Regina Conference: 2016
Table of Contents
1 Peter 2:1-5
The Life That Now Is
Address—Bill Brockmeier
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We sing this afternoon number 76.
In the appendix I was told about the year 1918, nineteen nineteen, that my grandfather Smith, he was raised in a godless home. He had over his bed a text that said I will not settle for less than $60,000. He was about 15 years of age. There was a couple of brothers in an assembly that invited him into gospel meeting and he heard the gospel and he was saved.
And that text came off the wall.
And he lived his life for the glory of Christ. And when he was 73, he died, and at 18 years of age.
His death had an impact on me and and likewise his funeral. And this hymn 76 in the appendix was sung. Then let me live continual praise to give to thy dear name, my precious Lord, Henceforth alone, beloved, adored. So let me live number 76 from the appendix.
Thine Jesus.
Nsnoise.
I don't know.
My God.
And I.
Thought.
I'd like to read first to verse in first Peter chapter 3.
Mm-hmm.
First Peter, chapter 3.
And verse 10.
For he that will love life and see good days.
Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from that. They speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, thinking of that expression in particular. For he that will love life.
Just by way of contrast, part of a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2.
And the first 4 words of verse 17.
Therefore, I hated life.
I suppose the desire of every Christian parent.
And the desire that we would have for our younger ones this afternoon is really twofold. Two thoughts cannot be separated. The 1St is that your life, As for our life would be spent for the glory of God and the honor of our Lord Jesus Christ. And linked directly with that is that in the words of the.
00:05:19
Prophecy of NAFTA life that your life might be characterized by satisfied with favor.
And full of the blessing of the Lord.
Really, that's the great desire that we have that your life, that our life would be here for the glory of God, the honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that you might not, that you might know experientially the blessing of the Lord, the joy of the Lord in your life. I want to turn to it, but we could turn to first Timothy chapter 5, and it says bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now.
This and that which is to come.
Physical exercise has merit. It has value. It is a good thing.
For the life that now is.
There can be problems when does one does not exercise doesn't mean you make a God out of it doesn't mean it rules your every waking moment, but Timothy, the word from Paul's word to Timothy, it it has a little profit. It's not that it has no profit. It has profit, but in contrast with godliness, he says that it has promised of the life to come. You say why of course.
But it also has promise of life that now is that godliness has a present blessing and has a present reward. It has a present joy and that was Peter's desire. There is rights in first Peter three, he that will love life. You know, it's a very sad thing and I don't know how else to put it to see a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. That more mirrors the expression that Solomon had, which is I hated life.
Solomon was a man of faith.
He had a godly father, David. But we find in Ecclesiastes we find the experience of a man that pursued the best of human wisdom. And when it was all done, regardless of the path that he followed, it was miserable. It was vanity in pursuit of the wind. It was emptiness, it was frustration, it was vexation. And he says, I hated life.
We've seen it, you perhaps know individuals that hate life and how sad it is when a believer in the Lord Jesus gets to the point where they hate life. But on the other hand, Peter said he that will love life. I understand in John 12 it says he that loveth his life will lose it, but he that loses his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it. That is that we seek to pursue our own objectives, our own dreams, our own ambitions without reference to the will of God. We're gonna lose our life.
It's all said and done, it's going to be an empty wasted life, a life live for self with emptiness and nothing but headache, if not heartache. But Peter, when he says he that will love life and see good days, he gives us something very practical. Let us refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile, no says in Proverbs that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and he that loveth it shall eat the fruit thereof. It is a marvelous thing we have all chapter in the word of.
James chapter 3 that takes up the question of the tongue and it can be used for great blessing and it can be used for great heartache and great sorrow. How many times in a poorly timed in a poorly selected word with a poor attitude behind it has ruined and devastated someone? On the contrary, how wonderful it is for someone to say a word in season and that has left someone's heart up into blessing. And So what is before me this.
Noon, I really would like to speak of what I referenced in First Timothy 5 there as as far as godliness has promised of the life that now is. You know, there is a wonderful future that we have to be with Christ. It is a wonderful joy to think of that. And we think of the different awards in Scripture. There's the crown of righteousness, there's the crown of glory, there's the crown of life. It is a future award to encourage us to help us through tough times in life and realizing there is a reward.
In that coming day. But Christianity is more than just a reward in a coming day.
It is more than having a bright a blessed hope in the future. And that's all blessedly true.
But there is promise of the life that now is, and God desires that we have a happy life and a life for His glory here and now.
So turn it over to First Timothy chapter. Umm.
Six for a moment.
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We referenced the 5th chapter, but I'd like to read here in the 6th chapter.
In verse 17.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life, or that they may lay hold of what is.
Really. Life and justice. One other verse back in the 5th chapter to reference it in verse 6.
But she that is the young widow, but she that liveth in pleasure.
Is dead while she liveth or she that lives in habits of self indulgence is dead while living?
So Paul's desire for Timothy is that he would lay hold of what was really life. I don't believe here it's in reference to the eternal portion. It's not a gospel message that you might come and lay hold of Christ and know your sins are forgotten and to be blessedly in his presence forever. But he's contrasting to those that are rich in this world and you say, well, that is that would be what is really life. He says, no, that's not what's really life. It's not wealth and riches in this in the in the sense that we commonly think.
But because he charges them that have these things, they don't trust in them and they don't elevate themselves.
With that sense of superiority, because I have more proverbs tells us again that the rich answereth roughly riches have a corrupting influence, and they have a influence to make us proud. And he said, no, you don't trust in them, but you lay hold of what is really life. And what he characterizes as being rich in good works, the principle of giving and of sharing and of helping others. In contrast to that, there is the widow.
In the first, in the, in the 4th chapter or 5th chapter, rather, we read there that lives in habits of self indulgence, dead while living nothing of real value, nothing of real life. You say, well, that's exactly what living is to live for yourself and live for uh, uh, your own interests. He says that's, that's really a moral death, nothing of life in that. Well, one more verse and then we'll get into the subject in more detail. Proverbs chapter 22.
Proverbs Chapter. Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 4.
By humility.
And the fear of the Lord, our riches in honor and life.
We know that the Proverbs, as with most all the Old Testament, was written to a people under law, the Jewish people under the Law of Moses. We know that in the Law of Moses, go to their early verses of Deuteronomy 28 and we see that the promise for the one that honored the Lord was earthly prosperity. Their produce in their field, their families, everything in a material way was gonna be prosperous of God.
And it was a sign of.
God's blessing to be prospered in a material way.
And that was an understood concept and therefore it was very difficult if one did not have these outward favors to wonder what is wrong with said individual. And so to understand that in the book of Proverbs, that is the context of it. But I would like to go ahead and reference it in a way that's true for us even now, because the verse you read there in first Peter is quoted for from Psalm 34 as it was written to the Jews. So it is true for us, the person that speaks with his tongue in a healthy beneficial.
Way is there's going to be blessing and joy as a result. The one who does not, there will not be that and so there are these common principles that apply to both of you under the law and the Christian in this day of grace. But he says here by humility and the fear of the Lord our riches and honor and life. Those riches, as I say today might not be material, but it will be.
The joy and the blessing and a happy life, indeed life is the result. This might be translated the reward of humility.
And the fear of the Lord, the reward of humility.
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Now I have I have to admit as I I was seeking to be before the Lord what I might have to say. This verse came before me and I said how? How can I, how can I speak on this subject?
Humility.
Young brother, son, young, not young brother, but he's got young children, said to me a couple of months ago. He says why is it we never have any ministry on the subject of parenting?
I think we'd all admit it's a important topic. Why don't we have any ministry on it then?
We avoid it.
Said well, I can't say brother, other than I don't think any of us feel qualified to speak on the subject.
And the brother that does think he's qualified to speak on the subject probably isn't.
It might might be struggle to to listen.
But it doesn't mean, and sometimes I think of that with regard to humility, saying, well, why don't you speak on a subject you know something about, brother? But humility is something that is very that's brought out very clearly and very powerfully from the word of God. And and although whenever we look at a subject like this, we kind of shrink back because we recognize that that we we fall short in these things. And yet the way to this is an important topic because it says by humility and the fear of the Lord.
Our riches and honor in life, the reward of humility there is a present reward if there is humility what it might be good to see what is the word of God have to say on the supporting topic rather than avoiding it because we don't feel qualified to speak on the subject. And so I'd like to notice a few verses and I again I'd like to notice a few things that will result in blessing and joy in our life. Now there's three verses in the New Testament I would like to turn to and I say them I, I trust.
Save them with with love and also in the sense of.
One's own failure and experience in them. First Corinthians, chapter 8.
And, you know, the benefit that the younger ones have, uh, over the, those of us that are older is you, you don't have the years of, uh, stumblings and failures that some of us have experienced along the way. And there's some more opportunity for you to, to learn from the, uh, experiences of those that are a little bit older.
I would just read from verse one to the context. First Corinthians 81. Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, the charity edifies, and if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. There's a helpful note in the margin of the Darby translation that he contrasts 2 words used for knowledge. There is conscious knowledge.
And objective knowledge. Objective knowledge is what we learn from a book and there's many things that we can.
Learn from books. That's healthy. It's important. Uh, progress tells us that the that the soul be without knowledge is not good.
To be devoid of knowledge is not a good thing. And in Hosea the Lord says my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. So ignorance is not a good thing. But to understand that in book learning as we speak of an objective knowledge, the tendency of it is to puff up.
Not build up, but puff up, you know, when someone's puffed up, there appears to be more to them than there really is. And that's the tendency of knowledge. And so Paul, as he goes through this objective, knowledge pop pops up, but love edifies, love builds up and strengthens. And I just read the second verse in this way, that if any man think that he has conscious knowledge of anything, he objectively knows nothing.
Yet as he ought to know objectively.
And I say this because I know there is a danger that when we are young, when we are young, not real young now, but when we begin to learn, we've gone to school, perhaps we've got some jobs, we've got some work experience, we begin to learn how to get things done, and we begin to learn more than than others, and we begin to think we know something.
And the warning here is, If any man thinks he knows something, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
And so here we have the the danger of the pride of intellect, the pride of knowledge, and we're warned against it. And so how we need humility when we learn something to recognize the danger of knowledge. I don't see the benefit of knowledge. Now, I'm just speaking here of danger in the context humility. This is one area that can lead us astray when we begin to think that we know something.
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That the Scriptures speak, we know nothing, as we ought to know. Now turn over to the 10th chapter.
Paul gives the history of the people of God through the wilderness journey and the many different types of issues that they ran into the the temptations, the murmurings, the complainings, and all these lessons that are for us to learn. But in verse 12, he brings it home to the assembly there in Corinth into our own hearts where he says, wherefore let him that thinketh.
He standeth, take heed lest he fall.
So in chapter 8 you have the man that thinks he knows something and now we have a man that thinks he stands. And here is the danger of self-confidence.
You know brother, back in I'm an assembly for many years has gone and continues I think in some small measure, even today out to the umm prison facility out good many miles away and umm.
Many of them in are in there for, umm, more drug related charge. It's not, not a lot of, uh, violent crimes there, but there's, uh, I, I found it very invigorating times past when I was able to go the one. What I think I found was very invigorating is the interest on the part of the men to hear the scriptures. And many times they're hanging on every word, listening and wanting to learn. And I found it very engaging, very interesting.
Someone shows manifest interest in learning the scriptures. I think frankly it makes your ministry better.
But the other side of it is these men, and they're enjoying the Lord. They want to be strong for the Lord, and they go out for the Lord. And yeah, they failed and yeah, they've fallen. They're going to go out again. They're going to be strong for the Lord and not going to happen again.
Self-confidence and time after time after time, back they come falling. And why? It's because of self-confidence. My father thought to instill a few scriptures in me and there's a couple that he linked together. One is in Jeremiah 17. You often hear it quoted in the gospel. The heart is deceitful of all things, and desperately or incurably wicked. Who can know it?
To drive home the fact you have a fallen nature and you got it from your father so he knows just how rotten it is. You have a fallen nature within us. It's in desperately or incurably wicked. It is worse more than you can even imagine and believe what God says about it rather than saying, well, I'm not that bad. Oh yes, you are incurably wicked, but more than incurably wicked, it's deceitful. It's entirely untrustworthy. Are you going to trust a man that is incurably wicked and is deceitful on top of it?
Well, the proverb says he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.
You and I would be a fool to trust a man that's incurably wicked and a man that is a deceiver. And yet when we walk in self-confidence and not dependence upon the Lord, that's what we're doing. And so here Paul says, not only is there the danger of thinking I know something now, I think that I've actually arrived and I've attained to something. Be careful of what we think. One more verse in Galatians chapter 6.
S.
Galatians, chapter 6.
And verse 3.
For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing or being nothing.
He deceiveth himself. Oh, here's something else that a man might think. First he thinks he knows something. The next thing he thinks he stands. Now he thinks he's somebody.
When he's nobody and what does he do? He deceives himself. You know, I believe all these things fit into the the aspect of humility that if we're going to walk and have a happy life, we have to realize I don't know anything.
My father used to often quote Albert Einstein and I know less than 110th of 1% about anything. One of the most brilliant minds this world has ever seen. But at least he had the, uh, the honesty and the humility to say what he did. So the danger of thinking we know something, then to think that we've actually attained something that we're standing and now to think we're something, we're in the presence of God, we're nothing. And you know, when we're in the presence of our blessed Lord, there's no difficulty being humble, is there? Because.
Just how great, how majestic, how wonderful he is and how nothing that we are. And so that's the real key. But I would like to pursue a little bit more of this thought of, uh, humility.
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I wanna turn to uh verse in passage in First Kings 21.
I'm not taking these up in any particular order necessarily, because I want to speak of this of false humility.
Stop.
First Kings, uh, rather 22.
We know that many years before this there had been a breach in the Kingdom between the two tribes of Judah and the 10 tribes of Israel, the northern Kingdom and the southern Kingdom in Judah. And was a godly king of Judah, honorable man, good man, commended of the Lord. Now to the north we have Ahab, the king of Israel.
Uh, morally, a bad man and a man that, uh, ruled over a godless people.
But let's just read a few verses here in First Kings chapter 22. And they continued three years of out war between Syria and Judah, Israel. And it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down in more ways than one, came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth and Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria.
And he said in the Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead? And Joshua said to the king of Israel, I am.
As thou art my people, as thy people, my horses as thy horses, and we're not gonna read the rest of the chapter. Jehoshaphat got himself into a jam. That was he almost lost his life in the process of it getting and connected with associations that he had no business getting into lining up with a godless king of Israel.
Who said let's switch clothes so they think you're the king of Israel and I'm the king of Judah?
And they were about ready to kill him because he thought he was the king of Israel. His discernment was shot. His discernment was spent. Where did you where do you ever come up with the idea of going along with this proposition? Josh Fat, godly man that he was. Well, I think we find one of the reasons here is.
He went back and said, I am as thou art.
My people is thy people. My horses is thy horses. Isn't that nice? Isn't that humble? He wasn't taking the place of being better than anybody. Certainly not another king of the divided Kingdom. Sure, we're the same.
There is a real danger.
And you can apply it in specifics. I don't have anything particular in mind of making moral equivalencies where none exist.
We all fail.
And fail my fail. How can I say anything?
I mean, we're, you're of Israel, I'm of Israel. I am as you are No difference between the king of Judah and the king of Israel. Really, Jehoshaphat? Think about what you're saying. And because he made a moral equivalency where none existed, he got himself, in effect, an unequal yoke, and he almost lost his life in the process.
Because of a false humility. It sounded so good.
It's not a question of.
Personal superiority or anything of the sort. We've already addressed those verses, but we mean to be careful. The issue here was not one of.
A personal distinction, but rather for God had placed Jehoshaphat. He was a man of God, and he was not a moral equivalent of a wicked man like Ahab, even if he had repented in the chapter before.
So perhaps that's a few comments on humility. I'll reference a couple more.
Moses was called to speak to the people.
And, umm.
He said I I'm not a man of eloquent lips. I can't talk.
What did the Lord say to him who made man's mouth?
Then I I made it. I'm telling you to speak. Oh, I can't do that. Well, my brother Aaron, he speaks well. And the Lord was angered and said, OK, if you refuse to pardon the vernacular, if you refuse to do it, I will give it to Aaron.
And he led the people of God into idolatry. Was that humility? I suppose to a point. It was to recognize our own limitations. But the Lord had made his mouth and challenged him on it and said go. And he said, no, that's not humility. That's called stubbornness.
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And the result was almost havoc to the people of God. Then there was a man named Job, and Jobe was a very righteous man.
And job is a model to us of endurance.
And that poor man, what he endured in one afternoon or one day was more than perhaps any of us will endure in our entire life. He lost all of his earthly possessions. He lost his means of livelihood, he lost his means of transportation, he lost all of his children. And one day and when it was all said and done, he said, the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What a man, what a man to say something like that.
Satan wasn't done with him yet, got permission from God, and he comes and afflicts him from head to toe.
So the man is 1 aching, riding, massive misery and physical suffering and torment.
And I don't like to, uh, belittle Job's wife. My sense with Job's wife is she loved her husband and didn't want to see him suffer anymore. She said, curse God and die. Just close the book and be done with this. He says, you speak as a foolish woman. Shall we not receive good at the hands of the Lord and shall we not receive evil? And it says in all this, Job did not sin with his mouth the most intense suffering and sorrow that perhaps any outside of our blessed Lord have gone through.
And a dent breaking, he retained his integrity.
But then his friends started in on him. He sat and quiet for saying seven days and that's the most good that they did. And when Joe finally opened up, then they started in on him. From their rationale, they saw this man must be living a double life because good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, and Job appears to be good, but he must be living a double life. He must be a hypocrite because all this bad stuff wouldn't happen to him if he wasn't a very simplistic and a very reasonable theology.
And so they started accusing job of.
Having character defect.
You're not what you purport yourself to be. That is what hit the quick with Joel and then he comes out swinging.
His pride was touched.
With no sin, but there was self-righteous and and sometimes we read the book of Job and we're amazed at the attacks, verbal assaults that that they leveled at him and he met him punch for punch. He came right back 8 rounds.
And Job has the last word. They could not break that man. He was, he was. He was consistent to the end.
So the young man alive who comes in the messenger among 1000 that gives a word to God and then God himself says to Job and let's just turn to that Job chapter 38. Just two verses to close the chapter on this little section on humility, Job chapter 38.
Verse One. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this? The darkness? Or obscureth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand thee.
And answer thou me. And the Lord begins to challenge him with one question after another.
Now chapter 40.
Jove is humbled in the presence of the majesty of God, and these answer these questions to ANS uh, the questions to answer is he cannot provide and Job says, answer the Lord verse one and said, I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholding from thee. Who is he that hide of counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered words that I understood not or I have uttered that I have understood not.
Things too wonderful for me which I knew not here, I beseech thee and I will speak. I will demand or I will inquire of thee and declare thou unto me. I find this is a remarkable play really on words. It's it's irony that the Lord says Joe, all right, you've had a lot to say. Now I have some questions for you. If you're up, you're always like a man and answer my questions that I'm gonna address, uh, to you.
And he, uh, he says I'm gonna demand of you and I want an answer.
But when we come to chapter 42.
Joel takes the very words of God and uses it against himself. Who is he that hideth counsel or obscureth counsel without knowledge?
That would be me.
Therefore I've uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. I was sounding off on something. I didn't know anything about it in the presence of the majesty of God, as you realize how infinitely small He is and how great God is.
00:35:06
And then he says in verse 4 here, I beseech thee, speak. I will demand that the it's not the thought we see demand we think of that as a superior to an inferior. The thought is inquiring. He's asking now as Joe has got a challenge him now he takes the learner's place. You tell me. You tell me though there's humility to be in the presence of God. Well, our time is going quickly. I do wanna make a couple of other references.
There how important humility is that we might have some sense of what it is.
In the presence of God and what it isn't a false humility, but we also read there in Proverbs 14 that by humility.
And the fear of the Lord, our riches and honor and life and the fear of the Lord is such a important, uh, principle and key to blessing and happiness in our life. We know that Ecclesiastes, it's God throughout, but in Proverbs is primarily Jehovah because Jehovah is the name that God takes in relationship to his people.
The fear of the Lord. It's the reverential fear.
And in Proverbs we have the principles of 1A godly soul that walks in the wisdom of God.
And he walks in the fear of the Lord, in contrast to Ecclesiastes, where a man walks according to sight and according to human wisdom. It ends in frustration, it ends in irritation, it ends in misery, and it ends in despair. Where the proverbs, as it says, but the path of the justice is the shining light. When translation says, that goes on and brightens until the day before they come.
You've noticed, so have we. That verse lived out in the life of some of the Lord's people.
Probably the most demoralizing thing that I've experienced in my life is to see an Old Believer That's sour.
And full of critical words.
Whereas the enjoyment of Christ in your soul, do you have not a good word to say about anybody? Is there nothing you can enjoy from the Scriptures? Nothing. You've lived your whole life, you're on the brink of stepping in the Lord's presence, and all you have is harsh words, critical words, sour words.
And on the other hand, to see those that have walked with God and he is like the Lord is putting the finishing touches just like the leaves in autumn when they read all their rich colors just before they fall. And you see the impressive Christ in these dear ages, Saints of God. And they're so Christ like they can't do much, but they reflect Christ. That's how God would intend our days to end as China more and more into the perfect day. But the fear of the Lord. I've helped years ago by a comma and a brother made the difference between a legal man and a man walking.
Of God is this the legal man is not a happy man. The man that is walking in the fear of the Lord is an exceedingly happy man. There is all the difference in the world. What is it that's putting a check on our conduct and our behavior. But the Proverbs 14 times I believe we have the expression the fear of the Lord. It's the beginning of knowledge, it's the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is a wellspring of life, and he that hath that shall abide satisfied.
With the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance. See an evil way in the forward mouth Do I hate?
Think of it, you know there's things that the Lord loves. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.
But there are things the Lord hates. He hates pride. He hates arrogance. He hates the evil way in the forward mouth, and he hates those who are so discord among brethren. The Lord loves, but he hates.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Well, the fear of the Lord, how important that is in our life. And there are so many questions. Sometimes in our life we come to it. So I don't have a verse. Maybe we should, maybe we shouldn't. But there are answers that the fear of the Lord will guide us and preserve us. And so those are two things, humility and the fear of the Lord that will bring riches and honor in life. Now there's just a couple more I'd like to turn to and.
The first is in Acts chapter 20.
Brother Jonathan quoted in his prayer in the prayer meeting the first night. Acts, chapter 20.
And we'll read from verse 32 for the context. Paul is addressing the elders, the Ephesian elders that had come to to Troas.
And his final appeal to them he says now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel. Yeah, yourselves know that these hands have ministered under my necessities, and them that are with me. I have showed you all things how that so laboring you ought to support the weak and remember the words of the.
00:40:12
Jesus how? He said. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
What a poignant scene here where Paul commends these dear believers, recognizing it was the last time that he would see them.
You know in Hebrews one we read the word of his power. In Revelation 3 we read of the word of his patience. But as he was leaving these Ephesians in the Saints of God, there he says, I commend you to God in the word of his grace.
And that's what we need. We need the word of His grace, which is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among all of them are sanctified. I take that. That's a present portion. And so he commends them to God. That will bring before us prayer in the word of his grace, the word of God, the minister to us in grace. We need both these things. And then in contrast to Aiken there when he entered the land, he stole, took that gold and the silver and that goodly Babylonians garment.
Paul says I've coveted no man's gold.
Or silver or apparel. That was what not not motivated him. And then he says, and I wondered if he doesn't say it, you know that these hands, these hands have ministered to my menus necessities and to them they're with me.
Paul laboured, he worked for himself and used those hands for the good of others. Like it says in Ephesians 5 that let him install steal no more, but let him rather work with his hands that he may have to give to him this need. Is it wrong to try to make money? No.
Make it in order to give and to share.
And so he gives himself as an example. He says, I showed you all things, not just told you all things, showed you all things. How the so laboring ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. It's been noted here that this is the one quotation of the Lord that we don't read about in the Gospels, but it was something that the disciples knew and the disciples heard. He says, remember what he said. We may not have the record of it, but it's obviously something.
Lord did say, Paul said he said it and it was certainly the exemplification in his life. It was more blessed to give than to receive. And I think of umm.
Hebrews there in reference to.
The Melchizedek priesthood, but just his expression without controversy. The less is blessed of the better.
Think of that in reference to us without controversy. The less us are blessed to the better God. There's another beautiful example. We often think of Jacob and what a life he had. We say it was a checkered life. It was up and down, full of deceit and trickery and all the rest. You know that man, the end of his days are a marvelous. And there is Jacob, a man who had been under the discipline of God much of his life. Because of his ways, he comes into the presence of Pharaoh, the highest monarch on earth.
And Jacob blesses Pharaoh.
A Saint of God under discipline is far superior than the highest earthly monarch. And so we see this character that the higher path is the giving path, the spirit of generosity and the spirit of giving. That's where joy lies and giving not in taking.
I was young, I was just a kid and I don't know, I don't remember much details.
Other than there was some something at school, we had to, uh, exchange gifts. I mean, what it was, but you each all gave a gift. You got a number and you got some of the gift. So I don't, I don't remember what I gave. I don't remember what I got. But all I do remember is that what I gave was something I would have liked to have and as far as superior to whatever I received and wasn't happy about it. So I was complaining to my dad when I got home and said, well, I gave this and I got that.
He says, well, that's good. Now I'm really upset. First of all, you're not even listening. I said this what I got, he says. And I said that's good.
So not only does he wasn't listening, no, he doesn't now he doesn't understand. You don't understand that I got what was not as good. And he said, well, it is more blessed to give than to receive. You know the problem in that though, I wasn't given, I was trading and I didn't have any sand and I got the short end of the deal. And so I was upset about that and I did not understand that concept. It is more blessed to give than to receive. But what is the character of?
Giving and we won't turn to it, but you can read in Luke chapter 14 there what we have, we might say is the hospitality of God and as a great supper and the Lord says that when you have a have a have a feast going and and bring all those that cannot repay.
00:45:12
So you give without any expectation that you were gonna receive anything.
No reciprocity in it. Now there's reciprocity. This brother, we'd love to have fellowship backwards as far as one another, but just that side of it, the blessing of giving without any thought that I would get one thing in return has real liberty and real blessing in the spirit of generosity. Now one more passage in First Thessalonians 4, rather First Thessalonians chapter 5, and I just mentioned these things.
With regard.
That we might indeed know something of the promise of life and the joy of life. That we might love life. Not only do we have a blessed future, but we might have a happy life. Because it's well been said, our testimony to the world is our joy in Christ. And so and, and the world may not read their Bibles, but they will read us. And if there is a witness of joy in our life, it will be noticed in this world.
1St Thessalonians 516.
Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
We've heard that little saying, and I take it it's taken from these 3 verses that joy will ever rise in proportion to prayer and Thanksgiving.
Verse 16, joy. Verse 17 Prayer and verse 18 Thanksgiving.
These short little sermons rejoice evermore. That was Paul's desire for this young fledgling assembly there in Thessalonica. Joy, the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy. But say, how do I have that joy? Well then, he gives us 2 little practical clues to pray without ceasing.
It says in first Timothy that, uh, I exhort that first of all, prayer, giving us thanks we made to all men that all that in authority and so.
The importance of prayer without ceasing and not saying prayers but praying.
I have so many times at work. Well, I'll say a prayer.
Saying a prayer is no, has no value in it. We pray, we intercede to God directly, not say some prayer like you light a candle, as if there is something meritorious in that, but to pray and to look up independence upon God. But now in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
There are little incidents and anecdotes that, you know, we compile over the years that make an impression on us. And something I just passed it on that was.
It's helpful to me.
I was a sister, she had umm.
I don't know how it was she came into the assembly. I don't think it was a Christian home, but she came and.
She ended up marrying someone that I don't remember his history either. None of their families were in the assembly and.
They are married and some children.
I know maybe 10 years or so, 15 years into marriage, things just flew apart and you went sideways.
Left her and her life was one of heartache and sorrow and some of these things you just cannot wrap your mind around the sorrow and suffering of the Saints of God.
Where you're afraid you're gonna lose your mind, your sanity.
But something she told a brother that was passed on to me in order how she retained her spirit and her and her joy. She said first thing in the morning I began to thank the Lord for everything. So I looked at the clock in the wall and saw what time it was. I thank the Lord for the clock on the wall.
And from there she went out throughout the day with everything that she could see she thanked the Lord for.
Thank the Lord for eyes to see the clock and we go through that and you will find, won't you? And we've been sure experienced it many times we come into life and.
And we're going to do all things without murmuring and complaining. But what is the answer to that? It's giving a thanks and everything. Give thanks because in that we know we're doing the will of God.
How many times in life we don't know what the will of God is for us? We say I trust I have the Lord's mind. I think I do, but I don't know.
But how good? When we give thanks, we know that we're doing the will of God, and there will be that joy that attends to it.
00:50:03
So just a few things that.
I hope we've learned a little bit over the years and how we would to our younger brother, and especially that you might know something of humility and the fear of the Lord and of generosity and of gratitude. And in these things we'll experience not only promise of the life that is to come, but promise of the life that now is. Let's pray our God and our that we do thank Thee for thy precious word, and we thank thee for thy Des.
1 Peter 2:5-17
Gospel 1
Gospel—David Harman
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.
My privilege to welcome you to the Gospel meeting tonight.
I'd like to begin by singing #7 in the hymn sheets.
God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall.
Salvation full and highest cost He offers free to all.
#7.
God loved the world.
Of Sinner's life and real life.
Nowadays, you can't fall asleep and come in on the first day of the fall.
01111 1.
1111.
129 Five.
Seven and together. I'm not going to come back and browse Rapprock. Run, run, run, run, run, run.
Anything surprise so I'm on.
The message tonight is the message of sin and salvation.
And with the Lord's help, we'll consider it in the context of choices for choices.
I'd like to begin in the book of Genesis.
And I would mention too that.
You need not.
Feel obligated to turn to all the passages. If we turn to a number of verses in the in the scriptures, I would be happy if you would just listen. It's up to you. Genesis chapter 2.
This first choice that we're going to look at.
As.
Do all of the choices that we'll consider tonight, Lord willing has a particular setting in which it was made.
In this setting was in the Garden of Eden.
This earth, having fallen into a state of chaos and darkness, had now been recently remade by God, and now it is pristine.
Conditions could not be better.
God had made man as the crowning glory of his creation and declared.
That all things were very good.
And so he placed man in the garden in the best of conditions, and he gave him one commandment, and we're going to read that commandment in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 16.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Chapter 3.
And verse.
Well, we'll start at verse one. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yeah, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened. And.
00:05:11
Shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
So the stage is set for the first choice.
God's commandment.
And Satan's contradiction.
God gives the commandments, but he gives man the ability to choose.
So what was the choice? Many here, no.
Verse six of chapter 3. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And 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.
That's as far as we'll read.
So God's commandment was to not eat.
Of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
And Satan's contradiction was that they wouldn't surely die. God just doesn't want you to be as he is.
And so the woman was deceived, and she partook of that forbidden fruit.
She made the wrong choice.
And immediately.
They knew the consequences.
A conscience of their condition and a separation from God.
Sin separates.
And we're told in Isaiah that your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sin has hid his face from you that he will not hear. And so if you're hearing your sins tonight without Christ, you are at a distance from God, and he is seeking your fellowship as he was seeking Adam's fellowship here. Where art thou?
If you don't feel that distance, God does. He longs for your fellowship, but sin has come in between you and Him.
God can have no fellowship with sin.
He has a pure eyes, and to behold iniquity, and cannot look upon sin.
And so your sin has separated you from your God.
So Adam and Eve, they realized the consequences of this choice immediately.
But the consequences of that choice have continued on down through the ages. The setting of this choice that was made here was roughly 6000 years ago.
And sin is still separating you from your God today.
You are part of a sinful condition of a sinful race.
Romans tells us.
That by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
And so by being born into this world, you became partakers of that.
Sinful race.
That is at a distance from God.
And cannot be reconciled in the presence of sin.
You might ask.
I'm not so bad. Why do you say I'm so sinful? You're telling me that all the people around me are sinful?
I see kindness every day.
Well, you and I were made in the image and likeness of God.
We have.
An innate desire to to love and be loved.
And.
To be liked.
And Mann has built himself a society that began in the days of Cain, when he went out from the presence of God and built a city.
Mann has built a society in the absence of God. He shuts God out.
00:10:01
And he gets along.
By, uh, by doing kindnesses.
And perhaps with their desire to be, to receive kindness in return, to be liked, these are natural things.
And there are there are checks that have been put in place to restrain the hearts of men, governments, law and such like.
But we are seeing increasingly.
With greater frequency every day in the news.
That man is becoming more and more defiant of any sort of authority or restraint.
And if any, if there's any possibility that there will be no retribution for an evil deed?
Then there's no restraint.
The heart of man is fully manifest.
And so the the restraint that is present in our society is a thin veneer at best.
The heart of man is still the same.
Lost and sinful.
And you might think that you're better than your neighbor because your neighbor does these things and you would never do that.
Uh, but that's not what the word of God tells us. There's no difference.
I'll read it to get it right.
Romans, chapter 3.
We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They're all gone out of the way. They are together, become unprofitable. There is none that do with good. No, not one.
There's No Fear of God before their eyes.
All the world has become guilty before God.
And so you can't stand here or sit here tonight in any sort of complacency thinking that you're OK.
God says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
And so the consequences of that choice made in the garden are.
Present to this day.
And if you're here without Christ?
You are lost and on your road to a lost eternity. The wages of sin is death.
God told Adam in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
They didn't drop dead physically.
But they became dead spiritually.
And they began to die physically. Death came upon all men.
And so now God says that we are all dead in trespasses and sins.
That's your condition tonight, without Christ.
The sad consequences of the wrong choice.
The setting for the next choice.
Is.
Outside of space and time.
And where the Godhead?
Had counseled together they looked down upon this world in its sinful condition.
Man, his creature who rebelled against him.
And God Southern loved the world.
Why did he love the world?
Because he chose to.
He chose to.
The God who created all things. The God who created you.
Was not in any way obliged to love us. He could have easily snuffed us out.
And made a fresh start. But he chose to love us.
So God Southern loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son.
In Isaiah we read a a vision that he had saw the Lord sitting on his throne, high and lifted up.
00:15:07
And he heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?
As a messenger to my people, who are all unclean, who shall, whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
And the answer came here am I send me? And he said go.
So God chose to love us.
And he chose to send his Son, and the Lord Jesus chose to come.
And so when the fullness of time would come.
God sent forth his Son.
Made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them, that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.
At the appointed time.
God sent forth his Son.
And we read in Philippians.
Chapter 2.
Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God.
Thought it not robbery or a thing to be grasped at, to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
So the eternal sun became flesh, the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
That was God's choice.
And I'd like to, uh, with your permission.
Inject a little bit of perspective on this thought that the Word became flesh.
No doubt some of you have heard it before, and if you've heard it from me before, which you may have, I beg your pardon. But to me it's astounding.
The world we live in is pretty big.
8000 miles, approximately in diameter.
But how big is that really?
The Milky Way Galaxy in which we exist.
Is 100,000 light years in diameter? What is a light year? So speed that light travels in one year approximately 6 trillion miles.
The Milky Way Galaxy is 100,000 light years across.
And by man's best estimation, right now the known universe is 93 billion light years in diameter.
8000 miles doesn't sound very big anymore.
Little bit of perspective if you scaled the earth from 8000 miles in diameter down to one inch size of 1/4.
The Milky Way would still be 1.1 billion miles across.
And the universe would be 184 light years in diameter.
What if the Milky Way became one inch across? You can't even see the Earth anymore. It's it doesn't exist, it's so small.
The universe is still 15 miles across.
So 100,000 * 6 trillion miles has now become one inch, and the universe is still 15 miles across.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Isn't that astounding? Why?
Why here? Why us?
Because he loved us.
He chose to love us.
The setting for our next choice is approximately 2000 years ago.
In the city of Jerusalem.
The Son of God has walked this earth now for 30 approximately 33 years.
00:20:02
The Word became flesh.
He has lived a perfect life.
Perfect obedience to the will of His Father, fulfilling all that he was sent to do.
Bestowing kindness and healing on all he came in contact with in the face of man's wickedness and rebellion.
Matthew 26.
The Lord Jesus.
Has been betrayed Now, at this point in time, has been betrayed by one of his friends into the hands of those who sought to kill him.
Verse 59 of Matthew 26.
Now the chief priests and elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death, but found none. Yeah, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. And at the last came two false witnesses. And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose and said unto him, Answereth thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace.
And the high priest answered, and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said, Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
And the high priest rent is closed, saying he has spoken blasphemy. What further need have we have witnesses? Behold now ye have heard his blasphemy, what think ye? They answered and said he is guilty of death and then did. Then did they spit in his face and buffeted him.
And others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophecy unto us, Thou Christ, who is he that smote thee? Imagine the audacity of the human heart to rebel against the Creator and spit in his face.
Chapter 27.
Verse 11 And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
Then said Pilot unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
Now that feast, the governor was want to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would, and they have then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you, Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ?
There are the options.
That's the choice to be made, Jesus or Barabbas.
Verse 19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man? For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will you that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
What a choice.
What a choice.
Did it take God by surprise? No, Remember.
He made that choice a long time before this.
In the book of Acts we read that it was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
That they took him with wicked hands and crucified him.
Didn't take God by surprise.
That's what He chose. That's what He chose. That's how much He loved us. That's how much He loved you. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
Of course he knew how they how they would treat him when he came.
But he sent him, notwithstanding all.
00:25:04
I'd like to read this.
More of this 27th chapter.
To follow on in the in the wake of this choice that was made.
When verse 24, when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing with that rather a tumult was made, He took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, See to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us and on our children. Then released Hebrew rabbis unto them. And when he had scourge Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers, and they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
And when they had plotted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a Reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and took the Reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Verse 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet. They parted my garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots, and sitting down they watched Him there.
And set up over his head, his accusation written, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyeth the temple, and villast it in three days, save thyself it thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Likewise also the chief priest, mocking him with the scribes and elders, said He saved others himself. He cannot save if he be the King of Israel. Let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God. Let him deliver him now if you will have him. For he said I am the Son of God.
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land under the ninth hour and about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli lamas the back then I that is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias, and straightway one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a Reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
The hymn writers put it this way.
Well, might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in.
When Christ the Incarnate Maker died for man, his creature's sin.
The Son of God.
Ever the delight of his Father in a past eternity.
Ever his delight in his pathway on this earth.
Constant communion and fellowship throughout his pathway.
Then in these three hours of darkness, when he bore your sins and mine.
In his own body on the tree.
God turned his back.
Forsook him.
As he poured out his wrath and his judgment on those sins.
That were ours.
Became the sacrifice.
For sin.
He paid the price that you and I could never pay.
There's no way that we could. Ever.
Take away our own sin.
None can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him. I can't save myself. I can't save you. You can't save yourself, you can't save me.
Because the sacrifice would not be perfect.
The sacrifice had to be without blemish and without spot.
Have you ever tried to wash a car with an oily rag? Doesn't work. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. None of them could atone for our sins.
There had to be a perfect sacrifice.
And that could be none other than the perfect Son of God. Thank God he was willing to come. Thank God he chose to come.
For you.
00:30:11
The setting of the fourth choice.
Is.
Regina, SK, July 30th, 2016 7:30 PM.
Call Ritchie Center.
God commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
There are two things you need tonight.
If you are still in your sins.
You need repentance toward God.
And you need faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is commanding you to repent. You've offended God with your sin.
God is holy and just and pure.
And he is offended by your sin.
And he commands you to repent.
What will your choice be?
John's Gospel, chapter 3 and verse 36.
Says he that believeth on the sun.
Hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
There's your choice.
Everlasting life or the wrath of God?
Don't put it off till tomorrow.
For you know not what a day may bring forth.
You could be taken away in death, unexpectedly. No man knows his time.
Or the Lord Jesus may come. He has promised to come quickly.
And take all those that have put their trust in him to be with himself forever.
Then it will be too late.
We don't know when that will be.
And the consequences are enormous.
You are standing on the very brink of a lost eternity.
From which there will be no repentance, no return.
Your sins must be dealt with.
Either by yourself.
Or by substitute.
We saw little.
Consider the seriousness of sin.
Eternity is not long enough for you to atone for your sins.
Script Scripture speaks of the blackness of darkness forever.
Separation from God. Your sins have separated you from God. That's your condition now. And if you don't repent, that will be your condition for all of eternity.
Separation from God.
Separation from any trace of love.
The blackness of darkness forever.
Where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.
Torment.
Or everlasting life.
What's keeping you back?
What's hindering you from making the right choice?
Anyone with a trace of intelligence, with the facts laid before them, knows what the right choice is. You know what the right choice is.
What's holding you back? Is that your stubborn pride?
You think you're not bad enough for this?
Is it your desire for just a little more pleasure?
Pleasures of sin for a season. It's only for a season.
00:35:01
And you don't know when that season will end.
Make the right choice.
He that believeth on the sun hath everlasting life.
And he that believeth not, shall not see life. There's no hope.
Shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Do you know the wrath of God is abiding over you tonight?
When is it going to fall?
You don't know.
I don't know.
The message does not include an expiry date.
Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Choose Life.
Choose tonight.
Can we sing?
#18.
God loved the world so tenderly, His only Son He gave, that all who on His name believe is wondrous power will save. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
#18.
God loved the world till tenderly and lonely.
And rolled up against me and it's one of the dress while I'm a question today, a a a or on my solo cover up and he gave it all into one.
Lord and Lord.
You're not very tired.
That happened to the dark. I am very dangerous being in the last 9:50.
No life ever right? But now that my eyes make my life.
I have Prince and he never left one wife while I having the one for education just 0183 49 behavioral environment followed by anything there's a lot of.
Work or God blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Uh, that's not how you're doing. It's all aspirin. Maybe. Maybe I have to stand with him, to him.
00:40:01
Run down and after while he's alive.
I want to leave you with a thought.
That though you are a Sinner as all who as all in this room once were.
So you are a Sinner. God loves you. God loves the Sinner.
And he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
It's God's desire for you.
He is still seeking restoration of that fellowship that was broken in the garden by sin. Don't let your sin continue to keep your keep you away from God. Don't turn your back on that love you have the choice to make tonight.
Choose life, let's pray.
Taste and See
Children—Stephen Hall
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.
I'll say that again. Good morning, kids.
My name is Steve Hall and I'm going to spend a few minutes with you. Who has a song that they like to sing, preferably on the Backpage.
Go ahead.
#47.
Umm, like the size of the morning?
It is bright on your head. They shall try it.
If you need right and forehead now.
He will come out there, he will look down everywhere. I get out of our heads and he came down.
On the plane on on one right once in the bottom of the ground here alone.
Like the Skype of all the mornings, it is crying around the Lord and so sky.
Excuse me, right, It can't. Go ahead and come.
But don't get a little bright and Red Cross ground.
To come on the prayer and bring me a turn on the new flesh of jewels.
Yeah.
1 morning.
And it frightened round adorned days they come shine.
With your day right now.
For his crown.
All righty, who else has one? Go ahead.
#40 and then #24.
40 #40.
Umm, yeah. Did you try 1? Three. Yeah, Skinny didn't die with me.
Yeah, it's right. So I'm doing.
Come on. Come on. Please. No, no.
Geez, I love you.
And why?
It will watch out in mind and let's talk again. Frozen child cannot come in.
Yeah, yeah.
Three 953.
Yeah, speaking to crying flooding so.
Do you guys don't love me? Don't want that and you were waiting to make me quiet?
00:05:01
Way to hold me in his heart.
Keep me safe from everyone.
Yes, let's see, because but sleeping.
Yeah, let's see 953.
Yeah, she's not slightly, not a pineapple tells me so.
She doesn't like me. Like me? Step away when you come down.
Run, hit and shine and all my life they will watch me where I can watch it.
Yeah, he's right. Last night.
That's been my name. Yeah, he's not like sweet love my ankles. Help me. Umm.
Please don't find me anywhere else may falling by the way.
In my heart and.
In the face, peeking on my thighs.
Yeah, let's see if I love things. You're not happy. You're interested in your eyes and stuff. Maybe.
Yeah, I don't know if I'm slightly.
Thus I will tell me so.
That was number 2444. Very good #44.
News on salvation with everything.
Nobody.
Has heard and sold it to me.
That way I can tell it again.
Well, thank you, son. Don't worry.
No one can say I'm in the children of heaven.
It doesn't play. Yeah, I'm very hungry for.
Yeah, it's not all the time we are supposed to go over anything. 935 July.
Not ever in thy hands with me alone.
Nobody ever in the story had a snow.
And light rain and I'm at night again.
No vacation, no more than anything.
One can say about the time your friends are asking me, and they're all funny as well and have told me before.
98.5.
John strategy and turn the valley outstanding out there. No, I'll send you a slang in the weather that we need than I am sure that I can be sent him forward and he's all right. I can't say I can't say I can't.
Dial donation store. Everything alright?
My pen stay out of the chills running out of bed. And you know nobody ever has told me before.
00:10:05
Let's bow our heads and we'll ask the Lord for His help with our little time together.
I'm going to go ahead and let's say our memory versus.
And then I have a little talk. When I was your age, I grew up in assembly called Tacoma. It's way out on the West Coast. And I always really, really was excited when the Sunday school teacher or speaker had a brown bag because I knew there was something special in that brown bag. So I've brought a brown bag. It's right over here and.
We'll get to that in a couple minutes, OK.
So there's a memory verse this week. I believe it's found in John chapter 3 and verse 36. I'm going to read it and then I was wondering if any of you children want to say it.
So the verse is John 336. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Who would like to say the verse?
Any of you brave enough?
Anybody at all?
Shall we all say it at once?
You guys all stand up. Everybody that knows the verse, go ahead and stand up. We'll say it all together, OK?
He that believeth on the son.
Hath everlasting life.
And he that believeth not the son.
Shall not see life.
But the wrath of God.
Abideth on him.
John, 336.
Very good. I know it's hard. It's hard to stand up and say a verse at a conference.
I'm wondering how many of you children were listening?
As we've had in the meetings yesterday and today.
Does anybody, can anybody tell me where we had the reading meetings? What book?
Very good. Do you know what, bud?
No.
Peter, very, very good. Good job.
I want to touch on a verse that we actually had in the reading meeting, so I'm going to open to.
First, Peter.
Chapter 2.
And the verse I want to talk about this morning is.
Is verse 3.
I'm gonna read it if so be ye have tasted.
That the Lord is gracious or that the Lord is good?
So I have some questions for you children this morning about tasting.
Do you guys know what it means to taste?
Yeah, how do you taste something?
With your tongue, what do you have to do to taste something?
Yeah, you got to take it right and you got to put it in your mouth and then you can taste it.
And this verse tells us that we should taste and see that the Lord is good.
I want to turn back to Ecclesiastes for a couple of verses. That's way back in the Old Testament.
I want to make a little bit of a contrast. You guys know what a contrast is?
That's the opposite, OK.
So this world.
Sets before us some things that this world wants us to taste.
OK, and I'm going to read it just a couple verses here in chapter 2. This was Solomon, and Solomon was a very wealthy man. He was the king of Israel and God had blessed Solomon and immensely it says that there was nobody that was richer than Solomon before him or after him.
00:15:24
And he was also a very wise man.
So I'm going to just read a couple verses. This is Solomon saying, I said in my heart, go now, and I will prove thee with mirth.
And therefore enjoy pleasure. And behold, this also is vanity.
We'll skip over a few verses down to verse 11. Then I looked on the works of my hands that had wrought, and on the labor that I had done I had to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit.
There was no profit under the sun, children, this morning, this world.
Holds out all kinds of things that we can taste. And Solomon tasted pretty much all of the things that this world had to offer. And he said that they were vanity and vexation of spirit. And I know that you guys probably don't understand.
What vanity and vexation of spirit is. And so I brought an illustration.
Vanity is something that is empty, doesn't have any substance to it, and so I'm going to give us a couple things to taste here.
I hope your parents don't get upset.
I had to go search around a little bit. Does anybody know what this is?
It's cotton candy. Do you know what the ingredients list is for cotton candy?
Sugar and a little bit of garbage.
Right. So I'm going to ask you how much substance is in this container. This is a fairly good sized container. Probably in the US we'd call this about a quart. Do you know how much substance is in this container?
Almost nothing. You know what? There's mostly air in this container. So I went out to the store and I bought a container of air with a little bit of sugar in it.
I like to use cotton candy as an illustration of vanity because it's almost nothing. So I'm gonna get, I'm gonna let all of you children taste this cotton candy and what it tastes like, is it sweet? Right. If you put a little chunk on your mouth, on your tongue, you're gonna taste some sweetness for about 1/2 a second and then it's gone.
And that is a really good illustration, I think, for what vanity is, what this world has to offer. It's we read in another place about Moses that he was willing to suffer reproach with the children of God rather than to taste the pleasures of sin for a season. And what this world has to offer is is definitely pleasure, but it's only for.
Short season so you guys can take just a teeny little pinch. I don't want to get you guys sick. Go ahead.
So what would happen children, if you, if I let you have this whole container and you, you were able to eat the whole container by yourself? What?
Yeah, you would get sick. So usually there's consequences associated with the pleasure that this world offers us.
You got that. There you go. Good job.
PD you want to come up and get a pinch?
Anybody else in the back there that wants one?
That's right, you got 2.
Stop.
Anybody else?
00:20:00
You want a pinch.
If you didn't, if you didn't get a pinch, come up and see me afterward, go ahead.
So cotton candy.
It's a.
It's a whole lot like vanity, right? So all you guys have had a taste and it it's sweet, right? Tastes pretty good for how long?
For about a half second, right? Really, really short. And if I gave you the whole container, you would probably be sick by lunchtime.
The other thing it does is, is, umm, sometimes we go backpacking and we have to walk a long ways with a pretty heavy pack. And if you were to eat some cotton candy, what would happen to you if you were going backpacking?
You might get sick, but you would have a lot of energy for maybe a couple minutes, and then you wouldn't have any energy at all. It would leave you worse off than before. And you know what, children? That's what this world has to offer. It looks really pretty. There's bright colors in this container. We only got through part of the blue, but there's pink.
It's pretty, but it doesn't satisfy, It doesn't fill our hearts. So I want to contrast that. I want to make that opposite of what the Lord has to offer us. So let's look at a few verses and then we'll have another treat.
That has a little more substance to it.
Psalms 34.
As we had in the reading meeting to taste.
Lord Jesus and to find out that He's good. And I hope that by the time we're done talking here, you will have tasted a little bit of the Lord Jesus and I want to encourage you to taste of Him more and more.
You know, as we had in the Reading meeting, the more we taste of the Lord Jesus, the more our appetite.
For the Lord Jesus grows.
Psalms 34, verse 8.
O taste.
And see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Their children. The first thing, the very first thing that you need to do.
To be able to taste the Lord Jesus, to find out that he's good.
Is to receive Him in your heart, to trust in Him. And it's really simple. We had it in the gospel meeting last night. I know you all know.
The gospel yourselves, but Simply put, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
And just like the memory verse that we had this morning.
It ends in everlasting life if we trust in the Lord Jesus.
Were saved for eternity, but if we don't, if we put it off.
If we delay, like the Sunday school verse, there's judgment, there's judgment coming. And so it's very, very important for us to believe on the Lord Jesus.
I want to turn to a verse in Jeremiah chapter 15.
Jeremiah chapter 15 and verse 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
For I am called by thy name, O Lord of hosts, dear children.
The pleasures that this world offers, the what this world has to offer is just a fleeting happiness. Not even really happiness. It's pleasure just for a very short season.
But if we are willing to taste the Lord, if we open His precious word, and we eat of it, it says here that thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy.
And rejoicing of my heart, dear children, if you want to find joy, if you want to find happiness.
Here in this world, it is found in this blessed book that we hold.
00:25:01
And I want to encourage you, even from a small child, you can open the Word of God and read it. You can listen when your parents.
Open the word of God and you can drink it in, it says of Timothy.
That he had known the Holy Scriptures from a child. And I hope, I pray that.
You are willing to listen to the word of God and that's how we that's one way that we can taste of the Lord is to listen to his precious word is to take in his precious word for ourselves.
But just as as I had that container of cotton candy for you guys to taste it right, you had to take a little bit of it. You had to reach out and take it and put it in your mouth and make it your own.
And dear children, the same thing is true for you. You have to take it.
And make it your own.
I want to speak just briefly to the young people, to those who are a little bit older.
Dear ones, make sure that you're reading this precious book every single day.
And that you take it in and you digest it and make it your own.
You can look at this container up here and not know what it tastes like. In fact, we had one child here that passed it by, and that's probably a good idea. There's a whole lot of food coloring and other bad stuff in that.
And it could make you really sick.
But it doesn't do any good. Dear young people, dear children, if you don't take it in and make it your own, I want to tell you a little bit of a story.
You know, I grew up in Tacoma and I'm very careful not to tell who this was, but I grew up, uh, along with a lot of friends that were my age and one other young man, he went to pretty much all the same conferences. I don't know that he came up here very often. We came up here a couple of times, Umm, but he went to most of the same conferences. He sat through the same Sunday school classes as I did.
And by the time.
That we were roughly 20 years old. I had opportunity to live with this young man for a short period of time and what I found is that 20 years of age.
The word of God had passed in one ear and out the other for him.
And we sat down and at 20 years of age, he had experienced a lot of sorrow in his life.
And that sorrow had brought him back to the Lord.
The goodness of God leadeth us to repentance, and so he was.
Seeking the Lord and we would sit around our little kitchen table for the wee hours of the morning and we would talk about the word of God.
And sadly, very little had seeped into his heart.
And it was a stark contrast for me because we would talk about this scripture or that scripture and I would share this or that with him.
And I wouldn't consider myself to be extremely well thought, especially at 20 years of age.
But he kept on asking me, where did you learn that?
And my response was, why didn't you learn it?
Dear children, you have to make it your own. You have to receive it and digest it and make it in as part of you if you're going to have the blessing from it. Just a couple more verses here that I want to talk about.
Turn with me to Luke chapter 5 if you have your Bibles.
I want to have a little illustration here of someone who tasted.
And found out that the Lord was good. We all know the story, but I'm going to read it really quickly. Luke chapter 5. I'm starting with verse one.
Then it came to pass, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the late Knesset and sought 2 ships standing by the lake. But the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their Nets. And he entered into one of the ships which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out from him from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.
00:30:01
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep.
And let your Nets let down your Nets for a draw. And Simon answered and said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing.
Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And when thee had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes in their net break, and they beckoned into their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them.
And they came and filled both ships so that they began to sink.
Their children. Here's a beautiful example of someone who tasted and found out that the Lord is good. And I want to encourage you as you go through your lives.
It may be that you're going back into school and in a little over a month, plus or minus.
Peter here he found out that the Lord was good because he was being.
Was willing to listen to the word of God and go back out and let his net down.
And he found that the net enclosed a great number of fishes, so much that both the boats couldn't hold the the catch.
Dear children, I think another way that you can taste and see that the Lord is good is by asking for the Lord to help you.
And by proving His faithfulness in our lives.
Every single day, I want to encourage you, especially you young people as well, to get up and ask the Lord for His help, for your life. Ask Him for His help for the day that you're going through, and you will find out. I guarantee you will find out that the Lord is good.
And you will also find out, my dear children, that if you forget to ask the Lord for his help, you're going to find out that it's a hard Rd. without the Lord helping us.
Haste and see that the Lord is good. One more verse.
Palms, Chapter 22.
Psalms chapter 22 and verse 26. And the meek shall eat, and.
And be satisfied, they shall praise the Lord that seek him. Their hearts shall live forever. Dear children, the other illustration I want to give to you this morning is what this world has to offer will not satisfy, but what the Lord has to offer will satisfy your heart. And that is so very, very important. If you eat of the Lord, if you drink of the Lord.
If you taste of the Lord, you're going to find a satisfaction.
That nothing, nothing else that this world has to offer will provide. It's just like that cotton candy. You can eat that cotton candy all day long and you're never going to be satisfied. It's emptiness. There's no substance to it.
And so, without belaboring the point, I have the other.
Park here.
And you'll excuse me for the reference, but I believe that Snickers says it satisfies. This doesn't really satisfy children, but it's as close as I could get. So there's a there's some candy bars in here. Please take one and pass it down.
Dear children.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
And you're going to find that he satisfies the heart.
And there's so many other verses that we could.
Take, but there's not enough time.
Toby, you want to come up and help me out here?
Go ahead.
Can you pass this around? Make sure everybody in the back gets one too. Thank you.
So we just have a couple more minutes here.
Do any of you children have another song that you'd like to sing?
00:35:13
What number 3141 #41?
And thank you.
Lombardi glory faces.
What brings them to that? Well, I love that. And so bright and clear.
When I come out of it, it's like joy and about how it came. I don't get all done. They're taking any bloody.
Because I take your genius what you want to tell me everything?
No one should have won't crash that from the beholden wise and clean singing glory.
Right.
I believe we have time for one more.
Go ahead #3.
The thus last and fell Friday, but grandpa's bloody bloody fell.
I think they're not from the French by holding on to his last name.
I write thy father let me go back to my grandfather's house and then thinking that.
Oh my turn, foundation shaking and.
Good. Our United States and the family space-time to change his team. Time change his grace.
And every time, so I mean again, I'll say praying for a home train in my family.
1517 rocks rise down the water and every time I'm missing them.
All the very crying on there, same things and.
All right, now it's ready again from the same.
Name is Grace and my name is Hands and.
00:40:05
Uh, sleeping things back.
All the better grounds in the same thing and.
Let's pray.
Helps on the Study of Prophecy
Address—Bruce Anstey
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.
#40 in the appendix.
Let's sing #40 independent.
I've been feeling a little queasy with UH, had an incident last night where I made a mistake and drank a bottle of a part of a bottle of, uh, a peroxide. I thought it was water. I've had some.
Weakness. But you'll have to excuse me so.
Seek to bring the scriptures before our audience. #40 independence, says Laurel. Hail to the Lord's anointed.
Could some brothers start that? All I can start is hail to the Lord.
Roasting, dear child and.
They gave me a lot of different regions, you know, I don't know what's right.
Do you know any sense like that? And I'm pretty.
Good. Thank you. So bad friendly. I'll try to turn it down. And you're going to have Wednesday.
No, I haven't been looking at how long I'm sitting on the bed.
And now so they can buy.
Yeah, Blood or knees down. I don't know anything. Anything else you're father rejoining, uh.
Wednesday, when Frontier is being in trouble.
Down from my head and again.
It's one to two days, so.
Change the alarm for him and those and him, then bring.
On take some gathering about the door again.
His friends are being closed in between.
I can sit by and tell them what you're getting.
Oh, I remember she had.
Far as the beginning of standing down.
Or not slightly and so forth.
I'd like to take up.
Something that could be called helps on the study of prophecy.
And in particular I would like to try to answer.
A question is ask me more than any other question on the subject of prophecy, and that is in what is the role that the United States of America will have?
In the coming events as laid out in prophecy.
And I can understand why people are asking these questions. I just had an e-mail again a few days ago from somebody from a different fellowship of Christians asking this question. And I get inundated with it. And I'm not sure if I can answer it all together from Scripture. But I'll do my best. And you can understand why things are heating up in the United States of America as you know they're getting ready for an election and.
Things don't look too good as far as the future is concerned for that country. I'm sorry to say that to some of my American brothers that are here.
Since Canada is pretty much a piggyback nation on the US, whatever happens there will probably be reflected here. I don't intend to try to interpret prophecy from the daily newspaper. That's a mistake. But I will give you a few things that I have learned from scriptures and I'll also quote from a expositor that wrote something with regard to the United States over 140 years ago, and I think that will shed some light on this question. But before we do, as I've been saying, I'd like to take up some things that would be in connection with.
Helps on the study of prophecy.
So let's turn first of all for a couple of introductory verses in Revelation, chapter 19 and verse 11.
00:05:02
Revelation 19 and verse 10. Excuse me.
A lot of half of about tenth verse.
The testimony of Jesus worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy says latter 7 or 8 words.
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It's important when we take up the subject of prophecy that we understand that God has an object and a goal with all prophecy and it does not necessarily finish and end with us as Christians, nor does it end or start with Israel, but rather the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the key to understanding every passage in prophecy is to understand that it has some reflection on him and he is the object and end of all prophecy.
So the prophecy in scripture does not concern the church nor Israel first hand, though it does have much to say about it the the goal or the object. The end of prophecy is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Prophecy tells us how God is going to secure our public glory for the Lord Jesus in the coming days. So the events of prophecy are in scripture to take us through those things. But the ultimate end in all this is the public display of Christ Kingdom glory.
When we speak of the glory of the Lord Jesus, we're talking about his official Kingdom glory. As opposed to other aspects of glory or other glories that he has. He has many glories. He has his mediatorial glory of redemption as he sits at the right hand of God having completed the work of redemption. And we have many, many blessings in him. And that's a tremendous glory that he has secured and has acquired it through what he did at the cross.
And it's beautiful to see that he shares that glory with us and the blessings that have been.
Uh, accrued as a result of that work. But this is something different. This is Kingdom glory. This is the glory that he has yet to secure. For himself is a glory that he has yet to win. And he will be victorious in the coming day over all the nations, and he will secure that glory for his own public display and wonder of wonders. He's going to share that glory as well with his redeemed people, both the church.
In the heavens and Israel upon the earth. So there's a bright future coming for this world, even though it looks very, very dark today.
And it's getting darker every day. So let us understand as we study the prophecy, the events of prophecy, the details of prophecy.
That Christ must be.
The theme is the theme, and he must be the one that we have to keep before our souls if we're going to understand anyone's passage.
I'm not saying that every passage has to do with the Lord's, uh, glory in the in in each verse, but it will work in its ultimate fruition towards that which is his glory. So there are some scriptures that talk about judgment of their enemies. They say, well, how could there be any glory for Christ in that? But it works toward his ultimate glory is my point.
Let's turn to another passage in Second Peter Chapter 2.
Peter chapter one.
Verse 19.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where until we do well to take heed as unto a light or a lamp that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawner should be day dawn.
And the day star arise in our hearts. Now here we have a direct scripture that tells us that we should take heed to prophetic scriptures. He says Here we have a more sure word of prophecy. Whereunto do we do well to take heed?
And so we have God's word telling us that we should be interested.
In prophetic events. And the reason for it is not because we want to get off a timeline set up or we were intrigued as to this detail and that detail, but rather because we're interested in seeing it all work out to the ultimate end in the glory and the display of the glory of Christ in the coming day. So we should all have a healthy interest in prophecy. Sometimes we say, oh, I can never understand those things, it's too deep.
Things of God. You know that scripture in First Corinthians prophecy is not the deep things of God.
00:10:00
The deep things of God are the mysteries that have been hidden in the heart of God from eternity, and he's been grown unto us through the Apostle. And it's disclosed in the great Mystery Christ in the Church. That's the deep things of God. Prophecy is things that are really found in the Old Testament.
And they have their fruition in coming day.
So it tells us here that uh, one of the benefits of taking heed to the word of prophecy is that the day will dawn and the day star will arise in our hearts. Now what does that mean? What does that mean? Well, and what he's doing here in this verse is he's comparing 2 light systems that we're familiar with, showing one is very inferior to the other. The first light that he mentions is a lamp.
A life that you would have in a lamp.
Which would provide light for your pathway or whatever you may be working on and if you were in a dark scene.
But then he compares it with daylight. Broad daylight, I might add, but you can see that one is in superior to the other. One is infinitely or not infinitely but incredibly more strong. And he's likening the light that that was in the Old Testament times, as in the Old Testament prophecies, as being like a lamb.
But in comparison and in contrast, the light that we have now, that has been brought to us through the Holy Spirit in Christian revelation.
It's like the day dawning.
It's superior in light, and so the study of prophecy helps us to see the light of Christianity better. Back when the truth was recovered 100 and 880 years ago or so, the Brethren were more occupied with prophecy than they were Church truths. But they found in contrast, that the Church had no place in prophecy. And by way of comparing, they learned much about the Church and its actions and its function, its order.
And so on Church doctrine and practice as we speak of it, And it came as a result of them first studying prophecy. And so it does help us to understand by way of contrast, that the light and blessings that we have in Christianity are superior to that which those had in Old Testament times. And it gives us to see that really we have no part in prophecy as belonging to the Church. And more than that, the study of these things brings the daystar to arise in our hearts. Now what is that?
The daystar is, of course the hope of the Lord's coming is coming for us himself.
And the study of prophecy, the learning of Church truth, should make the hope of the Lord's coming more imminent in our hearts. And anything that will bring the hope more closer to our hearts and bring it before our souls in a more powerful way is a good thing. So it's good to us that we take heed to the word of prophecy, because it's going to have a practical effect.
On the eminence of the Lord's coming in our own lives. And there is a great danger of people giving up the hope and the imminence of the hope, as the Lord warned in Matthew 24 when he sat there. Like those who say, my Lord, Delayeth is coming, and begin to beat the man servants and the maidservants and get drunk with them and so on, showing that there when we let go of the imminence of the Lord's coming reliable to settle down into the world and get far away from the Lord. So prophecy has a very practical effect.
It causes the Lord's coming to come up close to our hearts, detaches us from this world because we realize that he could come at any moment and it should have a very sanctifying effect as well. So I just bring these scriptures before us to tell us that first of all, the object of prophecy is Christ Himself, his own glory. And secondly, we should be encouraged, and we are encouraged by Peter here to take heed to the word of prophecy because there's much that's going to be for our benefit on on a practical way.
So having said that, by way of introduction.
I suppose we could Fast forward to what was found in Second Thessalonians chapter.
Chapter 2.
2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2.
We read some things here that are interesting with regard to the restrainers that God has in the world and working in the.
00:15:01
Verse six of two Thessalonians, chapter 2. Now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time He's talking about the Antichrist in the chapter. I didn't read it and that word withhold could be translated restrained. So he that what restrains is that he that really reveals in his time which is Antichrist. For the mystery of iniquity does already work. Only he who now letteth will last or could be.
He who restrains until he be gone or been taken out of the way, then shall the wicked be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with him in his mouth, and shall he destroy with the brightness of his coming. I read this passage because I want to point out that there are two restrainers that God has in the earth from allowing evil to go out of control.
While the Church is still here on earth.
The two restrainers are referred to in verse 6 and verse 7.
And they're better seen in the Jan Darby translation. Where he uses the word restrained. There is the what that restrains verse 6. And there is the He that restrains verse 7. The what that restrains is the governments that have been set up of God in the earth to restrain evil and to exercise righteousness among men, unfortunately.
There has been an apostasy of this first restrainer and government is letting go as far as restraining evil, and things in this world are getting even worse and worse.
And that will continue and and culminate in the person of the man of sin himself, Antichrist. But that the apostasy of government has already begun today. It reaches its culmination in the uh man of sin himself, when the Church is gone.
But the second one, he who restrains in verse 7 is referring to a person. The what is referring to a thing the government as I've been saying. But the he is referring to a person and the person is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is here in the church and he is working to restrain the progress of evil the the iniquity that's growing in every way. And if he was not here, restraining.
It would be in a far worse condition than it is, but there's a day coming when the Lord is going to take the church out of the way, and as it says here.
If you read the Darby translation until he be gone, till he be gone, who is the he?
The Spirit of God who resident in the church began. Now the Spirit of God has a position as a residence in the church and he scripture says that he will be with us forever. So if he goes, the church has to go with him or vice versa, because the Spirit of God grows in the church and that will be something forever. So this is an allusion to the Lord's coming, the rapture that we're looking forward to till he be gone or be taken out of the way if you want to read it in the King James version.
So there's a day coming when the spirit of God is going to be removed from the earth. Then the mystery of iniquity.
And or could be translated, lawlessness is going to move on at a much quicker pace and culminate in the manner of sin. And these things which we read about in Scripture are going to happen at an accelerated pace.
So I think it's important to see that as long as the church is here, evil is ******** in some degree.
Although while the Church lives in such distance from Christ.
Usually, mostly.
And the Spirit of God is grieved. He is not restraining as he once did, but still there is that restraint in the earth.
And we can be sure that when the Lord comes, we'll be taken out of this scene altogether.
Now we might ask the question, or maybe I could just say, first of all, there's going to be, after the church is taken, a revival of the Roman Empire. And a question that could be asked. And a good question would be, how do we know that there's going to be a revival of the old Roman Empire? Well, I wouldn't turn you to it because it may take too much time. But in Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar is given a vision, and in the vision he's given really an outline of the times of the Gentiles.
When the period when the Gentiles would rule over Israel would pass through 4 reigning empires, the last of them being the Roman Empire. First would be Babylon, second would be the Medes and the Persians, and thirdly would be the Greek Empire. Fourthly would be the Roman Empire. And in both those passengers Daniel two and Daniel Seven you find that.
00:20:07
Though there is such a thing as the coming of the Son of Man in all of his Kingdom glory to judge this world and to establish a reign, a Kingdom. And each of those two passages speaks about the coming of the Son of Man, which is the appearing of Christ, which we know from the New Testament is, uh, the Roman Empire is in power at the time. So we might ask this question. How is it that the Roman Empire would be empowered at that time when the Lord appears? So we know that there has to be a revival of something of it because.
It certainly doesn't exist today.
But if we turn to Revelation 17, I think it comes out quite clearly that there will be a revival. I hope you can understand my first point there with regard to the revival. Scripture teaches that when the Lord appears, the Roman Empire will be running and operating in full gear.
Well, that necessitates that there will have to be a revival, because the Roman Empire does not exist today, as we all know. But in Revelation 17 it comes out more clearly. So let me just read that verse, Revelation 17, verse 8, the beast which is talking about the Roman Empire that thou sawest, was and is not, and shall ascend under the bottom of it, and shall go into perdition. So we have four different phases or stages of the Roman Empire. It. First of all, it was.
That's what it was at the time when John was prophesying and he wrote the Book of Revelation. The Roman Empire was existence. They were being run by governors, emperors rather. But then he says, and he is not. They came to a time when it became defunct. And that we know from history is in 476 AD the Huns came in from the Europe and wiped out what was left of the Roman Empire and it became non existent. So it is not. It's a good way of describing that.
Then a third phase is he'll ascend out of the bottomless pitch, so there's going to be a revival.
Doesn't say when, but there's going to be revival and it will go into perdition. The reason for it is because when the Son of Man comes, it will be in existence at that time and he will take the leaders of it and the civil, the civilians that are part of that Roman Empire were there predominantly what is called the earth dwellers. And they will be judged at that time by the Lord himself and go into perdition so.
How do we know that there's going to be a revival of the Roman Empire? Well, I think I've explained that Daniel two and Daniel 7:00 and also Revelation 17. Now another question that may be asked, How then will it be revived? You say it will be revived, it will be in existence when the Lord comes that is appearing. But how do we know? How will it happen?
That's another good question.
And now let's turn to Revelation chapter six. I think that would answer that question.
This is the first seal that I want to read.
Revelation 6 verses one and two And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals.
And I heard, as it were, the noise of Thunder, and one of the four beasts sang, come and see. Now that's an expression that appears in each of these seals come and see, but they should just really be translated one word there come, because the four beasts are the providential powers of God, working behind the scenes to bring to pass certain things that the Lord wants to have come to pass. And it's like he's controlling everything from behind as he opens the seals of the book and saying, OK, come.
Do do your thing now. Now next come do your thing. So each of these seals that open up, it shouldn't say come and see. It makes it sound like John is being shown something by one of the four beasts. That's not the thought. The thought is that he is bringing to pass through the powers of the certain circumstances on the earth that will take place. So there it says come. And so as a result, and I saw, behold, a White Horse and he just sat on him, had a bow and a crown.
Was given to him and he went forth conquering and to conquering. Now, we've been told, I think it's right, that this is what you're referring to, the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church that will get involved in the political affairs of Europe after the church has been called home to heaven. Because this is the very first thing that will take place after the Church goes home to heaven. And I'd be another question that someone may ask what happens when I what's the first thing that happens after the Church goes to heaven on earth?
Someone.
Facetiously says they'll probably have a party get rid of us. That's not what prophecy says. The first thing that's going to happen is that they're going to see what do we have here, come to pass in the rider of the White Horse. And this is really referring to.
00:25:19
Papal Rome. Papal Rome.
Getting involved in the government of Western Europe and using its power, its money and its influence.
To bring those nations into a confederacy whereby it will control them and reign over them. And thus you have the revival of the Roman Empire in modern times.
Now the Roman Catholic Church will have a few persons that are believers are in that vast system called away at the Rapture. If they're believers in the Lord Jesus, they're going to be part of the true church. They'll be called away. But when we're talking about the Roman Catholic Church, we're talking about what remains, which should be not those that don't have a scrap of life, those who are just mere religionists, and so on, and the use of the figure white and the horse.
This brings before us the thought of the pretense to purity of motive as they go out to do this great work of gathering the nations of Europe into a confederacy. You'll notice that he has a bow, but there's no mention of him having any arrows. This has been pointed out many times to show that it's not that he's going to accomplish this particular.
Feat Forming or reviving the Roman Empire.
Bringing in a confederacy to to into existence by military power and wars and so on. There's no arrows that would show that there's no actual combat. Yet he succeeds victoriously in bringing this to the past because he will do it, most likely through summit meetings and councils and all the rest of it. Deals will be made and the re end result will be the revival of the Roman Empire.
Right after that, we read something else. So let's turn to Daniel Chapter 9.
And the last verse.
I suppose your question could be another question could be asked.
OK, so that's the first thing that's going to happen after the church goes on earth. What's the second thing? Good question. I'm glad you asked.
It's interesting that prophecy is taught in Scripture in the spirit of inquiry. I should have mentioned that at the beginning of this meeting. Prophecy is taught predominantly in Scripture and the spirit of inquiry.
You get the example of that in Matthew 24 and 25, the great discourse of the Lord with all the prophetic outline which we call the Olivet discord.
OK and uh, how did it all begin? Disciples came to me on the mountain and said, when will these things be? And how will be the sign of thy coming? And so on. And so he unfolded things in the book of Daniel. He inquires to the Lord, and the answer inquires of Daniel, What do these things mean? And so the Lord interprets it for me. So the spirit of inquiry is very important in prophecy. And when I have held prophetic meetings in the past with charts and so on, I have very often left enough room at the end of the meeting to throw it open for questions because.
Questions respond different things that come out that maybe not come to my mind as I'm speaking. So anyway, the spirit of inquiry is a valid means by which prophecy is learned, and we get the example in Scripture. So I'm asking a question for you on your behalf and then trying to answer it, as you can probably tell. So what's the second, What's the second thing that happened? Well, Daniel 9 verse 27 would tell us.
I'll just read. I'll read the whole verse, and I would say to you too that, uh, this is one verse.
That really requires the reading of Jan Darby's translation to get the real understanding of the passage, kind of like what we just had in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
You don't get the real words we're saying, but they're in there.
So I'll try to translate it as best I can as I read along here and he.
Shall confirm a covenant with the many. For one week in the mid, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of the abomination shall he make desolate.
00:30:08
That should be translated for the protection of abominations or idols. He shall appoint A desolator even to the consumption that should be translated to the.
The consumption it says consummation here, but it should be consumption, and that which is determined shall be poured out upon the desolate now.
You're probably going to say no. What does that mean? What do we what do we just read there?
Let me explain as best I can. The he that confirms a covenant with the many is the second thing that's going to take place after the revival of the Roman Empire. There's going to be a covenant made with the Jews. That's what this is talking about here, the many of the mass of the Jews for their protection.
Against the Arab nations that have been harassing them for generations.
And so there's going to be a deal made by this revived Roman Empire with the Jews. It'll be a very financially lucrative thing for the Empire. So that's why they enter into it. And they're going to protect the views. At least they're going to make a covenant and promise that they will protect the Jews. And that's what this is referring to.
So there is a making of a covenant with the mass of the Jews in the land.
It'll be for one week, it said.
If you follow the outline of the 9th chapter in Daniel, 70 weeks, he's really referring to a week of years. So it's seven years. He's going to make a covenant for seven years.
In the midst of the week. That would be about 3 1/2 years into the into this contract.
He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease to the leader of the Roman Empire, which we know the second he would probably be, will be a different person that will come into the chair of being the Roman Prince, but nevertheless the Roman Prince.
Will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.
That has been set up for protection against the abomination.
As a result, God was going to have a say in this and he's going to appoint a desolator, which is the king of the North we know from Scripture and the Arab Confederacy.
And the attack of the King of the North and his Arab confederacy is called in Scripture the consumption. And they consume everything from north to South as they go through the land. That's what's referred to here in this verse. And even until the consumption and that which is poured out upon the desolate. The desolate will be the apostate. Jews who will receive Antichrist can be left in their misery when this attack takes place. I don't want to get into too much detail there. I just wanted to mention a simple point.
And that is.
The second thing that's going to take place is a covenant will be made with the Jews and their land.
For one week. And the third thing that's gonna happen as a result is that there's going to be a massive homegoing, uh, enterprise. The Jews all over the world that have been scattered in many countries are going to go home. And they're going to go home because they feel safe now, because there's this contract that's going to be set up by the strongest military power on the earth because it says in scripture, who shall make war with the beast. Everybody will be afraid.
Of the superpower, this military superpower that will be born in a few moments in Western Europe. And so they're going to feel quite confident to want to go home and dwell in their homeland. And they're going to bring their money and they're going to invest their capital into the the country of Israel. And the nation will be revived in a way, but the Lord has been left out of it all. So let's look at the verse that will show us that there's going to be this massive homecoming. This would be in Isaiah Chapter 18.
I suppose you could say this would be the third thing that's going to take place. Isaiah 18 verses one and two.
And I might have to say again, this verse, this passage, we also requires more critical translation. So you have to excuse me as I seek to translate it as we go along as found in the Jane Darby. If you don't understand, you may not understand it. In the King James version, Isaiah 18 verses one and two woe or whole to the land that overshadows with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia or Kush. So there's a call to a nation without telling us what the nation is.
00:35:07
That is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Or should be Kush. Now that's referring to it's a prophetic and a veiled reference to the two great rivers that are in the Middle East, the Euphrates on the east and the Nile on the South. OK.
OK, so these are the two rivers. And so he's saying there's a call going to be made to a land or a nation that is outside, that is beyond the Middle East as we know it. Some nation is going to be called to do what verse two says that sendeth ambassadors by the sea or over the sea even in vessels of bullrushes. So they're they're strong Navy.
Upon the waters saying, go, ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled or ravaged from the beginning of their days, who are terrible from the beginning, are marvelous from the beginning, because the hand of God has been with them and against them. So there's a call to this nation to go and help and befriend the Jews that have been scattered over the world and help them. And so they're going to be reviewed as a nation that has been meteor and trodden down, which has been the history of Israel ever since they rejected Christ.
The Jews, particularly to a land that the rivers have overflowed. The rivers, is a figure of the powers that have lived in those areas to the east of Israel and to the South of Israel, namely Assyria and Egypt. Who have they have historically wasted the land of Israel by 1 capturing it and holding it for some time and then another one capturing it and holding it for some time. You can read about it in detail in Daniel Chapter 11. Some 11 or 12 Kings of the north come into place and.
Some 10 or 9 or 10 Kings of the South and they're battling each other.
That's what's referred to here.
And then what happens in verse three? Says, all ye inhabitants of the world, indwellers of the earth, see you, that when he lifted up the enzyme or the banner on the mountains, that would be the mountains of Israel, when he blows the trumpet, which is the home going of them, hear ye? For the Lord said, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place. So take my rest in the dwelling place.
So on. So what is he saying in these verses? Is that there's going to be a nation then be revived, which is the Jews will have a nation revived and the Lord will take his rest. As far as he will not interfere with this this enterprise, he will uh, let it.
Do its thing, but because it's been done without the Lord, it's been done without faith in Him.
God is going to appoint a desolator, which the latter part of the 18th chapter talks about. We won't go into where the King of the North is going to come down and cut that the whole nation down because it was done in unbelief.
So I just thought I'd bring that up before you as far as the first three things that will take place.
In the moments that will happen after the church has been called away to heaven.
It's first going to be a revival of the Roman Empire, then they're going to be a making of a covenant with the Jews, and then that will result in the Jews all feeling free to go home because they have protection that they think. But that's the answer to questions as to how did the Jews get home and why would they go home. Now, after the great tribulation is underway, which is the last three and a half of these seven years, there's going to be something that I want to point out, which will be towards the answering of this question that I said at the beginning of the meeting with regard to the United States.
And I should have mentioned perhaps in verse chapter 18 of Isaiah here that this nation that we're not told who it is, that it's outside the Middle East, that has a way for seafaring nation that is a strong Navy nation, could be in the United States. It will befriend the Jews and help them to get back. We can see overtures towards that. In Darby's day. He said he thought it would be England because England was the world power that had befriended Israel.
But today we can see that it may be the US.
So I'm not saying for sure. I have been suggested to me by other prophetic students that this nation that is called here to do this work of helping the Israel gather the Jews be gathered back into their land could be in the United States of America. But let's look at Revelation chapter 8 for another passage that alludes to that many prophetic students have have suggested.
00:40:02
This is the blowing of the trumpets in Revelation 8, which will take place in the Great Tribulation, which is the latter 3 1/2 years of the seven-year coming period in Daniel's 70th week, as it's called.
Verse 8 And the second Angel sounded as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part became blood.
And the third part of the creatures that were in the sea had life died, and the third part of the ships were destroyed. It's the second Angel sounding that I want to bring before you what may be again the United States, but it doesn't speak of it very favorably.
What is before us here is a great mountain set on fire. It disintegrates under the fire and then it is dissipated into the sea. How are we to interpret that? Well, the figures that scripture uses and it will help us. First of all, a great mountain has always looked at as a strong, long lasting governmental power or nation. So there's a difference in scripture with mountains and hills. Hills would be a smaller power, maybe like Portugal might be viewed as a hill, whereas France and England may be mountains.
All right. And in this case here, this could very well be the United States. So what he's describing here in this language is essentially a an erupting volcano where the mountain disintegrates from within and.
Dissipates into the sea of nations because the sea is a figure of nations in pathetic scriptures.
So what we're saying that if indeed this is the United States of America and sometime during the great Tribulation, it is going to have a convulsion within itself and it's going to break up.
And be no more breakdown into perhaps pieces and justice be absorbed into the sea of nations that are out there. So people ask the question where, if this indeed is true, which most prophetic students seem to suggest that it will be.
So people ask the question, what will happen to the United States? What part will they have in the coming?
Prophetic scene when Armageddon is in place and there will be a clash of the Titans of the greatest nations that militarily on earth, US being the greatest of the military nations that are on earth today, Surely they would be found somewhere in prophecy engaging in this Armageddon. Well, the answer is they don't make it to Armageddon, they disintegrate beforehand and they don't play a part in it at all.
Now I'm going to read something from.
William Kelly. He says it much better than I do.
Mr. William Kelly said the United States of America will be swamped into a political March and as they have been hitherto mere a mere opium gatherum. That's a Latin or a conglomerate from the rest of the world, especially from Europe, comprising no doubt of a vast deal of skill, industry and enterprise, but also not a little of the scum of the roughest of the nations. So I believe that they will break up into factions.
Of noisy primitive elements and after going off in a boastful vaporing.
Well, at length burst as a bubble. So as to America, I conceived that the young giant power which has grown so fast, will sink even faster. Probably through intestine coral like we had in the verse, the eruption of a volcano coming from within, probably through intestine coral. But assuredly somehow, before that day comes, that's the day when the clash of the nations.
They will break up into different fragments. Their prime object is to maintain political unity. This is a great ambi, their great ambition, and though it may appear to stand and advance, as everything ambitious is apartment to prosper for a time, it will all be blown down before long. For it is remarkable fact that there is no place in prophecy, for this vast, influential power, such as the United States would naturally be, if so long were retained its cohesion.
It is it conceivable that there should be such a power existing in that day without any mention of it in Scripture. Can the omission be accounted for? Saved by its disillusion? So he's saying Kennedy's omission in Scripture be explained, saved by the fact that it gets it. It becomes dissipated and disillusioned and it's dissolution.
00:45:19
Dissolve.
So that was what Mr. Kelly said.
My wife was listening to some news program about a month ago, which I think is significant and I don't intend to interpret scripture from the newsreels. But she pointed out to me something that this is not something that's done in the corner. It was one of the biggest news companies that are out there. I can't remember CNN or Fox or whatever they are, but anyway.
They were the pundits who were looking at all this political ramifications of this next election coming in, they're saying.
At least a fraction of them are saying that if Donald Trump gets into power, the United States is headed for a civil war where it's going to break up into a bunch of pieces, five or six. And they're looking at where they will break up a certain ideologies in certain parts of the country will probably band together as one group and another group. Another group. Well, wait a minute. That's what Mr. Kelly said 140 years ago, and now they're talking about it now.
So we are on the brink of something very soon to take place. I cannot say the Lord is coming today, but I trust he will. And I look for him and just say it. But we're very seriously getting near the end.
Of things as far as the Church's history is concerned on Earth.
I don't bring this up to get us to try to correlate prophetic issues and so on with the the daily newspaper. But just to mention that it's an incredible statement of fact that the pundits in America are actually who are looking into all these political ramifications of things, are afraid that the United States is going to implode from within or blow up from within.
Could it be what we have read in the second trumpet, where the mountain is burning with fire, which is another figure, fire and scripture is a figure of judgment, so God's judgment on the nation?
Will cause you to dissipate, if indeed so. This is the United States of America. We have better things to look forward to because the Lord is going to have His Kingdom glory once He sets this world right? Another verse that's so very important, as I speak now in closing, is in Isaiah 26, verse nine. I believe it is when thy judgments are in the earth, the world shall learn righteousness. The Lord is going to take His rightful place in this world, but he's not going to do it by the gospel of God's grace being sent forth or the gospel of the Kingdom.
The gospel of the Kingdom will go forth, but it will not convert the world as we know it is going to.
Bring in the Kingdom not through the gospel, but through judgment. And when His judgments are in the earth, which is the prophetic earth, that's a restricted sphere on the whole globe.
The whole rest of the world is going to learn righteousness, and they're going to learn to walk under the righteous reign of Christ. And He comes. That's a beautiful day to think forward to, but the Lord is coming to take it home first.
I hope I've answered the question that has been asked over and over again with regard to the United States of America. There is no exact scripture that we can point to, but there are at least two passages that we have we could suggest for you to for your consideration Isaiah 18 one and Revelation 8. And I suggest to also the comments of a spiritual and wise.
Exponent of scripture, Mr. William Kelly.
Let's sing, #23 assured him.
How good?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was a regular. I have nothing to do that. I don't know, umm.
Nsnoise.
00:50:27
Mm-hmm.
Paul Kept His Eye on the Lord in His Life's Journey
What God Is Doing in an Unseen Sphere
Gospel 2
Gospel—David So
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Good evening.
We have some little entries that I'm a minute or two early. I hope that's OK with you.
I see that many children here this evening, and I'd like to begin with a few things with children. I hope you'll bear with me on that. And if you look at the back of our hymn sheet here, most of the hymns are for children and I'd like to start with hymn #42.
And many of you who know me knows that this is one of my favorite hymns. I'd like to think this hymn twice. The first time we've seen this hymn, we're gonna sing it the way it is. The second time we're gonna sing it, we're gonna change the words just so slightly. We were saying a little child of 70 or even 34.
I can see a :) looking at me because she told me one year when I gave it, I was such that she was going to turn 34.
But I thought tonight we said we should fit almost everyone in this category. Whether you are a little child of 70, and I know some are even older than that or 34, or whether you are a child of seven or even three or four. This is the message that God would have you to know.
He wants you to know that you may enter into heaven.
Through Christ, the open door.
Or when the heart believeth on Christ the Son of God, tis then the soul receiver salvation through his blood. So let's sing this together.
I want many can have my friends may have had my husband.
Goodbye. And if you don't fast No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I want to try and start on the bell and give it a night. Let's go over to me sleep in the South Dakota. And so there's a little bit of a head one.
Right. And, and I'll try and, uh, on my heart to do anything.
On my eyes? Uh-huh.
OK, I'm going to have uh.
I actually like to say one more children's him is is nice often that we think of children's him. Sometimes it's so simple. Yeah, they get the message across to us, doesn't it? So I like to sing hymn #41 because often we look at children and say, well, how much do they know? I believe they know more than we do. But how much do we know that God knows and loves them? So here.
This hymn tells us that.
In that day it's gonna come around the throne of God in heaven. Will many children sing? Children whose sins are all forgiven will heavenly anthems bring? What would they be singing?
They will be singing glory, glory, glory be to God on high, blessing this hymn together.
Plans are up for him. We'll have to have some training, thinking, glory.
00:05:12
In shining around about five years one while we are ready and well we can have our life seems like it has noise and have a birthday in singing laundry.
Alright, but I'm I'm going to get into.
Creating plan, you're going to die of where I'm outside of all the time, so we'll try and satisfy that.
Where all this needs and joy and love about in the children's better singing glory.
All right.
Well, replacement.
999 is not sadly it's 129 but do not calculate everything. Now watching that the French and bloody nose. And why can't we keep anything 180?
Uh, can you please do, uh, my?
That is nice to see that we can sing glory to God, the one who loved us, the one who gave his Son to die for us on the cross. And we know, children that we just smoke off. Children here know too that.
We have problems.
As some of you know, we brought a couple of little ones with us, our grandchildren.
And I watch even at two years of age.
They want to do things their own way. I see parents are smiling at that. We have a will, don't we? And often.
That will that desire to do things that are disobedient. The word of God tells us that for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Little child of seven, little child of two, the Word of God says you are included in that verse for all have sinned. So some of your older ones may be looking across at the children and say look at those little ones that are sinners. You're right.
But then you have to look at the person sitting next to you.
Both sides.
And you look at them, they may not be little children.
I am 100% sure.
That the two people next to you, did you take a good look at them? They are sinners in God's sight for all. Oh don't forget, when you look at the other person, they also look at you.
And that all in this room, no one is excluded. I find it difficult in the society we're in that the word sin, the question of sin is becoming a very unpopular word.
Anything in contrary to the word of God.
We find that to be not acceptable.
I was accused by someone because I wouldn't let them use my office space to do yoga, he said. You are intolerant to other religions.
Though the word of God makes it very clear with sin. I had a I'm trying to see, had someone visited here last night, sat next to me and I hope if he's here, I hope you don't mind me using the example you gave me. This young man told me he's an evangelist and some of you young people met him because I remember one of you walk up to him and say, I know you and he said, how do you know me? He said, I saw you preaching.
In downtown Saskatchewan, uh, Regina.
Preaching. Wow. Open air preaching.
00:10:04
And he said to me, many churches no longer willing to preach according to the word of God.
Because the word sin is not acceptable.
In many people's minds.
It's good that we're in pressure, whoever or whatever organization that you're with, to change the standard so that sin does not seem to be so bad, but the Word of God does not change its standard.
Set for all have sinned. In fact, in the book of Romans it tells us that for the wages of sin is death. Now we have children, young people, they're still awake. I know they should be in bed. But thank you for coming to a gospel meeting.
But he said, do you know that as a young person? Do you know that you get paid?
To sin.
Oh yeah, you're looking at me funny now I know when mom and dad said help me to do something. And sometimes they reward you with some kind of pay for the word of God says the wages you get paid.
For the wages of sin. But it's a sad consequence, isn't it? The wages of sin is death.
Oh, how sad it is that when we sin, the consequence is death.
And we were reminded all have sinned. We are sinners in God's sight.
So that means death is upon every man, and it's all because of one man's offense. Death came into the world and death by sin. So all have sinned. But you know, the Word of God is wonderful because it tells us that the wages of sin is death.
Now I know many of you have learned Sunday school versus how many of you know what that verse. No one know that verse. Oh quite a few. The bigger young people, the bigger kids here know what too. And the way now did I quote at you the whole verse?
No, I didn't finish it, did I? Where is that baby? We should turn to that. Who can help me? I see young people there who can help me find that averse. Does anybody know where that is?
Is he right? Well, we have to turn to the Word of God and say that Romans 10 and nine is a very good verse in regard to salvation, but it's not the one that we were thinking of. But thank you. Anyone else can help us find that verse.
I'm sorry.
Romans 6, verse 23. He was so close, wasn't he?
Let me read that verse together, even though I know you know that. Well, this is the whole verse. For the wages of sin is death. Ah, here's a beautiful word, but.
But isn't that nice? In the English language we have the word but or however it changes the thought, doesn't it? But the gift of God is.
Eternal life thru Jesus Christ our Lord.
You get paid for sinning and that payment is death. But here God offers a gift to you. The gift is eternal. Life is not death. What a contrast that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and this evening.
While we're in the book of Romans, I will quote you another verse and I want all to turn to Romans chapter one because as much as this world.
Doesn't want us to talk about God's standard that all have.
Sin Romans chapter one verse 16 And we need to remember this, even though I know many of you know these these verses well. Romans one verse 16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Isn't it wonderful to be able to say that out loud? I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God.
00:15:09
Unto salvation.
To everyone that believe us, to the Jew 1St and also to the Greek, isn't it nice that we can stay boldly? And as I look across the room, you know I often say that in gospel reading, as I know many of you. But this evening I would have to say I don't know many of you.
But I trust that you know the word of God.
I trust that you too can say, for I am not ashamed.
Of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe us.
Yesterday we mentioned some of you who are in the reading meeting about the juice. Well, here is a wonderful thing to remind us is to the Jews first, isn't it? And then to the rest of the Gentiles, like the Greek. Now I'd like to turn to the passage that our young brother referred to Romans 10 and nine. Beautiful verse.
Romans 10 and nine. It tells us how we can be.
Save to receive this gift of God, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved.
Isn't it wonderful? We're sinners in God's sight, but here God tells us if we confess with our mouth, confession that what? Not just Jesus. You know this world, a lot of people call on the name of Jesus.
One of my business, neighbor at work, he's a Muslim and he said we believe in Jesus, he's one of the prophets. No, that's not what we refer to.
We believe Jesus the Lord, the Son of God.
The one who came down from heaven. God, beloved Son, begotten Son of God.
So here we owe him as Lord, if thou shalt confess Jesus with thy mouth.
The Lord Jesus.
Have you confessed that he is your Lord, not just the name Jesus?
And believe in thine heart.
You believe truly in your heart.
What are we to believe in? You know we sometimes the word of God keep things simple. We learn from the Philippian jailer in the book of Acts 16. There is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It's that simple, isn't it? God does not make way of salvation difficult. So we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you're saved.
But here it tells us a little bit more that we acknowledge Him as Lord. We believe in our hearts.
Let's read on that verse, that God hath raised him from the dead.
So that gave us two thoughts there, doesn't it, that he died?
That the Son of God came into this world. He died.
And then he was raised from the death.
Thou shalt be safe.
In the Word of God we find the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. But you'll find often death and resurrection always goes together. He died for his sins. We find in John chapter 3 it says that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. How many of you remember the story of Moses in the wilderness?
Came and bid, many of them, they were sick and dying. They would hold to make the pole with a brass serpent on it. And anyone who has the faith to look, all they have to do is look and they shall be saved. So in John's gospel we are reminded as Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness. But then they said, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
00:20:01
That was foreshadowing that Jesus will come into this world to be a sin bearer and he himself will be lifted up high.
On the cross we trained heaven and earth as we sometimes sing with our phrase the center of two eternities. Let's turn to John chapter 3. I'm sure we all know these verses very well, but we didn't know that and believe it in our hearts.
We often quote John 316, don't we? But I'd like to connect John 314 on because it's so important. We just finished quoting. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth.
I'm sorry that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life, all by believing that the Lord Jesus, he too was lifted up as in Moses serpent of old. It says that you won't perish.
And half eternal life. And then it can go on to the verse that we all know well and dear. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's John 316.
John 316 is not just a symbol of writing the number three quotation mark 16 Oh John 316, share with us that God, for God so loved you and I.
That he gave his only begotten Son.
Because no one else was able.
To take away sin, except his Son, the one we learned from the rest from another passage in the Bible, the sinless one, the one who knew no sin, the one who was may sin for us. He was able to come and bear your sins and my sins on his own body on that tree. So by believing we have everlasting life.
You know, sometimes you go to places and you see 316. I think it's wonderful, isn't it, to be reminded you see tax, you see posters. Sometimes they simply say 316.
I think that's wonderful.
But I do believe too that there are times that those who are not familiar with the Word of God would have no idea what 316 is.
In fact, I have people commented to me after it was read there was a oh, that's what John 316 is.
Isn't it nice that as I look around I see children and perhaps many of you have grown up learning the Sunday school versus and this is possibly one of the first ones that you memorize. Isn't it for God?
God so loved the world, everyone in this world, that he would give His only begotten Son. What greater love is this?
That he was spared, not his own son, but deliver him up for us all.
And then verse 17 as if God is not done telling us how much he loved you and want to save you from your sins, 1St 17 tells us for God.
Send nod.
Excuse me, for God send not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That's the heart of God.
Now we must remember God is a God of light and is a God of love, and this world forgets that he has both characteristics. As a God of love, He's willing that none should perish. He wants you to be saved and spend eternity with him.
As a God of love.
But as a God of light, we know that there's the governmental side of God, that God must punish sin.
So he used his son in your stead.
He is not here to condemn the world, but that the world through him.
Might be saved.
And God still want us to know more. Verse 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned.
Who? As if he knows how thick we are?
00:25:00
How many times that we've been told something, we didn't get it?
Have your mom ever told you that I told you?
And you said I don't remember hearing that. I know I have. I know my wife say that to me often. I told you, well, maybe she have. So here, as if the God wanted you to know, he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned.
Already because he had not believed in the name.
Of the only begotten Son of God. Oh sad consequences, my friend, by rejecting the offer, the gift that God has offered you tonight, His own Son.
By believing that Jesus died for you, You know, sometimes in Sunday school and in hobby classes, we.
Learn that we have to keep the gospel message simple and sometimes we say you need to learn the ABC of the gospel. And that's what we just did, isn't it? All have sinned. We must believe that we have sinned. We must believe that we are sinners before God be the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Well see there is a little bit tougher, but I like to take the liberty to use part of a verse is to come.
Lord to come, let us reason to gather, saith the Lord. Come, all ye that I labor, and all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.
The word of God is simple.
And if you're still lost in the sins, if you still.
Not have the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Tonight.
The word of God said, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold.
Now is the day of salvation. Tomorrow could be too late.
Now I'd like to turn to.
The portion that I had on my heart this evening.
Yesterday we had a gospel meeting.
Wonderful to be reminded the origin of sin.
In the garden, we know that, don't we?
So let's turn to Genesis chapter one. I'm just going to read a small portion there.
Genesis chapter one, The Word of God begins with this word.
In the beginning, God.
I'm going to leave it as that in the beginning. God, that's my intro to you. For the verse that was on my heart is in First Corinthians.
Chapter 15.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
First Corinthians chapter 15, just the beginning part of verse 24. It is kind of strange to use this in a gospel meeting. I trust that the Lord can help us tie this together. 1St Corinthians 15 verse 24 then cometh.
The end.
Now for those of you who have the King James translation with you, you'll probably notice the word cometh is an italic. So really we could take that out. And the new translation, the Darby translation, doesn't have the word combat, so we can read it as such then.
The end.
In the beginning, God.
Then the end.
Solemn thought, isn't it that this world go on forever?
Let your life go on forever. We sometimes sing in that hymn. Life at best, is very brief.
If you were to visit a cemetery, you will find certain persons name engraved on that tombstone.
00:30:07
And the reason for that tombstone is at least the thought the memory of the person should last forever. However, that person came and gone, that was the end of that person. So you might say whatever the name is on there with the starting date and that date is irrelevant. You might say something like 1925.
And then there's a hyphen. And then they may say 1982.
Then come at the end for that person born into this world, left this world.
Now the question for that person is this.
Where would he spend eternity?
There are only two places. One is with the Lord Jesus in glory.
The other one will be cast into the Lake of Fire. There is no in between.
But I don't believe this portion speaks of the end as the way we think of a person who died. So perhaps we will read a few verses before that to get some connections, which I find it very interesting. So we are in First Corinthians chapter 15.
Umm.
We start diverse. 21 First Corinthians chapter 15, verse 21.
For sins by man came death.
Thy man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam or die, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive, but every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits afterward they that are Christ at his coming.
Then cometh the end, or then the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father.
When he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power, For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet, The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Therefore he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is expected which did put.
All things under him.
It came the end, but this, the end is an association. But what we just talked about isn't it? There was the beginning. There was the beginning of time, not beginning of eternity, where our blessed God and our blessed Savior inhabited eternity. There is no beginning and there is no end for our God nor our Savior.
But some time ago time began. So the Lord Jesus can say I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. In regard to time. It's going to come a day when time shall cease.
And this world will be no more as they go into the eternity stage. But here in this portion, in fact, the chapter of the 15th chapter speaks of resurrection. Some people doubt it, resurrection. The apostle Paul has to clarify that for them here. Resurrection, if if you recall, we mentioned death and resurrection always go together. So we're reminded here.
For sins by man, this man Adam, we had that before us last night. Disobedient is sin. For sins by man came death.
The day he ate of that fruit, Lord, ye shall surely die.
So death by man came also the resurrection of death for us in Adam, or died.
So we know in the book of Romans we will remind that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, for by one man's offense that we all became sinners. But here is that but every but uh, uh, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
00:35:04
Resurrection is such a wonderful part of Scripture.
Is mentioned over and over and over again.
I don't know where to begin. I don't know where to stop. We know of the resurrection scene. We read that in the Gospel, haven't we? That he died? He was in the tomb. He died on Friday at 3:00 precisely. He stayed in the tomb all day Saturday. Man would seal the tomb with a Gray stone.
And put guards be outside it.
Very early on Lord's Day, we read those wonderful words. He is not here, He is risen. Oh, this evening, dear friends, we are presenting to you a living Christ is risen from the dead. We know the resurrection seen. We know that there were many witnesses that that.
Saw his resurrection, we knew the women were the 1St that he talked to and show himself to. We knew Peter.
Saw the Lord Jesus, there were many instances that he showed them before he went home to his father's house. But what a beautiful things to be reminded. Let's go back to that verse that our young brother quoted in Romans 10 and 9. Even though as a gospel verse we find resurrection and you know, it's, it's interesting. I knew that verse for many, many years, but I didn't notice.
Resurrection is in that Romans 10 and verse 9. Uh.
It tells us just that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe that God hath raised him from the dead, oh, isn't it wonderful to know God hath raised him from the dead?
And he says that thou shall be saved.
Now I'm going to change my talk a little bit. To many who knows the Lord, I trust that the gospel message was presented clearly for those who are lost. But the Word of God is so sure.
I'm going to change a bit just for encouragement if I may.
From the very beginning, God.
Knew that man was sin. God knew that a substitute has to be given.
Death and resurrection was prepared from eternity past.
So this morning some of you were here. We find a father and son works together. And we read in that verse that he says, I come to do thy will, O God, O they knew and they came.
From the beginning to the end, God knew.
The word of God is very precise. We don't have time to go into it. For some of your younger ones, check out the number 70. You'll find a 70 days, the 70 weeks, you'll find all the connections in there. But here is a number, the word of God. That's very interesting. That's the number 17 of the 17th day of the month, in particularly the first month. That's the resurrection day. God knew from the beginning. So if you were to go through.
Seven fees of Jehovah you'll find that the first feast is the Passover, then the unleavened bread, and then the.
Then the feast of the first fruits.
When is that celebrated? Why first fruit?
Resurrection from the very beginning. God have death and resurrection in my Passover death, isn't it? Have you read through Exodus? We won't have the time to go turn to that. On the 10th day they have to pick that lamb. On the 14th day between the evening, they are to kill that lamb.
The Lord Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of that. He came into Jerusalem on the 10th day.
On the 14th day of the evening he had a Passover with his disciple Between the evening means yet until the next evening on the 15th by 3:00.
There he was already on the cross, fulfilling the Passover feast.
For the feast of the first fruit, saith the Passover, the 14 to the 15th, the 16th is the Sabbath. The next day they are to offer up the feast of the first fruit. Am I right in that? Yeah. Now what's even interesting is the first fruit is not wheat, is not anything fancy that we think it is because that's early spring is Bali.
00:40:18
That despise food animal feeds. That's our Lord Jesus on the 17th day, a picture of resurrection.
God foresaw that from the very beginning. And if you want to know even more interesting, we won't have time to turn to that. Some of you know the story of Noah and the ark.
He set the ark landed among Ararat on the 17th day of the first month, fulfilling the same time as the as the resurrection scene. And you go through scriptures, there are many 17 days in reference and you can look that up you'll find that they cross the Red Sea they.
On the 17th day you can you can backtrack that because prior to that it was the Passover.
And then they waited one night, and then the next day they crossed that mix of the 17th day. You'll find that they cross Jordan on the 17th day. You'll find that Ruth and Naomi came back to the land. It doesn't say the 17th day is at the beginning of barley harvest, which I believe was the same time of the feast of the first fruits. God look at that from the very beginning, knowing that His Son must die. And as we are quoted as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even.
Must the Son of Man be lifted up? And young people, here's another phrase.
The Son of Man, the despised and rejected. 1 Thus the title, isn't it? But the Son of Man is going to be the same one who is going to come back in glory to execute judgment, then come at the end. But what comes before the end? Oh, there's going to be a Gray white throne. Judgment. He turned to the end of Revelation, you'll find.
The dead small, engraved before God.
And the sentence was they were guilty and be cast into the lake of fire.
Where will you stand before God tonight?
Some of you may have been coming to meeting.
Some of you may have come with your parents, Some of you may have been invited to be here.
The conditions that you're in doesn't change if you are still lost in your sins if you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Before this cometh the end.
You will be lost.
There's no second chance as some people in this world try to convince you there's no other way. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And for many here we're family. Let me finish quoting that verse. That word verse is not quite done yet. It's just and thine house. What blessedness it is that when we are saved, God bless families as well. He think of you, they think of your family. He wants you to be.
Let's sing in closing.
Hymn #26 hymn #26 there is life.
In a look.
At the crucifix I There is life at this moment for thee. Then look, Sinner, look unto him, and be saved unto him who was nailed to the trees.
It is not thy tears of repentance, nor prayers, but the blood that atones for the soul on him. Then believe and pardon receive for his blood.
Now can make thee quite whole team #26.
And my camera.
Until again and getting ready, I've been awareness of what you tell to go to the tree.
00:45:07
There in life and I'm like another thing I can find that there is quite a massive small man over there.
And then again, I'm fine here. I'll have a drink and like snow and prepare.
No, no, no, no, no.
Uh.
That's Mary had enough time and pretty things.
Five and one mouth and a Big 50.
There is my turn out of the house. That's where your nose is by 1.
There is one and passive cold friends over the disease.
We are again by 1009 thousand because other and.
She is all right, let's not say.
But uh.
Maybe she's in bed and it's coming on.
I don't think that's better. I'm not sure.
I'm going to bring you back again tomorrow morning.
And I don't know, whatever I want to be advocating and it's kind of late because it's not worth it. Anything. Umm.
There's no half of it. She's.
Going to take one I'm thinking together.
And.
So when I'm never can't stop.
And then cheers, but I cry and I'll let you know.
And then I ran flying and I was as I sprayed the hood in my life and there is a light that's been lovable, man, so many things.
Before, Before we pray.
I just want to add a word of encouragement. I know many here in this room know the ******. I love the Lord Jesus. The Word of God tells us that we're to do the work of the evangelist.
We don't have to be an evangelist to do the work. Eventually, when I share with you the young man who following thousand evangelists in this city, I asked him this question. I said.
00:50:06
Do people really in this country still would be willing to receive gospel classes and Bibles?
And I don't know about you. For me, I have the. I have these thoughts and.
Folks here in this country is not interested. We see how in Mexico and other countries that they are widely accepted, willing to take it and said to the neurologist instead of answering me, pull out a cell phone with a signature. She said it started showing. See this man, he took the track and I watched him. He walked down there and he was reading it and then he twice. So another picture, see this hand and this man.
Oh, I just wanted to encourage you to do the work of the evangelist. We're not responsible.
For the work.
The Lord is the one that give us the increase, but we are responsible to do the work. That's great.
MMM.
1 Peter 2:18-22
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
2000, 17.
And right now, I'm confident and praying.
About where I'm crying.
Nsnoise.
Psalm 145.
Invert 15.
The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou give us them their meat. In due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord's blessing on the Word.
Wherever the brother liked to start.
I would think that perhaps.
Uh. The uh.
18th verse where we come in with the next second group of exhortation.
Should we go into chapter 3 at all or just right to the end?
Peter, chapter 2, verse 18.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the forward. For this is thank worthy, if a man, for conscience toward God, and your grief suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even here unto where you called, because Christ also suffered for us.
Leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him. That judgeth righteously.
To his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live under righteousness. By whose stripes ye were healed, for ye were a sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
As was mentioned the last time we were on this chapter that the, uh, practical expectations in the official theater which begin at chapter one verse.
13.
Uh, find the they are laid out in what we might call three groups of exhortation and from chapter 113 through to the end of the 17th verse in the second chapter, which we have looked at, uh, already.
Bring before us expectations in the light of our spiritual blessings.
But now, from chapters 2, verse 18 through to chapter 3 and to the end of verse seven, we have another group of exhortations.
Exhortation in the light of our natural relationships, household relationships, and then from chapter 3, verse eight onward to the end of the festival, we have excitations in the light of our suffering in the path of faith.
So what's before us here in the passage that was read to us this morning?
Our expectations in connection with our natural relationships in households doesn't take up every aspect of persons in the household. We don't see children mentioned as in other epistles of the New Testament, but we have servants.
00:05:16
Then in verse chapter 3 verse one we have wives. Chapter 3 verse seven we have husbands.
MMM And so the expectations of the flow now are more on the practical side of things with regard to these natural stations in life as a servant or relationship for husband and wife.
Within the circumstance and sphere of the household.
I don't want to hold us back unnecessarily, but I would like to, uh, just briefly touch on.
Verses 15 and 16. These other verses were commented on.
But what is true in whatever relationship of life there is, is the importance of being genuine and being real.
When it says for us so is the vote God, that with well doing you may put the silent ignorance of foolish men. Perhaps the desire of the flesh would be that with my, my keen wit and my strong arguments, I might, might put to silence the ignorance of foolish men and then we might move in as a concrete hero and and uh, debunked the arguments.
That may be put up against us, but as the will of God, as we put the silent ignorance of men by well doing.
That is the display of Christ and the life and doing what is honoring to him. And one may rail against you, but if you're doing the will of God from the heart that that commands their conscience.
But on the other hand too, there is this real danger versus not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness or a cloak of malice, but as the servants of God.
And sometimes things are not always as they appear, and things are not always as people say they are. And that we find here that our hearts are very subtle and it may not be characteristic of the people of God generally.
But here we will find those that would use liberty, but they use it as a cloak, in other words, to cover malice. And uh, we think of those words and proverbs, whereas speaks of one of his characters is when you speak, it's fair. Believe him not, for there are 7 abominations in his heart whose hatred is covered by deceit. His wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation. And so we, we see that also with, you know, Judas Iscariot when he, he condemned Mary and her outpouring of that sacrifice to the Lord.
He very indignantly said, why was not this old ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? How noble, how aspirational to think of the poor in that way. And and he would use funds in such a proper way as to help out the poor. But the Spirit of God says this, he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag. And so I just mentioned this as an aside, that sometimes what is said is not really under the underlying root of something.
And to show how treacherous our hearts can be, that we would even use something as liberty for a cloak of malice. But as the servants of God can use it rather well, I don't. Again, I don't want to hold this, uh, out, hold this back unnecessarily. But how God deals with us and says he desires truth in the inward parts and how critical that is, whether it's in the home, whether it's among brother or it's in the relationships of life at work.
Perhaps a word on verse 17 as well.
Honor all, says men with Dutch and italics. And as we know from the King James Version, when something's in italics, it's not in the original text of the Greek manuscripts. That's been added by translators for what they believe to be a help. But, uh, honor all.
Love the brotherhood, fear God and honor the king. This is the this is all part of the excitation in connection with being strangers and pilgrims. And it's important that we pass through this world in a way that, uh, we honor the.
Institutions that men have, and we pay attention to even honoring the King.
00:10:02
Oftentimes there are things said about the governors in the land, Prime Minister of Canada or President of the United States. They would, uh, be anything but honoring those who are in a place of government. We may not endorse what they uphold or what they do because we can see it to be unrighteous, but nevertheless, it's not our place to be tearing down these officials.
Speaking evil of dignitaries, Jude says.
I'd rather to, uh, honor where honor is due.
Fear God, honor the king. Isn't there a verse in Chronicles that has something like that? Let me see if I can find that.
Uh, First Chronicles chapter 29 I think is where where they found.
The chapter was read in The Breaking of Bread.
Yes, verse 20 and David said to all the congregation, now bless the Lord your God, all the and all the congregation bless the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and worship the Lord.
And the king.
You say what?
But you have to understand that the word worship here is more the thought of homage or honor, as we've been speaking in our chapter. It is, it would be pure blasphemy to take a, uh, a man, even a dignitary as a king and worship him in the common sense of the word. And I think if you look at the Darby translation on this verse in First Chronicles 29, he distinguishes that point, makes it very clear that he's using the word as it was in the days once this translation was made, which is over 400 years ago.
And they use the word worship in a different sense on occasion. And we think of it today in Christianity. So let's remember that we still have a responsibility to honor the King.
So what is the thought of brotherhood?
Well, exactly why does he turn in her head?
What's the standard?
OK.
Peter really doesn't bring out the full light of Christianity, does he? Doesn't take us to the truth of the one body where Jew and Gentile are uh, united together in, in one body. So really Jews that are Christian, we, we have it in Hebrews, don't you? Hey, your brother and Alpha Naksh men's brother and it's brethren according to the flesh, Jewish brethren. And, and you'll have umm, beloved or holy brethren that were believers among the Jews. And so there is a love of brotherhood here now I think it's here.
But it's not just the love of natural relationships, but likewise other Jews because he is addressing elect Jews. Uh, but we know in our places, dogs and the Gentiles have been brought into, uh, Mimico joint heirs with the Jews that, that the brotherhood really and spirit of thought would embrace the whole family of God. Would not, I just take it a lot of these references, they just don't take us as far as the truth that we've been brought into now.
But I'm willing to for another thought.
Did you have a thought on Brother Ken? No, I just merely asked me a question because I wanted an answer.
Well, you had mentioned on the first date, Brother Ken.
The whole household of faith, remember? Yeah. Now what's the difference between the whole household of faith and the Brotherhood?
Well, I just, I was, what I was wondering was whether this brother had extended something beyond just Christian's, uh, fellowship and, uh, that which had to do with, with the, uh, with Christianity, or whether he's referring to, uh, like the brotherhood of mankind that we are to recognize and, and to be, uh, and to remember. And I, I don't know, but as far as the whole household of faith on that.
00:15:20
And that's the drive. I think we're referring to a lot of people of God, not just those that we know today as those gathered to the Lord's name. We quite often can get narrow minded in that sort of thing, but the whole household of faith is, is extends to all the people of God, I believe. And so we have to remember the bird mentioned that in his prayer that, umm, we needed to remember those that are, are in that, that, uh, broad fellowship of Christians.
Is that true?
I don't think this is the brotherhood of all mankind. I'd rather think that it's what Brother Brockmire has brought before. Is that? Am I right about that? There was there have the faith among the elect Jews. Yeah, I might. I might just say something else maybe or may not be helpful, but it's been helpful to me. I think of three epistles that are addressed to the Jews.
The first is the Epistle to James and is addressed to the 12 tribes is the only epistle in the New Testament that's dressed to Old Testaments belie, uh, Old Testament, uh, Jews, rather it's the 12 tribes, all of Israel. And so in that it looks at the people of God outwardly as the people of God. They may or may not have faith, you know, test them live at Israel, some in faith, some did not, but they are viewed as people of God. Then they come to the book of Hebrews. It's a little bit more.
Restrictive, that is, is to those that profess Christianity.
They are holy and beloved brethren, but the danger in Hebrews is that some that made the profession were not real and the danger was that they would apostatize and give up Christianity and go back. But they all have professed it a little bit more of a narrow sphere than in James versus the 12 tribes in general. But when we come to first Peter, as we have in chapter one and verse two, it is elect according to the, uh, foreknowledge of God the Father. Peter is addressing only.
Jewish Christians that are truly that are elect that are safe, not profession, not all the Jews, not all of Israel, but just believing Jews and the I have taken for myself that the brotherhood is are those to whom he addresses love the brotherhood. Now we do know Paul had a very large heart. His desire is reading in Romans 10 was all Israel that they might be saved. He longed for his countrymen according to the flesh. His heart went out to them.
But again, this is written from more the Jewish perspective and for us, you're so right where they can, our hearts should go far beyond, uh, just those with whom we break bread. And it's not an optional thing. Our love should go out to all those that love the Savior, all those that belong to the Church of God.
We have them in the loaf and I remember them.
You know the even though we cannot scholarship them as fellowship with them, but nevertheless we do see them and remember them in that note. And so we need to remember they're all God's people. And I thank you for that explanation that I commend you so.
Some someone had said in connection with Colossians.
Uh, the 1St chapter in the fourth verse since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and love and of the love which you have through all the sinks. And someone said, if you, that's all we think. And if you forgot one of them, what's on your heart doesn't matter. What's on God's heart and the culture we are to the Lord, what's gone, God's heart will be on our heart. We'll have a love to all our brother. But like our brother said, that doesn't mean we have to walk with them.
Yes, Sir, in a path, but we we do treasure that because we're so apartment to be sectarian and we make the assembly a sack in our own heart and think it's something different, but it's not. We're just gathered to the Lord's name trying to carry out his word, Ecclesiastes. When God recovered the truth to the Church, he recovered it to the Church, not to the gathered Saints, but he recovered it.
And some of those truths that he recovered the rapture.
Uh, uh, the difference between, uh, Israel and the church and those things are still tough. And we can thank God that they're taught, Don't we thank God that Christ is exalted, uh, among our brethren, Yes. That we're, we're not, uh, we're not, uh.
00:20:21
Advertising just a, a, a SEC, but we could be thankful for that. But they can. Can I be thankful when I see a man replace the spirit of God in, in their breaking of bread or, you know, having these little pieces of wafers? I used to be, I used to think it was AI didn't know why God would have something like that. It was so much of A waste of time, you know, taking this time out to pass these, uh, little cups around and, and take a little bit of breath. What does that have to do? It was, it was just.
Seems nonsense to me and not to me only because I've heard another brother who was in the nomination say the same thing. But it, you know, it wasn't carried out according to the word of God. You know, the man, he stood down and we're gonna, uh, we're gonna remember the Lord and so we're gonna sing this to him. And brother so and so is gonna bring the plate of the passenger. So it's just a ritual. Uh, what can I go along with that? No, but did I learn a lot of, uh, that recovered truth and that Baptist churches.
And so I'm thankful for that. We can be thankful that the people of God are afraid, but that doesn't mean that we can go on with them. Some people think that that's what you're saying. It's not what you're saying. And you can't, you can't paint it all with a broad brush and say, christened them hold this because many times the brethren will say that it wasn't where I went. They didn't hold it back. So we have to be more specific than what we're trying to say. And, and so, uh, we're thankful.
We're if our brethren our best and but that doesn't mean that we can go along with nothing. So I'm thankful for Billy Graham.
And his preaching the gospel. But could I go along with a man who feels that the Lord, the Lord Jesus could have sinned? No. So we make those distinctions, right?
We have to differ anymore against that because we don't want, we can become in our own heart sectarian and and that's not a God. Sectarianism is not a God. We have to differentiate between the system and the people.
I think that's very important. I learned I had to learn that myself. But uh, umm, it's the system that is wrong. The people may be ignorant.
As to what what it's connected with.
But if they love the Lord, the Lord understands that, and God will honor His word no matter how it goes out. And who goes out by it can be an unsafe person, and he'll honor His word.
But we understand those things. Jealousy is of the flesh. And sometimes we can be jealous because the Lord is working somewhere and it's not with us, you know?
But that's the flush he had all he said.
Is that what he told us? We saw this man, he was casting out demons, but he's not with us.
So the whole household of faith which that's found in Galatians 6, is something broader than the brotherhood mentioned here in this epistle, simply because of the context of the epistles that were bringing these statements from.
Our tendency is to project all of Paul's doctrine into every epistle and it just doesn't, just doesn't work. We have to limit ourselves to the passage we're taking up. I was thinking of that verse. The spirit of a man is the candle of Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly. And that's true and in, uh, in ecclesiastical matters. But as we move into the last half of our chapter, how important our spirit is in the workplace. And, and that's what the, as we get into the section that we began with, to be subject to our masters of all fear, not only the good and gentle, but to the forward or the ill tempered.
And where our spirits tested so much oftentimes is in the workplace.
And it's one thing we've all had good bosses and they're sometimes almost a joy to work for, but, uh, some of the, uh, some of us have had some very ill tempered, uh, bosses or owners to work for. And it's a real test on the spirit, but that's really where the, the things of Christianity are worked out. And so the word of God takes up with these very practical, uh, these very practical matters, but they really have to do with our, our spirit and the circumstances that God has placed us.
00:25:06
So when we come to these expectations with regard to servants, we may say, well, how would that apply to us today because.
None of us have households like they had in other times where they have a huge estate and many servants, men, servants, maid servants and so on. Uh, does this not have an application to us and try to rule it out? But no, it does. His brother Bill has already mentioned that there is a time when most of us are in a position where we are selling our services to an employer and that may be 8 hours a day when we go to work and in the workplace, these things that are exhorted here to the servants.
We have application to us.
And so, though we may not have servants in our household.
In the sense that they had them in literally in in other times.
The expectations here are very applicable to employment when we're in the workforce. It says here with all fear, that is, uh, I take it that's a fear of dishonouring the Lord by not obeying. So you heard the.
The story, maybe some young people have it, but we've probably all heard the story where, uh, a, uh.
Uh, a boy was, uh, they were going down to swim in the river, you know, and, and, uh.
He, he knew that his, his dad had told him he's not to do that, you know, And so they said, oh, Europe, you're a, you're afraid that your father will hurt you. He said, no, I'm afraid I'll hurt my father if I could. So I think that's the thought, you know, it's, uh, fear of dishonouring the Lord.
MMM.
Now I mentioned masters here as well.
You say, well, we don't have slaves today or masters and so on. How would this apply? Well, it would be the thought of an employer where we're in the workforce. So whether we are an employee or an employer, have masters and services not directed so much to the master at all really here to the master, but uh, expectations with regard to our conduct as servants. There are other places where masters are addressed at Ephesians chapter six, I think in first Timothy chapter.
Six are places where there are expectations given to masters and Colossians, Three I think as well. But here it's focusing on those who are in the position of being under authority in the workplace. And there is a, umm, beautiful model that's set before them and set before us as to how we're to behave in this. And the example is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each chapter has a exhortation and different aspect of suffering. And so this chapter, we get it in the 19th verse, don't we? For this is bank worthy. If a man for conscience sake toward God, endure greed, suffering wrongfully in the other chapters, that's uh, for for Christ's sake.
That might be uh.
Interesting and enlightening for someone to bring that out how it's, you know, the different kinds of suffering and the different chapters.
Verse seven of the first chapter is, uh, is, is that the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, don't be tried by fire might be found under praise and honor at the hearing of the Lord Jesus. So there is suffering and trials. Is that it and for the glory of the Lord in the second chapter.
This, uh, in the 19th verse, that's, that's what we're in. So that's the the third chapter.
Is uh.
To the 14th verse but and if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy argument and be not afraid of their care need to be troubled. You you know, I bought a car one time and the man said well, let's say that you bought it for this because then you won't have to pay that money taxes. So we were I said we're going to split it. I said well I'll just pay the whole thing because I'm a Christian.
00:30:04
Oh, maybe Mark, uh, raffle against me because I had said something, uh, I guess that made him think he wasn't righteous, but, uh, it was suffering for, I think that's the suffering of righteousness saved. And then of course, uh, in the 5th chapter, it's, uh.
Ninth verse whom Rita said fast in the faith, knowing that sin afflicted accomplished in your brother that are in the world.
Yeah, but it's temporary. But the God of all grace has called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ. After that he'll suffered a while.
Make you perfect, establish, strengthen and, uh, settle your.
Perhaps I could summarize it.
Chapter one Suffering in the trial of faith. Chapter 2 Suffering for conscience sake. Chapter 3 Suffering for righteousness sake. Chapter 4 Suffering for Christ sake Chapter 5 Suffering that rises from opposition from the devil.
Who was by suffering from opposition, from the devil.
There is any suffering for righteousness sake in chapter 3, and suffering for Christ's sake is like you were saying, You bear me to repeat what you said.
Is, uh, they need some transaction like that. You may say, well, no, I don't want to do that because, uh, it wouldn't be right. Well, why, what are you a goody 2 shoes? You get the reproach connected with it, but you don't necessarily bring Christ into it. But then if you go a little further and say, well, actually I'm a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ and we'd be dishonored to him. Now you're suffering for Christ's sake because you brought his name into it.
OK.
Imagine that in in these verses the Lord is our example and I was shaping your power. We also have other examples in the Old Testament and so.
In connection with servants and masters here, as it says servants be subject to your masters, because fear not only to the good and gentle, but also to the thriller for that in spaghetti. If a master conscience toward God and your grief suffering wrongfully.
So I just think of Joseph in Potiphar's house.
He adjourned grief softly along the way.
And, uh, he went to jail because that, that he, he, uh, he was doing, uh, what was right and he suffered for it.
So he suffered for conscience sake there, and he also suffered righteously living on.
He did that which was right. He did it also because he feared God.
So that's a good example because he's one of the probably the better examples of the of the Lord Jesus that we get in the Old Testament.
It might be helpful in looking at this portion and some of these different relationships were brought out and it's in contrast to what we have in Flash and and in Ephesians.
In what relationships are brought out and the the overarching theme in in these relationships that we're looking at.
Yes, similar to what we had in in verse 13 submit or to be subject and that Peter is bringing this out and for a Jew that was something that ran contrary to the whole national character of the Jews. They were they were God's chosen people and they were told that they were faithful that they would be the head and not the tail and that they would have those those positions over the nation and yet here Peter is stressing through.
Through the Spirit of God, obviously, but in verse 13 we have submit yourselves to every ordinance of man and then in the position of a servant that needs to be subject. The example of Christ is given in that he was subject to his Father's will and all that he endured taking it patiently perfectly subject. We have the example of why we subject to her husband and then just that word in verse 7. Likewise the husband.
00:35:17
The husband's authority is not to be used as a tyrant, but in.
Subjection price.
And so just, it's, it's something that's contrary to, to the current of this world that we live in. If we have a boss that we don't like and we're at work, well, we quit. I mean, this, this boss, he wasn't treating me right. I quit. Umm, even the way that this world looks at marriage, you're, you're in a relationship, you're not being treated right. You quit, you, you divorce. I mean, obviously you're not being treated right. But what scripture is presenting and so beautifully in the example of Christ is subjection, submission to the will of God.
And allowing him to, to work, to teach us and, and to work things out for our good and for our blessing. And so we see that that theme developed in this, in this portion very distinctly. We've heard the expression submission and obedience of the healing principles of mankind, of humanity. So it, it extends not, it's not only in the household of faith, but it also extends to, to the world and extends to the family. You get in submission and disobedience in the family. What do you get? You get chaos.
You get that in the, in the world, you get chaos. So you don't submit to the authorities that are in the land. And we see it coming to Bo coming about wor more and more all the time and rising up against the police forces down in the US and it's UH-22, uh, turn it into anarchy. And, uh, so if they were all obedient to authorities, whether they liked them or not, Paul was obedient to, to Nero and he was the worst Caesar that there was. And, uh, yet he's the one that was in power when he could say that we were to submit to the authorities.
And so, uh, in and so much in the assembly, why has there been so many divisions amongst the Saints of God because of the insubmission and disobedience. So if we can only remember that in our individual lives or collective lives, umm national lives, it would what a difference that would make in this world.
So I just say that again, that that that submission and obedience are the healing principles of humanity.
I don't always know I need all the orders and what we need or we set aside not in order and take Doctor fail and and she as my brother mentioned, society fails. Well, it begins at home, isn't it When the monthly order in the household failed in the society fails, but also that it's still in the essentials it failed. I'm thinking of the issue surveys and give some example of what the body will be decreased.
Or it's going to happen to stop at 21. We know the story we're still getting all about, but it's also going to be part of that.
Sons or daughters, the wife and the children shall be the masters, and he shall go out by himself. And if the serpent shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife and my children.
I will not allow for you then it faster she'll bring them into effective. It shall also bring him to the door or into the doorpost, and his master shall forward his ear through with and all.
And he ulcer than forever. Now here I will take you more particularly the quarter you need. We find it servant who loves his master.
Well, what about his children and his wife? Well, he loved them too, but here we live over, he said. I lost my master.
I come first and then if you notice the age I love my master, my wife and my children. Disappointed with him. I have heard from him say the assembly that happened to my children. I have to think about my children's living. I believe because of children 'cause that's not the problem and we can think of different scenarios. The property order is.
00:40:17
Uh-huh. And we have to ask ourselves, I've been who? First of all, do we acknowledge that? Our manager? Do we we truly acknowledge the whole deep side and our Lord is our Master so we can put in the 1St place. It doesn't mean we don't know our lives, our lives and our children that we come first.
And then otherwise and I.
So in verse 20.
He showed us very clearly what is unacceptable.
We wrongly behave ourselves in the workplace and we get demerits from the employer rebuked or buffeted in some way.
Well, that's because of our wrong behavior. It is a poor testimony to the name that we bear. It is not acceptable. But when you do well, he says, and suffer for it, and you take it patiently, this is acceptable. So suffering is part of Christian experience and it's part of normal Christianity, as he goes on to say, For even here unto where ye called.
Called to what?
Were called to suffer for Christ.
Because it's part of the path of faith. We're in a world that is opposed to God, opposed to Christ, hates God, hates Christ. And when we seek to live according to Christ and walk in the path of faith according to our conscience, there's going to be suffering and you cannot escape it. It is part of the Christian experience. And we have been called to to bear that as something that is normal. And then it breaks into this beautiful example of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another verse along that line that I'd like to bring out would be Philippians chapter one and verse 29.
Philippians 129 says, For unto you it is given in behalf on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, that's a wonderful portion, but also to suffer for His sake. This is something that is given to us to do.
Because it's normal to Christianity.
Doesn't buffeting how the thought of being hit with rods, it's something very severe and and he said even if you're buffeted it, if you did wrong, you've got it coming to you. And if you take it in the right spirit, there's no glory to you. That's that's the attitude that we should show. And it is rather sobering when we recognize and even among those who profess the name of Christ, that in the sphere of employment that some cannot even handle a mild rebuke.
They cannot even handle a correction for something that they did wrong without flying off the handle, without becoming defensive, without justifying what they did or giving you all the reasons why they did what was wrong, even if the correction or the review was done in a mild manner, much less being buffeted for it. And so these things really test our spirits, don't they? How do I accept correction? The context here is employment. That could be true in the home or in the assembly as well. I think of the blessed Lord and speak that we have here and and as an example.
But even as a boy or almost a young man of 12 years of age, one is uh, when uh, Mary and Joseph came back, he was not among the company. And Mary said to him, Thy father and I have sought me sorrowing.
And we marvel at the beautiful. It might be worth just reading that verse there in in Luke chapter 2 just to see the beautiful response of the Lord.
Luke chapter 2 and verse.
48.
And when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said to him, Son, why hast thou dost dealt with us? Behold thy father, and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that he sought me? Wished he not that I must be about my father's business? And they understood not the same when she speak unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.
00:45:11
But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart, and Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor of God and man. So Mary, the mother of Jesus who corrected him wrongly, he was perfect. He never did anything wrong, and she corrected him wrong and even referenced his father. We know that God was his father and we see as a beautiful spirit here with the Lord that he, he does not, he's not compromised in any way. He says, how is it that you saw him? Was she not that it must be about my father's business.
So he actually corrected his mother, but with the subject spirit, and the result was.
What followed there he was subject unto them and whether it's true in the homecoming office's parents have corrected any and all of our children wrongly and sometimes, well, she corrected the Lord wrongly, but he was subject to them and the result was his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. There was moral power there. And if we apply this to the workplace, it is someone perhaps I do get corrected and you do get corrected incorrectly at times or wrongly at times. Well, that's well doing and there's moral power.
Connected with accepting a correction, perhaps for something that we didn't even do wrong, but the spirit of challenging and defiantly, uh, seeking clarification as to what's wrong, It really, it loses the testimony. But when we're, when there's a spirit of subjection and that carries with it a moral power that commands the conscience. And with Mary there, she kept all these sayings in her heart. And simply because she made a mistake, it did not.
Uh, the Lord did not use them not to be subject, to continue to be subject to them. And so these things really test our spirits. But it's an encouragement for us if we've ever wrong, been wrongly accused about something, wrongly corrected, to take it patiently, knowing that it's acceptable with God. Brother Bill, I have a question.
Were his parents aware at this time that they were admonishing him about this?
They were obviously frustrated and concerned. Some of us have lost our children in big grocery stores or big department stores at times. They just walked away when we found them and caught up to them. We weren't just super happy, we were a little bit upset. But my question is, was his parents aware? Was his mother when he said to them I must be about my father's business? Do they understand the difference? Do you think then?
Or Bruce. Or anyone. I'm just, I'm just.
Just wondering about that.
You wouldn't think they would deliberately.
Say things to him, uh, out of line or not, right? They did what parents do.
Think about the children.
Whether you're going to be done on this, whether it is or did not understand the response about others go to their commendable incident. If you're not fighting that and, and, and when you you said they had been there for a while, That was two things that sometimes we don't really know why someone is upset at that because they mentioned before too often your question is not the real question. And then and if it's just something else and and the world will trade is that there's always a question behind the question.
But it does not need to think. There are thoughts here too. So that's the diversity in the world that we noticed in this incident. They were one day away.
They didn't keep the eye on the whole east side and I think that could be an example for us. Only for one day, but it took them three days afterwards to replace yourself and you buy and that was the work itself. I was thinking this also, if I may.
The We all know the wonderfulness of our Lord Jesus.
Unthinkable. Unspeakable.
But I was thinking more so he was always respectful.
Not only of his parents, but others.
In his life, I believe it would be safe to say he was always respectful and and at the cross, he said to John.
00:50:08
I guess I'll have to paraphrase when he said that. John, take my mother to your house.
See his feelings about his mother seeing him crucified.
He wanted her to be confident. John, take my mother acknowledged her to your house and take care of her. I think that's a beautiful portion.
It shows his humility and love and care.
For his mother.
And I believe it's, uh, the very fact that the Lord Jesus that, that he was always God, whether he was a child of babe in the Manger or, or whether he's hanging on the cross, he was cha, he was always gone. And whenever he spoke, there was, there was power behind that. And I fully believe that when he, when he replied to his mother that way, his mother was slightly rebuked.
Because.
We read in other places where, uh, in certain instances she hid these things up in her heart, so she knew who his father was. And it's interesting too, that the very word that we get here, uh, wishing not that it must be above my father's business. And then in, in First Timothy where it says, meditate upon these things, gives thyself wholly to them. But thy profiting may appear to all. It's the same word.
And so for you and me to be exhorted to meditate upon these things, what things, the things of God, it's, it's our Father's business. And so it's the same word that is given there as it is in Timothy. And to me, that's kind of instructive. It's important.
Thinking also that when the Lord.
Was.
About to be crucified or going to the cross?
The only place.
I believe that we're told of where he had any rest at all, felt loved at all within the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
And as much as he loved Mary.
He had the mildly. He had the milder review of her. Martha. Martha.
Now that was in the scolding. Martha Martin, thou art covered about but much, Sir.
It is in love that he did that.
Even though he was capable of teaching, of course, he was 12 years old. And so it's in keeping with what he'd done in the 46th version. You know, it says. And it came to pass that after three days, they found him in a temple.
Sitting in the midst of the doctor, he could have thought these doctors both hearing them and asking questions and that's exactly what he did with his mother didn't read buicker, but he asked a question that was teaching her but it wasn't it was in keeping with her 12 year old should do not teach his mother. You know, say well you should have known this, but was she not that I was about my father's business.
Question.
It you know, he didn't yell at that pilots or those men that were trying to put him to death. He was, I believe, even respectful of of Pilate, the government, because when Pilate said art thou who they say you are? And he just said thou sayest. He didn't argue with them. He didn't say, well, you should have known that he just said thou sayest.
Well, we have that in the chapter here in verse 22 and three, who did no sin, nor there was God found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, he reviled not again and so on when he suffered, he threatened not.
But committed himself to him, a judge, righteously. And I would assume that that would be a reference to the ecclesiastical trial that he went through for the Sanhedrin when they beat him and they mocked him and they reviled upon him. Read that in Matthew 26 and how he behaved in that situation gives you a lot of light as to how you to behave. And authorities misuse their power and accuse you of this and that. That is not true.
And how the Lord so perfectly took it. And his brother Bill has been telling us.
00:55:00
There's the example for us.
Hope this is not off the subject or out of line, but.
I really never knew what the word scourge mean.
When it says they scourged you.
I've been studying on that. I'll tell you, it's far worse than I ever imagined. And they did that to the Lord Jesus.
Even Pilot, when they let him go, I had to go out and scourge him.
He didn't have to, but he did.
It was an awful thing. That's where Yavi, they plowed upon my back. Really it was the Roman whip with blasts and their metal pieces that was plowed was back up unspeakable. You know, you think too with a contrast source. We began the readings that were to lay aside all malice and all guile, and now they come to this blessed One who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And as part of the verse in the end of Isaiah 53.
That's often, uh, I impressed me. We know this is a great prophetic chapter as to the sufferings and death of Christ, but, uh, just beyond the end of verse.
We'll read verse nine and where it says and he made his grave with the wicked or man appointed his grave with the wicked and our buddy was with a rich in his death. Thanks to Joseph Barimatheon Nicodemus, but this part.
Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Book of Proverbs warns us of the violent man, the corrupt woman, those two great dangers symbolically and literally represented there the the violence and the deceit that's in this world. And yet we come to our blessed Lord. He did no violence. The path of the believers of this world is to do no violence nor any deceit in his mouth there was no guile. The Lord could say I am altogether that which I say unto you.
He he, he was the full expression of what he was. And with Paul, you know, he says, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. There was nothing false. He was not fraudulent in any way, but there was no dial in his mouth.
And then to think of the charges, to think of these, the martyr sufferings at the hands of man, how difficult this is for us. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. The wisdom of this world is responding kind. Or to take it up the next level, but to be reviled, to be demeaned, to be disdained, to be scorned, to be ridiculed and mocked, and so on. These things, these things can cut deep. And then our natural reaction is to respond and want to crush the person.
The level these things against us, but the blessed Lord perfect in every way. He heard it, He felt it deeply. It's a perfectly righteous man to feel it. But he did not respond in contact.
Retaliation.
Not part of Christianity.
And then the next verse goes on to speak about his suffering in connection with bearing our sins. Now what connection?
Does this have with the passage because he's been set before us as an example for us and we cannot of course follow him and making atonement. So why is his suffering in this connection and then brought in in the 24th verse.
Brother burn that I have the same question so I'm.
Could it be that there's a difference when we suffering and actually with our own actions?
Uh, summon the Corfairy?
The, uh, the accusations against ourselves that we can see in that and suffering that is the truth and others.
01:00:15
I didn't do that tomorrow from from the office like the last.
So he was willing to even take the wrong of others upon himself.
So I see.
This verse, uh, that we're considering also always reminds me of the of the.
The story that brother Eric Smith told, and many, perhaps some here know that, but for the sake of younger ones, I've never heard it. He told the story of a brother over in Bolivia that was dealt with in his assembly wrongfully.
For an an immoral act and he didn't say anything and so he suffered the the act of being put aside from the Lord's table and he sat in the back row for.
I believe it was a year and a half.
He came to the meeting. He sat back, didn't say a word.
Until one time in a reading movie.
A brother up in the front someplace suddenly got up and he said that brother back there is innocent. I'm negotiating.
And so I was thinking of this verse here when when it says when he was reviled, reviled not again. And so this brother followed that the principle that leda is laid out by the Lord himself. And what did it do to that assembly? Well, that brother was reinstated.
To the front and the brother in the front was put away and the whole assembly profitable because.
They, there was no sides taken, there was no, uh, one sticking up for the other one. And the brother suffered it willfully, willingly and, uh, it's profitable everyone.
And so to me, that's a a tremendous example of.
Following our Lord's example.
Ourselves.
It seems, though, that it has something to do with, uh, that work bringing us into the same position where we can live under righteousness.
Except who is on oneself there our sins, and his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live under righteousness.
So we can follow them in that He's given us a life like himself.
Because this is an example, we know that you can't.
Of their own sins. But He did. And that we, being dead, should live under righteousness.
I was thinking it's often speak of being dead to stand in connection with Paul's ministry, don't we? And as soon as the master was dead to that, but here the result is dead since it's the app and it's the thought of having done with that as you see our.
Blessed Lord went all the way to the cross to suffer for sins.
What we have done that, we are now done with that that.
Umm, that we, we've given up that course of action, whether it's retaliation or threatening or, or sins, whatever might be, in view of that, that work, it has a very practical bearing in my practical life now.
And the stripes that were laid upon him in this verse are not discouraging that we were Speaking of. This is a stripes that came upon him from God in connection with our sin. And the healing that's mentioned here is not a physical healing, as our Pentecostal brother might tell us, but rather a spiritual healing of the soul. And it corresponds with what you have.
In Isaiah chapter 53, we've referenced that chapter. We reference it again.
01:05:01
Is Isaiah 53 does bring that in in connection with the Jews?
Being converted, we can make an application for it from our for ourselves.
Isaiah 53.
And uh.
Verse.
5.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our face was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed again. I said. This is a spiritual healing in the soul.
The Salvation.
I mentioned that because there are Christians all over there about the notion that if you're a real believer and you're walking with God, you should never get sick because Christ bore all those sicknesses on the cross. And they'll bring in those verses with regard to.
Bearing our infirmities and so on.
That's not what this is talking about.
Perhaps you'll be well done to amplify in that thought about varying our infirmities as well because that wasn't in depth. That was in his life. And if we can go to chapter 8 of Matthew.
Umm, because many times we hear things that are confusing on this subject, not distinguishing what he suffered in life and what he suffered in death and in Matthew chapter 8.
And uh, following the healing of Peter's mother in verse 16, when the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed, the devils, and he cast out the spirits with his words, and healed all that were sick, that it might be fulfilled.
Which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet St. Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. When was that the cross? No, it was when He entered in to the sorrows and the suffering of those He healed. And this is when it was fulfilled. This was in His life when He took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. The Lord himself was never personally sick. He never, He never personally felt the effects that we feel as a result of sin, but He entered in to His suffer the suffering creation.
And those as He took it away in power, He felt it in His spirit. And so it is important to distinguish between that and His life and the sufferings that He endured at the hands of men on the cross. But none of that took our sins away, as you bring out by His stripes who are healed, and the atoning sufferings in those three hours of darkness.
When I think of this nation that was scattered, the pistol began. So the, uh, strangers that were scattered abroad. And now I said, here is the sheep going astray, but are now returning to the shepherd and Bishop of the shepherd and overseer of your souls just as an application. I know it's not the real sense of the passage, but we sometimes speak of the difference between gift and office.
That is a a pastor, a shepherd is a gift that the Lord raises up for the good of the body of Christ. And that gift is everywhere. It's it's universal one and one has that gift. And that is some men speak of bishops or overseers and a local assembly. It's local. It's not with a whole Church of God universally, but rather in a specific area. But I've often been intrigued with this passage. How brings those two concepts together? Well, they're more than concepts, but attributes and titles of the blessed Lord, the shepherd of our souls.
And the Bishop of our souls. And so he overseas and as well as shepherds us along. And so just by way of application, as we think of the blessed Lord here, we know he's the, uh, he's the, the chief shepherd if you read in the 5th chapter that he looks after the good and care of the flock. And so how important that is that there is that character of shepherding. That's true for the whole Church of God. But in oversight in the local assembly as well to, to know the state of the flocks. And, uh, his brother bought out yesterday. We may not be an evangelist, but we can be engaged in the work of it. So he may not be a shepherd, but we.
Should be engaged with the spirit of a shepherd.
The shepherd loves the sheep. And I thought of this with David, you know, he loved the people of God. And before he was put in the place of administration as king, he was a shepherd. And the two times that David was rebuked and convicted of his sin, the first time was Nathan the prophet. When he was gonna, we brought that parable before David as he was sitting with Bathsheba. He used the analogy of, uh, of a sheep and one that had stolen and taken another man's sheep and had brought out the ire of David because he loved the sheep.
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Nate knew that and it worked his conscience and then at the end of his pathway, when David sinned in numbering the people and his sin is brought home before him, he says As for these sheep, what have they done? The wrong that and the sorrow that come upon the people. He he took it upon himself. What have they done? The fault lies right here and I believe in that. We really see the the heart of a shepherd and how we need that in our local assembly.
Love for the sheep?
Yes. Would you, uh, consider too, uh, brother, that is he's talking here, he says, for you were as sheep going astray, talking to these Jewish people, but now they were gone astray, they were lost. And so it's a shepherd, uh, he goes after the sheep, but as a, as a Bishop, he takes care of it. Would that be true?
You think 238?
Our shepherd is the Lord.
The living Lord who died #238.
So, umm.
You need any registered medication? Do you need anything else So.
And then it's laughing.
And the big ones where I'm wondering if you're alone.
I'm glad, I'm not going to lie.
All right, so what's up with you?
Umm and give me plastic and get Wednesday.
Evening things are gone, but I'm trying to run from danger to the day.
Through the blood pressure. So Oh no, no, no, it's easy.
I'm going to have my.
But I didn't wish I had 1000.
Beginnings go to bed and no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Dial 0458700 eleven 5136.
Let me disconnect a couple of portions that we've had today before our arts in verses 12 Through 16, we had our testimony and then we have had suffering here before us. And I just like to encourage young people and those of us that are a little older as well, you know, there is no stronger testimony.
That we can have in this world.
Than to suffer for crisis. It's a testimony that no one can speak of anything contrary to.
01:15:04
It speaks volumes.
There's a sweetness.
That comes from that, the sweetness that is demonstrated most beautifully in the life of our Lord. But it's the sweetness that we can display as well. You know, most flowers only give off their sweetest perfume when they're crushed.
Dear brethren, we've been called to be Christ.
May the Lord give us strength encouraged to be willing for it. And just one more thing.
I know from personal experience and I know from the testimony of many others.
That if we're willing to go through trial, if we're willing to be crushed.
We will find the presence of our Savior.
And a greater, clearer, more blessed way than we'll ever experience in any other form. Let's thank you, our gracious, loving God.
Open Mtg. 7
Open—K. Harman, B. Erlandson
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288.
All those mercies.
For exceed all the way to each other.
And.
In my name for a while, is there anything that may be more on a display?
Oh my God, And but vibrant. And that's why I think so.
All right.
Uh, thank you for.
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Call 7053.
Four. Three, 2512.
The hymn that we sang was.
Very timely, I believe, and a good reminder of the pathway we're on, the journey that we're on in this life is that there are consequences.
And, umm, that we should be very.
Umm, concerned about our course down here like the apostle Paul could say I have finished my course. I've I've finished, I've finished the the race, I've finished my course. I'm quoting that right. But henceforth there is laid out for him a crown of righteousness. He had the assurance in the soul that what he had.
The what he the what course that he had followed and the pathway he had he had gone was had been had met with the Lords approval.
Umm, how could he say that with such assurance?
Umm, because he kept his eye on the goal, he kept his eye on the person, and he had cast everything off as far as these earthly things are concerned, is that he used to be concerned about. He called it.
Umm garbage he called itself. Umm it it never. It no longer appealed to him. All he could see was the was the Lord himself.
And the end of the pathway and so.
00:05:03
I wonder about you and me, whether we, it affects us that way, uh, or do we still hanging on to things down here that really is called baggage. There are things in.
My turn, just for a moment, to John. To Hebrews.
Umm, chapter 12.
Hebrews chapter 12 and verse one.
Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand.
Of the throne of God.
This is Speaking of the Lord Jesus.
The joy that was set before him.
And.
The that which was pleasing to his father is what his concern was be what was and so he looked off, umm, to uh, to the end of the pathway for him. And we are to look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of faith.
What is our object, I wonder? I asked myself this as much as anybody. What is my object day by day as I get up in the morning and as I go to bed at night? What is my my object being during the day and how has my pathway?
Passed throughout the day. Have I been occupied with the Lord?
Well, I'm afraid that there are a lot of things that enter into our pathways that we would call.
Wait.
Umm, you know, weights aren't necessarily wrong, but they do hinder.
And weight can become a sin.
Umm, there are things that we take up and our pathways that are not, not necessary.
They hinder us in getting on in the in our path. They're getting on in in our occupation with the Lord, that there are things that would hinder us in our growth in our soul.
I can look back on my pathway and I can I can wish on some things that I wish I'd thrown off.
Because.
Here I am at a point in my pathway, where would I, where would I be in my pathway if I had not taken on these weights that held me back, stop my growth. And so this is the danger of taking up things down here in this world that aren't absolutely necessary. There are things in our path that that are necessary. We need to make have a job, we need to prepare to provide for our families. We need to to take care of others.
There are things that are absolutely necessary and we have to have a job to do it, and the Lord understands this. But sometimes these there are, there are some of these things that are not necessary. And so we take them upon ourselves and we find that they're a burden.
So I just mentioned these things because every one of us here probably are in the same category at one point in our lives, perhaps even now. Maybe there's those things that you've taken upon yourself that that you wish you hadn't and they become a burden. It takes your time, it takes your energy and.
You know the the.
God would have us to have the foremost thing in our life.
Is those things that occupy that interest him?
Umm, the, uh, things that of God, the eternal thing, the, those things that are eternal are the things that are important in God's sight, and so they should be with us too. Uh, that which I've taken upon myself is it, does it have eternal value?
Or is it, is it something that I just wanted, something that's going to hinder me?
Quite often that's the way it is. I think sometime of, of a, some that I've known in the past and they went on brightly for the Lord and they, and uh, it's not great things for them, you know, as far as the, the things of Christ are concerned. And all of a sudden they say.
00:10:15
What's happened? Something has happened. I don't see them anymore.
There's umm.
Let's turn to the.
2nd Corinthians.
Chapter 5.
Verse 9. Wherefore we labor that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body.
According to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.
The judgment seat of Christ is before each one of us, and this is the judgment seat of Christ in concerning our works down here. You say I, I have to, to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. I thought my sins were gone. They are. If you're a Christian, they are. But this is nothing to do with our sins. This is to do with our works.
And it's whether they be good or whether they be bad. But everything that we do in this life, oh, brother, hey, hell used to say we get by with nothing.
So you may do things, I may do things in secret, you may, we may do things openly, but everything is, is, is registered in God's book, in his records.
And they're all at one point, they're all going to at the point when the Lord Jesus comes and we gathers unto himself, there's going to be the the books are going to be open there and there we're going to suffer either. We're either going to get reward or we're going to suffer loss.
Our our Sims. It's not anything about our sins, it's our works.
And so.
It begins right from the time we enter into this world to the time we leave the world. Whether we are St. or Sinner, all those works are gonna be exposed and gonna because they all have to be accounted for.
We might hide them from one another, we may, we may hide them from our closest friends. But you know, the Lord Jesus knows all about them and he's, he's going to, he's going to confront us with them, shall we say?
And it's going to be all not to hold us down, not to punish us. You've got nothing to do with that. But it's because at that time we will be in a, in that those new, that new bodies, as I should say, the new, the, uh, glorified body.
And so we will think as he does, and we'll be able to say you're right.
You're absolutely right for doing this, for bringing this up, because I was wrong. And the Lord Jesus will get the glory for it. So we'll all read down to the glory of the of, of the Lord Jesus, but we will suffer a loss ourselves. I can't tell you to see how he's going to do it, but we will suffer loss. And does that mean anything to us?
So that's that's the judgment seat of Christ. And then if we go over to 1St Corinthians chapter 3.
There's another.
Another, umm, facet of this, and that is more to do with the, uh, the the assembly I believe.
It says in verse.
Let's read from verse 9. For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building according to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder. I have laid the foundation and another build if they're on, but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For all other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest.
For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
00:15:09
If any man's work abide which he hath built, thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss for him, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.
Now this is building on the foundation that has been laid by the apostle. This has to do with the ecclesiastical part of of everything. As to the church, what are we building upon that foundation that has been laid by the apostle through the Lord Jesus Christ, what he has given to him. There is only one foundation and there is only one church in this world, and that is the Church of God. Is that?
Has been hidden in him from before the foundation of the world revealed to the apostles. And, uh, now we are responsible, We have a responsibility to build upon that foundation. What are we building into it? Are we building into that? Are we, are we, we bringing before one another and seeking to, to uh, umm, also, uh, build up our own souls on that foundation so that it will be profitable, It will add to it. It will be God's mind.
Concerning it or are we adding our own thoughts to it? Are we, umm, uh, are we bringing, putting in bad material? Is it wood, hand stubble, or is it gold, silver and precious stone? That which is which has value. The other is if it doesn't have value, it's gonna be burned out.
And that speaks of it's gonna be judged and we will suffer loss, yet we ourselves will be saved, closed by fire. That is so as by the judgment that has burned it out. So these things should exercise you and me because they are eternal. They're that which is going to last forever. And it's going to bring either glory to God or it's going to to dishonor that which he has.
Established in this world there is much out there that is that in the the systems of men that that that are honorable and we can thank God for that but there's much there that we that is going to be burned up but.
In to man, To man. He looks at me and he says these are wonderful works. Well, he's doing great things. This might be true of myself, it may be true of you.
But it says here, let every man take heed.
How we build thereupon?
Uh, it's not, it's not of how much it is, it's of what sort it is. What's the quality of this work? Not the quantity. And so these are things that would that you and I from, from our, from the time I say that we come into this world to the time and right here, this would be from, from the time that we have become Christians. I believe I'm right in saying that.
That that we are responsible now to build upon that which.
God has revealed to us and umm, he has given us his spirit so that we can do it, so that we can, uh, he can give us guidance in this. He can give the energy for it. And so it's your responsibility and mine as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that we do it God's way, not our way. And I think that's what it's all about here.
So these are things that that umm.
I am so thankful in my pathway that God has allowed me to understand a little little bit in my pathway, and yet it reveals to me that how much I've failed in all of this, how much there is that was will suffer loss. And I suppose each one of us can do that, look back on our pathway and say that that I wish I hadn't done it.
It's umm, being dishonoring to the Lord or, uh, there's been no value in it.
Uh, he's gonna have to put it to the fire. So let us, let us build our, put, uh, put our energies into building upon the foundation that that has been laid with Jesus Christ himself, the chief or the cornerstone.
I'm so thankful to see, uh, uh, wherever there is, uh, a work of God in this world. Uh, think of many that, that are.
Our, uh, preaching amongst the different, uh, ones that, uh, are being saved over Muslim countries and things like that, There's so much energy being put into it and we, we're thankful for this. Uh, but you know what? It's not just the preaching of the gospel that is included in the works of God.
00:20:18
The work of God is it can, is, is, is just that we that we obey his word. That's what it is.
If you obey My word, then you are my servants, and so are we obeying His word in such a way that there's going to be, it's going to be reckoned to us as gold, silver, precious stones, something that God can give credit for and honor. And something is going to build up the testimony of God in this world today according to the mind of God.
Now there's another verse that want to turn through just.
Before we close your And that's in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes, chapter 10.
Hard to know where to start here, but I think if we start from umm verse 8.
He the diggeth of pit.
Shall fall into it.
And whoso breaketh an hedge, a servant shall bite him who shall remove a stones shall be hurt therewith, and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
If the iron be blunt and do he do not wet the edge, then must be put to more strength. The wisdom is profitable to direct. Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment, and a babbler is no better.
I read this because it, uh, it exercises my own soul.
Everyone of us that has gone on in the past.
Uh, for any length of time build up we we have umm, a responsibility to follow according to the word of God.
But you know, the enemy of our souls, the serpent here is, is ever ready to to trip us up. He's a deceiver of the brethren. He's a he's, he's a, a, a deceiver. He was a liar from the beginning. He's the father of lies. And he would try and and trip you and me up in our pathway. And when I think about these things, that makes me tremble.
Because.
Umm, many have.
Missed the path, we don't see them anymore.
What happened? And but by the grace of God, we could say that there go I, why are you here today? Why am I here today? What are we doing here? What are, are we, are we appreciating the, the, the, the word of God that we are, we are reading and listening to and being taught? Have we received it into our souls? How, how are we applying it in our lives?
And have we applied it? Well, I want to say, like we've read already, take heed.
And I say that to myself, take heed. The children of Israel, when they were the Lord gave them, told them, if you be obedient, this is what I'm going to do to you. You go to the book of Deuteronomy chapter seven and eight. I believe it is and you'll read about it and and all the blessings that God was going to give to the children of Israel if they were obedient and there wasn't anything they were, they were going to be invincible.
There wouldn't be an enemy that could touch them and they were going to be blessed like you wouldn't believe.
But then on the other hand, he says, but take heed.
Because if you don't, this is what's gonna happen.
And so throughout the history of people, of God, there's always been that side of things that there's blessing, but then there's warning. And because of what we are by nature and by practice, we are capable of falling into any of these snares of the devil.
So here's.
Uh, we have, uh, God, as it were, uh, hedges us above.
His hedges about were sanctified by the Spirit were sanctified. We are in a place that is usable for God. He is sanctified us for his use. The children of God are in a very special place and and God would care care about us and would as Leslie did with Job. He put a hedge around him and he said to Satan you can do this to him, but so that but that's as far as you can go.
00:25:21
Uh, you can. You have to. You can't touch his life.
And so he allowed things to happen in Job's life because he saw a needs before it.
And so God has a hedge and he can break that hedge if he chooses to. And he as he did with Job, he broke that hedge and he led let Satan go through and he tried Satan Job. I say he tried Satan went through and he tried Job. And we know that Job came forth as.
As gold.
And that was God's purpose. We read in, in umm, in, in the New Testament that it wasn't the end of Job that we read about about it was the end of the Lord in concert in connection with Job. And when he allows the service, the the hedge to be opened up, shall we say, in our lives and allow certain things to come in and, and test us or judge us or whatever that might be for he knows the reason.
Umm, then he, he allows it to go so far and no further, and that's a wonderful thing to get a hold of for us because it gives us peace.
To know that God is in control.
But if you and I break the hedge, that's a different thing, I believe. And so it says whoso break it, uh, umm, whoso breaketh and hedge, a serpent shall bite him. That hedge can do two things that can keep the enemy. It can keep the, the, the enemy out, or it can keep it, keep us safe. It gives us security. But you know, in those days they built a hedge and those hedges were hiding places for serpents.
And so it was very important that they keep that hedge. And so, uh, the thought here in the spiritual sense is that if you and I lower down, lower ourselves, shall we say, to allow that hedge of protection around us to be broken. And how can we do that?
Very suddenly. Very easily.
These weights that we're talking about.
I can put a weight upon myself. That in itself seems very legitimate and I have a reason that, an explanation for it. I can, I can give you any kind of reasons that that This is why I've done this. This is why I've done that.
But I've got some ulterior motive in my own, in my own soul. And so I I can, I can.
Persuade myself that this is very necessary, so I go on with it, but not realizing.
That I've I've had to set something aside in order to do this. I've added as it were, I've broken the hedge and what has happened now is that God has allowed the serpent to come in and he he may destroy my testimony, he may destroy my life, he may destroy everything that.
That could have been for the glory of God and I and, and I've, uh, it's hindered me now in my pathway.
I wonder if if there's if this applies to anybody in this room other than myself.
Umm, we can think about this. I'm not here to try and explain everything. I merely want to bring this out so that it, it can exercise your conscience and mine that, that if we're going to go on for the Lord in this life, if we're going to go on and honor him in this life, we're going to have to be on guard. We're going to have to take heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip.
And this is the danger that we have in the in these last days, especially God.
The the enemy of our souls knows that his time is short and he will do his utmost, his best to try and trip you and me up. And I, I'm so thankful to see my young brothers here and sisters and and I would trust that in your pathway that you will take heed to these things and you value them.
And you will seek to be on your guard against the subtle Wiles of the enemy. They're so ready to, to, uh, destroy your testimony and to, umm, ruin your life and to ruin the testimony that God has has established in this world as to the church. That is the thing that I say that is, is utmost importance to God.
00:30:25
Is is that mystery of the church that was hid in him, in God, before the foundation of the world?
As has now been revealed to the apostles and the apostles and the prophets.
By the Spirit and now reveal to you and me what a privilege that is.
I wonder if we realized that so much.
As, as we ought to, uh, I know I don't, but this hedge, this tip that can be dug, uh, uh, that for, it's like, I think of, of, uh, Haman, you know, he, he was ready to, to, uh, destroy Mordecai. And so he had the, he had a jellos already built and he was going to, to, uh, uh, get rid of Mordecai and uh, uh, he himself was gonna be honored by the king.
What happened? He dug, shall we say? He dug the pit and he fell into it because God was in it. And Mordecai was the one who was honored and and Haman was the one who was hanged.
Whoso digeth a pitch shall fall into it, whoso removeth stone shall be hurt therewith. I believe all these things have much the same thought in them, and I leave them at your for your own.
Reading of it and.
He that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby, that is.
Anybody that swung an axe, I remember my grandfather once my mother told me that my grandfather was cutting wood once and he had a, a very, he had AI don't know what the axe was sharper or whether it was dull, but he swung it and he missed the uh, that and he just looked at his foot off. He left it hanging by a piece of skin and got him into the house and my grandmother took him and, and.
She she just put it all back together again and, and put some disinfectant on and she wound it up with, with brown paper or rags or whatever it was.
She just put it together like that. No doctor, no nothing. And it healed. But he cut us just about cut his foot off because of he wasn't, he wasn't careful how he was swinging the axe. And then there's, there's a thought here of, of swinging it, of, uh, having a doll axe or a dull, umm, instrument. Umm, And it says if the iron be blunt and he do not wet the edge, then must he put to more strength. So sometimes we try to force things.
Uh, and, and we, the, the iron is that we're, is dull. So what do we do with that? We have to swing it harder. And sometimes we use the word of God that way. And we, we, instead of, of, uh, remember reading about Mr. Darby was riding in train, I believe it was with a young man and, and he got into conversation with the man next to him. The man was questioning Mr. Darby and, and just question after question, Mr. Darby just calmly answered him.
Answered him with the word of God.
And this young man was expecting great things from Mr. Garvey just to, you know, you can shoot him down like, like nothing. You know, here he's asking you all these questions. You got all the answers. You can shoot him down like nothing. But he didn't. He just calmly answered his questions with the word of God. And afterwards, young man said to Mr. Why didn't you take him on a little harder than that? You know, this is the thought of it.
He said it's a word that cuts and so he didn't have to.
He didn't have a dulac, he didn't have a dull iron, he didn't have to swing it hard. It was sharp already. And the word of God is that which is which cuts. So sometimes we try to force things, umm, with the word of God instead of just letting the word of God have its way by itself.
And so I believe that we can have the application there and that. And then there's the, there's the, uh, surely the serpent will bite without enchantment and a babbler is no better.
Well, I don't tend to try to ex explain all of these, but the thought here, I believe, is that we need to be careful of those things that we already have been given and that we don't allow the enemy to come in and deprive us of these things. And let us lean upon the Word of God. Let us lean upon the Spirit of God that we might be guided by Him and that our pathway might be preserved.
00:35:11
Down here, for his honor and glory, let us take heed, young people, let us take heed, older ones, my brother, each one of us, Let us take heed to the things that we have heard in these meetings and to the things that we have heard elsewhere, other at other times. Uh, none of us are ignorant as to the scriptures here. Uh, we've got them perhaps in different measures, but what we have heard we are responsible for. So let us take heed to those things. Don't break a hedge.
And allow the enemy to come through and bite us. That's so sad when this when this happens and many have lost their testimony in this world because they have broken a hedge and let them through.
Earlier, umm, this afternoon, while Bruce was Speaking of the uh, uh.
Present.
Circumstances in in North America and and the.
Possible demise of this country that we view as such a such a substantial power today and has has risen to that position in such a short period of time.
I I couldn't help but think about what?
What God was doing.
In an unseen sphere.
Bruce was Speaking of the political sphere, and man takes much glory in that. But God is working in an unseen sphere today, and Ken touched on that a little bit in respect to what's being built and the instructions that are given to us that we would use materials that will last.
Gold and silver and and precious stones as opposed to wood, hay and stubble.
And we have.
Such.
Helpful instructions in the Scriptures in this regard. And, uh, we have by grace been preserved in the good of it in a great measure. And so here we find ourselves in the closing days of the church's history, and it's a remnant condition that exists today.
Uh, just, uh, just a week. And I'd like to look at a couple of different, uh, scriptures in that regard and look at one who gave it up and just, uh, continue that, uh, that exhortation and that warning that we've been taking up this afternoon in respect to this wonderful privilege of building with these materials.
Silver and precious stones rather than umm, wood, hay and souvel. And that which is going to be set aside at the at the close. So I want to begin with umm, that which would be of a professing character in in this setting. And then I want to turn to that which is.
Something that God can commend, that he can acknowledge, so that which is of a professing nature. Let's turn to Matthew 13.
And verse 31.
Matthew 13 and verse 31.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and become as a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
This is a This is a picture of our day.
It's a picture of professing Christendom, and it's a place in which everything has been welcomed and that hedge has been set aside and the the presence of of everything.
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In in a in a large compromise has entered in and as time goes on, more and more is.
Lighting in this tree and adding to it defilement and and taking away from its reality and that's it's a sorrowful scene and.
It is not pleasing to God and it is not going to test. It is not going to stand the test of fire of heat in a coming day. It's going to be.
Reduced to ashes?
And God's test of it, and his estimation of it. And, umm.
Our place, I believe, is not to, umm, not to take up a conflict in respect to this, uh, this condition and this movement and this, uh, this influence in Christendom today. Our place and our path is one of separation from it. And in that regard I want to turn to.
Uh.
One verse in Ephesians.
To try to give a sense of God's perspective.
And what God values.
Ephesian 3 and verse 10.
Ephesians 3 and verse 10 to the intent that now, under the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church.
The manifold wisdom of God.
Well, there's.
The vast contrast in these two forces and and what is portrayed in each one, and what is portrayed here is.
Entirely a work of God, isn't it, and a work of His grace, that the principalities and powers in heavenly places might learn by you and I, the manifold wisdom of God. And one aspect of the manifold wisdom of God is His order.
And.
A recurring theme in the ways of God, the manifold wisdom of God, is the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And so this is a day of suffering, and it's going to be followed by the glory that should follow. And that great tree that comprises professing Christendom doesn't want anything to do with suffering. It wants to proclaim a.
A prosperity gospel and a blessing of of tangible things. But this is an unseen sphere and it's a spiritual sphere and God's way is suffering precedes glory. And that is the that's a pathway that we're in. It's a it's a.
As I as I mentioned before, I use the term remnant and that's that's another.
Umm common theme in the ways of God with men. A remnant testimony is what closes each of God's dealings in his dispensations with man. They that fear the Lord spake often one to another. That's that's in Malachi. That's a a small company that remained in that day, umm when the Lord was was brought into this scene.
Umm, Simeon and Anna were there, a remnant testimony. Just a few were there, but they were in the good of God's purpose, and there were others with them in a light position. And beloved, we don't realize what a privilege we have to be.
In that place today, and we ought to take heat on ourselves and under the doctrine because.
It's a it's a privilege beyond our estimation and our comprehension.
And then continuing on to Philadelphia in Revelation Chapter 3.
00:45:07
Verse 8.
We.
Uh, had this little verse referred to in the prayer meeting Friday evening.
Revelation 3 and eight, I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door.
And no man can shut it, for thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word.
And has not denied my name. What a uh, uh, simple and brief set of qualifications that are given here by divine inspiration that.
That show what God can command.
Although a little strength yet keeping my word and not denying my name, I'm not going to be able to keep His word if I don't spend time on it and if I don't make an effort to, to understand it, to learn it and to make it my own. So the keeping of His word and not denied my name, that name is going to be exalted and it's going to be owned on earth and in heaven.
And that is going to happen very, very soon. And may we be preserved to own that name and the preeminence of it in these last days when many are giving it up. And So what a what a simple little instruction, what simple qualifications there are. And may it be the desire.
Of each one of us to keep his word and to not deny his name. That name is worthy as the gathering Center for God's people today. No other name is needed. You mentioned that in the midst of that great tree of Christendom and you'll be looked at with a great deal of skepticism because.
The denominational boundaries have been have been built up.
And there are.
All is it done, all is all that it has done is contribute to the ruin of God's testimony here in this scene. And finally, umm, one other thought that I would like to touch on is in Second Timothy chapter 4 and that that caution that is given there.
In regards to.
Keeping his word and not denying his name, as opposed to, uh, taking up with other things, umm, Second Timothy 4, uh, verse 10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed onto Thessalonica.
We read a Thessalonica earlier and the, uh, the.
Caution and instructions that were given unto them, but.
Here I really appreciate the.
Uh, tone of Paul's, uh, Paul's remarks and uh, how he, how he words this for Demas hath forsaken me having loved this present world. That's all that Paul needed to say. In respect to demons. We have a tendency and there is a risk in this reference and in making a comment in this regard.
Of continuing on and pretty soon we are in first Peter chapter 2 where we started our readings and there's some malice and there's some guile and there's some evil speaking and we have a very good.
Lesson and principle here in this regard and fall in the.
The privilege of divine inspiration limits his comments here. Dimas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. And it is a sorrowful reflection to observe this pathway, and it's been observed many, many times and.
00:50:07
In many ways and the.
Numbers here reflect that today and.
I.
I think that this, this present world, yes, it holds an attraction in various forms and we, we need to be on our guard, as has been mentioned.
In respect to its its attractions, but it's a place of loss when that that pathway is taken, that little hymn that we have.
And the scripture that it is based upon.
Made reference to spirit, soul and body being preserved blameless onto the coming of the Lord and.
If you're a little bit like me, you have thought of that verse and you have turned that quotation around to body, soul and spirit. But.
What matters to God and what really defines our direction is spirit, soul and body and the the pathway here, having loved this, forsaking Paul, forsaking Paul's doctrine, and having loved this present world is taking up that which pertains to the body and.
That's that's a loss. It's wood, hay and stubble.
And it's not going to stand the test of God's, umm, God's estimation in a coming day. And.
Umm, nothing else is said here. I think that we have also here a little, uh, a little preview of the judgment seat of Christ that also was referred to earlier. He, he's forsaken me having loved this present world, There's, there's nothing more that could be said and.
So may we, uh, may we continue on in this, uh, this pathway and as we watch this great, uh, political system hasten on to its, its demise and as we watch the church in its, in its weakness, although Christendom would seek to glory in the fullness.
Of that, that great tree, may we seek to keep his word and not deny his name.
18.
Dollars.
In thee and he explained that tomorrow.
Yeah, Uh-huh.
My.
Big cricket.
00:55:16
SMS one.
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1 Peter 1:1-5
1 Peter 2:5-13