fears?
Behold his Jesus.
Holds the helm and guides the ship. Spread the sails and catch the breezes sent to Aftus through the deep.
Going to read verses 2:00 and 3:00.
Though the shore we hope to land on only by report is known, yet we freely all abandoned, led by that report alone and with Jesus through the trackless deep move on. Led by faith, we brave the ocean, led by faith the storms defy.
Calm amid tumultuous motion, knowing that the Lord is nigh, waves obey him.
And the storms before him fly. Hymn #290 will sing the first verse and the 4th and the 5th verses.
Protection. We shall have a wandering way.
Trust me.
We shall.
Take the forecast.
On the ground.
Ignored.
Assess the Lord's blessing.
What I have on my heart this afternoon, beloved brethren, is to talk as the meeting was scheduled to the young people. But I trust that what we have and what we share will be used by the spirit in each heart.
Lord's Day Morning. Mr. Allen spoke to the children about a voyage, and though he was speaking to the children, I think we all felt that he was speaking by the Lord's goodness to each of us and beloved young people. I want to talk about another voyage this afternoon.
But before I do.
I want to tell you what the burden of my heart is in some measure, and I believe what the burden of the heart of the dear brethren who have gone to the labor of love, of hosting this happy time together. And so I'd like to turn first of all to a verse.
00:05:07
In the book of Amos.
And one of the minor prophets.
The Book of Amos.
Joel Amos Obadiah.
Jonah, Micah.
The Book of Amos.
And in this solemn passage, I just have one verse, and then we'll look at one other.
Amos, Chapter 2.
And verse 11.
And I This is Jehovah speaking.
And I raised up of your sons for prophets.
And of your young man for Nazarites.
Is it not even thus?
O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord.
Young sons for prophets, young men for Nazarites.
And its soul. Now I'd like you to turn with me, please, to Hebrews Chapter 11 for the second verse.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
And verse 23.
By faith Moses when he was born.
Was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment. I'd like to reread that in the Mr. Darbys translation. By faith, Moses being born was hid three months by his parents because they saw the child beautiful.
My burden, beloved young people.
Started really Friday night, so I had the privilege of sitting in the.
Assembly prayer meeting.
And I watched many of you come walking into that room.
And I've shared this with some other brethren.
And it's AI think.
A common thought among the dear brethren here, because I watched you beloved young people come walking into that room. I thought, Lord Jesus, what beautiful young man and young women.
And I don't only mean.
As to physical appearance, though, that certainly involved.
But I mean it as the way that Moses parents.
Amram and Jacobed viewed that precious little infant that God had given them. There isn't a parent here who doesn't look at every one of their children that God sends into their family and doesn't think that is the most beautiful.
Priceless treasure they've laid their eyes on.
That's the normal heart of the normal natural heart of parents. But I believe those two beloved parents in that day saw something far more precious.
They saw their child beautiful, but they saw him beautiful because they saw him as God saw him.
A potential deliverer for the people of God who were crying and groaning under the whip and the lash of the slave masters in Egypt.
And they said, if we listen to this wicked king.
There will have to be the destruction of a potential deliverer of God's people, and we aren't listening. We're not bowing to Egypt's king and allowing Egypt to destroy our child.
00:10:00
And beloved young people.
And this afternoon, while I will be speaking in application to you from the word of God, I want you to know that.
The dear young man and the dear young women sitting here.
Every single one of you is a potential deliverer and preserver.
Of God's people.
I have in the 32 years that the Lord allowed me to teach.
Both at the secondary level and in college.
I have often heard students and instructors discuss the purpose of life.
Why am I here?
What am I going to do? What's it all about? And I don't think that's a bad question. I think it's a very good thing for you beloved young people to consider.
But not to consider it as the world considers it, without the light and the wisdom of the Word of God and the Spirit of God, to give you a proper answer and guide you in that answer.
Don't you consider it that way? Don't consider it in the way the world does and often ends up with no answer at all, in some cases tremendous.
Disappointments and sorrows and depression that end in, sad to say, dear young people saying after all reaching the conclusion using man's wisdom, there is no purpose for my life.
And therefore, since there's no purpose for my life, the best thing I can do to get rid of this pain I feel every day is to take my life.
No. God has a purpose for your life, and I want to tell you that whatever the purpose for your life is.
This is included that you might be used in the sphere that God has seen good to place you for the preservation and the encouragement and the help of God's dear people and.
Beloved young people, we need it bad.
We need.
Those who have hearts to say, I want to serve and follow my blessed Lord Jesus, and I want to be a help to His beloved people.
The world you live in teaches you that there's one object that needs to be addressed and fulfilled, and that's called you.
You come first.
Everything about this society in which we live in this afternoon, I am going to refer when I refer to that world and that society as including both.
Canada and the United States, the North American society and culture, which is very, very similar.
That society in so many ways, subtle ways.
Almost totally innocent seeming ways teaches you from the day that you can begin to understand anything that you are to expect to come first, and the great purpose of your life is to find an immediate momentary satisfaction of some sort.
And I want to suggest to you.
That the world doesn't have a clue.
About what the real, fulfilling, satisfying purpose for your life that your creator intends for you is really all about.
And you know, I can't tell you either.
Because each one of you beloved young people is special and unique and wonderful, as is every single soul sitting in this room who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, each one so important to God.
That his son came into this world and suffered and bled and died on the cross, that you might forever fill and satisfy his heart in glory.
I know of no higher, more precious purpose in life to fulfill than to have the realization that you are giving joy to the heart of Christ as one of his redeemed own.
00:15:15
And so every single one of us fulfills that, and every single one of us has an importance and a mission and a purpose.
But as I said, we're going to be speaking to the young people this afternoon. And so I want you to know, as we look at this voyage, that beloved young people, while I don't know what God has planned in his sovereign purposes of grace and love for your life, I know. And I say this reverently. Excuse me, I say this reverently. I know.
He needs you.
And I know.
Though I don't understand it, nor do I know the depths of it, I know that he infinitely cares about what you think and what you feel.
If he is so interested in you, beloved young brother and beloved young sister in Christ.
If he is so interested in you that he can give you the number of the hairs on your head.
I submit to you he is infinitely interested in you personally.
We do not have a cold, distant God. We have a God of love and grace who is intensely interested.
It's wonderful to me and I think to all of us.
To see when the Lord brings two young people together and to watch. And I suppose we have to be careful about that, because young people probably don't appreciate being watched like that. But it is a joy to watch the delight and the interest that those two show in each other. And there could be a lot of things going on. A thunderstorm, an airplane flying over, I don't know what, and that wouldn't take the interest away from two who have fallen in love.
And are interested in each other's company.
And I can, as one of many here, speak from a bit of experience that I can remember when the young lady that I saw in the Des Moines assembly, who I thought was so absolutely gorgeous that there was no way in this world she'd ever look at someone like me.
I got her, but you know it was.
A tremendous delight to sit and talk with her about common interests and realize that there was one other person now that really was interested in me.
What a joy and a delight.
And beloved young people, that's true. But in your heart, allow that. That's how God feels about you, in a much more infinite way. And with my beloved wife when I was when we were going together, what interested her came first to me.
Even if I didn't want to go shopping, it was OK if she was there because I'd get to be with her.
That's normal. We understand that.
Do you understand beloved young people, what you mean in some little way to the heart of God? Why he's counted the hairs on your head and he's not as the world and and Satan would seek to get you to believe out, to make you think that the whole mission and purpose of your being a Christian, as we said the other night and to the young people, that the whole mission and purpose of the Lord in saving you is to make you miserable for life.
That's like a wife or a husband or let's go back a step.
Two who are in love with each other and one turning to the other and say, honey, I know you love me and I know you just are waiting to make me miserable.
It doesn't fit. And yet we believe that we accept that kind of foolish reasoning, that after all that God who sent his Son to die on the cross, the one who hung the stars and the moon and the sun and the sky.
That he's out to make you miserable? What a lie. Well.
We probably aren't going to get very far in this voyage.
But with those comments as the burden of my heart, beloved young people, I want you to come on a voyage with me.
And I want you to understand. And I want all my beloved brethren to understand. I'm going to turn to a passage of Scripture.
00:20:01
And I'm going to make an application from it.
Because I think the Scripture, as we heard this morning, is profitable.
And it's profitable for doctrine, for teaching.
And that comes first.
And then it's profitable to exercise our hearts to reprove and to rebuke and to give us instruction to make us miserable and legal and hard, and to make us happy, you know?
I'm kind of thankful that Brother Art Chance and his family aren't here.
We were with him last night.
Over at Chester and Sandy's had a wonderful time, but on the way over I rode over with Chester and hope you won't mind this, I rode over with Chester and Jessica sat next to me and I got to. I got to know her because I badly misjudged her age, but she gave me quite a bright smile and kept on talking.
And I'd like to think we became friends on that trip over there. We found out we both were interested in art and we both liked to paint.
And I just enjoyed last night.
Over there, watching the kids.
Kids are fun to watch, but I ask a question of.
Art that I've asked other parents.
I said art.
When Jessica comes to you to ask you for something, how can you look into those eyes and tell her no?
And we laughed.
And then he came up to me this morning.
And I'm going to give you just the essence of the answer he gave me this morning, because it's the same answer every single family, mother and father that I have asked this same question to has given me. How can you say no?
And they said, he said. Because we love her.
Because we love her.
I'm going to purposely leave the names out.
But I'm going to tell you and beloved young man, allow me to tell you this without making any judgments.
But I'm going to tell you about a young man who's happily married by the grace of God, has a very godly wife.
And by the grace of God has two children.
When he was in high school.
It became very obvious.
That he was given some real gift in athletics.
And along with that athletic gift, perhaps you could say rather than a gift in athletics, you could just say a gift of coordination.
And along with that, he was a very big young man.
And the school that he went to.
Which in the United States at that time, and I think still was pretty much taken up with three major sports, though there are a lot of others that are involved now. Football in the fall, basketball in the winter and wrestling to some extent. And baseball.
In the spring and summer.
And that school, like many or most schools, was desperate for young men and young women who could enter into a variety of sports and excel so that signs like these could be put up all around the walls of the gym. 1998 Nineteen 99 Champions Champions Championship.
And this young man was continually pressured by the various coaches in the school.
Where he went to join because of his size and his speed, the football team and then whatever else other sports he wanted to, but especially get on the football team. And he was told that was a ticket to a free ride at a Big 10 university.
I suppose if you pay for the for that expense now you're paying 50 sixty $70,000 for four year education at a Big 10 university.
He was in line for Oregon. Could have been, at least according to his hopeful coach.
A free ride.
00:25:04
But he had a problem.
The problem he had was a legal hard misunderstanding.
Out of touch with reality, Dad.
Who said son?
Before God, to whom I'm responsible, I have an exercise that you're not getting involved in organized.
High school sports.
Now this morning, our brother Bauman and brother Bauman, I'm sure you'll forgive this comment because what you said about when you do something or give something up, do it for the Lord Jesus. It's very good.
But that's not why that young man gave up high school sports.
And that's not why he gave up the opportunity to go to a four year college free.
He gave it up.
Because he wanted to obey his dad.
And it hurt him bad.
And he felt it when he walked down the halls of that school.
And kids that couldn't bench press half of the weight that he bench pressed.
Tease him and mock him.
Why don't you go out for sports, you wimp?
And you know what He said.
He didn't say because I want to please and honor the Lord Jesus.
Though that would have been nice.
He said. Because my dad told me I couldn't.
That's as far as he could go.
But he told the truth.
And he bowed. He submitted, and it hurt.
And I don't know if that young man understands today totally what the exercises were his dad went through.
But I know he knows this.
Peace, happy and blessed.
And if you'll allow me.
I want to say.
That his two kids are just about the neatest kids I've ever seen. And I'm.
They're my grandkids.
And so I'm a little spoiled.
And we don't talk about sports.
But I thank God.
That he bowed to something he didn't understand and something that hurt him.
Because he's not hurting now. Do you understand beloved young people? There's something after today.
There's a book written, I think I've referred to this before. Is there life after high school quarterback?
And it was an educational book taken up on the syndrome that they were seeing happen so often among kids in high school who were made a focal point in something. I'm not bashing athletics, I want to tell you right now.
That I love to get together with the brethren. When the families and the young people live together and we play volleyball or softball or touch football or whatever, it is wonderful.
So I'm not bashing sports. It can be music, it can be drama, it can be debating, it can be on and on and on anything.
That puts someone up and everyone watches them and looks at him and oh, you're so good and all this and all that and then.
You walk up on a stage like this and you take a little roll of a piece of paper and you walk off the stage and nobody knows about you anymore.
And there was a phenomena that there was being an increasing scene, an increasing amount of suicides among.
Especially young men who had been star athletes in high school within six months of their graduation because all of a sudden nobody cared about him anymore.
Now if.
The world is that important.
And if it's so critical to be something in the world, how come Doesn't it last longer?
We haven't started on our voyage yet.
I had a girl in my class.
In high school.
00:30:03
Who was a tall, very attractive young lady, very talented girls. Basketball is one of the I don't know what it's like here in Canada, but in the States, at least in Iowa, it's an absolute craze.
And she was very good. Not only was she very good.
Very attractive. Her parents were very wealthy.
And she not only was very good and very attractive and very rich, sounds like quite a combination, doesn't it?
Sounds like a combination that a lot of people in this world, a lot of young people, would give anything to possess.
Now let me tell you how much good it did her and how long it lasted. The team that year went to the state tournament.
Debbie was one of the starting six. They had six at that time instead of five.
One of the starting six players.
Not only that, she was crowned because of her looks.
Tournament Queen Quite an honor.
Not only that, but her team won the Class 4A state.
High school Iowa Girls Basketball Championship.
And I don't know of anybody on that team who had their picture blazed all over the papers more than Debbie.
The week before, the seniors graduated.
She came into my room the first time I had ever seen this. She sat down at my desk, at my desk, crying, angry, frustrated.
And I said, Debbie, what's wrong now, remember?
Looks well fame.
Ability. She had it all. And she also had a very, very nice looking boyfriend. I mean, that's the whole dream, right?
And she sat at my desk crying. I said, what's wrong? And she said everybody, meaning the coaches, the teachers, the adults and the kids.
Treat me like dirt. They treat me like I don't exist anymore.
She couldn't handle that.
Because she had been the center and the star of everything and now she was nothing. Because she was leaving and couldn't do any good for the school anymore. And her wealth and her looks and her abilities and her boyfriend and everything she had didn't keep the tears away.
Fulfill love at young people. The Lord Jesus can.
He can do for you what nobody and nothing else in this world can do.
You give him a chance, I say that reverently. Will you trust him?
Will you willingly in your heart, with all the problems and difficulties and insecurities and questions and concerns that you have, will you say to him, Lord Jesus?
I want the best.
And then sit back and see what he'll do for you.
Did you try that?
Just say Lord Jesus, I want the best.
Not what I think is the best.
Because I might think a scholarship to Big 10 university is the best.
What do I know?
You know the end from the beginning. I don't.
So I want the best, Lord, the best that you can give me. You think you can do better in that beloved young people? Can you out give Jesus?
Can the world out give Jesus?
Can your school your friends?
Careers. Can they out give Jesus? You already know the answer to that.
He tried that.
OK.
We still got time for a little bit of a voyage.
Let's go to Acts 27.
Now a way will we get through this chapter?
And I'm going to try, but we'll start and then I would like to encourage you to ask the Lord to help you finish it on your own time, do a little homework.
00:35:00
Not a good word, right? But do it anyway, on your own time. Do a little homework, Read the rest of this and ask the Lord to tell you more about it. I want to say, before we get started, I'm going to make an application of this voyage that Paul made to Mylita and to Rome.
And the reason I'm going to make it is because of something that I would like to encourage everyone in this room to read, though I know many here already have and reread.
There's a pamphlet that's published. I'm sure Bibles and publications carries that. I'm sure that Bible truth carries it by our beloved brother Gordon Hayhoe called Paul's Voyage.
And he takes this chapter up, and he likens it to a history, an overview of the history of the Church of God from beginning to end. And it's wonderful. I really enjoy it.
And I would encourage you to read it just for It's short, it's easy, it's an easy read, and you can get a lot out of it.
And you'll learn a lot. And I would encourage you for that reason. But I'd also encourage it for another reason, because it's a wonderful example, and it was one of the early examples in my life that formed the way I read scripture.
And that was to recognize that there is in every verse in this precious book, a treasure chest so deep and so infinite that digging it as you won't even begin to get below the surface. And there are so many principles. There are so many. There's such a wealth of information, and it's precious to look at the word of God and say, Lord Jesus tomorrow. I want to tell that guy sitting next to me at school to bug off. I'm not interested in his advances.
Help me to know what to do and open the word of God and find out that the word of God is capable of answering that question.
I don't know how he's going to do it. I'm not God.
But the Spirit of God will do it. That's what the Word of God is all about. It's living, and you can count on it for everything in your life to answer questions. So it was when I read that pamphlet, I got a realization. Wow, I can read scripture like this, and I can learn and see things that are incredible that I didn't know were there.
And I'm still just barely scratching the surface, but I encourage you to do that. So we're going to look at this voyage not as a voyage of the testimony from its inception in the day of Pentecost till the time the Lord Jesus comes. We're going to look at this voyage as your life. Let's start.
Verse one.
And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy.
I'm going to read that in the new translation when it had been determined.
So how much input did you have beloved brother, beloved sister into your entrance into this world? Not one bit.
Somebody else, and I say reverently, God made a determination that you were going to come into this world and go on a voyage called The Voyage of Life.
It had been determined.
By someone else.
That Paul and those with him in that ship were going on a trip, and everyone of us is on a voyage this afternoon.
At the end of that voyage is very significant and very solemn. If there's anyone in this room sitting here who has never said to the Lord Jesus Christ.
One word, Yes.
If you've never said yes to.
Jesus, I want to finish this verse for you.
It was determined that we should sail into Italy, and Paul and certain other prisoners, and they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners onto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus Band.
They were going to Italy to stand before a supreme ruler of that day to be judged for what they had done in their life.
And there was number way they were getting out of that voyage. Someone else determined they were going on that voyage and someone determined where that voyage was going to end before Caesar.
And Caesar was going to take up the case of those people individually on that voyage.
00:40:01
And determine what happened to them. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior?
Then your end is already determined.
The voyage is going to end in bliss and joy, with Jesus forever in happiness, never to stand before a holy God as judge for your sins.
Are you not saved?
Don't fool around with this question.
Beloved young people, kids don't fool around with it because.
If I understand history right, I'm going to ask Mr. Allen, was it Nero at this time that he was going to stand before Nero, the most wicked?
Example of ruling you could possibly think of. That's who Paul was going to stand before to be judged.
You're going to stand before a holy, righteous God.
Those prisoners on that ship may have thought of Nero. Oh, I am scared. I'm going to have to stand before me. He holds the power of life and death over me.
I hope if you don't know Jesus as your savior, you're trembling at the thought of meeting him as your judge.
Say yes to him now.
I had a.
I had quite a experience once.
Mr. Ellen, you and others who are instructors or teachers here know the joy of having to go through in service seminars at the beginning of every school year.
They always try to bring a speaker in who will somehow make that time a little less agonizing and boring.
And once it worked for me at the college, they brought in a man who had retired from the AP wire service, Associated Press, wire service in the United States. He had traveled all over. He was one of the head reporters of that service, and he had traveled all over the world getting stories for the AP wire service. One of the times he recounted was when he went to Ethiopia. And at that time there was a man, a little tiny man, perhaps less than 5 feet tall, named Haile Selassie.
Who was still one of the only. In fact, he said at that time the only remaining absolute monarch on the face of the earth.
Now, I don't know if he's true absolute monarch, but an absolute monarch is someone who says something and nobody changes his word.
And according to this man from the AP, Haile Selassie was the last one, and he arrived there to interview him the night after generals in highly Selassie's army had risen up in rebellion to overthrow him in a coup.
And had been defeated.
And he said, I got a measure of what I was going to face. And it was with some fear and trepidation that I wrote in the back of the army vehicle that took me into highly Selassie's castle or palace, wherever it was. And as I drove down the road, I looked on the right and left to see the heads of the men who had tried to overthrow him by the sides of the roads.
He said. I thought twice.
About how he's going to approach this man and talk to him. When I sat in his presence, would you be scared if you were being taken into that man? And you, he knew you were one of those who was involved in a coup d'etat overthrowing? Would you be trembling?
Why don't you tremble?
That you're going to meet God without Jesus Christ as your Savior.
We are going to give an account and those of us who know the Lord Jesus as savior.
Are going to be able to stand there in all the beauty and perfection.
Of Jesus.
And the rest are going to stand before him as judge. Well, let's go on beloved young people. You're on a trip.
And it's got an end now.
Somebody's with you on it.
Says Paul.
Certain other prisoners and Julius the Centurion.
Now, in my application this afternoon for these few closing moments, I want to tell you that I want you to think of yourself as the Centurion.
Remember what, Mr. Baumann? I think it was Mr. Baumann in the Gospel said about what happened to the Roman jailer who led his prisoners go. He got to experience the worst penalty of the worst prisoner as his penalty for letting them go.
00:45:13
I suppose the Centurion would fall under that category. It was his responsibility to get the cargo on that ship home as he had received it.
And if he didn't get that cargo as he had received it?
Too narrow? He would answer for it. Beloved young people, I want you to recognize in a world that says you're not responsible for anything you do. You don't have to bear responsibility that you are responsible for every thought and every action and everything you do.
You are responsible and that's why you need Jesus.
This ship was going.
He was a ship of Agra medium, and we launched meaning to sail.
Or I think that is we set sail.
By the coast of Asia, one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonians. Thessalonica being with us. There are two others that were on this ship, just as there are in your life. You're on a voyage.
And I'm going to suggest this application that God in his grace and I'm speaking to this company this afternoon, gathered in this room.
That you, in a very real way on your voyage of life, have a companion called Paul. You have been taught some of you from the earliest days of your youth, the beauties and the precious treasures of the word of God, the apostles doctrine, the Old and the New Testament. And so you have Paul with you and prisoners, You know, we have by nature a heart that's pretty bad.
And if we let it go, it's going to do pretty bad things.
And so we have a variety of ways of trying to keep those things prisoner.
But there were also two others.
There was Aristarchus, and I'll just encourage you to look at the five times that Aristarchus is mentioned in the Word of God. It's quite an interesting history.
But what's beautiful to see is that Aristarchus went through some real suffering. We're talking about that this morning, an Aristarchus learned very painfully what it was to suffer as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, the companion of Paul in the gospel. And what's beautiful is he's still with him. He says it's OK, even though following Paul has brought me difficulties. I'm not giving him up.
I'm holding to these precious things, and so beloved young people, look around the room. There's a lot of aristarchists in this room, and I'm not trying to build anyone up in Pride, but there's a lot of people who have gone down the path longer than you have, and they're still walking with Paul. Why did it make him rich? Did following the word of God make him famous?
Are they in high political office?
Look at their faces.
See if they're happy, which is what everybody says life is all about.
And so there's a testimony to you by the grace of God on this voyage you're taking.
Of a testimony that this life and path of faith is a wonderful path. Whose example follow. Whose faith follow, I should say whose faith follow. So there's Aristarchus. And finally there was one other the unseen recorder. We know That's Luke. He never mentions himself, but he's here recording. You don't see the spirit of God.
But there is a record being kept.
Of your life.
And May God grant that we have an exercise before God as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, to seek to live through His glory, because there's one who takes account of everything done to please him, and there's going to be a reward for every single word and thought and action you did to please the Lord Jesus. An absolute, unfailing record kept that you might have a reward well.
I.
Let's see. Let's go down here.
I went to there's Let's go to verse 6. The Centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy.
They were in a ship of Adrian.
00:50:02
They change to a ship of Alexandria. And I don't know, I will say I feel the names in this chapter as they are, I think in all the word of God, but I think in this chapter have very special significance. But I'll just say that I would suggest that Alexandria has the thought of being a helper of man. Alexandria was, I don't know if it was the capital, but it was one of the main cities of the land of Egypt.
And you know, the ship was changed from Adrian to a ship from the world.
And that ship from Alexandria from Egypt that took those people toward Rome never made it.
Beloved young people, the world in which you and I live has all sorts of schemes and plans for how you're going to make it through this life and be happy. And it won't work. The ship's going down.
Because ship is not going to make it not the ship from the world.
Let's go on. I'm going to go real quickly to finish up here.
Verse seven, we aren't going to go quickly, but we'll just do a few more when we sailed slowly. Many days, you know, beloved young people, your life right now, if if you're like I think you are, If you're like many that I've had experience with, and if you're like I was when I was a young person at this point in life, if you're somewhere below the age of 18, life is going way too slow. Things aren't happening near fast enough for you.
They saw it sailed slowly. Many days. Don't despise that.
I'm going to be very careful and very reverent how I'm speaking, but those of you especially that have the joy of being raised in Christian families have the joy of knowing what it is to have a city of refuge in the assembly where you have brothers and sisters in Christ who love you. Be thankful for the days of teenage years that seem to move slower than they ought, when you can be formed and molded without a whole lot of pain. If you're careful, I can tell you to be formed and molded when you're 50.
Or 60 or 70.
Is a bit more painful than when you're 17. Let the Lord do that work slowly with you.
But they were going slowly and it says.
Many days scarce were come over against the wind not suffering us.
If you're going to live for Christ in this world, you're going to.
Find that the wind doesn't always blow the easy direction. I don't know anything about sailing. When Mr. Ellen was talking about those tall ships, I thought, what if the wind wasn't blowing the right direction? Then what did they do? I suppose they know how to make those ships go. But you're going to find if you want to live for the Lord Jesus in this world, This is the application I'm making. If you want to live for the Lord Jesus in this world, you're going to find that the wind is not behind your back. Helping you, not the wind from the world.
Not the wind of man's opinions and thoughts and expressions. The wind is going to be against you, and it's going to make sailing difficult.
Well.
Wow.
Let's.
They came to a place called the Fair Havens.
Let me finish. Let me finish up with this verse 9 now when much time was spent.
And the sailing was now dangerous because the fast was now already passed. You know what a fast is, beloved young people? It's when you denied something.
You've got parents right now as young people living at home that deny you certain things. Remember what we talked about at the first of the meeting? That sometimes love says no?
And you're thinking.
Mr. Nicolette, in my life it seems like love always says no, that's OK. That's the fast. You're being denied something for your benefit. That you might be able to grow and develop spiritually, but now the fastest path and you're making your own decisions and you don't have to say no anymore. You can say yes and the sailing gets dangerous.
And in that dangerous voyage where the fast is now passed, no one can tell you so much. No anymore. You're on your own.
There's a place of refuge. Fair havens, may I say, beloved young people, get yourselves. Oh, I want to be careful.
00:55:06
For the Lord Jesus sake, because of what it means to his heart.
Don't put off the joy of remembering him in his death.
And learn that the assembly with all the warts and the wrinkles and all the problems that you think you see is a fair haven. It's not commodious to the world, to winter in. It's not a comfortable place for the world. The baseball teams and the people down at the fair down there and all, they're not going to come in here this afternoon and say, oh man, this is neat, let's stay here and listen to this.
It's not a commodious place to winter, but I'm telling you, beloved young people, it's safe.
The fast is over. You're on your own. Some of you. You're making decisions.
You can say yes and no to things, and you need fair havens. You need the city of refuge, the assembly of those gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to find a haven of refuge. And don't look at it as a hard, legal, dry place that a bunch of old folks who don't really know what's going on are Lord Jesus is there. He knows what's going on.
And if he's there, why would you want to be somewhere else?
Fair havens stay there.
Get there and as much as it's going to do for you, remember this.
Remember this beloved young people.
It's going to first of all, give joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
Do you ever want to do I'll stop with this one.
He probably heard this before. Forgive me, but it's precious to my heart.
Girl that I had as a student got saved.
She was not one of those that I looked at the other night at the prayer meeting, walking in the room, thinking, Lord Jesus, these are such beautiful young kids.
She was kind of an attractive girl, but she had messed up.
And in some ways, she wasn't beautiful anymore.
But she did something really neat.
She told Jesus all about it and she was saved.
She got to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
And then she was really beautiful.
She came into my room about three weeks after she was saved and she sat down at my desk and she looked at me and she said.
Did you ever just sit there and think about him?
I need Did you ever just sit there and think about him? Here's somebody that knew what the bottom was like. She tested it at 16 years of age.
And she got saved, and she was clean and pure and white.
And she liked to sit and think about Jesus.
What do you think that meant to the heart of the Lord Jesus?
Did he have joy? You know he did so.
You'll find it a city of refuge, but think what it means to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
To be gathered to his precious name and to walk with him. Well, there's so much more. I wish we could go on. But it's OK. It's time to stop. You read it. Take your test now. You ask the Lord to help you see these things and to walk in them.
And I'm going to tell you something with assurance if you do.
I know you'll be happy.
Which, like I said, is after all, what everybody wants in this world is to be happy. Let's pray, Father, we thank.
Gospel
Gospel—J. Kemp
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.
15.
Oh, blessed gospel sound.
Yet there is room it tells to all around.
Yet there is room number 15.
So he looked to the Lord. Prayer. Sing another hymn.
I'm thinking of number.
22nd.
There is life in a look.
At the Crucified 1.
There is one at this moment for thee.
Then look, Sinner, look unto him, and be saved.
Unto him was nailed to the tree #26.
00:05:47
Shall we turn in our Bibles to the book of Genesis?
Chapter.
Three.
Verse 8 And they heard, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden.
In the cool of the day and Adam and his wife.
Hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden, and the Lord God called unto Adam.
And said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden.
And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.
Verse 21.
Unto Adam also, and to his wife, did the Lord God make make coats of skin.
And clothe them.
24.
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Share you then, and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.
When I was younger, I can remember a man speaking to the children in Ottawa.
And the illustrated.
The gospel in this way, he said. What boy would like to come up here to the front?
And sit on a chair.
And have a sword hanging by a thread.
Over his head.
No one.
Offered to take that place.
And he went on to explain that.
This was the condition of any person in the room.
Who was still without the Lord Jesus in their sins?
Judgment was hanging over their heads.
By a thread.
Is that your condition tonight? Well.
The brothers that have proclaimed the gospel the last two nights have spoken quite a bit about judgment. I noticed that they gave a faithful message.
And.
We can't be too clear about these matters.
God warns of judgment because.
He loves the Sinner and He wants to save you from that judgment which is hanging over your head tonight if you are here in this room in your sins without Christ.
As I was coming out on the plane from Ottawa to Winnipeg.
There was a young boy, a young man who was the steward, Stewart Steward, on the plane. He was looking after us, you know, giving drinks and so on.
But I had a track with me there the rest of his time and justice, as we were going to get off, I passed him the track and I said, here I want you to read this and the girl beside you there, I want you to read this tract carefully. Right there on the spot he began to read that tract.
00:10:19
Carefully and a conversation opened up and he says, I think it was just a month or so ago, his best friend was taken suddenly in a motorcycle accident. Another friend was seriously injured from the waist down, paralyzed, but his best friend.
Had been taken suddenly into eternity in a motorcycle. Not a motorcycle. I think it was a car accident.
And he was.
Badly shaken.
And I hope and pray that that track which deals with a young man who lost his life in a motorcycle accident, you probably remember the track, Berwick, Highland's son, the rest of his time. How long is it for anyone that is here tonight? You have no lease upon life. You may have a lease upon your house.
But eternity lies before you. Every tick of the clock is bringing you nearer to heaven or nearer to a lost eternity.
God wants you to leave this room.
A believer.
You know your eternal destiny may hang upon the meeting tonight.
God spoke to Belshazzar just before he passed into eternity. Those.
Hands, those fingers of a man's hand came out from the wall and wrote upon the plaster under the Candlestick.
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
Belshazzar.
Had insulted God to his face.
And God took up the challenge, and he spoke to that wicked king.
And the eye of the monarch rested upon those words, and he trembled.
How much time did he have to get ready?
Not very long the Meads were at the gates and you know they dried up the river Euphrates and they walked right down the channel and into.
Babylon.
And the dead body of that king Belshazzar was on the.
Floor of the.
Of the banqueting room.
Dear friends, life is real and life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal.
God speaks once, yet twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
And so do your friends.
We want you to know tonight that there is a God who loves you.
A God who has not spared the dearest object of his heart. A God who knew all about you before you were even born into this world.
And one who longs to save you.
From the punishment of your sins for all eternity.
Tonight, his love is reaching out.
To whosoever.
We read those words in Genesis 16.
Thou God seest me, you know there was a young boy, his name was Tom.
He was full of energy and fun. He wasn't afraid of anything but one thing.
You know what it was? It was a plate.
That was there in the dining room wall.
It was an old, old fashioned China place. There it was in the dining room.
And as he passed back and forth, he could see that plate and the words on it.
And he wished it would fall to the ground and crash, but it never did. Do you know what the words on that plate were?
00:15:03
Thou God.
Those 4 words.
Really made an impression upon Tommy. While his mother said that he was a fairly good boy, you know, he didn't do some of the things that the other boys did. He was brave and it wasn't what other people said about him. It was what he knew.
Was in his own heart.
He knew.
There was many a deceitful word. He knew the secret sins.
That came to his mind.
He knew that the eye of God.
Was upon him there. Oh, he wished that that plate would fall down.
And crashed, but it never did.
And.
It bothered him, those words.
Until one day.
Tommy came to a meeting like this, to a gospel meeting.
There, he learned.
That God loved him enough.
To give his Son to bear the punishment for all his filthy sins. That verse was brought before him in Isaiah 53. All we like sheep, have gone astray, and we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord God hath laid on him Jesus, the iniquity of us all.
Tom saw that his sins, so great, so many, were born by Jesus on the cross. Dear friends, tonight are you trusting in the work the Lord did for you on the cross?
Or are you talking about your good works?
For your church membership.
You know, Tommy tried to make himself better too. He tried to turn over a new leaf. It'll just get as filthy as the other. You can't fit yourself for the divine presence, my friend, by anything you do.
Stain of sin is there indelible?
And Tommy knew that until he realized that God's love had provided a Savior for him. He came in his sinfulness. He came in his uncleanness. He came just as he was. He was saved. The burden was lifted from his soul. He was happy now. The old plate didn't make him afraid anymore.
Thou God seest me. He didn't try to hide from God anymore.
Are you trying to hide from God?
Do you realize that the eyes of the Lord are upon you tonight as they were upon Adam and Eve?
Who disobeyed in the garden?
We're going to speak tonight about a man behind the tree.
A man in a tree and a man on a tree for a few moments. First we read about the man behind the tree.
And we all know the story. The Lord came down. He came down to have fellowship with his creature, the one whom he had created.
You know, when I was young I thought that, well, God came down to punish Adam and Eve.
Because they were naughty. Well, that's true, they were naughty.
But then I learned that God's heart was broken.
Here was his creature, whom he had created and showered with so many blessings.
He put him in a beautiful garden. I think every fruit grew in that garden that you could think of. They had everything for their happiness and blessing possible. Nobody got her eye on that tree, which she thought was in the midst of the garden. I don't think it was, but she got her eye on that tree and she wasn't satisfied until she had the fruit of that tree.
It became central in her thoughts.
00:20:02
And isn't that the way the enemy would put the world central in your thoughts? The whole world is geared to appeal to the unsaved. Satan is.
A master fisherman, so to speak, and a strongman armed.
Keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. Satan the strongman, his palace, the world, his goods, the souls of men, and he wants to keep you in peace. A false peace and security until it's too late.
But God came down because man.
Had sinned against him.
His heart was broken, if I may say. Use the term and.
God said Adam, where art thou? And he's saying that after 6000 years to you tonight my friend, where art thou? Are you still in your sins without the Lord? Are you still traveling the broad Rd. that leads to destruction?
Are you still without God and without hope, blinded by the God of this world? You know, Satan said in the Garden of Eden, if you take that fruit, your eyes will be opened and you'll be just like God.
But he's a thief and he's a liar.
And he wanted to rob Adam and Eve.
Of that place of blessing and he was successful.
And Satan.
Still presents this world to your heart.
Tonight, but God.
Is pointing you to the one who has opened the gate of heaven and made a way that you can escape the judgment of God.
God sees you, but he loves you.
Although he knows all about you, God loves your soul, my friend. Outside the hall in Ottawa where I live in the peak, we have two words. Two phrases.
One is God is love.
No one objects to that. It's all right. We like to think that God is love, but the other one people don't like in the neighborhood at all. You know what it is? God is light.
Oh, they don't like that.
Because it reminds them that God sees them just as they are and that God is a holy God who cannot Passover sin. You know, God's thoughts about sin have not changed from AD.
And 100 Here we are 82,000 God's thoughts about sin have not changed in the least. Man's thoughts are going down all the time.
But God is seeking man. He's still seeking. You know how long he's been seeking man? 6000 years.
He's still seeking man.
Victoria, the diver, didn't believe that.
**** was a man that was a wicked man and he just lived for this world. He didn't believe in God or eternity or anything like that.
He wanted to get money. That was his God. And so **** the diver was down in the bottom of the ocean there.
Looking for a sunken treasure. And yes, he was finding some treasure down there.
Well, he says no one can see me down here. They say that God is everywhere, but here I am at the bottom of the ocean. God can't see me down here.
Just then his eye was caught by a oyster shell, and in that oyster shell was a piece of paper.
Strange place to find a piece of paper. So he went over and he pulled it out and he put it up to his goggles.
And it said these words, Thou God seest me.
Oh, **** said. God has followed me down to the bottom of the ocean.
00:25:03
I cannot get away from him.
I cannot hide from him. He sees me, He knows me, all about me.
And **** was brought up from the depths in two ways. He was brought up from the bottom of the ocean, but he was brought out of that horrible pit of sin, too. And it wasn't long before.
**** was on his knees asking the Lord to have mercy upon him because he knew he was a Sinner on the road to hell and he wanted to be saved. And he did get saved. And if you went into Dick's house, there was the oyster shell right there in the dining room, and there was the little piece of paper.
Right inside it. And if you pulled it out, you could read those words. That's how **** the diver was saved. Well, you say I'm not that sort of a person. Well, you may not be as great a Sinner.
We're all great sinners when it comes to the bottom line. We're all guilty before God. We're no better than Adam or Eve, my friend.
And God began to seek man back there in the Garden of Eden, not to punish him, to bless him. And he's been seeking men and women for the last.
6000 years. My father worketh hitherto and I work. And here we are at the last meeting of the Regina Conference in the year 2000. And God is still seeking. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came for you, my friend, here in this meeting tonight.
Whoever you are, if you're still in your sins, God is seeking you. He loves you. He doesn't want to punish you. He didn't want to punish Adam and Eve. There was consequences of their sins, but he wanted to clothe them with coats of skins. They had those fig leaf aprons on, but God could see right through them.
And although they went out of the garden, I believe that they learned the way of salvation.
God is beseeching men and women tonight to close in with His wondrous offer of mercy.
Before it is forever too late.
Forever too late. Mr. Blount was a preacher of the Gospel.
Amongst us many years ago.
And he spoke to an infidel.
That's a man who professes.
That he doesn't believe the Bible to be the word of God, an infidel.
And he had a lot to say. But one night, the infidel had a dream. God spoke to him in a dream. God speaks through dreams, you know.
And in the dream Mr. Blount saw he was taken up into heaven and there were all the white robed multitudes of Saints singing and praising the Lord. And he's all great clock, He said to the Angel, Look at the clock. But there's no, there's no hands on that clock.
But the pendulum is swinging back and forth. Tick, tock and look. Every time it ticks it says salvation ever. Damnation never.
While then in the dream he was taken down to the regions of the lost into hell, and there he saw the awful condition and people in in agony and crying and tears.
And there was another clock, a big clock without any hands. Tick tock, the pendulum said every time it went back and forth.
Damnation ever. Salvation never.
And he woke up, and I believe that was used in the life of the infidel.
To awaken him to his need of Christ and brought him.
To the Savior. Well, dear friends, tonight.
God loves you and He is inviting you.
To come to the Savior. At the end of the chapter we read about that flaming sword that went back and forth to keep the way of the tree of life. It was a mercy that God didn't allow man to eat the tree of life or he would have lived forever in that awful condition. People who would be sick would never die.
00:30:16
With all the infirmities, but God was merciful and he didn't allow man to eat the tree of life.
Those who are saved are going to eat the tree of life in the paradise. He sought to see Jesus who he was could not for the press because he was little of stature. Do you really want to meet the Lord Jesus tonight? He was an earnest seeker and the Savior was in.
An earnest Savior, seeking Savior, and a seeking Sinner met in this passage.
And the Lord is seeking you tonight.
After one of the meetings that Mister Moody held years ago in a large tent, it was filled with people and he was speaking on this passage of Scripture here. And at the end of the meeting one of the ushers came forward and he had a little boy in his hand.
Just a little boy who had got separated from his parents.
And he didn't seem to be very much disturbed. There he was in Mr. Moody's arms, and he lifted them up before the audience and he said there's a father here who is more interested in finding this little boy, and this little boy is to be found.
And it wasn't long before a father was pressing his way through the crowd and up to the platform, and he took that little boy in his arms.
He was so happy to find him. Well, the Lord is seeking for sinners tonight.
His arms are wide open, and we find here that Zacchaeus was earnest. He ran before he climbed up into a Sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. The Lord of life and glory was passing through.
The place of the curse.
And he had an interest in the blessing of Zacchaeus. He has an interest in your blessing tonight.
He is a deep interest.
He knows all about you.
All about your background, your life is an open book and.
He is inviting you to come tonight, whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely.
I think of a man who was in the war and he had.
A tunic and he had a a New Testament in his tunic pockets.
And in the conflict, a bullet went into the New Testament.
And it stopped at those very words.
Whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely. And this man could show you that New Testament where the bullet stopped at the last invitation that we have in the Bible. And still he was unsaved. How merciful God was to him. And so God is merciful to you, my friend tonight, and he's inviting you like he, like he calls Zacchaeus in our chapter here. Make haste and come down for today. I must abide at thy house.
There is always an urgency to salvation. When Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. But he said, Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
We never hear in the Word of God that Felix ever called for the Apostle Paul again. The last opportunity.
He threw it away.
Dear friend, this is the last Gospel meeting, and it may be your last opportunity to close in with God's wondrous offer of mercy. Like Zacchaeus, don't put it off Don't neglect.
Procrastination, Roland Hill said, was the thief of souls.
I believe that more people are in a lost eternity because they put off the matter of salvation than any other.
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The story is told of Caesar, that mighty emperor who was making his way to the Senate one morning and someone thrust into his hand.
A letter and said mighty Caesar read it immediately. He says I haven't time and he thrust it into his pockets.
And he went on to do the day's business at the Senate, and as he was ascending, the stone steps up to his place of employment there.
He fell under an Assassin's.
A knife attack and there when they took up the body of Caesar.
They found the letter, they opened it and read it, and in that letter was a warning.
Caesar, don't go to the Senate today. Someone is waiting to take your life. If only he had taken time to read the warning. Well, God warns because he loves you. And here we have the man in the tree who received wonderful blessings.
Through the Lord Jesus, you know this story.
When they saw it, they all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guests with a man that is a Sinner. When the Lord called, he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. That's a joy that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away.
You know when I was in Regina about 25 years ago.
I was a spectator on the road.
When Queen Elizabeth passed through Indiana, the open car, I saw Queen Elizabeth.
Visiting your fair city here, but she wasn't interested in me.
I saw her, but she had no interest in me.
But you know, the Lord of life and glory, He has a deep interest in you tonight.
He loves you. His love led him from heaven's glory to Calvary's depth of wall. I so feebly portray it. But God has shown and has proved His love for you tonight by giving the dearest object of heaven. Are you going to turn your back upon the Lord? Are you going to say no thank you? I have my own way, My way is better. A lot of people will say that, you know.
They often say to me when I give them a track, it's OK.
It's all right. Well, sometimes I do.
Answer them back in this way, dear friend, it's all right.
If you know the Lord as your Savior, that's true, but if you're still on the road to a lost eternity without Christ, is that all right? Is that OK? Now we must hasten on and look at the last man in our message tonight in the same Gospel, chapter 23, another well known passage.
This is the story of the thief.
On the cross, which I think most of us are familiar with.
From chapters 3 and verse.
What 30?
39 Thank you. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself. And us of the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dust not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation. And we indeed justly, for we received the due reward of our deeds, For this man hath done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Well, we're familiar with this story.
Here was a man that had been awarded by the law of the.
Land.
Adjust judgment.
Guilty man, he was standing on the very brink of hell.
He had six hours to live.
He was taking a journey into eternity, and the Lord was taking a journey from.
The Cross of Calvary to the Glory, an old dear friends.
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The Lord didn't take that journey alone.
It was a victorious journey, but he took with him this poor guilty thief.
Who confessed what he deserved? Judgment.
Who made a little prayer here?
To the Lord.
Not expecting he would get an answer I suppose.
But the Lord had compassion upon.
This thief think of God's mercy to this man, and it's all in the ground of the work of Christ. He had no merit of his own. He was redeemed, he was released, He was fitted for a better place than the angels through the work of Christ.
He was brought into a place of eternal blessing. I heard of a brother who had gathered signatures and portraits of many of the great persons of the world, presidents and managers and so on.
Ambassadors, et cetera. He had them all in a book, but to my knowledge, no one ever invited him to come and have a cup of tea with them or to visit them. But here, the Lord of life and glory.
Took this man from the cross.
From that shameful cross to heaven's highest glory. And that's where he wants to take you tonight, my friend. He wants to make you fit for the very presence of God through the work of His beloved Son. Are you going to accept it? The time is going.
And I want to just close with a question to everyone of us.
What is your thought about God's Son? What is your thought?
About the precious blood that he shed on the cross, is it nothing to you? Our brother, I think, mentioned this the other night. All ye that pass by, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
What does the death of Christ mean to you?
The crowning act of man was that spear that pierced his sight, and you know the words forthwith came there of blood and water. God was in a hurry to bless.
I hesitate to tell this story, but I'm I've told it before and I don't want to leave any wrong impression.
That I'm making any comparison in any way between the precious blood of the Savior and a man years ago.
Abraham Lincoln was watching a performance in the Ford Theater in Philadelphia. I think it was 1862, and at the end of the.
Performance. A shot rang out through the theater and the president fell in the box where he was. He had been fatally wounded. There was a lady alongside. She had on a beautiful silk dress, white, and she took the head of the president in her lap to give him a little comfort in his dying moments.
And while his life was ebbing away, when she got home, she looked at that beautiful dress and it was all stained with blood. My she said, first idea was, I'll send it to the cleaner and I'll have it cleaned and those stains and spots taken out because it's an expensive dress. But then she thought, no, I won't do that. She took a pair of scissors. She took that dress and she cut out a square.
That had the marks of the president's blood.
She wrapped it up in a bag and she sent it to the city fathers of Springfield, IL, where President Abraham Lincoln had been brought up as a boy. And when the city fathers, the mayor and the counselors, when they opened up that package and they saw what it was, did they throw it away? No. They treated it with the utmost respect. And they.
They placed it there under glass, and I'm told that you can go to this very day and you can see that piece of that, that woman's dress with the marks of the blood of the president of the United States. They valued it. They respected it. It meant much to them. Now I'm cautioning here, the blood of Christ is infinitely superior. That precious blood that flowed from his ribbon side, dear friend, has power to cleanse the vilest offender.
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Could save a Sinner like the one that stands at this podium. He can save anyone of you tonight. There's power in the blood of Christ and the opportunity is given for you to repent of those sins that have blotted your life. Like the thief on the cross here, there was true repentance.
Now close with a little pole.
That I've enjoyed.
If I can remember the stanza.
His holy fingers made the bowels that grew the thorns that crowned his brow.
The nails which pierced his blessed hands were mined in secret places he designed.
He made the forests from which sprung the tree on which His body hung. They nailed Him to a cross of wood, yet He made the hill on which it stood. That Savior tonight is offering you a full and free salvation. His arms are wide open. Will you accept the invitation? It may be your last opportunity. God is beseeching. Don't refuse such wondrous lies. Shall we sing?
In closing.
#14 a few verses of #14 could we stand?
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power #14?
2 Timothy 3:1
Reading
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Gospel
Gospel—B. Bauman
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First Epistle of Peter, chapter 517, Pardon me 517 at the end.
What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? The end of 18. Where shall the ungodly and the Sinner appear?
These are two very moving questions. They ought to make you wonder if you're not saved, if you're still in your sins. You know, Job in 1410 said man dies and he wastes us away, and where is he? Job didn't know. I do, and I hope you do. But he said he waste away and where is he?