Regina Conference: 2022
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John 15:1-8
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John 15 would be a suited passage.
I was thinking of the same passage.
Maybe, maybe just reimburse the.
700.
John, Chapter 15.
I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, and ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in Him the same bringeth forth much fruit.
For without Me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. And men gathered them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that she may, that she bear much fruit. And so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
If he keep my commandments, he shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that she loved one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
John was one of the last books written, as we well know, and John's writings of course were some of the last written written probably in the 90s. All the other scriptures had been written, and the importance of the Gospel of John particularly is that it's the Gospel seen through the lens of Christianity.
After those years, the apostle John understood that the Lord Jesus during his lifetime was preparing them for the Christian dispensation. And so we have many examples in the Gospel of John. We could just mention a few of them, but many examples of Old Testament types fulfilled in Christianity. Just a few examples. In chapter 2 we have the earthly temple gives way to the temple of his body.
In chapter 3, we have earthly things give way to heavenly things. Chapter four, we have the failing waters of the woman there giving way to living waters. Chapter 5. If we look at chapter 5, we have the legal system giving way to the voice of grace in the Son of God and so on. We could mention chapter 6, we have natural bread, which was manna of course, in the Old Testament, giving way to heavenly bread.
And so on it goes. Tabernacles, the Feast of Tabernacles. In Chapter 7 its true meaning is given.
And so on and so forth. And so, beginning with chapter 12, we have of John's gospel, we have a remarkable.
Explanation, we might say, of the Tabernacle.
And that's been brought out by many over the years, but in Chapter 12, just to skip ahead a little bit.
We have really.
The brazen altar, because we have the Greeks coming to the Lord, and that's as the Lord says there, except the corn of wheat fall under the ground and died abideth alone. But if a diet bringeth forth much fruit, and in chapter 13 we have the labor where the Lord Jesus washed the disciples feet, that's the practical sanctification.
That's so necessary. And then in chapter 14 we have the golden altar where the three persons of the Godhead are presented, and that was a new revelation. There was only a shadow of the three persons of the Godhead in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament were brought into intimacy with the three persons of the Godhead. And so in a sense, perhaps that corresponds to the golden altar where prayer and worship are offered up intelligently.
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To the three persons of the Godhead, and then in chapter 15 where we are, I suggest that we have the table of showbread because the chapter can easily be divided into three parts. The 1St 8 verses of the chapter have to do with fruit bearing and that that's through communion and it especially deals the emphasis on these first eight verses is the Father's government.
And that's extremely important principle that much of Christendom has forgotten about today. They talk about unconditional love and we'll get into it, but God's love is unconditional to the lost Sinner, but man is responsible once we're saved. And so we have God's government and especially the emphasis is on the Father's government. And we'll see that in the 1St 8 verses. Verse six is an exception.
Doesn't speak of believers, only of empty professors, but the others speak of believers and the Father's government with believers to bring forth more fruit and much fruit. And then from verses 9 through 17 we have the collective testimony.
If the 1St 8 verses are the emphasis is on communion, the next verse is 9 through 17. Is the collective testimony the emphasis?
Is on fellowship.
And then the next section would be verses 18 through 25.
And the emphasis there is on what's sometimes been called the circle of hate or the reproach because we do not belong to the world, but we're reproached by the world. So those are the main 3 sections of the chapter. I might say the 1St, 26 and 27 in a sense go on with the next chapter because we have the pre authentification of the New Testament. Interestingly enough. Just a brief note on that versus 26 and 27 are the Acts.
They correspond to the Acts of the Apostles.
Whereas we have the gospel over in verse 13 of chapter 16, we have the revelation. I'm sorry, the rather we have revelation in verse 13, things to come. We have the.
The Gospels Explanation of the Gospels in verse 14.
Chapter 16 And we have the Epistles pre authenticated in verse 15. All things that the Father hath their mind. Therefore said I, that he shall take up mine, and shall show it unto you. So just a brief outline there.
I think we have, we have a transition.
A character to the Gospel of John. It's different in its outline to the Synoptic Gospels. It's not the same.
The Lord Jesus is presented.
As the eternal Son of God, we don't have a genealogy. We don't have a transfiguration. In John's Gospel, the Lord was transfigured throughout it.
We don't have the forsaking of of the Lord Jesus on the cross. So to understand the gospel is to see the transition the Spirit of God is bringing before us. It's the.
Introduction of Christianity with all its privileges. Nearness to God.
The discipline of the Father comes in here, but let us remember that John's Gospel is the full revelation.
Of the Person of the Godhead. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. Bodily He is revealed to us. The heart of God is unfolded as never before in the Gospel of John that blessed 1 The eternal One, the delight of the heart of God.
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We're coming now to the so-called upper Room ministry. That's very important. We don't have that in other gospels. The upper Room ministry of I stand to be corrected, but I think we're we're beginning it here.
Leading up to the crucifixion.
And unfolded are those precious truths.
But now, although the Lord was going to be.
Ascended and glorified.
At the Father's right hand rejected by man the rejection of Christ. You have from the very beginning of the gospel of John. He came unto his own, His own received Him not.
But he's unfolding now the the privileges that we have in Christianity.
Anticipated because the Spirit of God was not abiding at this point in time. He didn't come until Pentecost, but he breezed upon them, received the Holy Spirit, so there was a new life given.
We're connected with the new creation race. We don't get the one body of Christ per SE in the Gospel of in the writings of John. It's the family we know. But how wonderful to contemplate.
The discipline of the Lord that we might.
Be able to maintain communion with that Blessed One.
We were able to have fellowship.
With Christ and the parameters here.
The rejection of the world, but the enjoyment of the company of the Son of God is is prominent in these chapters. Is that right Robert?
Yes, there's a transition here in this first statement that the Lord makes in this chapter is very significant. I am the true vine. And so the vine really was in the Old Testament was Israel itself, and we could just turn to Isaiah chapter 5. We would see there.
What he was referring to, they were a vine. Israel was the vine that he had planted and a very fruitful hill, it says in chapter 5 of Isaiah.
I will now sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My beloved, half a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. He fenced it, gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with a choicest vine.
And built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
And verse 4 Now what could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore when I looked at it, should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes. Let's read verse 7. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel.
And the men of Judah, his pleasant plant and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression for righteousness, but behold a cry while he looked for fruit in the Old Testament. And you might say I think it was Harry Hayle used to say that Isaiah chapter 5 was really the secret to understanding the key to understanding all of the Old Testament and what God was doing in the Old Testament. He shows that there was in the natural man in the best possible.
Situation that he might possibly be given the best of the knowledge of the true God. Unto them were delivered the oracles of God. They had the word of God. They had every possible advantage of perfect religion. God-given religion, but the whole nation, it didn't bring forth fruit for God. So isn't it wonderful? Here it says the Lord Jesus presents himself as the true vine. Now there was going to be fruit for God.
In this world and by the sovereign grace of God, if there's any fruit for the Lord in your life and mine, it's this. Because we're brought into relationship with the Lord Jesus, we're blessed in him, in Christ and everything that we can do in fellowship with our God and Father. Because we know the Lord Jesus our Savior, we're engwed with the Spirit of God. We have the capacity now to be able to bring forth fruit.
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Isn't that wonderful? But it's in connection with Christ.
Very nice to see to that the Trinity is at work. We talk about the transition. Let's we we find that here we he said that I am the true Vine and my father is the husbandman. So we see that the father is involved with his work in the previous chapter. We find that he told them that he's going to leave this world, but he's going to send the third person of the Godhead.
If it's as if it were.
Down South, a brother earlier on indicated that so on the day of Pentecost, when the Lord Jesus ascended up to heaven, the Holy Ghost descended onto this into this world to change what was different before that he indwells in the believer. So our brother Robert mentioned that how now we have the light as if it were to understand the word of God.
So we now have the Word of God before us through the Spirit of God helping us to understand the mind of God. So here He's the true vine, as it was mentioned already. It's in contrast with how Israel was viewed as divine but didn't bear any fruit. But now the true vine, the Lord Himself. But then one more thought connected to that is to bear fruit. We must abide with that fine.
So if we think that we are of something or somebody, then it would know true fruit bearing because it has to be from him.
Also important to see that we have.
The possibility?
Of a person having a profession without reality.
A person might have.
The outward place of being baptized.
They're part of Christendom if they're baptized.
Any person who's baptized is in the Kingdom of heaven. I don't want to confuse the young people, but.
There's the danger of.
A profession without a real work of the Spirit of God in the individual and the Lord. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.
I would judge that that is referring to that group of people who outwardly are associated with, shall we say, the.
The.
The name of Christ. They may even. Of course, in baptism you bear the name of Christ if you're baptized, whether you are real or not. So some branches are taken away. There's not reality there. There is no divine life in John. It's important to see. It's the family of God.
You're possessing the very life of Christ the the nature of God you have. You're not going to have a different nature when you're in the glory than you have right now. You have a nature and a life that is capable of enjoying all the things that God enjoys.
But communion is necessary, and this is brought before us, communion with the Lord.
That fellowship that is so easily broken.
I.
Regardful I was going to say, but anyway, every branch in me he that varys through he purchased it that it might bring forth more fruit. Well, this is the disciplinary action of the Lord. We all have it, brethren, and God has a individual tuition for every one of the of his children. Your personality is different to mine.
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Thank God for that, and we all have.
Different weaknesses. We have different infirmities. Infirmity the Lord never had. Infirmities is a result of sin, but we need discipline. Infirmity is not a sin, but alas, it can lead to sin. Like in my life, when I complain or murmur about my infirmity, I I dishonor the Lord.
But the point is.
The Lord is watching over us his disciplinary.
Actions in our life are important, brethren, if you if you're well, let's we won't dwell on it. But if you are not.
Partakers then you are ******** not sons. So because we're in the family of God.
Truly become under the government of God. We don't get off with anything, brethren, absolutely nothing. We come under the government of God in our lives and if we become careless and get into worldly company or commit sin, communion without doubt is broken.
And the Christian can be the happiest person in the world, and he should be, but he also can be the most miserable person. Because if I'm not enjoying the Lord, which happens sometimes in my life, I can't enjoy the scriptures. And because I'm not in communion, I can't enjoy the world as I did before.
It's really spoiled for me now. I may go into it, but communion with the Lord.
Self judgment is the.
Necessary accompaniment of communion in our lives.
Brother John, I would suggest in verse 2 just that for clarification it says every branch in me.
That beareth not fruit, he taketh away. So it's really a real believer. He's in Christ. And then you have in verse six, it's important just to notice the two differences, OK? There's two groups of people. If a man abides not in me, so there are those that are in me and those that are not in me. And so the Lord knows those that are real. And So what are you Speaking of in verse 2?
Is that there are those who know the Lord Jesus as Savior. They are real believers, and yet they're not bearing fruit. He taketh away. Well, you know, we have different examples in Scripture. Let's look in John's ministry in I think it's first John he speaks of right at the end of first John, he speaks of one being taken away in death.
In governmental way.
Are you referring me referring to verse 6?
Verse 2 is a real believer.
Verse six is an unbeliever. I see a real believer is in me.
But he might not be bearing fruit, and the Lord may recall the ambassador. He may recall the ambassador who is not bearing fruit for him, walking in a bad way.
And so his desire is that we would bear fruit, and He will. The Father, the statement here, my father is the husbandman, is significant as well. It's the Father who seeks to work with you and I that we might bear fruit for God.
And a husbandman is just an old English word that means a farmer, someone who has the care for a plot of earth, and someone who has the responsibility to plow that field and to fertilize it to make sure that it bears fruit.
For the profit of those who own that field. And so the father is working with the Son and he is we could look at Hebrews chapter 12 and the Father is working with you and I that we our lives might bear fruit for him. And yeah, every one of our lives is a place of fruitfulness for God. A potential we might say, you know, every one of us here is born into this world is given.
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More or less were given 70 years, 3 score and 10 years.
25,550 days. Well, there are some days that are wasted and perhaps in our youth, but we're responsible to use every day for Himself and to bear fruit. And So what he's Speaking of in verse 2 is that the Father is working, but those that do not bear fruit.
He taketh away. He may have to take it away if I dishonor the Lord.
You're Speaking of this sin unto death, then?
I'd like to try to explain it like this.
Israel was a vine. You see vines that grow and they creep along the the wall and they climb up the the wall and they sometimes they produce fruit like Poison Ivy and it produces fruit, but it's a vine that creeps and and it grows. Well, Israel was looked at as a vine, as was mentioned if you look in Psalm chapter 80.
In verse 8.
It says, Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt that has cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou preparest room before it, and it's caused it to take deep root and fill It filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it. In the boughs thereof were like goodly Cedars. She sent out her bows into the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken her hedges so that they all which pass by the way to pluck her?
In any case, the Israel was the vine, and it came into out of Egypt, came into into Canaan, it could not produce anything good.
For God because it was based on the law and when when you try to keep the law, we we can't we can't do that it doesn't produce anything for God and so in our chapter here Jesus says I am the true vine and my father is the husbandman and so Jesus is the one who now.
If you look throughout the whole world, there's Christians everywhere. The vine is producing and you are a branch. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are a branch on the vine. The vine is Jesus. And so you're connected to the vine and you're getting your sustenance, your food from Jesus and your you. You can grow, You're growing grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. You're, you're doing things that honor him. You're telling others about the Lord Jesus. You're living for Jesus.
You're obeying the your parents and and you're growing, you're producing fruit for Jesus. And and that that's what we're talking about here is the vine. You are a branch on that vine. And are you producing or are you not producing?
Vineyard needs cultivation. I've walked through many, many vineyards in my professional career over the last 30 years, and they need cultivation. If they're not cultivated, they just turn wild and don't bear good fruit. But they need cultivation. We use that word discipline. Maybe we don't like that word so much. Maybe cultivation is a little better word because that's what the Father's doing. He's cultivating us, isn't he? And He's leading us on so that we would be fruitful for Him.
And I, I do agree with Robert. Now, in all fairness, verse 2, the commentators are quite varied on that. I think even Mr. Darby holds what you hold, John. So we don't want to be, we don't want to throw too many rocks. But I believe FB hole is the one who brought out the the principle that Robert mentioned that every branch in me that seems to be the determining difference. And again in verse six, it is an it's a mere professor.
And because it says if a man not you, but if a man. But in verse two, again, we don't want to be too dogmatic on it because like I say, who who wants to disagree with J&D? But on the other hand, it does say every branch in me that beareth not fruit. We might look at an example of that. Robert briefly mentioned one, but we know the one in First Corinthians 11. And I think this is important because as you mentioned, brother John.
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The Christian can be the happiest person in the world or the most miserable person in the world. Maybe that seems strange, but it's true, isn't it? A pig can wallow in the mud and he's, he's, he's extremely happy because he's working consistently with his nature. But you take a little sheet and they'll stay far away from the mud. You throw them in the mud, they'll be miserable. And so a Christian has a new nature. He has the Spirit of God and dwelling him, he has a new object in Christ.
He has a new standing based on the finished work of Christ. And so to act like a world link is like a sheep. We are sheep and we'll be absolutely miserable. I've lost two nieces to suicide in the last several years.
Young ladies and they were believers, I believe.
But they were not walking as believers, and they ultimately ended their own lives. The Christian can be the most miserable person in the world. And so let's look at that. In First Corinthians 11, we often read the first verses from 23 verse 23 about the order and the meaning of the Lord's table. But we often don't read the last part, verse 27. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord.
Unworthily, and we know a little clearer translation is in an unworthy manner. It's Speaking of real believers, isn't it? If I'm walking poorly, I'm eating the bread and drinking the wine in an unworthy manner. I'm not acting as a Christian. I don't belong. I I don't don't I shouldn't be taking my place at the Lord's table if I'm acting in an unworthy manner. Shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself doesn't say you should stay away. Some people just solve the problem that way. But that that means that in a sense, I'm excommunicating myself. Here's what scripture says. Let a man examine himself. Let's get it right.
And so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily and an unworthy manner eateth and drinketh. Damnation's a little strong word, but condemnation to himself. Not discerning the body it should read. That's the one body. We're defiling the one body for this cause. Many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. That's what we have in verse two, don't we?
For if we would judge ourselves, as you were mentioning, brother John, the necessity of self judgment, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world. Well, there is this. It's a serious thing for a Christian to.
To tamper with these things and the Lord may take us away, as we've seen. And it causes great grief, doesn't it?
But it's a very, very real thing. We're here for a purpose, and that's to bear fruit as we have here too. We have fruit has often been mentioned in verse two. We have more fruit. That's why the Father is cultivating us, discipling us so that we would bear more fruit. And then ultimately we have much fruit in verse eight, don't we, Karen? Is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit? So shall he be my disciples.
And there is a go ahead, Rob. We might just refer to that example in John's ministry in First John chapter 5 as well. It's really does speak of an ambassador being recalled. You might say first John chapter 5, verse 16. If a man, if any man, see his brother sin, a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, he shall give him life for them. That sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he should pray for it.
And so there is such a thing as going on in such a wicked way that the Lord has to take one who is a real believer, and he removes him from the sphere where he should have borne fruit. And we need to remember, brethren, all of us need to remember that the fruit belongs to the Lord. It's not my fruit, it's his fruit. And he's working with me. He's working with you with love and grace, that there might be fruit for himself.
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For all eternity.
Remember that the believer is not standing still.
We are either progressing in our Christian life or we're retrograding. We're not standing still.
And the purpose of the discipline of the Father, which we have in Hebrews chapter 12, is to remove those things in my life, your life, that are a hindrance.
To the enjoyment of the person of Christ, we know what it is in our lives.
But we're lives to give it up, lay aside every weight.
We often argue for those things. What is the harm of it? And morally there may not be a harm in it, but it's separating our souls from the Word of God and from.
From the enjoyment of Christ, then there's positive sin in the life. But we do have the provision of the advocacy of Christ. It doesn't say when any man sins. There's an advocate with the Father. It says if any man sin, it's not inevitable that the Christian must sin.
It's always my fault when I fall into sin or what?
A path that is dishonouring to the Lord. I have the provision of Christ as my great High Priest, not to restore me when I've sinned, but to keep me from falling, to sustain me in my weakness and in my infirmities, to give me the strength to walk the path of faith in this Dark World.
The advocacy of Christ comes in, of course, when there is definite failure. We need the advocacy of Christ, brethren, every day of our lives and that comes into play not when I confess the sin as soon as I have failed, the Lord exercises his advocacy that.
Office comes into activity.
To restore my soul. We all have that experience. But now coming down to the maybe I.
Could just mention now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you, and perhaps some other brother can elaborate. We have two cleansing in the Christian pathway. We have the moral cleansing of the water.
When a person hears the gospel, the Spirit of God begins to work in that soul.
There is a moral cleansing in the lights.
Then later on in that person's experience when they come to trust in the finished work of Christ.
The blood that he shed, that is for the expiation, the guilt of my sin. But there is a moral cleansing and I think stand to be corrected that that is what is referred to here, verse 3. Is that right Eric?
But I think it certainly includes that. And what you say is very important, isn't it? When we speak about positional sanctification, it has two aspects, doesn't it?
First aspect is when we're born again. That's what you're speaking about, isn't it? That's the the beginning of that's when we have a new life that loves the things of God. And then the second aspect of positional sanctification is justification. It's based on justification.
I'm cleared of every charge against me and brought into a new relationship with God himself, his sons. But then they're also I, I think, Brother John, don't you think this goes on too?
To what we call practical sanctification, because practical sanctification is the daily cleansing, isn't it? And the moment what we had, the Lord Jesus in the 13th chapter watched his disciples feet. That was an ongoing thing. And I suppose we have both here because again, it's speaking about discipline and cultivation. This is why it's so important to read the Word of God. It's not merely a matter of collecting knowledge.
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But it's our lifeblood, isn't it? And it cleans our minds and cleans our lives. We need to read the Word of God daily. Daily.
How important that is one thing I want to mention too. The fruit here is the fruit of the Spirit. It's the moral graces of Christ. We might just read those in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22. The fruit is not something that we invent, but it's it's becoming more Christ like. That's God's purpose. Its purpose is to bring many sons to glory, to make us more Christlike. And so in Galatians 5 and verse 22, the fruit of the Spirit.
And how would any of us want to argue with this Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance against such there is no law, wonderful fruit to become more Christ like. That's what God's cultivation and discipline is for, is to make us more Christ like. And I do want to mention too, very briefly something that.
Was pointed out to me. I misunderstood it for many years, but maybe it would be a help to others. And second Peter chapter one along the lines we're speaking about.
In verse four of second Peter chapter one, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. Now note what it says here, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Sometimes we say, well, when I'm saved, I've got eternal life. That's true. But that's not what it's saying here. It's speaking about practical sanctification. Notice what it says. It's present that she might be partakers. And so it takes cultivation of the Father and communion with the Father, doesn't it? So that we might, we might be partakers of the divine nature. Isn't it in First Timothy that Paul says to Timothy?
Lay hold of eternal life.
What is really life? That's in the Darby translation.
Partakers of the divine nature.
Is is not exactly the positional side. We all have a divine nature. What Peter is exercised in those verses is the partaking of the divine nature is it manifests in my walk and ways.
Yes, we have the divine nature, but there may be a hindrance in my life that it is not being.
Manifest.
In my walk and ways. So we need the cultivation of the Spirit of God we and as I mentioned before, we need self judgment.
Not to belabor the point, but to you go back to the time when the children of Israel came through the Jordan River, which is a picture of the death and resurrection of Christ. They came into Gilgal, you remember?
And there are several things performed at Gilgal. It's a very important position in the history of Israel. They were on the borders of the land. They had come through the Georgian picture of the death and resurrection. They were raised with Christ in in type, but they were.
They were, they had a stop there at at Gilgal and they were circumcised. That was a rather painful process.
Joshua commanded them to be circumcised before they set out to apply swords to the enemies of the land.
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They were first. They had to first of all apply swords to themselves.
And that is a picture of self judgment, brethren. Later on we see the captain of their salvation presented to them.
To Joshua, as he saw that man with a sword drawn in his hand. Who art thou? I am the captain of the Lorde host. And Joshua took his feet from off his shoes from off his feet, and worshipped.
That is the picture of the Lord Jesus.
As the captain of our salvation, leading us through this wilderness.
Providing for us it's an enemies land.
And.
Every power of hell is arrayed against the believer who seeks to be loyal to Christ. We have an old nature too. We have three enemies. We've often been reminded, which I'm not going to expatiate on the world, the flesh, but we have the devil. He would hinder us from the enjoyment of our portion in Christ. And so the captain of our salvation. That's an important.
Picture that it's a it's the Lord leading us in resurrection into the land, into the enjoyment of all that we have in Christ as we as we've been speaking.
I like to go back just a little bit and digress, perhaps.
We spoke about how when once pathway is so bad that the chicken pole. I'd like to digress because death seems to be.
A very scary thing for many of us, and I thought I'll mention that really, as a believer, there are only a certain way for us to die because the Lord ordered the death of his servants. We have to remember that we don't die just by chance.
And this world, so we sometimes we get so taken up with people in this world, we're afraid of accidents, disease, illness and other things I believe the Lord ordered. So when the first one I believe is when one's work on earth is done, the Lord took us home. Well, when is that? We don't know. Could it be two year old? Could it be a 80 year old?
When the work on earth for the person is done, the Lord take them home. The second reason I believe is sometimes he used someone as a martyr for his glory and we see many examples of that that. The third example we spend some time on is when one's walk is so bad that the Lord has to take them home. Now let me stress this, I do not believe it's right for us to speculate and say well that brother was taken home.
Because of whatever we have to leave that with the Lord. So we have to be reminded death is not final like this world. Look at it, we are not of this world that faded away. And one breath will say we look forward to be with the Lord and the other breath we're afraid to be taken out of the sea. So what is our true desire? Do we truly believe that we would rather be absent in the body and be present with the Lord?
Now this is easier said than done because when circumstances come on us, come upon us, then the the testing truly come. So it's good to learn what the word of God have for us while we still well then when the day of trouble comes, then the word of God can come and encourage our hearts.
Let us remember that the children of Israel.
Always have to return to Gilgal.
If not, there is going to be defeat in their lives. If there's been any fruit in our lives of the grace of God. Let us get back to Gilgal and acknowledge humbly that it's all the grace of God that has worked in our hearts.
That is, it's not our intelligence, it's not our faithfulness, it's the grace of God that is enabled us to be a channel of blessing. The glory. All must be his. But Gilgal was very important in the history of Israel. If they did not get back to Gilgal, there was failure. AI in the example, Gideon, the Gibeonites, another example.
00:50:29
So it's a place that we we need to return to.
No doubt we are in the position raised with Christ in heavenly places are standing before God will not be affected by my conduct.
Standing will not be eliminated. It will not be.
Reduced my standing before God, A result of the work of Christ. Justified from all things. Reconciled. Even goes beyond justification.
We're now associated with that man in the glory. We are part of the new creation race.
Of which the Lord has the preeminence, but we are associated with Him and.
Therefore, we are in a position of responsibility.
Responsibility.
Devolves upon us and that's when we come to the the other parts of the chapter Speaking of communion with the Lord. So we can say, can't we, that there's a important distinction between salvation and discipleship. And that's what we're speaking about here, isn't it? Is discipleship we really want to lay hold of eternal life. We're speaking about discipleship.
Now everybody who's saved will get to heaven. But discipleship is what you were talking about, isn't it, Brother John? And that's what we have here.
What is the disciple? Well, the disciple is one who has taken his place with Christ to follow him at all costs. And so we might say, well, the children of Israel, when they were delivered from Egypt, they were typically saved. They were looked at as being saved.
But then we see all these troubles. There's actually four different stages in the wilderness. There was grace, then there was government under law, and then there was the wandering years, the 38 years of wandering. But remember when they first came to close to the land of Israel, they came to a place called Kadesh Barniya.
Arcades. That's often referred to What does Kadesh mean?
It means consecration. That's the secret of discipleship. Many Christians are not consecrated. Scripture assumes that every Christian will be consecrated. That's why the the Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows the feast of of the Passover. Passover is a picture of our salvation. Feast of Unleavened Bread is the assumption that will be disciples and Walker Christian life. But this is where much trouble comes into Christian lives.
We haven't really taken that step of consecration. We know the Lord is Savior, but not really as Lord. And so it's often been said the Red Sea is a picture of Christ death for us, that salvation. But the Jordan River, where we have Gilgal that John's been speaking about, is a picture of my recognizing that I take, recognizing that I'm dead with Christ. I'm not on my own. I belong to Christ.
And He's the one who's to direct my life now, and he wants us to to bring us into those that fruit we are reading about. Lovejoy, peace, all the rest. But it only comes through consecration, and that's discipleship.
That's what we have here. And so in verses four and five, can't we say it's much of what we've been speaking about? How can we walk as disciples? It's by communion with the Lord, ongoing, day by day, moment by moment. Abide in me. I and you as a branch cannot bear fruit. It's an absolute statement of itself. Accepted. Abide in the vine. No more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine. Ye are the branches, He that abideth in me.
00:55:04
I and him the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me he can do nothing. That's what we've been speaking about too, as in its absolute dependence, communion on the Lord. But that's what brings not only an appreciation of our privileges, but that's what brings the the the fruit, the growth of a Christ like character. We have a little example of it in.
First Samuel chapter 22 in connection with David and we know that Abayathar.
Is it says in that little story in connection with a Biathar with not getting too long with it. But first Samuel 22 of 21 Abayathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lords priests. David said unto Obiathar, and knew it that day when dog the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul, I have occasioned the death of all thy, all the persons of thy father's house. Now here's.
What I wanted to read. Abide thou with me.
Fear not, for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life, but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. And so the Lord desires that we might walk in communion with Himself and value his companionship as we walk through the sea. Now the French translation is slightly different. It gives the sense, abide with me, live with me, dwell with me.
And so we need to dwell in the presence of the Lord, don't we and justice enjoy his companionship. And this is really keeping close to the Lord. And as we have said in the first couple of verses here, keeping short accounts with the Lord. We need to do both. We need to exercise self judgment. That's responsibility. But then we are also he appeals to our hearts to abide with him. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself.
I'll just make one other comment. Those verses that I read this morning in the Song of Solomon bring in responsibility as well. And Song of Solomon chapter 2. I know you have Fox out here, but we have Fox in Hammer Bay and we have a, a vine that Grandpa Fred Hammer planted on on a rock.
I don't know, maybe 100 years ago, but it's still there and it's cared for and pruned and taken care of. But it says in second in the second chapter of.
Song of Solomon, take us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines.
For our vines have tender grapes. It's not that the fox choose the grapes. He doesn't go after the fruit and try to chew the grapes. No, he sucks on the vine and the vine has moisture in it and he sucks and he sucks on the vine, and then the fruit at the end of the vine turns into what looks like a Raisin. So what could have been fruit that would have come to maturity?
And could have been very tasteful to the owner of the vineyard.
Is worthless.
And so you and I are responsible to take the little foxes, the little habits, the little things in our lives that could grow into big foxes.
We're responsible to judge those things and to get them out of our lives so that there would be fruit for the Lord.
You'll have it beautifully presented in Romans chapter 12, just along the line that we are Speaking of.
You therefore, brethren, he doesn't command, He says, I beseech you therefore, brethren. Why? Because the thought is not obligation. The thought here is you. You have a divine nature. Go back to the earlier part of Romans and see the mercies of God so richly exhibited in your salvation, your reconciliation.
Deliverance from.
The condom of the guilt of sin. The power of sin.
Not yet the presence of sin. And then he exhorts the brethren by the mercies of God. While we have the mercies of God throughout the earlier part of the Epistle of Romans. All we need to do is read it, that you present your bodies.
01:00:07
This is a vehicle that we have at one time was used for self and maybe for sin.
And foolishness and the world. Now these bodies of ours are to be presented as a living sacrifice to the Lord. The body in itself is not sinful. Some people think it is. It can be used in a sinful way, and perhaps we have, we have all done that. But the body itself is not sinful. The translation.
Vile body is is not really a correct translation in Philippians 3. It's a body of humiliation. But we can use our bodies to the dishonor of the Lord, but here we are to sacrifice them. There is our brother Eric mentioned dedication. Well here we have dedication. Present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Time, energy.
The plans that we have, are we proving the perfect will of God in our lives? Yes. Dedication is very closely connected with the Lordship of Christ. And this is a voluntary thing. The Lord's not going to command you to follow him. He's not going to oblige you if you want to choose the world.
You can have it. It's all out there. You have a nature that loves it. Present your bodies, a living sacrifice. I think there's three sacrifices that we are reminded of.
1.
Just a minute now.
Yeah, the sacrilege slice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. There's the sacrifice of our temporal.
I I.
Jump roll materials to be used for the Lord to do good and to communicate. Forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. The third sacrifice is one we have here, sacrifice of our bodies.
That's our.
Our priorities, the sacrifice of our bodies.
First of all, they must be holy. There's not going to be.
It it won't be possible to sacrifice our bodies to the Lord if there's any unholiness in my life, that's essential that we walk in a holy pass in separation from all the evil that is around us and in our own hearts.
And then to prove to have the evidence of the perfect, the good and perfect and acceptable will of God, you have a converse person coming in. Dedication is.
Ourselves giving something to the Lord from our hands. Consecration is the Lord putting something into our hands. There's a difference there.
So just our time is gone. But just to kind of summarize here in verse 8, here it is. My Father glorified that ye bear much fruit. That's what it glorifies our Father. And then what we've been speaking about. So shall ye be my disciples. So the point here is discipleship. It's not salvation that's assumed. That's of course the foundation, but it's discipleship. So perhaps I know we only have one other reading meeting.
Scheduled. Perhaps start with verse 9.
That's.
Side.
188.
88.
Seeing the Glory of the Lord
Address—Robert Boulard
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Good afternoon.
Well, I guess we'll go by this clock.
And then we'll continue, Lord willing.
I just like to read to introduce my subject here in Proverbs chapter 29.
It says there in verse 18, Proverbs 2918. It says where no, there is no vision, the people perish or the people cast off. Restraint is the new translation. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
And so there's a vision that's necessary. There's forward vision, there's some prospect before our souls in faith that needs to be maintained, that we might walk in a course that's pleasing to the Lord and that the Spirit of God records that it's a course of happiness. Everyone here, I believe, wants to be happy. And one of the ways is to keep ourselves immersed in the Word of God and in the.
God and so we need to have a vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish or they cast off or strengthen. Then let's look at Romans 15 verse 4.
A well known verse to us, and I know this is a meeting for young people and maybe we'll repeat ourselves a little bit, but let's read verse 4.
Romans 15, verse four. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.
00:05:11
And so we have the Old Testament passages of Scripture that give us it's God's picture book, we might say. And they it gives us principles outlined and little illustrations of how the Saints in the old days, how they lived and how they what God saw in their lives that he approved of and how they made an impact in the generation that they lived in. I just like to look this afternoon at a couple of.
Individuals who saw the glory of the Lord and what kind of an influence it had upon them. Let's look first at Exodus chapter 33 and we'll read a little bit about Moses.
I might read a little more about.
Moses, we don't have a lot of time, but.
Let's read.
From verse 7.
Exodus 33, verse 7.
And Moses took the Tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, a fall off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation, which and it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp or outside the camp.
It came to pass when Moses went out under the Tabernacle, that all the people rose up and stood every man at his tent door and looked after Moses until he was gone into the Tabernacle.
And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the Lord taught with Moses.
Came to pass as Moses entered into the Tabernacle the cloudy pillar descended, stood.
I'm sorry, Verse 10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the Tabernacle door. And all the people rose up and worshiped every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned the game into the camp. But his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle. Moses said unto the Lord, See.
Thou sayest unto me, bring up this people.
And thou hast not let me know.
Whom thou wilt stand with me, yet thou has said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore I pray thee, if I am found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, and that I may find grace in my sight. And consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me or with us.
Carry us not up hence, For wherein shall it be known here that I and my people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? And so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth? And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou has spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said.
I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious, to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy, on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see my face and see me and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me.
And thou shalt stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass, when my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a Cliff to the rock.
And will cover thee with my hand while I pass by, and I will take away mine hand. And thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen. Well, you know this little story we know well, and we think of it perhaps oftentimes of how Moses was on the mountain very often times Mount Sinai with the Lord, and he received the law, the 10 commandments and.
He had a relationship with the Lord, who is an honoured servant of God.
He wrote the first five books of the Bible.
You and I know about the account of creation because God revealed it to Moses and he told us there's no such thing as a prehistoric man, that man has a history, and God tells the whole history of man, the whole sad history. But here Moses, you know, he had discernment as to what was appropriate for the holiness of God. And we know that the camp of Israel.
00:10:20
You know, the camp was, the Tabernacle was pitched in the midst of the camp, and then all the tribes of Israel in an orderly fashion were camped outside the Tabernacle, and they all faced the Tabernacle in their tents. And so the Lord was in their midst in that Tabernacle. And the presence of the Lord, the glory cloud, was there signifying His presence.
But sin came into the camp and they fell into idolatry. It was a great apostasy.
And there came in judgment in connection with it. But you know, the people of God are the people of God, and the Lord always delights to bless His people, and He makes a way of approach to Himself. And so in verse 7, Moses took the Tabernacle and pitched it without the camp, outside the camp, and then afar off from the camp.
Called it the Tabernacle of the Congregation or the Tent of Meeting.
You know, that's where the Tabernacle is. It's just a tent and it was a temporary thing. You and I are going to dwell in the Father's house. That's a permanent residence. But now, you know, the assembly is only really attempt. Paul was a tent maker and.
He just established little assemblies that was temporary. They were going to be in the presence of the Lord for a very brief time, and they were going to be wandering through the wilderness, you might say, and they would have a tent as well.
The guest chamber.
But Moses had discernment. He took that Tabernacle, he put it outside of the camp, the organized system of things where the children of Israel lived. And it says that those that wanted to go out, to be with the Lord went out there. And it says in verse 11 That the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend. I just want to ask you this afternoon, young people.
Do you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know him as your Savior? Have you ever gone out to Him and taken your place alongside the Savior? Acknowledge that you're a Sinner and accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior and then sought to have communication with Him. I think it's so wonderful here that the Lord.
Spake unto Moses face to face, and we know that all of the word with God was not written, so he spoke verbally to Moses.
And revealed his mind and we could read the whole book of Exodus, these first five books of the Bible. Some of the books are almost totally dictated from the Lord to Moses. But he spoke to him. And the way the Lord speaks to you and I today is through His word.
And he wants us. It's mentioned this morning. But it's not just optional for a Christian to read the word of God. It's vital.
It's absolutely vital. And if you do not, read the word of God.
Then you may know that your sins are forgiven, and you may feel like you're safe inside the door, so to speak, but you don't have that constant communion with the Lord. And really what Moses desired was to have communion with his God. And the Lord delighted to speak with Moses. And then there was this servant or this attendant that he had, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man. He departed, not out of the Tabernacle.
And some, you know, the Lord allows for us when we're younger. We're brought into the presence of the Lord, we're brought into the assembly meetings, and we come and sit under the sound of the Word. But then what we really want in our souls, what we really want comes out a little bit later. And so here was Joshua. Moses didn't know it at the time, but Joshua was going to live in the shadow of Moses, he might say, and then be used of God to bring the children of Israel.
Land of Israel to cross the River Jordan and to crossover and to take that possession.
And Moses, you could just see this conversation of a man about 80 years old, maybe a little older now, and he's speaking with the Lord and he wants to have a sense of the presence of the Lord in verse 14. My present shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Oh, do you have a desire for the presence, to have a conscious sense of the presence of the Lord?
00:15:10
Moses had discernment as to what was suitable to the holiness of God.
He knew what sin was, He didn't call it mistake, He called it what it was, and he knew that the Lord was dwelt in holiness. And so he took that Tabernacle and placed it outside the camp. And so that's why you and I, those that are gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, we go outside of organized religion, you might say.
Unto the Lord Jesus. It's Hebrews chapter 13.
The apostle Paul uses that terminology. Let's just read it in Hebrews 13 and verse 12. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go for therefore unto Him, without the camp, marrying his reproach.
You know, there are several things in connection with Christianity that are unique.
That weren't a part of Judaism. One is his blood that's mentioned in verse 12. One is his reproach that's mentioned here in verse 13. And then in verse 15, at the end it says his name, those three things.
His blood, his reproach, and his name.
And.
Dear young people, it's a privilege.
The greatest privilege upon the face of the earth.
You have been cleansed with the precious blood of Christ, and to know the value of that precious blood.
And have a desire to walk in communion with the Lord Jesus, even if it costs us reproach of men.
And to know his name now the name speaks of everything that encompasses an individual. And so you know the name of the Lord Jesus, and you're gathered to that precious name. There is no other name that's going to be exalted in heaven. It's going to be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so you have the privilege now to exalt that name.
Well, what's going to help us to be able to exalt the name of Christ? What's going to be able to help us to encourage us to bear the reproach of this world that hates Christ?
It's going to be to see something of the glory of Christ ourselves. And so this is what Moses wanted.
He wanted to see something of the glory it says in verse 18. He said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
When we wanted to see something of the excellence of.
God in display in the brightness of his glory.
That would give them a future vision that would be given the vision of the fact that he was not only going through this wilderness scene with all the saws and trials, but that he was going to finally come into the land of Israel and that he would come into that promised land and be blessed of God.
And so he wanted to see something of the glory of Christ.
Now I'm not a very good example, but other perhaps are a better example.
But oftentimes, before I read the scriptures, I get down on my knees and I ask the Lord to please.
Reveal something to me helping you enjoy the things that I read and helped me to understand them and help me to see something of the glory of the person of Christ as I read these passages of Scripture. And you and I need to have a sense of the glory that belongs to Christ in this world. And you need to have a sense of what is really consistent with the holiness of God when we come into the presence of the Lord.
At the assembly meetings.
We need to be helpful. It is helpful to be able to see that the Lord is in the midst of.
I don't want to belabor it, but maybe I'll just tell a little personal story in connection with this.
Going to the assembly meetings, you know it says that Joshua, he went into the Tabernacle on he departed not he wanted to be where the Lord is.
And you know what, when I was younger, I would say to myself, well, I made a decision. You know, perhaps as a young person, I was going to go to all the meetings, but it was, you know, a little shaky sometimes. Maybe you're like that. And I came home from work one night.
00:20:06
When we lived in Michigan and my wife, as you know, likes to have a lot of older people at the house that are single perhaps, and need to have a good meal and so on. And so we had brother Bob Collard there that evening and she'd made a meal for him and so on, and I'd had a hard day at work.
Particularly difficult and I said, well I'm just so tired, I don't think I can go to meeting tonight, he said. What?
You don't think that you can go into the presence of the Lord tonight?
You think you're too tired to go into in the presence of the Lord today?
I threw well for the Bob I, I guess maybe I'm not too tired to go into the presence of the Lord tonight. So I went to meeting that night, reading and prayer meeting. But I just want to encourage you as young people not to think of it as just going to meeting.
But think about going into the presence of the Lord, and think about seeing something of the glory of Christ.
As you're there, you know it says, Let's read in chapter 34 here.
It's chapter 34 of Exodus verse 29 came to pass when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony. Moses hand when he came down from the mount that Moses whisked not that his the skin of his face Sean while he talked with him.
Something's going to happen to you if you spend time in the presence of the Lord. It's going to reflect.
You know, if you think about sports, you think about hockey and you talk about hockey and you go to hockey games and you read hockey magazines, you're pretty soon be known as someone that's pretty taken up with hockey.
Well, you like cars and you just like hopping them up and tooling them up and all kinds of things. Pretty soon you got all the car magazines and everything and it just looks like that's what life is all about.
But what Moses wanted more in his life than anything else, and it showed.
Is he wanted to be able to speak with the Lord face to face. He wanted to be in the presence of the Lord and he wanted to see something, the glory of God, and it had an effect upon him. He didn't know it. Moses wished not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. Isn't it nice? You know, it's going to show they brethren, you know.
They're those that were around the disciples. They took notice that they had been with Jesus.
They took notice and it's not something that we consciously think of, but.
You know you're going to reflect something of Christ in your face.
If you spend time in this presence.
If you don't spend time in this presence, there won't be that reflection of His glory.
Now God tells us this little story about Moses, I believe, because it was an encouragement to him to be able to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness and.
He desired to do it in communion with the Lord. Now we know he failed. He didn't go into the land when he would have liked to have gone in, and so on.
But you know, God delights to bless, and you're going to make mistakes and I'm going to make mistakes.
But we need to press forward. You know, my father-in-law used to have an old Finlander that worked for him. His name was Ralph Koskin and he used to have a little expression. He never really got his English straight from Finland came to the US or to Canada.
But he was a Carpenter and he was a good one. And he would say, you know, he would make a mistake, cut a board short or something, drill a hole in the wrong place. He said, well, what man who works, he makes a mistake. What man he no work, he no make the mistake.
What many works makes the mistake? What man he no work, he no make the mistake. So some people never open their mouths in the assembly meeting.
Some are just quiet by the side, don't do anything to help their brethren, and oh, they don't make mistakes at all.
But Moses was walking in faith, and God wants you to take a step in faith and to March in faith. Let's look at Deuteronomy chapter 34 and then we'll move on. Dean Army 34, verse 1. Moses went up from the plains of Moab.
00:25:06
Unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top Pisgah, Pisgah that is over against Jericho, or opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land.
Of Gillian under Dan, and all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the uttermost sea, and the South the plain. Of the valley Of Jericho, the city of palm trees under Zoar. The Lord said in him, This is the land which I swear unto Abram and Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed. I have cause thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moore. Well, the point is here, dear young people, you know.
You come into the presence of the Lord, you want to see something of the glory of Christ, you're occupied with Him during the day, during the week, and you seek to learn and to live for His glory.
You know who it is that reveals himself to you. You know who it is that reveals the truth to you.
You have to have the brains to figure out the truth. You have to read the Epistle of the Ephesians, and then finally the light comes on and you understand it all, no.
You know young. I see some young men here, see some young sisters.
You know who shows you the truth is the Lord Jesus Himself.
There's not an older brother here that will say I learned it all myself. I read ministry books and so on, and I learned it. I'm not saying that we shouldn't read ministry books. They're very good and helpful. We need the teaching of those books. But the Lord delights to reveal the truth to us. And we do need the help of those that are teachers to be able to rightly understand and rightly divide the word of truth.
But God is interested in your individual.
Growth your individual communion with himself.
He personally wants to reveal His glory to you.
Well, I think it's precious the Lord showed him all the land.
Moses didn't go into the land at that time. We'll read a little bit later, but he did.
Go into the land and he God always gives the best, and He always delights to give better than what we thought we might get. Let's stand up and sing one more hymn.
#61.
Well, let's turn to Luke's Gospel, Chapter 9.
Luke's Gospel, Chapter 9.
And let's read from verse 23.
He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whose letter will save his life shall lose it. And but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall say that what is a man advantage if you gain the whole world?
And lose himself, or destroy himself, or be castaway.
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words of him, shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you the truth, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they have seen, till they see the Kingdom of God. And.
Came to pass about, and eight days after these sayings he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening.
Behold their talk with him, two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory.
And spake of his deceased, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem, but Peter.
And they that were with him were heavy with sleep.
And when they were awake, they saw His glory.
The two men that stood with him.
Came to pass. As they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it's good for us to be here. Let us make the three tabernacles one for thee, or three tents.
One for the.
One for Moses, one for Elias, not knowing what he said.
While he thus spake, there came a cloud and overshadowed them, and they feared. As they entered into the cloud, there came a voice out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved son, hear him.
And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found alone, and they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
Well, you notice, you know some of these, these stories about the Lord.
Expressing His glory.
Showing his glory to those that were with him were on mountaintop.
I can't say that I like too much the idea of climbing the mountains, but I know in Newfoundland, when I've been in Newfoundland and different places, I'm sure in BC there's lots of mountains to climb and if you're going to go anywhere, there's going to be some climbing involved.
But it's interesting, you know?
In verse 28 that the Lord Jesus took these three men with him and he went up into a mountain to pray.
Took a lot of effort to get there.
You know, I don't think there's anything in your life and mine, particularly my life, that's more difficult to do than to have any stretch of time in prayer.
I have to shut my computer off. I have to shut my phone off. I don't turn the phone on until in the morning, until I've had a word of prayer and spent some time in the presence of the Lord. And I'm not a good example.
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But it takes effort.
To go against the green in this world and decline, and to get into the presence of Lord alone.
And to spend time in prayer.
But dear young people, if you do it.
If you read the word of God.
And you spend some time in prayer. The Lord will reveal something of His glory to you.
And He delights to do it. Now you'll notice that he was Speaking of disciples from verse 23 down to verse 27.
And he speaks of those that would be suitable to be with him, you might say, on that mountaintop experience. And he mentions a couple of things.
One is that we must deny ourselves. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.
Yeah, we all have something that we'd like to do. People call it a bucket list, and there's some things in life I just like to get done.
But you know, it says in Romans 15, it says for even for Christ, please, not himself.
Christ pleased not himself. He never pleased himself, not once.
He never set aside in communion his relationship with his father just to do one thing just for himself.
And you and I, to be able to enjoy the presence of the Lord and to see something and appreciate something of the glories of Christ, we're going to have to deny ourselves what this world thinks are absolute necessities.
Now sitting.
Eating a hamburger I think it was yesterday.
And I was sitting outside because it was too cold inside. They have these air conditioners and everything is like a meat locker in there. So I go sit outside and eat my lunch.
So we're sitting outside watching the traffic go by.
And what impressed me?
Was the prosperity, the affluence of the people that walked by?
And the affluence, the prosperity, outward prosperity of those that drove by him, nobody looked like they were denying themselves anything.
Some of the expressions that are using advertising this world, you deserve it.
Just do it. All those things appeal to the natural man. And you and I have two natures was mentioned this morning. You and I have a fallen nature and we have a new nature. We have a divine life and we also have a life that was we were born with that's corrupted, corrupted by sin. So when the Apostle John speaks of being born again, he's Speaking of getting having a new life.
A divine life and having a new nature.
And so you need both. If you're not saved here this afternoon, you need both. But if you are saved, you have a new nature, the very life of Christ. You have a new life, divine life, and that life delights in Christ and it wants to see the glory of the Lord and it wants to please Lord. So we need to deny ourselves those things that we might have a natural attraction for. We need to take up the cross daily and follow.
The Lord Jesus, you know, the Lord Jesus and John's gospel, he mentions, he says.
I've enjoyed these little expressions. He says, you know, uses little three word expressions all through the Gospel of John. They said to him, and I think it's chapter one master, where dwellest thou? He says, come and see.
In chapter 21.
The apostles. There were seven of them that went out fishing.
The fish caught nothing.
And the Lord they saw on the seashore had cooked some fish, some bread.
What did he say to them? Come and dine.
Very simple. You know the very last thing that the Lord says to his disciples in John's Gospel?
Or are we willing to follow?
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The Lord Jesus.
You know, you're not going to see the glories of Christ and you're not going to appreciate the person of the Lord Jesus and to walk in fellowship, communion with him if you don't have that sense of following him, following his direction and living for his glory. Well, we just want to comment on this little story of these ones that were caught up, you know, Peter, James, Peter, John and James went up.
And.
You know, they saw the Lord in this glorified state. They saw him there in his Kingdom, glory displayed.
And the Lord had arranged it in grace and kindness and His love for them, because they were each going to suffer in a different way.
And it would be a real encouragement, a real help to them as they went through the circumstances of life, the trials that were theirs, if they could just remember what they had seen on that mountain. They had seen the Lord Jesus in his glorified condition, all the brightness of his glory, and a promise that that Kingdom would actually be established and that he would be.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, they saw something of his Kingdom glory.
So Peter was brought up there, John and James.
But it's interesting here. Well, I'll, I'll make a comment on this in connection with Peter. Why was Peter there?
Well, he was the spokesman, perhaps you might say, for the apostles, but.
I sometimes think, think of these guys with six gun and they shoot 1St and then they ask questions later. And Peter was always shooting 1St and then asking questions later or getting corrected, whatever. But you know, the Lord uses Peter in this direct in this way. You and I oftentimes don't wait for the direction of the Lord and then we go ahead and we might consider that we thought that we were doing it in faith, but we just go ahead and do something and then we have to back up.
We have to say I made a mistake, or worse, I sinned.
But Peter, you know, was going to be used of God to be the apostle to the circumcision. And so he was going to, in these first couple epistles that he wrote, the first pistol, second epistle of Peter, instruct his countrymen, those that had left Judaism and now have taken Christ as Savior. He was going to instruct them and he was going to suffer.
Persecution. He was going to suffer and it was going to cost him his life.
And so he could look back. Let's read it in first Peter. I think it's first Peter, maybe second Peter.
Oh, where is it?
I think it's second Peter that he saw the.
Glory of the Lord. Maybe somebody can point it out to me here one.
1:15.
There it is.
First Peter one.
Because as it is written.
Be therefore be be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without respective person judges every man's work letter passes. So timing your sojourning here in fear. Now I was thinking of how he saw the glory.
Second, Peter. OK, I'm sorry.
For we have not followed first second Peter chapter one, verse 16 For we have not followed cuddling devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.
Eyewitnesses of His Majesty.
And so this gave strength to Peter and it gave some impetus to his ministry. He could speak to his countrymen with a sense of authority, you might say. And he had seen the Lord in his glory and the Kingdom was going to be established in the future and he had seen evidence of it. Well, we know he suffered murder. And then we have James. I think it's Acts chapter 12. And he was.
00:45:04
The first apostle that was murdered.
But he had seen Christ in that Kingdom glory. It might look like all the apostles were going to be martyred and that the whole of the Christian testimony would be obliterated. But no, they had seen evidence of that Kingdom glory, and it gave them strength to to go on. John, you know, was going to be used of God to refute the error of those that would attack the deity of Christ.
And.
Suggests that he was not the Son of God and all those things.
But he had seen the Son of God in all of the glory, and so he received strength. He received something from the Lord that was a help to him. But you know, it says here.
In verse 31, He appeared in glory and glorified condition.
That says in verse 32 Peter and they that were with him were having to sleep. So here they are. Just think of it.
These three men climbed the mountain with the Lord Jesus. They get to the top.
And.
They're pretty tired, they've been following the Lord and who is busy about his father's business.
It must be an exhausting to follow the Lord.
That says he went throughout every city and village teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God.
Know how responsible they were.
I don't know that he missed a city or village. It says he went throughout every city and village teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God. Well, they got to the top of the mountain. They pretty tired and maybe like me, I had a hard day at work and you finally have a good meal at supper time and you say, boy, I'm tired.
And go back and put your feet up in the recliner and say, I think I need a bit of a snooze.
While Peter and those that were with the Lord Jesus went to sleep.
Just like you because you might say they went to sleep and here when they wake up.
Is something.
That the Spirit of God had desired them to see and to experience.
But they didn't experience the whole thing.
They were asleep. And so, you know, sometimes you know what it means to be asleep. It means to be unconscious. When you're asleep, you're unconscious. You don't know about any dangers around. In fact, you can't even smell fire when you're asleep. You can't smell smoke. That's why you have to have smoke detector.
You'll never wake up because you smell smoke. If you're asleep, you're unconscious of the danger. They were asleep. They were unconscious of the glory of Christ and those two men that were with him. And so sometimes we get to, we fall asleep, we get kind of sleepy in these meetings. We're not paying attention and we missed things that we shouldn't miss.
Things that the Spirit of God has for us, you know, Brother Chapter Brown used to say that he felt that if we missed intentionally missed a meeting.
That we missed something that the Spirit of God had for us that we might never ever get again.
We missed something because we were unconscious of what God had for us. Well, you know the Lord over rules. Isn't it wonderful how the Lord overrules? He made sure they woke up.
They woke up, they saw His glory. This wasn't nice to come into the assembly meetings and you sit in the presence of the Lord, hear the word ministered. Perhaps you come into the remembrance of the Lord, and the remembrance of the Lord is not about you. In fact, the assembly is not about you.
And Christianity isn't about you, it's about Christ. It's about His glory, His Majesty, His honour, His dignity. That's what it's about. Let's never forget the glory of the Lord.
And let's never forget that we're in the assembly in the presence of the glory of the Lord. You know, I just got back three weeks ago from Cuba.
And his brother John mentioned in those lands.
It's a little bit different.
In a sense, and Brother Tim, I think was Speaking of it to those souls are hungry.
00:50:00
I could show you a picture of a chair, doesn't It's a wooden chair.
And doesn't even have a center on it, but they'll sit on it. The centers are all gone on them, but they sit on the chair. That's all we got.
But they want to know about Christ.
They want to know what it is about some of the truth of Christianity, and they want to understand and enjoy them. And tell me again.
And tell it simply.
Went to a little place called Chambus. I could show you pictures. I think I have some pictures in the newsletter of Chambers and they asked me.
They had a sense that there was a rebellion going on in North America. I don't know how they got that idea in connection with head coverings. And they said, what is it about head coverings? Why? Why is there rebellion about it? And why do we have to do it anyway? And so we ran in First Corinthians Chapter 11.
And we read to in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 24.
Even as Christ, even as the Church is subject unto Christ.
The Church is subject under Christ.
It's a picture of submission when a sister has her head covered as a picture of submission to the authority of the Lord and to replace in the creation. And we explained, you know, it's a wonderful privilege because the sister represents the church really. And so Christ is the head of the church and he's going to have a bride in that heavenly scene above and she'll be in submission to him.
Eternity and show delight to be in submission to Him and to glorify Him.
They receive these things, they enjoy these things. There's weeping at times as they understand some of the truth.
That they want to know.
And they don't just want the knowledge of it, they want the knowledge of it to be able to do it. And they enjoy.
Those things that are brought out that have to do with the glory of the Lord, well, they saw His glory. The point is that, you know, the natural man has a glory, and the hair of the woman, a beautiful head of hair on a sister, represents the glory of a natural man. And that glory has to be covered in the presence of the Lord, so that the glory of Christ shines forth.
Only the glory of Christ should shine forth in the assembly.
If we're in the presence of the Lord.
Well, what a privilege for us to be able to reflect that kind of order but this world is trying to destroy.
The order that God has placed in creation. We only have a couple of minutes left. Could I just give you a little personal story here?
Just to show that there's been drift in our world.
When I was in fifth grade, I think it was 1968.
Recently we had moved to Ottawa, ON.
And the school that went to Featherston Public School.
In Ottawa.
Was the neighborhood was busting at the seams and so they had portable classrooms and so I was housed in one of the portable classrooms to go into one of the.
School rooms there. I don't remember the name of the future.
But the 1St morning that I went into that classroom, that young girl.
Perhaps just graduated from the teachers college.
Maybe mid 20s she handed every boy and girl a children's hymn book.
As I came in the door of her classroom.
And.
For the first 5-10 minutes, we sang little children's hymns out of that hymn book.
This is over 50 years ago. You know that in Canada at that time, in that area, in Ontario, there was a Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic school system, which was French, and then the English schools were Protestant schools. And so there was part of the mandate that the teachers could.
Used the word of God. It was a part of the curriculum. So we read, we sang those little hymns that dear sister.
00:55:07
Pull the Bible out and read passage of scripture every morning.
And spoke of the truth of God, and presented the gospel of the grace of God to those children.
And then she very solemnly prayed for the salvation of those souls.
That they would have lives that were lived for the glory of God. They would be preserved from the innards of the enemy to destroy.
Then when we said Amen, we're saying God save the Queen in old Canada, and we got on with our.
Curriculum.
I don't know that sisters name.
But she had an influence on that generation.
And you're going to have an influence on the generation that you're living in. You're either going to display something of the glory of Christ in your life.
You are going to seek to have the Lord show you something, this glory in a walk in communion with Him, in companionship with him.
Going to be, otherwise it'll be a loss.
I just want to encourage you, dear young people, today, if you haven't made a decision to live for the Lord Jesus, cry to Him for help. We live in a world that hates Christ.
But you can walk in communion with the Lord and your face will shine. It will show that you have been in the presence of the Lord. It will show that you take the energy and you climb up into the presence of the Lord and walk with him or desire to walk with him. While we didn't finish everything that we wanted to go over, but it's nice to know that in spite of the failure in connection with Peter here and that amount of transfiguration.
The Lord has his way with us.
And you know, there's going to be. Let me read one more passage of Scripture and we'll close in Second Thessalonians.
Chapter 2.
Well, let's.
Let's read in chapter one, Second Thessalonians, chapter one.
Verse 7 To you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.
In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints.
And to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you is believed in that day. This world has never seen a display that it's going to see very shortly, about seven years after the rapture, there's going to be a display of the glory of the Son of God in this world that is unimaginable.
This world is going to see Christ in all of his glory, and you and I who know the Lord Jesus, will be with him, reflecting and radiating that glory.
And His delight is that we would be have a full reward and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. That means, you know, that we may have a sense of loss and a sense that we could have shone brighter for Him if we had lived for him. But it were going to be a part of that display of the glory. The Lord Jesus is going to come in glory, and it says in the Old Testament.
Zechariah chapter 14, I think it's verse five. He'll come with all his Saints.
Not one missing.
Oh, don't you want to see him in all that glory? I trust that everyone here is saved. You know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Let's commend ourselves.
Our loving God.
John 15:9-22
Reading
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Has drawn us after thee.
Now let us run and never tire.
Unchangeable, thy gracious love.
Our earthly path as ceaseless. View 166 The Brotherhood started, please.
Verse 9.
There's 2023.
John 15, verse 9.
As a father hath loved me, so if I loved you, continue ye and my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends.
Your.
And ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you. These things I command you that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love His own. But because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
00:05:03
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, if they have persecuted me.
They will also persecute you. If they have kept My sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My namesake, because they know not Him that sent me. If I had to not come and spoken on to them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth Me, hateth my Father also.
Thank you. Well we noticed that the 1St 8 verses have to do with discipleship. And again, there's a difference between salvation and discipleship.
Scripture always anticipates that they follow one after another. It never anticipates that a person would be a Christian without being a disciple. But salvation comes first as the foundation and then discipleship following Christ.
Comes next. I just want to read a few verses, don't need to turn to them because they're familiar with them. But in Luke 14, which speaks about what a disciple is. This is not salvation as some people are confused about that, but it is discipleship. Luke 14 and verse 25.
And there went great multitudes with him. And he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother.
He cannot be my disciple, and whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Well, we could read more, but I think that makes the point. Discipleship is the basis of a happy pathway. We're going to read about that. And so we noticed the 1St 8 verses have to do with the discipleship and the Father's government.
His cultivation of the individual, but now it's been mentioned in verses 9 through 17 especially that we have that which characterizes the new Christian company, and it's been said that the full expression of fruit.
Demands a company.
The full expression of fruit cannot be expressed only individual in the individual, but it's expressed as part of a company. And as we mentioned, we don't have so much the body of Christ, but we do have the family of God here in John's gospel. And so we'll know that there are at least seven marks of the new Christian company in these verses 9 through 17.
Your father-in-law used to say we cannot do problems in crucial first year I.
What we think.
Of the.
The pathway of the Lord Jesus down here. He was a lonely man.
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. God in his grace and goodness has given us more fellowship than the Lord Himself enjoyed.
Because he's given us one another.
We are to bear one another's burdens and soul fulfill the law of Christ.
We are to provoke one another unto love and good works. Usually we don't have a problem provoking one another.
In in stirring up some feelings.
That we should not allow in our lives but in our verse here.
Abiding in me, and I in you. This brings before us communion with the Lord. There's no substitute for it, and it's a very slender threat. It can easily be broken. An angry word, a bitter feeling, a feeling toward my brother or sister.
Will break communion with the Lord.
We are to abide in Him. We are to.
Cultivate that communion with the Lord day by day, when we start the day with that prayer. Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust and.
00:10:07
There cannot be fruit unless there is.
Fellowship and communion with the Lord. Now there's also fellowship with our brethren. But first of all, we need to be.
In a good spiritual condition with our Lord, is there something in my life that is displeasing to the Lord? My brother may not know anything about it, but in the presence of God, is there something that I have not judged?
And put away it will hinder communion with the Lord. And as we mentioned this morning, self judgment is is essential. The branch cannot bear fruit of itself.
Except it's attached to the vine. This is our source of of nourishment, the precious Word of God and communion with the Lord.
And this will bear fruit. Now often fruit is looked upon as doing some great service for the Lord, preaching the gospel to the multitudes. I agree that that is fruit for the Lord. And we should, we should be more occupied in spreading the glad tidings to others. But there's many people.
We don't have a gift. In fact, usually gift is connected with public preaching. We have this mindset, but that's not so.
Gift may not be in a public venue.
You look at Romans 12. Several of those gifts are not connected with public activity.
They're they're.
There are certain activities in the body of Christ sharing one another and administration.
Helping one another, so on they are listed there. That is fruit for the Lord.
Fruit is really the manifestation of Christ in my life, and it doesn't need to be accompanied by some great outward activity.
A sister on a sick bed. I can remember a way back. I guess I was in my teens.
There was a sister in Ottawa.
Strange that her name was Missus Humble.
She was the.
They think now she was a mother-in-law of our late Charles Hajo. I'm almost sure I never visited Mrs. Humble. I knew the hospital where she was. I have visited there with the Gospel, but I never met her. And one day I did meet Missus Humble and talk about me and ministering to her. I that was not the way it was. She was a ministry to me.
As I saw that St. of God that had been on a sick bed for probably decades, could hardly feed herself, the glory shone in her face. I never forget that visit with Missus Humble. She ministered to me. Well. There was a sister bearing fruit on a sick back. I think my brother and know what I what I mean.
When we mentioned fruit, perhaps just a diversion from that event, I know we talked about that in Galatians in chapter four. First of all, we have to look at the fact that is fruit is singular is not the fact that we bury, we we, we bear 678 different fruit is one fruit perhaps. I remember Chuck Hendrick used to say one fruit, perhaps with 9 flavors. So it's the exhibition of that. Let's turn to Galatians Chapter 5.
With reference to that this morning and see what these exhibition of characteristics that will show the fruit. These are well known verses Ephesians, I'm I'm sorry, Galatians chapter 20 chapter 5 verse 22. So they said the fruit of the Spirit. So if we have that spirit of God working in US, it would exhibit these characters. First thing is love.
00:15:12
Laugh. Now, I don't think we'll have to spend much time on explaining that. I'm just going to read that through Joy.
Do we exhibit love now? Interesting to see in scripture, love is mentioned often, but very rarely as in this case as the first thing. Love is in a lot of things, but not first. So love is 1 Character, joy and peace. Now here's something that's even more interesting because he's now going to love suffering.
It's not as if it's something that we can be proud of or be able to display pride in that long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness.
Temperance.
To nine different characteristics listed here for us to to as an example for us to manifest.
Like the helpful to comment on this word commandment and so we hear people talking about the 10 commandments and all those sorts of things. But really if you keep my commandments. The Lord Jesus was introducing Christianity to his disciples. This gospel is as brother Eric has mentioned, his transitionary and its character. And so he was giving them different instructions. He was giving them instructions as to how to.
Live as Christians and how to abide in His presence and to enjoy communion with Him.
He was giving those instructions, so we could in a sense give that as a, a synonym. Perhaps if you keep My instructions, He shall keep that. You shall abide in My love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments or instructions and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you. That's plural. He spoke at two of them all.
That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. So Brother Gordon used to often remind us that happiness and obedience go together.
And so as you mentioned, Brother John, you can have a real miserable Christian, and that's because he's disobedient and he, his conscience will never let him alone. The Lord is dealing with them. And so we want to have the joy of the Lord. We can have the peace of God. As it says in Philippians, the world is not in an uproar. Things are all out of order and there's all kinds of wars and rumors of wars. The world isn't at peace, but you and I can have the peace of God.
God isn't disturbed at all. He's not surprised at what's going on. He's at peace. Heaven is at peace, and you and I can dwell in the peace of God in this way, but we can also abide in His love and we can have joy in our souls as we walk through this scene. Isn't that lovely to think the Lord Jesus was a man of joy. Yes, He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but He was the happiest man that ever walked the face of the earth because of obedience.
To his father's will.
So we might say the first three of these seven characteristics of the of the Christian community that was being formed. The first one is in verse 9, isn't it? The Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. Sometimes we say we want to love the Lord more and we try to love the Lord more and it doesn't work. But what's the secret? Well, it's right here when we enjoy the Father's love.
For the Lord Jesus.
Love for us then that inspires more love in ourselves. How could it not? When we reflect the love of God and the love the Lord Jesus health has for us, it humbles us, doesn't it? And so that's the first fruit, the first characteristic, I should say, continue ye in my love. So that's the first characteristic here. And then the second you mentioned it is obedience.
I have a note here, and that's in verse 10. Of course, if you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love.
Even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love, Hamilton Smith says the love of Christ rests on the way of obedience and shines along the path of his commandments. So it's a great secret of the Christian life.
00:20:09
When we obey, we enjoy His love, and the secret to walking in His love is obedient.
And then the third one you mentioned, Brother Rob, and verse 11. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy.
Might remain in you and that your joy might be full. Now sometimes we distinguish between joy and happiness, don't we? Not to make it a person offender for a word in anything. But happiness, if we distinguish is something that may be quickly passing. I may sin and that may make me a happy 1St for for 5 minutes. I may go out and get a shiny car and that makes me happy for maybe a couple weeks. But joy is much deeper, isn't it?
It goes on, and the joy, joy comes from abiding in the Lord's presence and obeying Him and enjoying His love. That's what gives true joy, abiding joy.
Give us the other.
Complete your nine. Well, 707 I'm 79. That was in Galatians. But then we have in verse, verse 12. This is my commandment, that she loved one another. That's the 4th, isn't it? So first we enjoy the Lord's love for us and abide in that, and then it'll be reflected in loving one another. But again, obedience is brought in greater love hath no man than this and will and verse 13 and 14.
Is number 5 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. God has brought us into his intimate fellowship. He didn't call people in the Old Testament friends, with very few exceptions. Abraham was his friend, but he calls us friends. He teaches us the secrets of his counsel. A friend opens his heart to you, and that's what God has done to us.
I often say, and it it just, it just impresses me every time I think of it, that the Christian has the highest privileges of all God's creation. An Archangel is nowhere near a Christian. How about Moses and David and Elijah? No, nowhere near the Christian. And yet when we think of Christianity, we know we live in a Laodicean day. But on the other hand, the whole truth of God has been recovered in these last days.
Just think in the 1St century the whole scriptures hadn't even been written and they didn't have didn't have many copies of the scriptures. So and there was Judaism that confused matters. And then we know things went down quite quickly during the dark ages. And then the truth started. There was always, always light. God always has a testimony to whatever measure of light they had. But it wasn't until about the the fourteen 14th century that men like.
Wickliffe and John Huss began to be began the recovery of the truth, first the individual truths and then we know with Luther further individual truths and then men like John Wesley when the Reformation became stale, they recovered those truths and and added energy to it and then we know about 170 years ago. Thankfully the whole council of God was recovered. We can enjoy have fellowship with God about that.
That's been a rare thing and all of human history. That's our privilege today. And so he calls us friends. He brings us. Now later on, he's going to call his brethren. That's an even higher place, isn't it? We're related to him, not just in his intimacy. So that's number five, if I have it right. And then number six is in verse 16. We've been chosen.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. That gives tremendous peace to know that God has chosen me. It wasn't just my choice. My my feelings are hot and cold, but God has chosen me for this great privilege. And then also in the end of verse 16, I've chosen you and and appointed you, ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain.
And then lastly #7 that whatsoever you may ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. This is the secret to answer prayer. If we pray according to God's mind, we get those answers that are courting God's mind. And that's the 7th is praying in a dependent spirit and seeing the prayers answered, because we pray according to God's mind.
00:25:19
But I'm sure there's much more there. Just a quick outline.
The apostle Paul could say, Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say unto you, rejoice. Where was he when he said those words?
Compare his circumstances with those of Solomon who had everything that heart could wish why a silver was like the stones on the ground. He had everything to minister to his comfort and even God-given wisdom to. If he had said that, you might say, well I could understand Solomon saying that he doesn't have a need of anything.
But here's the apostle Paul in prison, in a Roman prison, not so comfortable circumstances having been there as we were reminded about four years. And yet he speaks, Rejoice in the Lord. And again I say unto you, rejoice. He was able by the grace of God to rise above those circumstances that were contrary.
To the natural man, he had a source. He was in communion with the Lord we know, and he had that. He had that source and that.
Communication with the Lord even in those difficult circumstances. I know we often refer to that verse. The joy of the Lord is your strength. In Nehemiah, we often apply that verse to ourselves, and I would not object to that. But as another brother pointed out, really.
The meaning of that verse is the Lord's joy.
He gave an example. Now I am. You invite me to your home some night for supper, and I appreciate it, but the weather is terrible. The children are crying.
Things seem to be very unsuitable and you say I don't think I can come tonight. So you call him up and the brother says oh I know that but we are, we long to have you come.
We're looking, we're looking forward to your visit. Try to come. That person's joy stimulates you. You say you're to your wife. Well, regardless of all these negatives, we're going to go. That person's joy stimulates yours. Now to apply it. If we want to be happy, let's try to make the Lord happy. And you know.
The Lord.
Finds a joy in seeing His people walk in that possible obedience that we have here, delighting in Him, serving Him. Whatever little service the Lord may give, whatever little devotion, he delights in that. And that is what strengthens us. I sometimes say to the sisters on Lord's Day morning.
Sisters, you sometimes think what part of I got in this meeting? I can't, I can't speak reverently speaking. I'm not allowed to speak and but remember the tone of the meeting on Lord's Day morning very much depends on the state of each one who is present, sisters included. They don't participate publicly in that area.
But they are holy priests as well as the brothers just as much.
And they can offer the sacrifice of praise and Thanksgiving to the Lord and remember to see us. Remembering Him in his death, in a world that has rejected Him, brings joy to the heart of the Lord. You're going to be present the Lord's Day morning meeting tomorrow. The Lord doesn't come. That brings your presence at the Lord's Day morning meeting.
00:30:05
Brings joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
We have some last side to say in our own meeting in Nepean.
Knowing well they are neglecting, I think willfully, the remembrance of the Lord, and I say to them, remember brother, you are missing something that you will never regain for eternity.
Is that right, Robert? Yes. It's even more than that. If you look at Numbers Chapter 9, verse 11, I think it's.
9.
Well, verse 13 #9 Verse 13, The man that is clean and is not in a journey and forbearer to keep the Passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people, because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season. That man shall bear his sin. Now that was under the law.
We're not under law and grace. The Lord has requested our presence and he is normal Christianity, as Brother Eric has said, normal Christianity. A believer that knows the Lord Jesus as Savior is baptized and he also is at the Lord's table. He remembers the Lord in his death. That's normal Christianity. It's not normal to be a believer and not baptized, not at the Lord's table. Now, if I'm at the Lord's table, I remember the Lord Jesus and his death.
That I for bear. I say I'm upset with brother so and so, and I just don't like how the brethren are doing things whatever. And I for Bear to go. I may be robbing myself, that's true, but who am I insulting? I'm insulting the Lord himself. I'm robbing Christ. His desire is to have me in his presence. No greater delight to the heart of God than to have his own redeem with his own precious blood seeded in his presence.
As holy priests to offer sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving and so.
Here it says because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season. So it's a serious thing in the sight of the Lord.
And Numbers 28 we get even a stronger statement, I think the 1St 2 verses The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, And notice the language here, command the children of Israel, and say unto them, Now notice here My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices.
Made by fire for a sweet savour unto me shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due seasons. Whose sacrifices are they? We think, well, there are sacrifices. We may share communion with the Lord, but there is sacrifices.
It thrills the Lord's heart, doesn't it, when we come together with sack, not just Lord, say morning, but day by day, when we're spending time in the Lord's presence.
It thrills his heart. They're his sacrifices, and so we can have communion with him regarding all the counsel of God. We've been speaking about the types of Scripture so neglected throughout the ages of Christendom. They've been opened up in our day, and when we enjoy that, we're sharing communion with the Lord regarding his sacrifices. What a tremendous privilege is ours, I sometimes think.
When we get to heaven.
We're going to have to face brethren that didn't have nearly what we had as far as knowledge goes. What are they going to say to us? I went to the stake. A man may say, for a fraction of what you knew, what did you do with what you knew? Well, you were too busy with business, you know, and too busy with this, that and the other. But I went to the steak and some of those people that went to the steak. I think if you read history, it's a wonderful thing to read church history, isn't it? Christian history?
We sometimes think, well, they must have been single men that didn't have any obligation.
You read about some that had families, some with young children, and they had to walk by those children to go to the state, knowing that their children would be impoverished when they were sacrificed on that state. But they went willingly. An alert took care of their children. They weren't just single people. I say that advisedly, but it was a great sacrifice, naturally, speaking to them. And what are we going to say to those men when we see them?
00:35:12
It's a privilege in verse 15, isn't it? It says I call you not servants. And so as you say, we've been brought into the councils of God, the knowledge of his will and the deep secrets of his heart and the Old Testament Saints, they didn't know what was really in the heart of God. He could say to them in Malachi chapter one, I have loved you, saith the Lord. And then a little bit further on, I think it's chapter 2. I, I am the Lord, I change not, but they didn't know how much.
He loved them and he says in Isaiah chapter 5, we read it this morning. What more could have been done that I have not done? They didn't know. What more could he do that there might be fruit in your life and mind, fruit for God. Well, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That's what they didn't know. They had a sense of it. They could have read those Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament prophetic scriptures are divided, as we know into two parts, the sufferings of Christ.
And the glory that should follow. But they didn't understand. They were servants. David was a servant. Solomon was a servant. They called themselves servants. But you're not a servant. I'm not a servant, a son of God and heir, joint heir with Christ. And here he says, friends, so you and I have this privilege of being brought into the councils of God, and he has given us his written word to tell us all about it.
What a shame.
To face the Lord.
And to say I never read, never read the passage, never read the whole Bible right through, never read it through. And to think that he went to the effort to make it available to us and we just never read it. We never knew what those gifts were.
Those blessings in Christ, what are the great difficulties I believe we have is that we look at things from our perspective. We look at it and say, what is in it for me? Why are we here? What can I OfferUp to the Lord instead of looking at it from the Lord's standpoint? When the word I is in things too often it developed difficulties, doesn't it? And we would even come and say we're here offering the sacrifice of praise.
Well, perhaps you are with your lips, but is that a true sacrifice? We talk about sacrifices earlier on, but what really is a true sacrifice is something that should cost you something. If it doesn't cost you, it's not a sacrifice. You just going through the motion. This term will be briefly to the last chapter of second Samuel. We we find David had to make a sacrifice.
Second Samuel.
Chapter 24 And there David knows knew that he had to make a sacrifice just for time sake. I will read you that he went to Aruna the Jebusite. Verse 22 And Aruna said unto David, Let my Lord the king take and OfferUp what seemeth good unto thee. Behold, hear the oxen for burn sacrifice.
And fleshing instruments, and other instruments of the axons for word, All these things did Aruna as a king gave unto the king. And Aruna said unto the king, The Lord thy God except thee.
Isn't it nice that David needed to make a sacrifice and it was all there for him providing? Can you imagine how grandy would have looked that he could have made that burnt offering with the oxen and even using the instruments there as the firewood? But David's answer was beautiful and I believe we need to take your heart with that in verse 24. And the king said unto Aruna.
Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price, neither will Ioffer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God, of that which that cost me nothing. So David Abbott, the threshing floor, and the oxen for 50 chatels of silver, If it costs us nothing, is not a sacrifice.
00:40:17
So when we offer up our offering, what does it cost you? It's not necessary money. Could it be time? Could it be there are many things in life? Could it be the fact of inconvenience that you have to stop? Would you been enjoying? What is something that cost you so that you can truly say I am making a sacrifice for the world?
I remember our brother late. Hey ho.
In Ottawa.
Times without number.
Repeating verse nine, he said You should say this verse every day of your life, as the Father hath loved me.
So have I loved you, Continue ye in my love. Don't try to love the Lord any more than you do.
That's not the the method.
Sit down and be occupied with His love to you. You look in your own heart. You see a lot of coldness.
As Eric says, you're up one day, maybe down the other.
The Lords love does not change.
And the assurance of his love for his people was given at times when you at least think it was possible.
Look in Deuteronomy. Yeah, He hath loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand. What about the way the children of Israel had acted for 40 years? Did they deserve those remarks that the love of the Lord's love to them had not changed?
No. Come to Jeremiah, chapter 31. Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore have I drawn thee. I think it is. They were just going to be taken into a captivity.
When the Lord made that remark, did His love change for them because of their sad condition? Go on to Malachiah. He starts the book of Malachiah. I have loved thee, say of the Lord, What was the condition of things in Malachiah?
It was very low. The priests wouldn't were offering animals that had defects not the best to the Lord. They wouldn't open the doors of the temple unless they were paid. The priesthood was defiled. Chapter two things were in a in devastation in the times of Malachi. That's when the Lord said I have loved you, sayeth the Lord.
His love for His people never cool down. And then there was that little company that gathered around there to speak of him as we are this weekend. They that feared the Lord spake often one to the other. And the Lord hearkened and a book of remembrance was written. You know a book of remembrance is being written for you today, the fact that you are here.
With the Lord's people over the word of God to encourage one another. That's in the book of remembrance. You got a page with your name on it. I don't think there'll be much on mine, but every act of devotedness in your life is recorded. Come down into the New Testament. Did the Lord love? Or you say the Lord must have loved Mary more than Martha, because Mary sat at his feet and heard His word, and Martha was cumbered about much serving.
Surely the Lord loved Mary more, no? You find when it speaks of the Lord Lorde love, Martha comes first. In John 12, the Lord loved Marsa. His love for Martha was. It wasn't any different to that of Mary, although she enjoyed perhaps the love of the Lord more than her sister. So it's encouraging for us brethren to know that His love never changes.
And if we're occupied with that love, the love of Christ constraineth us.
00:45:06
Here's his boys and girls here today. And I know when I was a boy I like to play with a magnet and I take the magnet and focus the sun onto a piece of leaf and maybe ignite it. I love to work with a magnet.
That verse that I'm referring to, the love of Christ constraineth us. 2nd Corinthians 5, you know the verse I'm sure it does not say the love of Christ should constrain us, Doesn't say that. It says the love of Christ constraineth us. Why? Because.
If I'm at a distance from the ward in my soul and the very truth that we are taking up in the chapter. If I'm not abiding in Christ.
I'm not enjoying eternal things. The Word of God, the fellowship of the Lord's people, I'm neglecting. As Neil and I were speaking before the meeting, am I neglecting the prayer meeting? You know, the prayer meeting, brothers, is the pulse of the assembly. Doctor Wolsten said that I couldn't express it better. The prayer meeting is the pulse of the assembly. If you take a person's pulse, you know you, the doctors pretty well know your condition of health.
Well, I've lost my train of thought.
But anyway, umm.
The point is that.
We should be enjoying the Lorde love and.
Then there will be there will be fruit, fruit in our lives that will be for the Lords, glory and praise.
Correct to say that as we are enjoying this love and.
Abiding in Him and that and that communion is sweet. That all the other relationships will be influenced, whether it be whether it's an assembly, whether it be with our spouses, with our children, with anything else, with our relationship is sweet with the Lord. All those other things will be in their right place.
And what I was going to say, Marlon, was that I didn't finish my illustration. You any boy or girl knows that the the closer the magnet comes to the the object, the greater is the the activity. So if we're close to the Lord, we're we're going to be ready to serve him.
Just a quick thought in respect to Lord Jesus, who said I do always those things that please the Father, How do we define commandments? It's those things that leads the Father. How do we find communion? It's those things that lead the Father. How do we find friendship with God? It's that which pleases the Father.
I do always those things that please the Father.
Amendments in the New Testament are different from the commandments in the Old Testament.
Somebody has summarized the difference between law and grace so simply. I appreciate it. They say in the Old Testament it was do and live in the New Testament, it's live and do. That's the difference, isn't it? We have a new life now that that gives us the desire to please the Lord. That's what was missing in the Old Testament under the law. But I just want to make a comment regarding friends again, which have a note here it says.
And friendship we enjoy the secret counsels of God and I just there's a there's a thing I've enjoyed in Ephesians 2. I've often mentioned that perhaps some have heard it before, but Ephesians 2 and verse 10 we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. I know this goes a little bit beyond our chapter because it includes the assembly and the one body and so on, but that word workmanship.
In the original is Poema.
It's where we got our word poem.
Christianity is God's home. It's the highest expression of his thoughts of blessing for the creature.
00:50:04
That's a tremendous thought, isn't it? Christianity is God's poem, and wasn't it, Mr. Hayhoe? I only remembered hearing him once, Brother John, but remember seeing him once as a young child. But he often used to say, as I recall, that in Christianity we have a mountain peak of blessing beyond which God himself could not go. Is that about right? That's right. I've heard it many times. Sure.
Vendors teen reverse 16 where it says ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you or have set you. I think is the new translation that you should go and bring forth fruit. Chosen here is the Speaking of election, isn't it? And so election is individual and you're we're just looking at diffusions and we might look at Ephesians chapter one.
Election is spoken of in different places of scripture, but it's really the same word I think. Chosen or elect. I'm not a Greek scholar at all.
But it says, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. And so the fact of the matter is that He has chosen you and I as individuals, and now we find ourselves as a company of individuals that He has chosen individually to walk with Him and.
To bring forth fruit.
And so the servants of God in the Old Testament, they were chosen to be servants, you might say, and they knew what it was to serve under the law. They didn't have the motive to please the Lord. They didn't have the motive of affection for Christ. You and I do. The love of Christ constrains us.
And so here we have the truth brought out in the Lord. Jesus in John's gospel often times brings the seed plot of what Paul's doctrine is. And here he's bringing in election. It's individual. So God chose you in a past eternity before the foundation of the world. He chose you for himself.
It's a marvelous truth.
You might say just in summary, we've spoken of some of these verses, but in verse 14 we speak of really obedience. Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. So we follow His instructions. So we prove our friendship by obedience. And then a little bit further on in verse 16, we prove our friendship and our love for Him by bringing forth fruit.
And then in verse 17, we've had it as well in verse 12. But these things I command you, that ye love one another. So there are some proof, some evidence of divine life.
And so he gives this evidence of divine life, obedience to the word of God. Somebody says I'm saved, I know Christ is savior, I'm a Christian, but refuses to obey the word of God. You have right to say I don't know if you really are saved. And so if you really don't have that fruit, by their fruits you shall know them. And so there should be evidence, as James, the epistle of James brings before us, and then a love for one another.
This little expression the Lord Jesus uses, and it's used in the epistles as well one another because I love the brethren, I love them all, I love all my brothers.
But I really don't want to be in the room with this brother.
He says love one another so it's a one-on-one thing and it can be fostered. That love needs to be nurtured and love is fragile. I like Brother Haiku's little expression he uses in his.
Exposition on the Book of Ruth, he says. You know, kind words are so rare among us, you'd think they cost $10 apiece.
You know, and we need to foster love between one another and how can we do it in a marriage is kindness and love, kind words, kindness to one another, and love will be expressed. And so the Lord has expressed His love perfectly to us and we have the privilege.
Of expressing our love in practical ways.
Very important in the Christian community, especially in the assembly. Go to verse 18. If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. And so as we live in this world and we are lights in this world, we're going to be hated. The Lord tells us to go and bring forth fruit.
00:55:17
We are, we are lights in this world. We're ambassadors for Christ. We have a ministry of reconciliation. We have a job to do in this world and that takes a different forms for each of us. How we go about that. But if you do that, if you are obedient in this way, the world will hate you. It's not a real good marketing scheme to say come and follow me and the world is going to hate you and persecute you.
But it's true.
We need to be prepared that there will be persecution, there will be difficulties, there will be problems. Satan is very much against anything you do for Christ, and he's going to try to discourage you from being obedient in any form to Christ.
Tim, I wonder, you're talking about sacrifices. Is this a real sacrifice that we can offer to the Lord? Is a reproach of Christ? I think so. It's a beautiful sacrifice, isn't it?
Remember what they said about what Moses he chose rather to suffer a fiction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season of steaming the reproach of Christ, greater riches in the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect under the recompense of reward. So reproach for Christ is one of the greatest gifts, isn't it One of the greatest sacrifices we can we can OfferUp to the Lord?
And the the whole idea of a ordaining has been so misplaced in the Christian world today. If you have a gift from the Lord, that is the warrant to use it. You've been given a gift by an ascended Christ.
Only to the brothers that take part publicly as sometimes.
Mentioned No. Every person, every sister has a gift in this meeting. Now, ordination we don't find in the word of God for exercising the gift of a teacher or an evangelist or a pastor. There's no human ordination found in the Scripture. It's found in the clerical systems of Christendom. It's certainly not found in the Scriptures.
But we have been chosen and set apart to bring forth fruit for the Lord's glory, that your fruit should remain.
So there is, I know it's not the body of Christ here in John's gospel, but it's the family of God and every one of us have a service to perform for the Lord to every man his work and.
God has given you the grace unto everyone is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. You say the Lord has put me in a very difficult position. If only I could be in the place of that other brother there I could not I could navigate better. But the Lord has put you there. He's put you in the that place where you are. It may be difficult, but.
Honor the Lord where he has placed you. Serve him, serve your brethren. You know, we've been studying in Ottawa the Gospel of John, chapter one. We spent several weeks getting over chapter one. And what we've noticed, among other things, is that the Lord, the Lord of glory, never did anything to please himself. He never performed a miracle.
To make to avoid the exigencies or the demands of human life. He did for many others. He his whole life was a sacrifice for others we are so self-centered and selfish occupied with.
Our reputation or whatever it might be, something that concerns our own selfish comfort. Not like John the Baptist. He must increase, I must decrease. In the Lord's life there was never any selfishness displayed. He came down to do the will of God, but to serve to. I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give my life a ransom for many.
01:00:19
Look at as the the Baptist, he looked on while he looked on the the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God. We know that verse well. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. That's referring to the work the Lord would accomplish on the cross for our redemption the next day. John does not mention the work of Christ as he looked out there over the plane.
And he saw the Son of God, upon whom the heavens had opened, and God's delight was expressed. This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found all my delight. He looked upon the Lord. That's his walk, his behavior.
John looked on him. What did he say? Behold the Lamb of God.
The person of Christ was the object there of the John the Baptist. He filled his heart. He lost two of his disciples. Remember I forget was that Andrew and Peter. He lost two of his disciples. Anyway, they went and followed the Lord. That's exactly what Paul what John wanted. He wasn't disappointed his his object was to point to Christ and if he lost a couple of his disciples. Why? Well, that was the purpose of his ministry.
Should be the purpose of ours as well.
At that thought in first John chapter 3 of taking the focus off of ourselves. Verse 16 hereby precede me. The love of God because he lay down his life for us but then continues on and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren doesn't mean we necessarily need to go to the cross and nailed up and our actual physical life being but.
Lay down ourselves, our life, that it might be used of the Lord for aggression, not just for ourselves.
I've often said that the Christians motto was not I, but Christ.
That's a real secret, isn't it? And it's not just a matter of duty, but it brings real joy, doesn't it, in peace.
Christian motto is Galatians 220, not I but Christ. And it's not just a matter of duty, but it brings real joy and peace, doesn't it?
It's going to say from verse 18.
We had before us here following Christ, walking in His commandment, love one another, and then we were told that the world will be against us. And I thought from a practical standpoint to that there is actually one more condition sometimes we fall into, that is we walk partly before the Lord and we walk partly before the world, as if one foot in, one foot out so.
We might find something that will get.
A distracted with things of this world, especially the religious things. There are many things that are godly order. As we mentioned from the word of God. Even simple thing we found a society now have trouble deciding what a man and a woman is.
Now if we get caught up with the system of this world, we we would become the most unhappy people.
Satan is crafting. Satan doesn't always come and attack us in one form. He could be as a growing lion or a subtle serpent that when we lift our guard up and not have the armor of God before us, they will use whatever to discourage us. This turns to be to Revelation chapter 20.
There were three names given about Satan and that should remind us of how he works. Revelation chapter 20.
Verse two it says, and he laid hold on the dragon. That's the first name he used for him, the dragon.
That old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound him 1000 years. Not my thought of the bounding of the 1000 years, but the names given. He was. He was called the dragon. It speaks of a dragon as his cruelty.
01:05:14
That's a dragon. That old serpent speaks of his subtlety and the devil speaks of his wickedness and his name is Satan and we need to be careful. I know it's another type of all together. That's why we are told to take up the armor of God.
Just from verse 18, our time is almost, almost up. I see this meeting stops at 4:45 at 4:45.
From verse 18 down, really to the end of the chapter, maybe a little before, he's Speaking of reproach. And as I said earlier, the Lord Jesus himself gives the seed plot of the teachings of Christianity in the Gospel of John, and he teaches his disciples here that reproach.
And persecution is a normal component, the normal practice that they're the characteristic that they're going to face in Christianity because he was opposed.
And so in verse 22 he was opposed. If it if I had not come and spoken unto them, they have not had sin. So his words were rejected. And then a little further on in verse 24, if I had not done among them the works which none other man did, so his works were rejected. And then a little further on in verse 25. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled, that is written in their law. They hated me.
Without a cause. And so the words of Christ were rejected by this world, even the religious world. The works were rejected as a testimony of who He was, and then the person of Christ as he presented himself as a Messiah of Israel and the Son of God.
I'll just say this that just as a personal, you'll forgive the personal reference, but my father was saved out of Roman Catholicism as a 20 year old and he knew what normal Christianity was. Came among the Saints gathered to the Lord's name later later on in his life.
But he used to tell us as boys that, you know, you go to school and you're not swearing and you come to Sunday school, you go to the Bible meetings, that's normal. You're living a normal life. And then when you have you go to eat your meal at lunchtime at the school and you give thanks for your meal, that's normal. You're living a normal life. And So what the Lord Jesus was saying here, that if we live godly in Christ Jesus, we shall suffer persecution. That's normal.
Christianity and.
Beloved brethren, we've done everything possible to escape anything in connection with reproach or persecution. We'd rather water down the truth and escape the sharp edge of the sword. Make excuses, do whatever it's possible, but the day of suffering reproach for Christ is almost over.
We're soon to hear the shout and it's almost over. So let's be exercised about living normal Christianity, not trying to get the reproach and suffering, because we're Christians and we try to stand out. But if the reproach comes, let's accept it from the Lord.
One day at the refugee transit station in Malawi, there were 600, at least 600 people there. 300 were from Ethiopia, 300 from Somalia and a handful of Congolese.
So The Ethiopians pulled me into their big room. They wanted me to have a prayer meeting with them. Then we were preaching the gospel to them. The Muslims were outside throwing stones at the tin roof, trying to make a disturbance.
When we were finished, I was ready to leave in the Ethiopian said you can't go out there. Those people are dangerous. I showed them this verse here in verse 18. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. I said don't worry, the Lord already knows about this and so I went outside and.
Someone had been given out calendars, Christian calendars and the the Ethiopian or the Somalians had torn them all up and throw them and throwing them in my face.
01:10:01
I picked him up off the ground all torn up and I looked at the at the group and I shook my finger at them and I pointed to God up in heaven. I said, Jesus loves you. I didn't know their language. They didn't know mine, but they got the message. They all turned and looked at their leader. The next day I came back to bring some food to some of the Congolese and on my way out there are 200.
Somalians standing in the driveway, in the roadway, they wouldn't let me through. As I tried to get out, their leader came up to their door, stuck his finger in the window, and he said to everybody else in a disdainful voice, Christian.
I said, yes, I am a Christian and I'm happy that the Lord Jesus died for you too and you could be a Christian too. He said get out of here. And the crowd of people spread out like the Red Sea and I was able to drive out through the crowd. This world hates Jesus. They hated him without a cause and they will hate you too.
But it's a beautiful sacrifice offered up to God, isn't it?
To share his reproach.
His blood, his name, his reproach.
What a privilege.
117.
117.
Not to ourselves. We all like we.
Are watching.
The world.
Let's get it on the sunlight give you heart.
Gospel 1
Gospel—David So
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Well, good evening.
Looking at the clock here, there's a little bit of discrepancy, I guess for the clock on the wall in my watch. So I'm going by what's on the clock on the wall. And if I did take longer, then I'll take advantage of my watch, if that's OK with you.
I like to begin by singing a children's hymn. As we look around us, we see Children Here, 23413 and so on. Hymn #42 One of my favorite children's hymn. And many of you know how I sing this hymn but know it well enough. We sing to him the way it is.
The way it is written, and then we're going to sing it a second time by changing just a couple of words.
So the second time around, we're going to sing a little child of 17 because I believe there's some here fit that category and still consider themselves a little child and resist or even 34. So I trust that by singing it this way, it includes most. And John is smiling at me. I know he's over 34, so that would include him as well. So let's sing this hymn together.
Amen.
Salvation.
Bruise.
Let's look to the Lord.
When we sing this hymn, a little child of seven or even three or four, I'd like to share with your story that someone is very close to me.
About a month ago I had the privilege to speak of a gospel meeting at Carrollton Conference up by the Eric was there and afterwards.
I felt I didn't present the message as clearly as at the octave.
But then a few days later I received this phone call.
Phone call only about this little boy. A four year old little boy told his mother that he received the Lord Jesus into his heart.
Or as someone reminded me, he said you sing this damn often three or four. And I said well is it for real? Because sometimes a child just say it. And the mother told me that he has been asking question all week.
At first, he said. I don't want to go to heaven because I may not see mommy and daddy there.
And he asked question over and over for a week. So I know that the world was working in this hard 4 year old.
That throws my heart.
And it also thrilled my heart to know that sometimes the message in our eyes did not present it clearly.
But it's God's work, isn't it, that it can take his word?
And make blessings out of it. Salvation is of the Lord. So tonight, as I seek to present the gospel of God's grace, I trust that you will hear not from the voice of the one who stands up here, but hear it from the Word of God. Because this is for you if you are still lost in your sins. And it is still for you, for those who are saved, that we should be able to rejoice and be.
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Courage as we hear the story of Jesus.
Let's sing another hymn this time I trust that is for some of us older one here hymn #4.
Hymn #4 Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me.
Christ is the Savior of sin.
Clair.
Save God, save Earth, save your love, save Earth like me.
Share any kiss blood for my grandson. This is the state of 40.
Now I can stay by the Father.
Yet justify free save by my blessed and breathing.
Her and this is the savior for me.
Sinners like me.
Sharing his life for my grandson. This is the singer for me.
Yes, that's like what secret save me seek in front of justice to me.
Now there is no pumpkin made sun. This is the savior for me.
Savior sinners saying we're all the second birds like me.
Shake his life for my grandson. This is the savior for me.
Turn with me Turn with me to the book of Jude. As we know, Jude have only one chapter, so it's easy to reference to Jude, the book of Jude, the Book of Revelation and.
Jude verse 14 and Enoch.
Also the seven from Adam prophecies of thee saying, Behold the Lords, the Lord cometh with 10 thousands of the sayings, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have.
Godly committed, and of all their hearts speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
These two verses use very strong language from the word of God, Enoch. You know it's interesting to see that this is from the very beginning of man's history. It's an Enoch was only the 7th one from Adam. We all know the story of Adam and Eve, don't we, that God put this first man.
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And women in the garden. And they sinned.
But then we find here that the progression of saying seems to be very rapid. They are only the 7th, and this world was already full with wickedness. And so we find here Enoch, the preacher of righteousness. There he would foretell even back then.
About the Lord going to come with 10 thousands of his sinks.
Thousands and thousands of the sayings for what? To execute judgment upon all. Oh dear friend, there is a judgment to come because we have a God who is righteous, a God referred to as a God of light, and the sin cannot be tolerated in his presence. So this judgement is being forecast.
Many years ago, and there he said to execute judgment upon all. Interesting word, isn't it? We often use from Scriptures, for all have sinned. That's why the execution of judgment is upon all. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. So here, and to convince all.
That are ungodly.
Oh, this world faces the judgment because they didn't believe in God. They didn't fail what God has planned for man, their clouds here as the ungodly. Notice that word ungodly is repeated over and over for all their ungodly deeds, which they have.
Ungodly committed and all their hearts speeches.
Which ungodly sinners have spoken against Enoch as they present that gospel of salvation? The preacher of righteousness. We may not know Enoch well, but we probably know his grandson Noah.
Noir was also known as a preacher of righteousness. He preached to the world back then that the world will be destroyed by a flood.
And we know the story, don't we? That after Noah?
His three sons and the wives enter into the ark that God has provided. And the door was shut. Rain came.
And it flooded the whole world. The heavens of the windows of heaven was open. The water from the deep come forth and the water was up higher than the highest mountain peak. And we as men would try to nullify that kind of information. We try to to discredit that or hurt someone, say, well, that was a local flooding.
Well, I don't know about you. I know physics a little bit, not well.
Well, if the water is higher than the highest mountain peak, I don't think there are too many places that would still be not covered by the flood. So God passed judgment because man's teeth were evil. In fact we find the verses before that was He said with men that every heart and thought of men were evil continually.
That was a terrible time, wasn't it back way back, way back then?
That God has to execute judgment against sin. But then as we look at today, but what is said has been said so far.
Do we see much different than what men have done today? Are we any better after that the Word of God was presented to men.
No man's heart still hasn't changed. That's why the word of God says for all have sinned and come short of the of the glory of God. And the sad thing we're saying is, is that for the wages of sin is death. Oh yes, dear friends, you get paid for sinning, except it's a terrible pay.
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The pay is death, but tonight?
We said this is a gospel meeting, a meeting of good news. The good news is this, but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ.
No, it's interesting too, that when you talk with men, a lot of people would admit the fact that we're from Adam. Have you heard of that? We're from Adam.
But then, if you considered Noah, the world was destroyed by flood. No one survived except Noah, his three sons and the wives. 8 souls were preserved.
So we could say that we are from Noah. How often have you heard that phrase that we are from Noah? Not very often. Have you and I ponder on that? I don't know if I have the right answer or not. Why is it that man would rather say we're from Adam than to say we are from Noah?
Now this is just my speculation because it will say we're from Adam.
It's easy to say, OK, he was bad, he sinned, So what?
Noah, on the other hand, has a much more serious implication.
Yes, we are bad, we sinned and God said he must punish sin and he did.
Noah's story speaks of.
An execution of judgment, not just an execution of judgment to come as an Enoch that he's going to come with 10 thousands of his Saints. What Noah?
Execution was committed. It was done. The world was destroyed.
And all mankind to the grace of God.
Was enabled to start again through Noah's race.
Noah, his wife. That's two people, his three sons and their wives, The six plus 28 souls.
Now the Word of God is wonderful and interesting. You go through the descendant of Noah, you go through his sons and the sons sons. You see that in Genesis telling you that and you'll find that there are 71 descendants.
One of them didn't have any.
Descendants, his name is Pilate, meaning division. So that leaves seventy who become the forefathers of today's so-called nationalities, which is interesting. That is according to the 70s souls from the Lord of Jacob that went into Egypt. I'll let you ponder and and and search that out from the word of God.
Of God is perfect.
Noah, Judgment. Judgment executed.
And God said there is another judgment to come. This one will be with fire.
It's going to come with 10,000 of his inks.
But how is this judgment to be avoided? In the case of Noah, God provided an ark.
Only a soul took advantage of that.
Today Scripture tells us that He sent His Son, His only begotten Son, into this world to die for you and I'd and that we can say the fact that He shed his blood on the cross. We can now say the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins.
That's our title, isn't it? To be back into the presence of God through.
The death and resurrection of his son.
So we find that in the Gospel it tells us the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, that God sent his Son. We had before us the privilege of going through the 15 chapter of John. We were reminded that the book of John speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, so the Son of God.
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Who became the Son of Man?
So without the sons of man like you and I can become the sons of God. Isn't that an interesting fact? And A and a blessed fact, that He came to shed his blood so that you and I can have blessings?
Or through the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And what do we need to do? And even that phrase of to do is not proper because I don't know how else to phrase it. Because really there is nothing to do. There is nothing to buy.
We simply have to believe, believe that God sent his son, his name is Jesus. Believe in the fact that that he, the Son of God, came into this world to be a savior for you and I. You know, I like the story in Acts 16 with the Philippian jailer. They asked that question. They said to them after they were beaten the night before. They said to them, sirs.
All right. What must I do to be saved? I believe that's a precious question. You know, we often say sometimes you can tell me a lot of things I don't comprehend. But when a question is raised, it helped us understand, what must I do to be saved? Save from what? Save from the wrath to come.
And the answer is so precious, but yet so simple. Scriptures that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thou shalt be saved.
You know, I love that verse.
I had it memorized until one day I looked at and thought I knew the verse and then I noticed it didn't end with a comma, it end with.
What I'm sorry with Yeah, with a comma, not a full stop. And then it says and a thine house. Isn't it precious to know that God not only want to bless you for that way of salvation, but the blessing extends to your house? God wants to bless all mankind.
He wants sinners to repent toward Him.
And we simply believe. Now I'd like to turn to the book of Acts.
Acts Chapter 8.
In the book of Acts, that's the book the acts of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus when he when he went up, went back home to heaven. He sent the Holy Spirit down into this world to helped us when his work was when the Lord Jesus work was completed on earth. He knew that the only way to go back home is via the cross. So he went to the cross that scripture.
May be fulfilled.
He was narrowed by by by man on that cross, and he died on the cross for you and I. And then he rose from the dead, telling us that God is satisfied with the work. And then he ascended back to heaven. And then the Holy Spirit came down to guide and direct us. Now I'm skipping a lot there. I'm thinking chapter.
Eight an incident.
With Philip, it's interesting. I don't have a lot of great thoughts on this. I thought of this passage actually today.
As I look across the room, I notice we have many nationalities here.
And I like to use the example here that God brings nationalities or even race together. So in the 8th chapter here, we find that Phillip saw this man. Let's just read a few words.
Let's begin with verse 26. And the Angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the solve unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is a desert. And he arose and went, and behold.
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A man of Ethiopia and eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopian.
Who had the charge of all her treasures, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said, And develop, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah.
And said, Understand us thou what thou readest. And he said, How can I accept some man should guide me? And he desire, Philip, that he would come up and sit with him. The praise of the Scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before the Shearer.
So open he not his mouth in his humiliation.
His judgment was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And the unique answer Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this of himself or of someone? Then Philip open his mouth and.
Began at the same scripture.
And preach unto him, Jesus. I'm sorry, it was a little bit of a long reading, but it's interesting to see the Angel of the Lord, oh God acted on this, to tell Philip to meet this one person as if it were this Ethiopian eunuch. Yes, he's a man of renown. He looked after the treasury of the queen.
Ethiopia.
But I'm thinking Ethiopia, typically we would think that he would be, and I hope I'm right in saying so with this, the son of Ham, isn't it interesting that the son of Ham, not just the Jewish nation, were presented the gospel. Oh, the son of Ham was presented now.
We see that his heart was already prepared. He went to Jerusalem looking for answers and he didn't find the answer.
He was on his way home and now the Spirit of God works in his heart and there's an encouragement for many here. If you don't know what to say you scriptures, I believe it's much wiser than us here. Where was he reading? He was reading the book of Isaiah. How many of us would think of presenting the gospel of God's grace using?
An Old Testament passage.
In this case, in particularly the book of Isaiah, the 53rd chapter. And as we look at that, what a marvelous story about the, the, the death, the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ was foretold in that book. So he was reading as a sheep. Let's in fact, let's turn to that Isaiah chapter 53.
This should be a very well known portion for many of us.
I'm just going to this is not the exact portion, but this is the passage he was reading.
Let's begin at verse five. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way the Lord have laid on him.
The iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before the Shearer is is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
00:30:11
Oh precious passage isn't it that speaks of the submissiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was revile he reviled nod in the earlier passage of this chapter is as he was like a root out of the dry ground. He there was no beauty in him that was a desire him. Oh what a chapter that we should familiarize ourselves with, but this man could not.
By reading it. So he asked that question that many of us, I believe in this room, have the answer.
Who is this person being referred to? The writer himself or someone else?
What privilege Philip had and.
I like the answer that Philip gave.
Is said in verse 35 in Acts 8 and then Philip opened his mouth.
Oh, I believe the first step of presenting the gospel of God's grace is we need to open our mouth, don't we? You know, I often feel that we don't we're not evangelists. I feel that I'm not an evangelist, but yet I hear Scripture that keep coming back to my mind is that do the work of an evangelist, but I'm not one.
I hear the same verse coming back. Do the work of an evangelist.
Oh, that's responsibility for us all, isn't it, that we are to do the work of an evangelist? So we found here Philip. He opened his mouth and he began the same Scripture. Could you and I begin telling someone from Scripture about our Lord Jesus Christ? And he preached unto him.
Jesus.
Preaching is simple, isn't it? That Jesus is the Son of God? Oh yes, there are many aspects of that, that his finished work, his blood, his, his deity. But we can keep it simple too, can't we? Preach beginning Jesus. So this son of Ham.
Went away rejoicing. He even said here's water.
See, here's water. And they want to be baptized. What testimony when the word of God is presented? And I trust in my dear friends that you hear from the Word of God, the one who is a man of sorrow, the one who was acquainted with grief, the one who came didn't fight for his rights because he know that the way home is via the cross.
He suffered, he bled, He died for you on the cross.
And that after three days, He rose again, triumphant over a death. That's the Savior we're looking at tonight, and I won't read the following passage but comment on it. We find that He went away rejoicing. Wouldn't it be precious tonight to think that you too can go away rejoicing, knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you are on the way?
To heaven? What about Philip?
You know, Phillip was an instrument that God had to present the good news. He simply vanished away.
The thought wasn't about Philip here is it. He vanished away. Is the work of God that he went on rejoicing. Now let's go to Chapter 9. We spoke of the son of Ham.
Chapter 9. Talk about a man named Saul.
I would say.
Saul Jewish background. He's the son of Sham.
There were three sons of Noah, Sham, Ham and Japheth.
Saw one who was so zealous in preserving the law that he thought he was going doing God's bidding to to to bring Christians inbound so they can persecute them.
We find that.
A man who knows scriptures.
00:35:02
He was raised at the feet of Camellia, a Pharisee. A Pharisee, a religious man, outwardly look righteous.
But yet.
Here too was lost in the sin.
Before I go on to that, I want to share a story with you because God's people are important. In fact, let's just turn to a verse woman's chapter one.
And this should help us to barely present the word of God. Romans chapter one, verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, and I trust that all in this room are able to say this. For I am not ashamed to to of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation. That's why we can boldly proclaim from the word of God the way of salvation.
To everyone that believeth.
Now notice how this verse ends to the Jew 1St and also to the Gentiles. You know there are teaching out there saying the Jews been set aside, they're gone. In fact, I didn't have a chance to comment, but we had the vine. Some said, see new vine, they're gone. Christian now replaced the Jews, the churches that do Jews. That's false teaching, brethren.
Jews still have, they are just simply being set aside for now. So here this verse tells us that the salvation is that to the Jew first, or they have that first privilege in ascent, and then to us as Gentiles.
There's a man named Leopold Cohn.
Leopold was a Jewish rabbi, I believe. I don't remember the exact date in the late 1800s.
Leopold studied the Word of God very carefully, and he knows the Word of God. He's familiar with Isaiah chapter 53.
He's also very familiar with Daniel Chapter 9.
See, when you have the Word of God and the Spirit of God, often things get revealed.
And he said to himself, Between these two the Messiah must have come.
So where is the Messiah?
He went and talked to his other Jewish rabbis and none of them can give him the answer.
Until one day one rabbi who is not as well known as others. And that's the problem with man's system as we go by someone who's well known. He said to him, he gave him a good answer, but not a great answer. He said, I heard the Messiah is in America.
So he sold everything he had, took a voyage to America, landed in Brooklyn, NY. That's America.
Within three weeks, he was searching. Searching.
Within three weeks, he ran across a little room outside. Is that gospel for the Jews?
He said that's interesting because we he was raised as a Jew, that they were told they should have nothing to do with Christians, nothing to do with the Bible.
Those are Gentile dogs, that they are unclean people and that you can't have any part with. But he was so desperate in his soul that he went in, he sat down, heard the gospel message, convicted.
And he stayed in America, and some of you may see the work out there called the Chosen People Ministry.
What preciousness for no one. The word of God and when one is seeking the Spirit of God guided him to the right place. You may not watch Brooklyn, NY. Well, that's where the Lord convicted him and that he was saved. So here in our chapter we got this man named Saul.
Oh, his conversion is a bit different, isn't it? Interesting to see too, that the Lord worked on each of our hearts differently.
00:40:03
It wasn't long ago a brother came up to me and he said, so how were you convicted? I said I don't know.
I think many of us who were have been brought up in the assembly that the period that we become saved sometimes is not a clear things because it was a word upon word. It was precept upon precept. A little here, a little there, isn't it? For some people can tell you the exact date. In fact, I'll share with a story, a story with you that you were laughed a little bit.
A number of years ago, I'll say that when you have teenage children.
Sometimes you need to know somebody in The Body Shop business.
And someone told me this man is honest. He runs a nice Body Shop.
So I went see him. All I knew was his man is Muhammad Ali. I was very prejudice thinking I'm going to be needing this Muslim fellow.
So I went to a shop.
Walk up to the door, nobody at the front desk, not uncommon in a Body Shop. They were busy working in the back. I waited, no one came. I look around and I saw a picture of a Duff on the wall and go oh.
My mind going Muslim believed in Duff's.
And then a few minutes later I saw another text I didn't notice before. The text said As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord echo. Wow, I didn't know Muslim believed used the same scripture as we do.
Few minutes later, Muhammad Ali came in. We talked, of course, we talked business 1St and then when the quotation was done.
I said Mohammed, I didn't know Muslim use this verses, he said. What makes you think I'm a Muslim?
Because I'm a Christian, in fact, he is a part-time minister at some church. I go, wow. So I asked a very silly question and it gave me a very funny answer. I said, Mohammed, how were you saved?
He said David by grace, of course.
Oh, we need to remember that, for by grace are you saved. How else can we be saved? And remember, it's not of words, lest any man should boast. Oh God's grace that have came into our lives, that he saved us. And some mentioned the book of Ephesians. What a precious book to go through.
That he saved us. He, I think Rob mentioned, tone us before the foundation of the world. We were marked out from eternity.
For blessings and we're told that when you're saved.
From the route to come that is not the end of the story. You have all these spiritual blessings given to God from God and secrets started to be unveiled and digressing a bit, perhaps I'll mention that knowing that many in this room are believers and John mentioned this two phrases the other day the the.
Mystery of God would be revealed. What is that mystery?
After you're saved, we find out that we're part of the church, part of the body, no one that there's a body of in heaven on high which will seem to be joined together as one. The mystery of God. Oh, is that just being saved?
And then we find in the book of Ephesians, and actually both in the book of Colossians, it tells us about the mystery of Christ. Oh, by the way, I forgot these young people. A mystery simply means something wasn't revealed before. It wasn't a big secret, it's just no one talked about it. So, for example, the virgin birth of Christ, that wasn't a mystery. His death and suffering. No, it wasn't a mystery. We were told in many places.
So a mystery is something that opened up so we know.
The mystery of Christ, He says not only will they will be part of the one body is will be air and joined air with Christ. Oh what blessing it is to be saved, not just from the wrath to come, but to have to receive many blessings. I digress too far. Let's go back to Acts Chapter 9.
We have this man Saul. God worked with him differently.
00:45:01
He was on his mission to destroy Christians. And we find that often we get discouraged saying where is God behind the scene? Why is God allowing this and that? And we must remember that God is in control. He does allow things to happen. So we see here in the apostles Paul's case.
It was underway on the road to Damascus.
That God shined that light upon him and he saved him first of all from his sins, and he chose him to be a special vessel for the suffering of Christ. You know, I think it was it, I'm trying to think, yes, it was this morning we mentioned about that the death of the Saints is controlled by God.
And we should also know that God does not let people die just like that. There are reason that he controls that.
So we can live our lives into his hand. Once we're his, we're his forever. We are under his protection and care. So fear. Paul became blind. He has to be received by someone to take him to the right place. And then we find a not in this passage, but in Galatians, we find that he spent 3 1/2 years in Arabia.
I suppose I'm speculating a bit. I would presume that would be the backside of the desert.
And God would often teach us, it's like the hymn we sometimes saying in the desert. He will teach you about the God that he is. And then he was able to come back and join the apostles and begins his ministry after 3 1/2 years. Here's the son of Sham. God saved him. We find that there were many Jews, Peter, who would refuse to eat those things that were unclean. And he has to learn the lessons too.
That God is now introducing Gentiles into the picture.
What blessedness? To know that God loves all of us, not just his people, the Jewish people you love Gentiles like us. In fact, it's interesting you go through the word of God. Gentiles doesn't seem to be mentioned much until we get into the New Testament. But that's not really true. We find that a rehab was a Gentile, wasn't she?
Ruth was a gentile, wasn't she? There were 10 tribes of Israel. Two of the tribes are half Egyptians.
So that make them Gentiles too in a sense. So we find example throughout the God. Have you and I in mind before the foundation of the world and you go through the book of Romans first few chapters, then he tells us more the difference of how we treated the Gentiles and the Jews. But I don't want to digress too far from there. So Paul being a Gentile, being a a Jew or the son of sham he was.
Into blessings. Oh yes, I lost that thought there.
But death is interesting. We are free of death. Many of us are free to die.
On which?
I remember years ago I have to get a MRI done and the nurse said to me, do you want to be blindfolded? I have no idea what she meant. I go, no, I don't want to be blindfolded.
And as I've gone inside this tunnel, I call it, so they put you in this chamber. Your face will be about two inches from the top of this, and you don't see anything. You hear the machine rolling beside you. Oh, all those terrible thoughts start to come. Well, where did we find something bad? What if, what if, what if? And you know, as a Christian, we have that special joy.
The only way to get take those thoughts away is to think about, well, if it is, so be it.
I thought about that him, and it is so we shall be like thy son.
Is this the grace that he for me has one or there are so many preciousness? So I'm thinking of Paul here. He was raised for the suffering of Christ. He he gone through a lot, didn't he?
He was persecuted by his own. His life came into jeopardy many times, Well, until the very end. But then I heard a brother said one day he said what better privilege for Christian to die?
00:50:09
Just like my Lord.
What better privilege if we were to die?
Just like our Lord Jesus. How did he die?
He died an awful death. He was crucified at the hands of wicked man.
Our time is almost gone.
Let's just go on here.
And I.
Chapter 10.
In chapter 10, there's one more man that I'd like to talk about, and we won't read to me passages from that. His name is Cornelius.
He said Cornelius called the Italian band that was supposed from that, that he's most likely Italian. He was a centurion working under the Roman soldiers.
I believe I can say that he would be the sons of Japheth.
Isn't it interesting to see this man, the son of Japheth? Now he too are being brought into blessings.
And made a comment earlier on I thought that these passages as I look across the room this morning.
We have the Sons of Ham here.
We have the sons of, I'm not sure. Well, yes, the sons of Sham, because the Chinese can possibly be through sham.
And many here are probably the sons of Japheth.
How precious to think, God, have you in mind that He wants you to be saved here. He was also a godly man. He was a devout man. God work in the hearts first. He shines His light upon people so that they have some right to be able to understand the Word, the Word and the work of God.
So here Peter was sent to through a vision that he know Peter was coming and we know the story well to prepare for.
To help him. And you know what I find interesting is Peter got there. Peter had to learn many lessons too, didn't he? But let's go down to verse 44. I find this very fascinating. While Peter yeah, this is Acts chapter 10, verse 44. While Peter yet speak these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
And they of the circumcision.
Which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God, then answer Peter, and so on.
So Peter spoke with them. As Peter was speaking, it didn't notice notice the time frame there. It didn't say Peter was able to talk with them, address to them and after the address was done. Well, I don't believe that's what he said. He says while Peter yet spake these words, he was interrupted as if it were.
The Holy Ghost fell on these Gentiles.
And the circumcisions, the juice. They were astonished that Gentiles are now being brought into blessings.
Hallelujah, what a word that God has wrought to bring.
People to respond and there as if it were nations that were separated are brought back together. And now we can see why the word of God says when you're part of the church, there's neither Jews nor Gentile because we are now being part of the church. We are hiss.
And we mentioned the Jews the chosen people no that's not the proper term anymore is it they're part of the church they're like you and I and precious for us to know that now being indwelled by the spirit of God being guided by the spirit of God being able to acknowledge this one body there's one God there's one spirit and saved by one savior.
00:55:10
All we can say is Hallelujah.
To the work that was accomplished on the cross. And dear friends, if you are still lost in your sins.
I trust that the word of God would speak into your heart and conscience that you will not find rest until you repent. Because salvation is of the Lord. The redemption really is simple. I will repeat that verse again. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be safe. And children sometimes say a little bit longer verses that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth and believe in thine heart that God has.
Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Let's just.
Sing in closing hymn number.
6.
Hymn #6.
God in mercy said.
God is love.
Every.
Good him must fall.
For your video of the great shining God, save your spirit.
Don't be standard from the fall.
God is fighting and God is love.
Bless God in our.
Don't Fool Yourself, God Looks on the Inside
Children—Marlin Schmidt
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.
He had a good sleep, got to bed early.
Kind of.
All right, well, I'm glad to see a few of you here. It's not a full house, but that's OK. You know, the Lord Jesus often met when there was just one or two people and he would meet them where they were. So it's a wonderful thing. So we will start by having some some songs, Anyone that you have a song this morning.
#40.
Yes, loves me. Yes, she talks like twinkle twinkle.
Tells me so.
Jesus wants me no life that that he wants to make me glad we hate you for being in His heart. It seems safe from every heart.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, she's trying to start me.
Jesus loves me in real estate.
Close beside me all the way. If I trust him, should I die, he will Take Me Home on time. Yes, I love speaking.
Of Steam, so it's lovely.
Yes.
What a wonderful message. Jesus loves us. Can any of you tell me why does Jesus love us?
That's a pretty hard question.
Because when we think of ourselves at all, we would wonder, why would he love us?
But anyone have an idea why Jesus loves us?
He did die us on the cross. That was to show us how much he loved us. Yes, very good.
Well, there's a couple of reasons why he loves US1 is because it's his very nature, because Jesus is God and God is love and he created us for his pleasure. He created us to have a relationship with Him. And so he loves us very much, so much that, as Owen pointed out, he died on the cross for us. That's wonderful. Anyone else have a song?
00:05:08
26.
Independently.
Everybody can come down at the green and she's like one of the 3.1.
Let us once in the end of the world, be out here and completed the word King's God.
Mary's wife in the world. That's the brilliant tree by 1.
All right, anybody else have him to give out?
Go ahead #8.
Come every soul by sin oppressed.
It's a it's a good message to send out. Come every soul by sin or press. There is mercy from the Oh yeah, I was reading #9.
Shall we gather at his coming?
00:10:01
That's a great question. When the dead in Christ arise? When are the dead in Christ going to arise?
Could be any moment, right?
Maybe before we finish this Sunday school.
All right #8.
Yes.
All right, maybe we'll have one more before we see if anyone has some verses they would like to share with us. Go ahead #11.
Breathing pain.
Clothes roll, that's simply the wrong which can not be grinded into the save yours love.
00:15:36
Well, does any of you have a verse you would like to share with us?
OK.
And just take the mic, and then everyone can hear you finish calls gauchos and strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure and unrighteousness. Second Thessalonians 2:10 and 11:00.
Very good. Anybody else?
June, did you have one?
Coming up anybody report to you Museum of Delaware view for an asylum plan and as a route out of a drug round. He had moved from no comments on one shells and there's no beauty that we should design him. His dispatcher rejected a man ministers on a conduit with grief and when he doesn't wear a faces women he was this bazemore seeming not she relief barnacles and kiddos. I was yet with the distant afflicted.
It was wonderful transgressions. He was Bruce for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his short river hill only like we have turned everyone to his own land, the road of laden, the iniquities of us all. He was a person who was afraid, yet he opened not in his mouth his brother, and so she prefers her system, so he from not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who showed a closed generation, for he was qualified at the land of the living for the transgression of my people. Was he stricken? As I checked the 53 verse 1 to 8. Thank you.
Anybody else?
Opportunity to stand up and talk into a mic.
It's kind of scary, isn't it?
I know I get scared when I'm asked to.
OK, well, there's no pressure, so that's that's fine. Maybe one of the older ones has a verse they'd like to share with us this morning.
That's all right.
OK, well.
We have a little object lesson for us this morning.
But before we start, let's look to the Lord and ask for His blessing and help.
I love you.
All right, I've printed some pictures here.
I realize I'm going to date myself. You guys might not know any of these pictures.
Well, we're going to, that's not really the point. So is there anyone that would like to help and maybe take these pictures and help show them around so everybody could see them? OK, and I'll first ask you, do you know who this guy is? There's a stellar. That's right. Very good.
So he was a very wicked leader.
But looking at them outwardly, he's a very sharp dressed man, clean cut and all of that.
But he was a very wicked man.
All right. Thank you very much. We'll have a couple more here for shovel, but maybe we'll just hold them up and see. So does everybody recognize this one?
00:20:02
Queen Elizabeth, correct?
She also always looks very nice and has a very high place in this world, a place of great responsibility as well and.
Her greatest responsibility is to God.
Not to people. And that's where each one of us, we all, will be held accountable to God. Does anybody know this fellow?
That's Mr. Bill Gates. He's a intellect of this world, a great computer genius. But.
I don't know if he's wise towards God.
But now how about these guys? You know them.
They're a rough looking bunch.
Some guys clad in leather and jeans and kind of rough looking.
I don't expect that you'll know them individually.
See those guys? Do they look kind of scary?
I think so.
But you know, we'll read a couple of verses now, and then I will talk a little bit about the relevant of this First Samuel.
Chapter 16.
#7.
The Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For a man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
You know, it's as we looked at these pictures here, we saw some looking very prim and proper and some looking a little rough and scary, but that doesn't show us the reality of what that person is.
And.
It's an important thing for us as young people.
At a very young age to recognize that we need when we are.
Thinking about ourselves with God, it's not how we look on the outward appearance we can we can play church very easy. It's maybe one of the great dangers of being raised in the privilege of a Christian home is to play church I I can speak from experience and.
It's something I have on my heart to share with you today very much that we would not get caught up with looking on the outward appearance.
And that but truly where our heart is with God.
There's and we've been speaking about fruit in the reading meetings. Fruit is more about that which is inward.
Fruit in our lives is a change inwardly, not just outwardly. Works is more the outward showing of the fruit in our lives. But if there isn't that fruit inside of us, that is a real change of character. All the good works we could do, and some of these ones in these pictures here in the world's eyes, do a lot of good works.
But that doesn't mean that.
Their works are acceptable to God because without Christ all of our works are but as filthy rags. We can do all we want to try to please God with our works, but that is not how we attain salvation. Salvation is by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's turn to Hebrews chapter four. I think this will also point out that it's the inward parts that need addressing. Hebrews 4 and verse 12.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Does that ever make you a little bit anxious?
When you consider that God not only sees everything you do, He knows what you are thinking.
00:25:01
I know sometimes our thoughts get away on us and they wander and not such good thoughts come into our minds. We can judge them and be done with them. That's that's the proper way to deal with those thoughts. But God sees and knows every thought and intent of our hearts. That's a pretty searching thing, isn't it children? It is, but.
For those that have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we can have confidence.
That as we judge those thoughts, they're done away with, and even when those thoughts come in, we are secure in the Savior's hand. There's nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. For those that are in Christ Jesus, it's the most blessed and wonderful thing that can give you confidence and courage as you walk through a world that is full of sin and sorrow.
So when we look at all these pictures that we just did.
We can conclude one thing for sure, because the Scripture tells us in Romans chapter 3 verse 23.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So it doesn't matter whose picture I put would put up there. I could put everybody that's sitting here today's picture up and we could all conclude one thing. We have all sinned and we have all come short of the glory of God. And that is why we have needed a Savior. We have needed someone to take up our place in judgment.
And it's a wonderful thing that he came. And as Owen mentioned to us this morning.
That he died on the cross for us and shed his blood. That we could be clean. Every wit that's beautiful.
So now I'm going to share.
A little bit of a personal story with you guys. Is that OK?
OK, I'm going to sit down here with you guys and just tell you a little something that happened in my life.
So I grew up in meeting like you guys came and sat in Sunday schools, came to conference in Regina here many years.
But as I grew into my teen years, I lost interest in the things of God completely.
And I went into the world.
But the Lord is gracious.
His long-suffering.
But I don't want that for anyone of you.
I want you to hold fast to the Lord and never get off the path. That picture I showed you of those rough looking bikers.
You know, they, as all of us, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But the Lord used a bunch like that to speak to me.
I was on a bike ride with about 90 other bikers and.
As we're about to depart, there was one fellow took a 5 gallon pail, turned it upside down and stood up on top of it and said let's ask God to watch over us and keep us safe.
That just broke my heart.
I realized the life of.
Absolute.
Waste. I had lived for about 20 years.
The Lord can use whomever he will, and I'm very thankful that the Lord used this fellow. He was a member of a Christian motorcycle group, but he was faithful in that which he stood up in a simple prayer that the Lord would watch over us and keep us safe on the road as we were going on this ride. This ride was to.
Raise some funds for a family that had adopted 4 quadriplegic children.
It was called Eyes Wide Open.
It is the day the Lord opened my eyes.
Are your eyes open today to see the Lord Jesus for who He is?
That's not about coming to church and playing church and dressing the part. Doing all those things, wonderful as those are, don't don't ever have been there. It's a privilege and a wonderful thing.
But your heart has to be attached to Christ, or you will follow the voice of whoever comes along, including your own flesh, which will surely lead you astray.
00:30:07
Well, that is really what I wanted to share with you guys this morning and know that the Lord Jesus loves you.
Immensely and and so does everyone in here, they want to see you go on for the Lord and a happy and fruitful life as we've been speaking about in the reading meetings.
We have left time for a few more hymns, so if anybody has one, please call it a 16.
#16.
Oh, so well, we're here.
Whosoever will when they come.
You're so ever willing to do so everywhere.
The end of the proclamation over the other hand.
All right, we got another one.
Can be from the older young people too. If you guys got a hymn you'd like, go ahead #24.
00:35:27
All right, one final hymn. OK, go ahead. Pardon me.
29.
All right, let's close the meeting and give thanks to the Lord.
The Path of Faith
Address—Eric James
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.
OK, well why don't we go ahead and get started? Let's sing #127.
How blessed the home, the Father's house #127 their love divine doth rest. What else could satisfy the hearts of those in Jesus? Blessed His homemade ours, His Father's love, our hearts full portion given, the portion of the first born Son, the full delight of heaven #127.
00:05:43
OK, let's commend ourselves.
OK, we're going to try to figure out the technology here. Nathans going to help.
I guess this is kind of a product of Zoom. So over the years, last couple years, we've done more things on slides. What I want to speak about this afternoon, thanks Nate, is the path of faith. And I've enjoyed a little study here where it's illustrated by 4 different stories in scripture. And I've asked these young men up front here to help me identify those stories that I think illustrate these.
The different stages of the path of faith.
That's one way that the Scriptures use to illustrate truth is by stories, by geographical locations. Three of them happen to be little towns, and one of them happens to be part of Jerusalem. Now, a little hint here is that all four of these places start with the word Beth. That's why I have up there, you can see.
You see, it says Beth because Beth in Hebrew means house.
And so the song we sang spoke about the home that the Lord has prepared for us, and there's certain little houses that illustrate these truths.
OK, there is a path which no foul knoweth, and which the vultures, I have not seen the lions whelps that would be their pups have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
That's why we're here, dear young people. We want you to know that there is a path of happiness and joy through this world. And I remember one of the first young peoples I ever went to when I was only maybe 12 or 13, back on the East Coast, a man by the name of Mr. McNabb. Maybe some here remember Brother McNabb. And he, when we walked in, he handed out a little pamphlet called Rex on the Burma.
And I'm sure some of you have read that interesting little pamphlet is by Mr. Willis, and it speaks about a time when he was trying to escape China and he had to go on the Burma Rd. which was constantly being bombed by the Japanese. And he describes a number of wrecks along the way. And he described how all these trucks and all these vehicles that started out with the hopes of reaching their.
And along the way, they ended up wrecking.
And so he used that to illustrate the Christian pathway, that there's many ways that there's a right way. There is a path which no foul knoweth, but there's also many other ways that will cause us to to wreck in our Christian lives. And that's what that little pamphlet's about. I hope you read it when you have a chance. Very interesting little pamphlet. So we want to talk about the pathway.
Not get into so much the wrecks. We want to avoid the wrecks.
But we want to talk about the pathway. Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? We just sang in this hymn about the home that God has prepared for us. Isn't that a wonderful thought? To think that God loved this? As Martin was telling us this morning, reminding us of this morning. He loved us so much that in the past eternity He prepared a home for us close to himself.
As we've been saying in these meetings, and I've been so impressed with her personally that.
He's entrusted us with the highest truths of all of God's creatures. Isn't that a wonderful thing? He wants us to be so near to Him. We sometimes sing so near, so very near to God. I cannot near be friend, the person of the Son. I am as near as He. Not a wonderful thing.
And yet we live in a Laodicean day, and the danger is that we get lukewarm. We've heard it all, we've seen it all. It just kind of rolls off our back like like water off of a a duck's back. That's a danger in our day, isn't it? But let's, let's have our hearts warm that helps to get together like this. We'll talk about illustrations of the path of faith that will help us hopefully rise above that.
00:10:18
OK. I want to mention, I mentioned there's four little geographical locations that illustrate the truths of the Christian pathway, the path of faith.
This first one is actually in Jerusalem.
It's the name of a pool, and there's a picture of, I think maybe just an artist's representation of what they think that pool looked like. I'll give you a little better hint and then maybe your boys can help me guess what that pool is. There was a lot of infirm people that were at that pool, and something happened once a year. Remember what happened once a year?
No, not the pool of sight. close, but not quite once a year, something happened.
These infirm people, you can see there, there's a cane and a lot of people, a couple canes there and and crutches perhaps. And these people waited for something to happen once a year.
Robert, you're too old.
Absolutely, thank you. Do you remember the name of the place?
All right, we'll let some people a little older who's what's it starts with, Beth.
You remember, remember, these all start with Beth.
Bethesda, somebody said. Let's go there.
All right.
Bethesda.
What does Bethesda mean? Anybody know that off the top of your head? I don't think I did without looking it up, but Robert.
House of Mercy didn't even have to look. That's what it means.
House of Mercy, this is where the path of faith starts, doesn't it?
We need God's mercy. That's where the pathway starts. And we've heard the gospel several times and I hope that you, you young people especially, take it to heart. Martin was telling us how that he heard it many times and it didn't really sink in. I have a brother. We just visited, hadn't seen him for 11 years. Just a couple weeks ago I visited him with my other brother and he heard the gospel. They grew up in the meeting, like like I did.
Heard went to Sunday school.
We have no assurance that he has taken the Lord Jesus as His Savior. This is the first step in the path of faith. It speaks.
As it must speak.
Yeah, where you get this?
What happened to my cursor here? Whoops, there we go.
It speaks of salvation.
We must be saved to get God's blessing, otherwise we're going to be thrown into this world of which Satan is the God and the Prince, and we're going to be his plaything.
Here's a Here's a hymn I came across recently.
I hadn't heard it before. I'm sure many others have. You can see the date up there is actually 1890 something. Is that what it says? Written a long time ago. I actually heard it on the Radio One day and I've been praying for my uncle who was my closest of all my uncles. He's the one who operated on my knee when I had to, didn't have any insurance and had to come out West and get my knee operated on. He was a orthopedic surgeon.
And my mother's brother, but.
He had not accepted the Lord as his Savior.
And he was getting older and older. His mind was still more or less clear. He finally got to 97 years old.
As far as we know, he died in agnostic.
And that was a sad thing for us. And I, as we were praying before he passed away, I came across this hymn. Out of Christ, without a Savior. Oh, can it be like a ship without a rudder on a wild and stormy sea, out of Christ, without a Savior?
Lonely and dark the way, with no light, no hope. Indiana Jesus making bright the cheerless day out of Christ, Without a Savior, no help or refuge nigh. How can you, oh friend and brother, dare to live and dare to die? How can we dare to live and dare to die?
00:15:03
Without the savior. All to be without a savior.
Hope no refuge nigh can it be, O blessed Savior 1, without thee dare to die. Don't go there, young people, children, don't go. Don't face life. Don't face death without the Savior.
OK, that's the beginning. The first of the four. Now we've got another little place. This is a little town in Israel.
This is an artist rendition of it doesn't give too much away at this point. I'll give you a little more hint and I think you'll get it. Remember, these all start with Beth. OK, that'll be a help. All right, let's go to the next 1-2 widows. One older, one younger had left the land of Israel and now the husbands have died. One was the mother of of the other husband.
Now they're walking back to this little town in Israel.
Bethany. Bethany. Right. Very good. Thank you. And here's another picture to help us. There's a younger woman's name. What was her name?
Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, it's Bethlehem, actually. What's the younger woman's name? Danny.
Remember the two ladies that came back to this little town that the mother had left before?
OK, what's your name?
Ruth, you remember Ruth June and you guys remember Ruth? Remember she came back with her mother-in-law. They came back to the place where the priests are. They came back to the place that had been chosen by the God of Israel for blessing, and yet they didn't have anything. Did they accept one thing?
They had trust in the Lord. They trusted in the, in the.
In the under the Wings of the Lord. And that's what Boaz says to this young lady.
Ruth, she was a widow now, but now she's come to. What did we say again? What's the name of the town?
Not Bethany. That was a mistake. Bethlehem. OK.
What does Bethlehem mean?
House of bread, House of bread. Isn't that a good thing? If you're hungry and destitute and don't have anything to know where you can go, someplace where you can get food? Well, that's what Bethlehem is, the House of bread. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Once we're saved, the Lord wants us to get some satisfaction, get some things that meet the needs that we have. We have desperate needs, don't we, as people?
And there's a place we can go. The path of faith will lead us on to where the Lord is, where we can get things. We can get that which satisfies our deepest needs. Speaks about. I call that big word sustenance. That means it gives us what we need, it satisfies our needs, and it gives us true satisfaction. You remember.
There is a man in the book of Ecclesiastes. You, you young boys, you remember who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.
Solomon, thank you. Was Solomon a rich man or a poor man?
Very rich man. Was he a smart man?
He was the wisest man in all the world at the time, wasn't he? Was he? Was he? Did he have any authority?
It was a king. Did he find satisfaction in this world? No.
That there is a path that leads. There is satisfaction in this world.
But it comes from that which the Lord supplies, not which man supplies. And you know, young people and you boys, I can remember, I grew up with a young man. We used to go to Ottawa Lake together. Some of you people know what that is, been there before, went to conferences together. He made his object money. He was a Christian and he stayed a Christian all his life. He's still living, but he decided to make money in his lifetime.
And he had the go to the Super Bowl every year and he had to have fancy cars in a fancy house and made many, many millions of dollars and was the head of a big company about my age. You know, I just found out something about him. He's bankrupt.
All those multi millions dollars, what he pursued all his life, it's all gone.
He's bankrupt.
So we have to be careful what we pursue. There is a path of blessing.
00:20:04
That God has for us that will satisfy our deepest needs.
He satisfied the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
That's God's promise. Do you think God's good news promises?
He is, isn't he? I can tell you after 70 years, I'm 70 years old. The Lord is good to his promises, But remember, there's a lot of wrecks on the Burma Rd. a lot of ways we can veer off and run into trouble. That the Lord wants to keep us. He wants us to be blessed. We read about some of the things he wants for us. He wants us to to learn what love is his love, and he wants us to learn what love is to our brother. He wants us to have that peace that he.
With all the trouble we just had, a brother was just speaking the other day in our meeting he said, you know, I had to had to go to the coast and I was listening to.
Podcasts on the way and this brother has been pretty successful in business and he has some investments he's trying to live off because he's semi retired now. And he said, you know, he said those podcasts, it's just one thing after another, the business world and the World Economic situation and the Geo what we call the geopolitical situation in the world of Iraq.
And he said if we didn't have Christ we would be so upset and so without any peace. But as Christian Wigan rise above that and look into the sanctuary and we know that God has everything under control and he's our God and he's the one that wants to bless us. Here's another little song I thought it explains as so many of us have sung this many times, I heard the voice of Jesus say.
To me and rest, it's one of the things we need is and it is rest. This world doesn't give us any rest. Lay down the weary one, lay down my head upon my breast that came to Jesus as I was weary, weary and worn and sad. I founded him a resting place and he has made me glad. I heard the voice of Jesus say, Behold, I freely give living water. Thirsty one that satisfies us.
Stoop down and drink and live. I came to Jesus and I drank of that life giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in him. I heard the voice of Jesus say, I am this world's dark light, this dark world's light. Look under me. Thy mourn shall rise, and all thy day be bright. I look to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my son. And in that light of life, light of life, I'll walk.
Till traveling days are done, The path of faith.
But there's something else. You know, one danger we have as Christians is that we make it self-centered. We make it all about me. That's a dangerous thing. I think much of Christendom is all about me. How can I have a better family? How can I have a better a better? How can I raise my children better? Those aren't bad things in themselves, but they're not a good object. So we have to remember that Christianity is about Christ first. Not, not not about me once.
My needs. He wants to lead us on further in the path of faith. And so here's the question that the psalmist raises in Psalm 116. We don't know who wrote that Psalm. It doesn't have the name of anybody. But it speaks of a time when somebody is being restored to the Lord, and they raise this question, what shall I render under the Lord for all his benefits towards me?
I will take the cup of salvation. We just spoke about that, you know.
There are three tensions to salvation. You know what tenses are? Past, present, future. Okay, he learned that in school. Here we have the three tenses of salvation. I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. That's the first tense. That's when we're saved. When we take the cup of salvation that God has freely offered to us and we call upon the name of the Lord, we change masters.
We take Jesus as Lord. Now the second tense.
I will pay my vows under the Lord now in the presence of all his people. Well, that's another good thing. You know, vows, we speak about responsibility. Once we become Christians, we're responsible to act like Christians. And so he says, I'll pay my vows. I'm going to act like a Christian, like a believer under the Lord now in the presence of all his people. I'm going to be responsible and accountable to other people. That's a real problem sometimes, isn't it?
00:25:05
Sometimes we want to live our own life or sometimes we get on the computer and we don't want anybody else to see what we're doing on that computer.
But we need to be accountable not only to the Lord but to one another to. So I'm going to pay my vows under the Lord now in the presence of all His people. There's what we call a collective testimony. The Lord has instructed for our blessing that there is a collective testimony. As we've been speaking, we need our brethren in order to grow, in order to keep us accountable, and in order to exercise the gift.
Entrusted to us and in order to praise the Lord in a collective way. You know what I found out something that I thought was remarkable.
We sing together. We've been singing together here. Do you know that for 1000 years there was number congregational singing about the year 360 at a place called Laodicea of all places. They had a, they had a conventicle they called it. And they decided that from now on only the professionals would sing in in church. So for 1000 years, from about 360 all the way up to about 1350 to 13.
The people weren't allowed to sing in church. That a sad thing. Only the monks could sing. Only the professionals could sing. Isn't that a sad thing?
But I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. He wants us to sing. Sing out of a full heart. And so remember, Christianity isn't just about me and meeting my needs. You know, sometimes I have to admit, I go even to a conference sometimes or go to prayer meetings.
Somebody said sometimes the prayer meetings are often organ meetings that's about everybody's organs that aren't working quite right, and sometimes that's what it is. But really?
Prayer meetings should be, first of all, to thank the Lord and praise the Lord simply for what he's done. So let's remember, the Christianity isn't just about me. That's where it starts, but it's about the word Jesus Christ and about the blessing that God has brought us into and wants us to know. Well, that's the second tense of salvation. That's what we should be doing day by day. I will pay my vows under the Lord now in the presence of all his people. You know, if we get too far away.
From other believers. We get cold in our hearts, don't we? And we don't, we just, we just get it occupied with other things and taken up with other things that we can't understand what's happening. We think we're fine, but we don't realize what we've missed. Like a brother John has been reminding us when we don't get together in assembly, which the Lord has established as a gathering center of the assembly, when we miss those meetings, we miss something, perhaps for all eternity.
That the Lord wanted us to have. So I will pay my vows under the Lord now in the presence of all his people. And then the third tense of salvation, precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of the Saints. Isn't it a wonderful thing with the Lord? Jesus has taken care of us when we die. So often we think of death as a sad thing, and it is a sad thing for those of us left behind. But I read something recently that I appreciated by a man named William McDonald.
Some of his things I appreciate some of the things you wrote, He said, you know, we need to look at death too, from God's sight. He said God has the right to come down into this world and pick his lilies, as it says in the Song of Solomon. Sometimes we forget about that, don't we? God has the right to do that. He's not depriving us of certain things. He knows the beginning from the end.
Doesn't he have the right? He gave us the breath in the 1St place. Doesn't he have the right to come?
And pick his lilies, as it says there, and take some of one home to be with themselves. Their trials are over.
They don't have an old nature anymore. They won't sin anymore. That's really a lovely thing, isn't it? Not that we want to rush it, but God has a right to do that to, to take his own. And precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints.
OK, that's Bethlehem.
Here's another death. Now think about this a second. Here's a man. Anybody. Here's some angels going up and down a ladder. In the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis, we read about this. Here's a man sleeping on a stone. Anybody remember the man's name?
Right, Jacob, Right. But.
00:30:03
Jacob OK, You remember it starts with death, so maybe you can get it. Let's give another picture. OK, This is another hint. In the Old Testament, there was a certain house, a house. Whose house was it?
God's house getting pretty close here.
And then a little bit later they have that Tabernacle and the wilderness, and they had the Tabernacle in the land of Canaan for quite a number of years. And then they had the beautiful temple, didn't they, once the Kingdom started? And this is all about the House of what?
House of God, do you know the name in scripture?
Bethel, Beth is house, L is God. Pretty simple, isn't it? The House of God. All right, let's look. The House of God. Bethel, That was where Jacob saw his scene. The scene there, the angels going up and down the ladder. House of God is literally what it means. And what does that speak of? It speaks of God's sanctuary.
The place where the Lord dwells. What a wonderful thing that is.
To be where the Lord is, He wants us to be close to Him as we are singing in the hymn.
That's why he saved us, that's why he created us. He didn't create us to go to the lake of fire. That's where the 8th the the devil and his angels. He created us to enjoy his presence and to be like his son for all eternity, to be part of his family and to dwell with him for time and for all eternity. So it speaks of the sanctuary. When we use that word sanctuary, we're talking about the place where God dwells, the House of.
God.
OK, some things about the House of God. God is holy, isn't he? So holy must become a thine house, O Lord God, forever. If I'm going on a bad way, I don't want to be in God's house, do I? Because I'm not walking in a holy way. But it's a wonderful privilege to be there, because it's through holiness that we get blessing it. Bible tells us holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
So holiness means to act in a way consistent with the with the righteousness of God, to walk in a way that's honoring to the Lord. Let's look at some other verses. Here's something that's found in the House of God, the full knowledge of the mystery of God, and richer hid all the treasures.
Of wisdom and knowledge. Remember, one of the first slides we had we talked about has so entered into the treasures of the snow.
You know, where does snow come from?
Where did snow come from?
From the sky, right? Who else came from the sky? What person?
Important person came from the sky.
But the Lord Jesus didn't he, we didn't come from the sky, we came from from the earth. But the Lord Jesus came from the sky. Why did he come from the sky? Because he wanted us to enter into the treasures of the snow, the treasures that were in his heart and the Father's heart from all eternity that would make us happy and blessed and, and Phyllis with the secrets of God.
It says there the full knowledge of the mystery of God. That's what we call the assembly Christ in the church.
And which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Would you like to know all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? God has wants us to enter into that. They're found in his house, in his presence, in his sanctuary.
But that made us know how to behave thyself in the House of God, if we're going to be in God's presence, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Great is the mystery of godliness.
If we want to be, if we want to learn these things and walk in the good of them, we have to behave ourselves in a certain way. Do you know what makes the House of God the House of God now?
It Where is the Lord Jesus right now?
Is he on earth? He's in heaven, right? So, but is there one of the divine persons that's on earth?
The Holy Spirit, exactly. And so where this Holy Spirit dwells, it's the House of God. So if we're going to, if we're, if we're Christians, we need to be, we need to remember that we're part of God's house and we're guests in God's house. And we need to behave ourselves in such a way that's consistent with God's house. And so that thou mayest know how to behave myself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God.
00:35:20
The pillar now the pillar here has few different thoughts in Scripture, but the thought of the pillar here is that we're a testimony. We represent God to the world. Have you ever thought about that? We don't just live for ourselves. Christianity is not all about me, but we're to be a pillar. We're to represent God in the world. Sometimes you see a monument and you go into a little town and you see a pillar set up and it it speaks about some famous person perhaps that lived there or or speaks about.
People that perhaps died in a certain war from that little town. That's a pillar. And so our monument, we might say, and the Church of the Living God is a painter were to represent God in this world and also the ground of the truth. That means that God has deposited this truth. The full knowledge of the mystery of God. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge have been deposited in the assembly.
Isn't that a wonderful thing? And so we looked at that house, that little Tabernacle, and we looked at the temple.
The that was where God dwelt, and he dwells now in the assembly, and that's where the testimony of God the pillar is, and that's where the deposit of truth, of this tremendous truth that's been entrusted to us is deposited in the assembly. What a wonderful privilege that is.
His little song and a little little flock him by Mr. Wigram. What way is the wondrous thought? Or who did it suggest that we the Church, the glory brought, should with the sun be blessed? Oh God, the thought was thine, thine only it could be fruit of thy wisdom. Love divine, peculiar unto thee for sure no other mind for thought so bold, so free.
Greatness or strength could ever find thine only.
It could be, you know, it would be blasphemy for us to save any of the things that we've enjoyed together. Unless God told us it was true, it would be blasphemy. It's a horrible thing, but God tells us all these things. He loves us and He wants us to be very near to Him for sure. No other mind for thought so bold, so free greatness or strength could ever find thine only.
It could be the motives to thine own the plan, the Council thine.
Son, bone of his bone, that's the Church where the bride of Christ in glory brought to shine. O God, with great delight Thy wondrous thought we see upon his throne and glory bright the Bride of Christ shall be.
Here's the rest of that song that we read before the 160 sixteenth Psalm. Remember it says, what shall I render under Lord for all his benefits towards me? Well, the first was when the believer was just was just newly newly saved, we would say in our language today. But then a little later on, he's grown a little bit in his soul and he says this, oh Lord, truly, I am thy servant.
Well, we've been talking about.
Consecration, haven't we? You know what consecration means, that I'm using it in a general way. But the consecration, the way most brethren speak about it, it literally means to have the hands full, to have our hands full of Christ. Now, when we're younger, sometimes we have maybe one handful of Christ, but then we have another hand we have, maybe it's sports, maybe it's art, maybe it's music, maybe it's business, maybe it's a family.
Family is important. Some of those things are not bad in themselves, but there's a danger of not having the Lord 1St. And so many young Christians don't have the Lord first. They're saved and they're on their way to heaven, and they maybe come to meeting or go to church or some such thing. And the Lord's met some of their needs, but they haven't really learned and progressed in the path of faith. But the Lord wants us to be His servant in one sense. I know you just read that.
Not servants. In a certain sense, we are servants, Paul said. I'm a slave to the Lord Jesus. You know what the word redeemed means.
Redeem means to buy back and set free.
So why would Paul then say that he's a slave? If he's been bought back, but he's been set free, why would he want to be a slave to the Lord Jesus?
00:40:07
You ever thought about that? Why does Paul call himself a bondsman or a slave of the Lord Jesus? He was brought back from a pathway of of pride and ruin as he was, but then he was set free. But then why would he become a slave?
We ever thought about that? It's a little harder question, isn't it?
Have you ever read Robinson Crusoe? Maybe that's showing how old I am here, but.
A lot of us had to read Robinson Crusoe when we were in high school in English class. But I don't know if you young people maybe don't even know who Robinson Crusoe is. But but it's story about Robinson Crusoe as he was out on an island and he would have been shipwrecked and he wasn't on an island. He thought he was all by himself. And one day you know what happened? Some cannibals came along and they had a man that they were going to kill and eat.
And they had that man that from a different tribe, and that's the way they did. And they landed on this, what they thought was an uninhabited island.
And they were going to kill the man and eat them.
And Robinson Crusoe was there, and he had some rifles and things, some muskets, and he delivered that man and he set him free. You know what that man's name was?
Somebody older?
Friday, right? What did Friday do then, when Robertson Crusoe delivered him?
But I.
Remember what Friday did after he was delivered by him, He was set free. What did he do?
You think he got on a little boat and left?
You know what he did? He insisted on being a slave for Robinson Crusoe, he said. You've saved my life. I want to serve you forever.
And that's what consecration is when we come to the point that we're not only on our way to heaven, not only living kind of a Christian life, but we say, Lord Jesus, I want to live for you 100%. I want to be holy years want to have both hands full of Christ. That doesn't mean we don't have responsibilities. Of course we do. But you can do those responsibilities for the Lord. That's the great secret of consecration. No longer just for ourselves or for other people, but we can do those for the Lord.
So truly, I am thy servant. Well, we're even more than that, aren't we? We read how that were friends of the Lord. The Lord has brought us closer than those Old Testament Saints, and we're even brethren. The Lord calls us his brethren. But truly, I am my servant. I am thy servant and the son of thine handmaid. You know what I think about that.
It's a wonderful thing to have a Christian heritage. I know sometimes when we're younger, we think, oh, you know, my parents, you know, they, they read the Bible to me and they pray and, and, you know, I remember when we had a son when we would pray and he would kind of pretend he was falling half asleep and he was making us know that he wasn't very interested in what he was, what we were reading about, you know, and now that young man has a family of his own and he loves the Lord.
And he's right through the Lord. But there was a time when.
He wanted to make his parents understand that this was kind of a waste of his time, you know? And we sat and read the Scriptures and prayed together. But it's a wonderful thing to have a Christian testimony, isn't it, To be raised in a Christian family. What a wonderful, wonderful privilege. So we don't have to, we don't have to find out what Satan has for his people in the world.
We hear sad, sad stories. The Lord doesn't want us to have to go through it. So I'm the son of thine handmaid.
So you young people, be so thankful that you're being raised in Christian homes. Thou hast loosed my bonds. We talked about that. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of Thanksgiving. This is more than just about me now, isn't it? We can thank the Lord Jesus and we can think about and we'll call upon the name of the Lord. It's about Him. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now on the presence of all His people. He read that before, but notice there's something more now.
It's in a particular place, in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem, praise ye the Lord you know.
00:45:05
We've been speaking about this with several here recently.
Spiritual truth is exclusive.
Just think about it. What's what did God say to the Israelites in the Old Testament? Here, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God, and thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exclusive, I assail. Pretty exclusive, isn't it? Or if you're a Hindu, you can have a million gods. You can even have Jesus as your God if you're a Hindu. That sounds strange, but it's true. Not that you're devoted to them, but you could pretend that he's your God. You can have millions of gods.
But.
In the midst of the O truesome. So we go to another place. We go to Deuteronomy 12, and we were told that they were supposed to, and when they would come into the land, that there would be one place where the Lord would dwell, where the pillar of cloud was there, and they were to worship the Lord there. That place was to be Jerusalem, wasn't it? Under the Kingdom, And they were to be there. That's exclusive, they might say.
Why can't we meet other places? You know, my wife and I recently read through the historic books in the Old Testament and one thing struck me that I don't remember so much in the past. One thing that we remember is that the kings of Israel remember the 10 tribes that separated from the two tribes. They were characterized by the sin of Jeroboam. He set up golden calves on the North and South end of his Kingdom because he didn't want people going to Jerusalem, the divine center.
And the kings after that were often their besetting sin was the fact that they.
Did not put away those golden calves. They maintain that false religion.
And that was a dangerous thing. But what about the kings of Judah? What was their besetting sin? And this I hadn't really thought about so much. But over and over again you'll read about the kings of Judah who were more godly men, at least some of them were. They didn't put away the high places. What does that mean? The high places? The high places were competing centers where they worship the Lord, but on their own terms.
And only when you get to people like Hezekiah and Josiah, they finally put away the high places and said, the Lord said to me.
Where he is in Jerusalem, not in all these high places as well.
They weren't necessarily idolaters high places some of them were but many of them apparently they worship the Lord when on their own terms, but the Lord wanted them to meet in Jerusalem. So check that out when you read through about the kings of Judah, you'll see that many of them they'll be setting sin was they did not put the high places away. They did not destroy the high places and scripture tells us that was grown they should have destroyed those high places because.
Lord was only in the one place. We come to the New Testament and what do we read? The Lord Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father except by me. Is that exclusive? Well, that sounds exclusive to me. We get to be Acts of the Apostles, and we read in the 4th chapter of Acts. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Is that exclusive?
Sounds exclusive to me. And so we go on. And then we read in Matthew 1820 where we're two or three. It doesn't say wherever two or three. I read a a corrupted translation once that said that translated by men who despise the, the the recovered truth. And they translated that wherever two or three are gathered together.
Doesn't say that, it says for where a place.
Two or three are gathered together unto my name. There am I in the midst of them. Well.
We have the man has recovered greater intelligence now and he knows that the place to be is where the Lord has placed his name. What a tremendous privilege and blessing that is. That's where the assembly operates as the assembly, as the House of God, as the body of Christ, as the as the bride of Christ is where the Lord has placed his name. You know, it doesn't say exactly.
And I know we misquote this sometimes. It doesn't say exactly that Christ is the gathering center. It says for where two or three are gathered together unto my name, what's the difference? The name means what's represented by the person of Christ, the work of Christ, and by his authority, obedience to Christ. I remember.
00:50:09
Albert Hayhoe Some of us fondly remember Albert Hayhoe. I learned so much from him when I was a young person.
Remember what he said once he was reading in First Corinthians 10 words, speaks about the Lord's Table, and then he turned over to the end of First Corinthians 11 and it speaks about the Lord's Supper. But he said, what's between those two?
It's about head coverings for women. He says, why is that? It seems like it's out of place. Why is it, Why is it right there between the Lord's Table on the Lord's Supper? And he said, I believe the reason is very simple and it's this. But the only way to maintain the truth of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's table is by obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
A lot of people talk about the Lord's Supper. I believe many believers.
Value of the Lord's Supper, but what about the Lord's Table?
The Lord has promised to be where we're scripturally gathered. That's an exclusive place for where two or three are gathered unto my name. There am I in the midst of them. It's a special, it's a it's the presence, the special sign of the Lord's presence. What a privilege. Why do we argue about that? Doesn't mean we're better or anybody else. It's a simple truth of Scripture.
We bow to what he says. We get the blessing he intends for us. It's so simple.
Let's not forget that, brother, spiritual truth is exclusive.
Let's not forget that.
OK, we have just a couple minutes here. One last bath. Here's three people. I'll tell you it's two sisters and a brother.
And something, I'll give you some more hints here. Something very serious happened to the brother and these sisters were so glad to see him.
OK, you remember the man's name? Lazarus. Where they live?
Bethany. Very, very good. Here's another hint. This was one of the sisters named Mary Wright. She was consecrated the Lord. What's she doing here? Can you tell?
She's washing the feet. She took the most valuable thing she had.
A cruise of oil that was so precious, and she broke it, and she washed the Lord's feet.
And she wiped his feet with her hair because she had the sense of all the enmity that was rising up against the Lord, and she wanted to respond to the Lords love in a way that showed her appreciation to him. Beautiful, isn't it? Beautiful picture of consecration, Bethany.
What's it mean?
What Bethany means?
Not quite. Well, it may be one meaning, but it's not the primary meaning. It's a House of.
House of Bait? What does that mean? Let's get to it here.
House of dates What is a date?
Type of fruit. Now is it a sour fruit?
No. Is it like like roughage that we eat just to fill our bellies so we're not hungry?
No, What's what's what? What do you know about dates?
Very sweet. You know, for these people, the simple people, they didn't have a lot of fancy desserts. This was their dessert was dates and figs too, I might add, But dates, this was, we could put it in a special way, the one place on earth when the Lord Jesus was in his ministry that he felt at home. This was a place sort of like his dessert, if we can put it that way. It was a place where He loved to go.
And he knew that they loved him.
They knew that he loved them too. That's when they sent the message when their brother was dying, was sick. They said, Lord, he whom they'll love us is sick. They had a special relationship with the Lord. And so the House of Dates speaks of the secret of His presence. This is the real secret of going on for the Lord, the path of faith. We've been speaking about it in our meetings, haven't we, The Communion.
Secret with the Lord. Spend time, we might say. Sometimes people say, oh, I don't have time. We got to get to work. Wait a minute.
00:55:02
What's the most important thing in our lives? To put Christ first. That's how we get the blessing. That's how He gets the glory.
That's the only thing worthwhile.
And so Bethany was the House of dates. It was the place where they loved him and he loved to be. Let's make sure our houses are a House of date. Let's make sure our hearts are a House of dates for the Lord. Here's a little song, little poem, The secret of his presence. How my soul, the lights to hide, or how precious are the lessons which I learned at Jesus side.
Earthly cares forever vex me.
Trials lay me low, but when Satan comes to tempt me to that secret place, I go when my soul was faint and thirsty. Meet the shadow of your wings. There is cool and pleasant shelter in a fresh and crystal spring, And my Savior rest beside me as we hold communion. Sweet. If I tried, I could not utter what he says.
When thus we meet, only this I know. I tell all my doubts, my griefs and fears. Oh, how patiently he listens, and my sorrow soul he cheers.
Do you think he never reproves me? What a false friend he would be if He never, never told me of the sin which he must see. Would you like to know the sweetness of the secret of the Lord? None of the rest of what we've talked about means much if we don't know the secret of the Lord. Go and hide beneath His shadow. This shall then be your reward, and whenever you leave the silence of that happy meeting place.
You will surely bear the image of the master in your face.
Very little.
Home I appreciate. Once it was the blessing. That's what a lot of Christianity is about, isn't it? Let's get a blessing. We want a blessing from Christianity. But now it is the water. Once it was the feeling, now it is His word. Once the gift I wanted, now the giver own. Once I sought for healing. Just things we can get from the Lord, His gifts.
Now himself alone, the hymn is called himself.
Beautiful him.
OK, just a summary here. Just out of curiosity, the first Beth we looked at, Bethesda was actually part of Jerusalem.
One of the others we looked at let's see, Bethlehem is just a little bit South of Jerusalem.
And then Bethel about, I think it's 9 or 10 miles north of Jerusalem.
And then last of all, Bethany, just a couple miles outside of Jerusalem where there was so much hatred against the Lord Jesus.
And Mary felt that, and she was in communion with her Lord, and he appreciates that. He appreciates it when we're in communion with them too. So here's a summary. Bethesda, the House of mercy, speaks of salvation. That's the beginning of the path of faith. Bethlehem is the House of bread. Bread isn't a good flavor necessarily like dates, is it? It's not dessert, but it's what we need.
Perceptence that meets our needs.
And satisfaction, Bethel, the House of God, of the sanctuary is supervision. God has made for us to come into his presence there to not only enjoy His presence, but there to lift up our hearts to Him and praise and worship and adoration. What a privilege that is. Worship and praise and adoration is the highest privilege of the Christian in this world.
And then Bethany, the House of dates, the Lord's desert, if I can speak that reverently, the secret of his presence.
Let's bow our heads.
The Nearness of the Lord's Coming
Open—Robert Boulard
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Just turn with me, if you will, to second Peter Chapter 3. We'll just read one little.
Statement that the Apostle Peter makes there.
So second Peter.
Chapter 3.
And he says.
Let's read from verse 4.
Where is the promise of this coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation, For this they willingly better. By the word of God. The heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water we're by the world that then was beloved with water perished, but the heavens and the earth, which are now the same.
By the same word are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day of judgment.
Of perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord is 1000 years and 1000 years as one day. And the Lord is not slack concerning his promise that some men can't slackness but his long-suffering deaths were not willing that.
And it should perish, but that all should come to repentance. There's another.
00:05:04
Place where he says the end of all things is at hand.
The end of all things is at hand, and you know.
We have a little bit of a website with Christian Truth publishing and get a lot of emails from different parts of the world and all over the world. There's been a little bit of a reawakening among the Saints that are exercised as to prophetic events and what the sequence of events is about to take place at the coming of the Lord. And it seems that the there's a sense among us, not only those gathered to.
Mean, but those in Christendom, where they're perhaps better taught that the Lord is Lord's coming is imminent.
At the end of all things is at hand.
And that we're about to be removed from this scene and you know, there's no signs given to us, to the church as to the coming of the Lord Jesus, no signs, but there are indications. And then we could perhaps consider Daniel chapter 12 where it says knowledge shall be increased and men shall run to and fro. There's great amount of transportation and.
Knowledge increase. We could speak of different things like this.
But you know.
There's I think of the Let's Turn to Genesis chapter.
Six and we'll read about I'd like to just look at some of the indications as to how many of the Lord is coming and I'd like to look just a very briefly at Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39. We might have questions and there are questions being asked about Russia and about the current situation in Europe and so on. Let's just look at a few of those little passages of scripture and I don't.
Want to say that I have all the answers or anything but you know the word of God.
Is clear and the word of God is on target and not old fashioned in the least. It's right on schedule and it gives us the truth in the days that we live in. So let's look at I'm just going to read very briefly chapter 6 of Genesis. The earth also was corrupt.
Before God and the earth was filled with violence.
You know corruption is the sin.
Of man against God.
Moral corruption.
Religious corruption as well, but primarily as moral corruption. And So what you and I, those of us that are older than what we saw in the late 50s, early 60s, and what has continued is a given up of God's order in connection with the man and the woman and the giving up of morality in the Western world. That's corruption.
Moral corruption and what follows moral corruption?
Is violence.
And So what we have today is violence, violence in the schools, violence.
All kinds of places, shopping malls, it doesn't matter where, but we live in a violent society.
And so I think it was.
Better Clarence lending in his.
Little book, I think it's on his little book on Abraham. He says the harbinger of governmental overthrow is moral corruption.
I'll repeat that the more that the harbinger of.
Governmental overthrow?
Is moral corruption.
So you and I are living, Brother Eric and I were talking a little bit yesterday. We're living in historical times, make no mistake about it. We are living at a time when we are with the Lord. We will look back and say those were historically significant times that we were living in just before the Lord came.
And so one of the indications that the Lord Jesus is about to come to remove us.
Is that we live in a scene filled with corruption.
Moral corruption and wickedness. A casting off of the truth that there is a man and there is a woman, and the distinction of the sexes.
00:10:08
I went to high school in the 70s and I didn't go to any religious schools or anything like that. It's public school. So public high school, last year, high school and.
I believe the.
I went in the last year of high school, is a couple years into it in Victoria Park High School in Toronto.
I believe that principle was a Christian. And so every month he would have an assembly of those 2500 kids in our high school in the auditorium and he would have a gospel preacher come in. He would have a gospel band come in, he would have a missionary come in and give the gospel to that school.
Remarkable.
And the word of God, in the morning we stood up, everyone in the whole school.
And there was a teacher who read the word of God where the passage of scripture while the students were standing.
And pray.
I'm talking about the mid 70s.
But that's not how it is today.
I'm just saying these things because there's drift and North America there. We've had such.
Privilege. But now it's corruption and violence as the Bible has been taken out of the schools and out of the society. So God judges a thing. I think it's chapter Brown used to say that he always judges when the thing has come to maturity.
Let's look at I think it's Genesis Chapter 11, is it?
We've been thinking of, yeah, it's Chapter 16.
15 Genesis 15, verse 16. But in the 4th generation they shall come hit her again, for the iniquity of the amorite is not yet full.
So God judges the thing when it's complete, when it's finished, when it's ready, it's mature.
And there's every indication, beloved brother, that this world.
Has matured and the wickedness.
No spiritual wickedness and the violence has matured to such a level.
That we're just about to be removed from this scene.
We just need to have a sense that we're living in these historical times and we're just about to be removed. I'd like to look at Ezekiel chapter 38. And we don't read these chapters very much 3839, but I suggest reading Ezekiel. And he does mention, you know, there's a very significant order to be through this book of Ezekiel, you'll notice.
The reawakening of Israel. The Valley of Dry Bones, chapter 37.
There's a sequence of events that's going to take place.
Israel is going to be restored by the Lord. There's going to go through the Tribulation period after the rapture, and then they're going to be the Lord is going to deliver Israel at this appearing. The glory is appearing will come with all his Saints.
The most glorious event that will ever take place, perhaps upon this face, the face of this earth, the coming of the Lord Jesus as his appearing and asserting his rights and taking the Kingdom, and then he'll begin to set up the Kingdom.
With his those not godly women that are brought in from all 12 tribes there in the land of Israel. And then we'll read verse chapter 38 just a little bit. It says the word of the Lord came unto me saying son of man.
Set thy face against Gog.
Now God is. I think it's a symbolic name of the leader of Russia.
So perhaps just for the sake, I'm not saying that Putin is going to be the man, but he definitely should read chapter 38 and 39. He might be if if there was any work of God going on in his soul at all, he'd know that the end is very near. So the step by face against God, the land of me God. So that's really the land that he rules.
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The chief Prince of Meshech? That's Moscow.
And tubal or tubesk prophecy against him, and say thus saith the Lord God.
Behold, I am against thee, O Gog.
He's an arrogant leader.
And you say, what does God think about Russia Today? What does God think? What's he going to think about Russia at the end of the Tribulation period? This is what he thinks.
Finally takes the OGOG. The chief Prince of it should say Rush, Rush or Rush or Russia. You can look at that in the William Kelly translation, even the JM Darby translation.
Mishaka, Moscow and Publisk.
I will turn you back and put hooks into thy jaws. I will bring me forth and all that army horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with butlers and Shields, all of them handling stores.
Now I just want to mention this, that sometimes we read these about these swords and these bucklers, you know, bucklers like something you might have whatever your arms, it's defensive armor. A sword is offensive armor. And so he's Speaking of offensive armor, defensive armament. He's speaking in that turn in those terms. He's not speaking literal sword.
And so he speaks of how they're trained and well trained and well trained with defensive armament and well trained with offensive armament.
And he speaks of Puria. That's Iran.
Begins to speak of some of the major.
Allies of Russia, and we know that Iran is lining up very, very closely with Russia.
And then it says Ethiopia. I think some of the translations say perhaps Sudan, Libya.
The foot, it says in the Jane Darby translation. Some of these key.
Ones that are in cahoots with Russia. Gomer, That's really Camilla, the Crimea and all his bands and the House of Tobacco. Togama, perhaps in Armenia, in the area of Turkey.
You get the sense of what we're reading.
We're living in historical times, brother.
God has not given us signs as to when He's the Lord. Jesus is going to come to receive us.
But, you know, some of us knew Brother John Burton. He was in my home assembly in Pine Grove when I was young, and he used to give a little bit of an illustration. And even Bruce uses it in one of his booklets, I think. And he's worried about 20 minutes South of Otter Lake, which was where Gordon Hale had his cottage. But there's no signs that say from Toronto to Otter Lake.
It's two hours and 20 minutes.
So what you would do is if you were going up to Otter Lake, you would look at the signs that said Perry Sound, and then you would subtract 10 miles or 10 minutes from the time it took to get to Parry Sound. And so you'd look at the signage and it says 120 miles to Perry Sound, and we got about 110 minutes to go.
And so in prophetic things, we can look at those things that God has written to Israel and to the church as well, for us to know what would be taking place and how the Lord would deliver Israel.
Not be appearing and how those nations that would line up against Israel and seek to destroy Israel in the 83rd Psalm we have the 10 Confederates, Arab confederate Muslim nations that will line up to come to destroy Israel.
What we have is.
We're beginning to see things a little more clearly. And so it says in verse 8 of this chapter 38. After many days, thou shalt be visited in the latter years. Thou shalt come into the latter years.
That's really after the Lord's coming for his Saints, the Church. It wasn't revealed in the Old Testament, but he says in the latter days of the history of Israel, you might say.
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Thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword. They're restored, they're sitting, they're in the land, they're brought back from the their dispersion is gathered out of many people against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them.
And Bano shall descend and come like a storm.
Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, and thou and all thy lands, and many people with thee thus say at the Lord God shall come also come to pass, and at that same time shall things come into my mind. Thou shalt think an evil thought.
Thou shalt say, Are you going to the land of underworld villages? I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn my hand upon the desolate places of their now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations which have gotten cattle and goods that dwell in the midst of the land.
You know, they're going to see the nation of Israel just after the tribulation period, after the Lord has appeared and personally has begun to reestablish that nation and set up his capital, the capital city of the world, Jerusalem at that time.
And all of the nations that have come down and sought to interfere in what God is doing, the Western armies, we can read that a little bit later perhaps if we I don't want to take a lot of time here, but.
Russia is going to see the Lord Jesus is setting up his Kingdom and there's no walls around Jerusalem.
There's no defense.
Things are just being to be put back together again.
And Russia is going to say what an opportunity we could come down and take all of that gold, all of that wealth for ourselves, and we can rule over this whole territory.
And so that's why I believe it mentions Persian, Ethiopia, Libya.
Groomer or the Crimea?
To Garma, Armenia, they're going to come sweep down.
And come into the land and they're going to try to take it for themselves. But who's going to be there? It's going to be the Lord Jesus. Well, we can read in verse chapter 39. Let's just read a few verses.
There is three I will smite thy bow and bowl out of thy left hand. I will and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou in all thy bands, and the people that is with thee. I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to every beast of the field to be devoured. And thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
And I will send fire on me dog and among them that dwell carelessly in the Isles, and they shall know that I am the Lord. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel. And I will not let them pollute my holy name anymore. And the heathen shall know that I am the Lord the Holy one of Israel. Let's just read a couple of things in verse 9 says.
They that dwell in the cities of Israel should go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both Shields and bucklers.
Bows and arrows and hand staves and Spears shall burn them with fire seven years and then they'll bury the dead versus 1112. So we don't need to go through that. But I just want to say, you know, in Peters ministry, he says the end of all things is at hand.
You don't say to yourself as you see this war developing and continuing on for many days and.
The Ukraine.
So what's the end of Russia? What's the end of all this? We're reading about the end of Russia.
God has written at this history. Prophecy is history written ahead of time.
And So what is it? We don't involve ourselves because, you know, it says in Philippians. I think it's Philippians Chapter 3. I'm not going to quote it properly, so I'm just going to turn to it, but.
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It speaks of the peace of God.
Which passeth all understanding We can have the peace of God as chapter 4, verse 7. Let's read verse six. Be careful for nothing, be worried about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts.
And minds through Christ Jesus.
So the point is this. The world is upset the nations of the earth.
Are upset and it says in loop that in the end times that there would be wars and rumors of wars or rumors of commotions. It says I think it's in Luke's gospel Colossians now that's after the rapture. That's just as the tribulation is beginning. But we see that there's there are rumors of wars maybe China perhaps.
Instigating the war, maybe with Taiwan.
Other rules of these things, you and I are living in historical times.
We're not living at the time that the Lord Jesus was Speaking of, but we're living in those end times just leading up to those times.
The point is that we don't have very long left here. I want to read the.
End of the church's history in this scene let's.
Actually, it's really the heavenly scene. Let's look at Revelation chapter 19.
You know, we sometimes think, what's the end of the church?
We could read in Revelation chapter 3. Not a very pretty picture as far as the earth goes.
We could read First Thessalonians chapter four. We could read First Corinthians chapter 15. That's the end of those that belong to the Lord.
Glorified bodies. The very same body that you have is going to be glorified.
We're on the winning side, you might say, but what's the end of those that are part of the redeemed company, All of us that are here?
And those that have gone on before that died during this creation, Christian age it says in verse chapter 19, verse seven of Revelation.
Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come.
And his wife hath made herself ready.
And to who was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen?
Clean and white.
For the firemen is the righteousness of the Saints.
He said, I mean right, blessed are we which are called unto the marriage supper of the land, say, if I'm the increase of the true things of God.
Then it comes he just, He describes the appeal of the Lord Jesus in his glory. You might just read it verse 11. I saw heaven opened.
And behold, a White Horse that's the color of victory and purity.
He sat upon. He that sat upon him was called faithful.
And true, what a testimony.
Faithful and characterized by truth. I am the way, the truth and life. He was faithful unto death.
And in righteousness who the judge and make war his eyes were as a flame of firing on his head where many crowns.
Shadows had a name written that no man knew but himself, and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. His name is called the Word of God.
And the armors of heaven, and the armors which were in heaven followed him.
Upon white horses, clothed in white, infinite, and white, and clean.
When the Lord Jesus comes.
In the greatest glory of majesty ever seen in this world.
You and I are going to be there. These are the armies.
Speaking of, yes, I believe the angelic hosts perhaps in the background, but those that are the ravine company from the time of Adam right to the time of the last murdered godly, one of the remnant will all be there with the Lord Jesus.
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So it says the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses. A horse, you know, speaks of power and of conquest.
Clothed and fine women.
Pure.
Just think of the privilege. It is another, brethren.
To be closed.
That's fine women. It's figurative language that will be seen in purity. The flesh will have been eradicated in each one of us.
White and clean.
The Lord Jesus is going to have a bride, and he's going to have a perfect bride. And it says he shall see you the fruit of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. So we have the church here presented, perhaps some of the other reading, but the end is good. The end of all things is at hand.
The end of the church on earth. As I said, we could read on in First Corinthians First Thessalonians chapter four. We could really have a change that takes place in First Corinthians chapter 15. Philippines chapter 3, verses 21/20/21.
That's the end of those, our history in this scene and will be caught up to be with the Lord where we could go on in different ways. Look at the end of Israel in this scene and so on. New heavens and the new earth.
That's the end of this world.
Some of you are young here. Let's read again in Second Peter chapter 3.
1St 10.
Today the Lord will come as a thief in the night, We should just say as a thief in the which the heavens shall pass away. That's at the end of the tribulation, at the end of the Millennium.
We have also been in a great I'm sorry, in which the heavens shall pass away with the great noise, and the elements shall melt with further heat. The earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
That means utterly consumed. It's the same word Holocaust.
So this world, this globe is not going to be renovated. It's going to be fairly.
Disposed of.
Very consumed.
Are we conducting ourselves in such a way that we're just about to leave?
We know that it's going to be.
Here, the Earth is still going to be here for a little bit of time.
After our departure than 1000 years, the Lord will remain, but everything that you see is going to be destroyed.
Well, let's just look at one more and then.
Leave room for someone else.
Let's look at the end of chapter Revelation chapter 19 if I reluctantly end of the western world.
That's the end of.
What really is happening today historically, why is this war with Russia going on with Ukraine? And why is why is shutting off the gas and what's all this going on? What's what's happening? Well, I believe that what's taking place is Russia is not a part of Western Europe. It's not a part of the Western Christian world. It's isolated. It's up in the north there.
And it's a, it's an enemy of God's people and it's going to be used of God to.
Energize those Arab nations, armed them, and so on, and they will.
Really be used?
As an implement of judgment.
Well.
Russia is not isolating, Europe is banding together. Europe is being starting to become held cohesively together. And because of the necessity of defense against Russia, against Iran and so on, God is working behind the scenes.
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Gordon Hill used to tell us that prophetic things is something like a train tunnel, a tunnel that a train was going into. And as soon you enter the tunnel, you see that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. It's pretty small, it's far away, but the closer you get to the end of the tunnel, the bigger that light gets and the cleaner things become outside the the exit of that tunnel.
We're living in times where right at the end of the tunnel.
And God is isolating Russia.
You could go to Russia, buy McDonald's hamburger, while you can't do that today.
In beginning February, you could go to Russia, you could buy Volkswagen. You can't do that today.
Russia is being isolated in Europe is being consolidated.
But you know.
Very shortly after were raptured from the sea.
The European governments were band together and will have a leader.
And it's really going to be one that's energized by the Roman Catholic Church. We could read that in Revelation chapter 6, the first couple of verses. But what's the end of that Western Europe? What's the end of it? What's the end of that whole banded together group of nations that are banning together for protection? Let's read it.
In.
Verse 16 On his restaurant he had, and on his thigh an ambulance, and king of kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an Angel standing in the sun. And he cried with a loud voice, saying, To all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourself together under the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of lighting, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them.
Flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. I saw the beast and the kings of the earth. That's the rest of the world.
Western European nations, perhaps?
America and perhaps some of the other nations together, I'm not sure, but I don't think we could say categorically gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse.
And against his and his army.
And the beast was taken, and within the false prophet that brought miracles before him, with which he deceived them, that had received the mark of beast, and then that worshipped his his image, these both were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with stone. And the men that were slain with the sword of hymn that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Now, I'm not here to try to give a summary of the movements of those armies at the end of the.
Tribulation At the end of Tribulation period and at the time of the period of the Lord Jesus, there's a movement of armies and God has told us the sequence of events and how things are going to play out. The battle plan is already written down.
What we just read is the end of the battle, the conclusion.
And that is that the Western nations will come in after the node has come in and appeared.
He delivered Israel.
The Western nations are going to come in and they're going to try to destroy the Lord Jesus.
And those that are with them.
It's astonishing.
To think.
That they will think that they can destroy the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, but that's what the word of God says.
They're going to just try to destroy him and all his glory with whatever bazookas and missiles and everything.
But the Lord Jesus is going to destroy them. The end of all things is at hand, the end of Western Europe.
We know from history, from what's written in the Word of God.
That apostate Mass, some of you have been to Europe and.
Oftentimes when I have been in Europe in the past, I've been astonished at the deadness.
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Spiritual deadness and coldness in the eyes of the people.
Almost no sign of life.
Very, very few times I've been on train in Germany and seeing a gospel verse in the window of a house right by the railway track.
Very rare, never been handed a gospel tract.
To me in Germany.
Or France. Or some of those nations.
We're living in historic times. Those nations are being prepared because of their.
Giving up to the knowledge of the truth.
To be able to, I should say not to be able to, but the result, the end result of their apostasy is going to be judgment, as we've read in chapter 19. Well, Reverend, let's take courage. We're on the winning side. And the point of the fact is that the end of all things is at hand, and let's conduct ourselves as if we are.
In those last days, let's continue to encourage one letter to be found in the presence of Lord. And let's continue.
To encourage one another as we come together in the assembly meetings and to build up one another in our most holy faith.
The Intercession of Christ
Open—John Kemp
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But, brethren, we are still in the wilderness scene.
We are not yet in the glory.
It's wonderful to be together at a conference like this.
We're encouraged. We're built up.
We're strengthened in the inner man, but you cannot live on past experiences.
A conference is a wonderful opportunity. We receive refreshment.
And fellowship that binds us together, but that's not going to give us strength for the days that are ahead. The same problems that you left behind in your assembly will be there when you return.
What we need, brethren, is.
Dependence upon the Lord every step of our pathway.
We need the intercession of the Lord.
As our great High Priest and our advocate, how else could we get through the wilderness scene encompassed with infirmities, failures, weakness on every side in the testimony of those gathered to the Lord's name?
There's much weakness, and we see it in our own hearts, but let us remember that we have an unsailing resource.
In that man at the right hand of God, the Lord took manhood into union with himself.
At His incarnation and He will never give up that manhood for all eternity. And now at God's right hand, He is interceding every hour of every day for you and me. In our weakness, the high priestly work of Christ is to keep us from falling.
The advocacy advocacy of Christ.
Is to restore us when we have failed, how much we need that when we fail, when we sinned, when we dishonored the Lord, His advocacy. Advocacy comes into into the operation for us there at God's right hand. It's His intercession that leads us to judge whatever it is.
That has separated us.
From the Lord and communion with the word of God and with the person of Christ. So I'm going to reverse or two here and then I'll I'll stop because our time is limited. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens.
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we are not in High Priest.
Which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, or sin apart. So there we have at God's right hand a living man who has passed through this world before us. He has suffered everything that a righteous man could suffer. He knows the trials of the way he could say.
Reproach us. Broken my heart.
I am full of holiness. He looked for comfort and he didn't receive it. He felt the rejection of man. And we are in the same world that crucified Christ. Yes, there's been great progress.
In science and technology, but the world is the same as the same character.
As the day that they crucified the Son of God and put him to an open shame. But that man has triumphed over all the power of Satan and hell arrayed against him there in the Garden of Gethsemane.
At the at the tomb there to prevent his resurrection, and he broke through every.
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Barrier of sin and death and hell.
And he rose in in triumph, and there he is at God's right hand, a living man, touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Are you going through a difficult time in your life? You have some infirmity that is troubling you, distressing you. The Lord understands that perfectly.
Although he had no infirmities, that's a mistake that theologians make. The war did not have infirmities.
But you and I do. And infirmity in itself is not a sin, but it can lead to failure in our lives if we don't draw upon the resources that we have in price there at God's right hand. That infirmity, of whatever character it might be can lead to sin in our lives, murmuring, complaining, as the children of Israel did for so many years.
But the Lord is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. If you look back in the book of Exodus, I think you are familiar with it. The garments of the high priest for glory and beauty, those those were not the garments in which atonement was made. The high priest made atonement in linen garments that were white and pure. But.
The garments of glory and beauty are a picture to us.
Of the intercession of our Lord Jesus at this present time on your behalf. He's living there for you. He has your name upon His heart and upon His shoulders. There were two Onyx stones on each shoulder, six names of one of the tribes of Israel here, and six names on the other shoulder.
Security. Eternal security.
Safety. We will never perish, neither shall any man pluck us out of his hand. But also there were 12 Stones on the breastplate of the high priest. And remember, those stones were not the same. They were all different. You read it. We won't take time to do so in Exodus. I think it's 28 or 29.
Each storm was different, and dear brethren, your name is on.
The heart of the Lord today, He knows all about your weakness and your failure. We all have different personalities. Thank God for that. And we all have different weaknesses and we have different backgrounds and we have different infirmities and we sometimes think, does anyone understand what I am going through?
These trials and distresses.
The Lord perfectly understands.
Brother, brother, Gordon used to say, Well known to Robert and I, There's not very many people that you can pour out your heart to.
That you can really unburden your heart to without any reservation. We don't have many people like that in this world. We try to keep those things to ourselves, perhaps with our wife, but.
Remember, there's one that you can pull out your heart to. Read Psalm 42 as the ups and downs of the Christian life. There is one you can pour out your heart to. He understands. He has perfect sympathy. Sympathy.
As our great High Priest, he can uphold us, support us in our weakness.
I do a little bit of gospel work from time to time, but I often feel my weakness when I start out with my hands filled with tracks where I often have to say I don't have the energy. I don't seem to have this spiritual power. Today I have to look up independence on the Lord.
At those times and he comes in marvelously and provides.
What I need to go on in a little service for the Lord. Listen, brethren, the Lord has the record straight, and I don't want to change the thought here, but the Lord is interceding. Your name is on His heart. He has an individual love for every one of you. I'm not a father, but if you are, you know you have an individual.
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Understanding.
Of each child, they're different, and so the Lord has an individual love for everyone of you.
He knows all about your background and He loves you in spite of all that you have done. You know, you've probably done something I have that I never thought I would do. That's the heart of man. We are capable of any sin, and if the Lord doesn't keep us, we can fall into any evil and we can drift from the Lord's swings.
And.
We have to have the exhortation, say, to archipelas.
Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received of the Lord, that thou fulfill it. We can become careless. We can start to drift. We don't drift into godliness. Oh no. That's a result of self judgment and walking in obedience and dependence. We can drift away from the Lord very easily. As I said last yesterday, we're not standing still. We're either progressing in our spiritual life.
Understanding more of the precious word of God or we're retrograding, we're going back and.
So we need to be dependent on the Lord every day of our lives, and the conference is a wonderful time for encouragement. But remember.
We need daily feeding upon the Word of God.
We need prayer. How Neil was speaking to me, how often we neglect prayer. That's one of the three.
Provisions the Lord has made in this chapter, the Word of God #2 The priestly work of Christ, which I have tried to describe. And the third, the throne of grace. The greatest victories of your life will be on your knees.
How important that we start the day in prayer and dependence or else we're going to have a defeat that we we know that only too well and but there's supply of grace and time of need mercy to restore us. I'm humbled as I think of the many the hundreds of times the Lord has restored my soul.
And if there is genuine confession?
Of that failure, a self judgment. Don't excuse yourself. That's my weakness, that's the way I'm made. Don't talk like that. The Lord has abundant race to overcome that weakness.
And that that tendency towards something that is contrary to the word of God. Our brother Robert read about the.
The Bride in Revelation 19.
I understand the way in which he applied it. One interpretation to scripture, many applications.
The bride was arrayed. We won't take time to turn them, we just read it.
The bride is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, and you'll notice the rest of the verse, the flying linen is the righteousnesses of the Saints. It's it should be translated that way, plural righteousnesses of the Saints. It is not divine righteousness. We have that through the work of Christ.
We're perfectly justified. We're reconciled to God through the work of Christ.
That's not the thought in that verse. It is our works, our conduct down here while we are in the wilderness. What we have done by the grace of God for the interest, the extension of the Lord's Kingdom and to be occupied with the interests of Christ, it's going to be manifest in that day.
Prior to the bride being displayed of all her beauty.
Is the judgment seat of Christ and everything in your life? Brethren, mine too will come out at that day of manifestation. Not for judgment. No, it's not a a punishment to you or anyone, but there will be reward and there will be loss. There will be reward for any faithfulness in your life.
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Your presence here at this conference.
There'll be a reward for that in the glory. That's part of the fine linen, that's part of the righteousnesses of the Saints. Every little act of devotedness in your life and mine is recorded in the book of Remembrance. The Lord is keeping a record. He and someday a bit of remembrance will be opened there. Your name will be on that page and.
Everything done for Christ will be rewarded, even a cup of cold water, so that encourages us.
Brethren, to live in view of eternity, we're so occupied with the world and with with the thing, with all the confusion and turmoil that we have in the world today. Don't be discouraged. Listen, every discouragement is from the enemy of your soul.
Don't be like the man in Zechariah chapter two or three.
He had a measuring line and he was going around through Jerusalem to measure the size of the city. And if you do that, you're going to be disappointed. You're going to be discouraged because things among the gathered Saints is weak today. But remember, the day is coming. You read there when the Lord is going to be as a fire and.
Glory of Jerusalem, the nation will be restored to.
Kingdom glory and power, and the day is coming when all will be revealed.
Everything that you have done will be manifest.
There is such a thing as a saved soul and a lost life. We hardly have time to speak of lot, but that's a that's a prime example, a saved soul and a lost life. Are you going to meet lost in heaven? Or you say he was in sovereign and the moral condition of his family was was terrible. Is he going to be in heaven? Yes, we're going to meet law in heaven.
But there's not going to be much.
That remains from his life.
He had his eyes on the world.
What was his object was present advantage, and he separated from Abraham, as you know, and his eyes were lifted up on the beautiful plains out there. Why? This is like the Garden of Eden, just like Egypt. That's where Abraham had taken him. So Abraham was responsible for taking law into Egypt, and he got a taste of Egypt that never left him.
But we know the end of law. There he was in the city of Sodom, his soul that his righteous soul vexed every day with the ungodly conduct of that of those people. The judgment of God was hanging over them. Firing brimstone was going to fall, and there was a lot sitting in the gate trying to improve things. He was a dead failure.
He shouldn't have been there at all and finally God in his mercy pulled him out.
And his daughter and his wife look back. Why did she look back?
Her heart was back there in Sodom. That's why she looked back. Her family was there. She didn't believe that God was going to destroy Sodom. No, I don't. I don't believe that. She looked back.
Contrary to what God said to her, don't look back and you know what happened to her. Well, the point that I'm trying to make, perhaps very sailingly, is.
Continue on brethren in the assembly where the Lord has gathered you to his precious name it is the most wonderful privilege you can have this side of the glory don't take the measuring stick out and try to judge the the condition of things we're part of the ruin.
We we can't lift our heads and say that we are the people we failed.
Collectively and certainly we failed. Individually we're conscious of that. But the Lord has not failed, and it's his delight to look down and see a little company. There may be only a small number in your assembly. You say there's no young people, there's not much activity going on. Let's go to this other place. The Lord has gathered you to His name. That is the most precious thing.
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On this side of the glory, and if you continue on in the place where he has put his name, like it. I am the Old Testament. You know, David was fleeing for his life. He had been.
He had been expelled from Jerusalem by his own son, Absalom, who was a usurper and took the throne. You know the story. And there was David, fleeing for his life.
And it was a time of tears and crying. He had a little company with him, but it I came along and it I said, David, I want to be with you all, David said.
Why do you want to come with us? It I I can't promise you any glory. I can't promise you any comfort. I'm fleeing for my life. You better go back to your country. It I said no where you are, David, I'm going to be. Is it a difficult path? It doesn't matter. It's your presence that I want. And so, brethren.
I'm familiar with what's going on in the camp.
I have contacts in the camp, I know the amount of activity, but I would just encourage you in closing, remember that the Lord's presence is here in the assembly and collectively the Lord does not connect himself with two companies. You say this is very exclusive. There's one divine ground and gathering if the Lord has LED you here.
Continue. Don't give up.
Like Moses, at one time he was ready to give up and the Lord said to him, go on before the people, be an example. Don't yield to discouragement. You know, I believe the enemy uses discouragement more than anything else in our lives. He's a master at that. That's one of his main weapons.
Discouragement. And if he can discourage you or me.
And he's tried it. He will do so and draw you away from the Word of God, of course, from the assembly gathered to his name and from the fellowship that we are enjoying this weekend. Satan is the author of discouragement, you know.
The first Peter chapter 5.
It speaks of Satan as a roaring lion. We often connect that with persecution. However, when the Saints of God have been persecuted, they're usually bright and happy. But if a If a believer becomes discouraged and is hang, sound, hands hang down and his knees become feeble, and he begins to miss the meetings.
Perhaps the first one he misses is the prayer meeting. I said yesterday, that's the pulse of the assembly, the prayer meeting. And gradually discouragement comes in and and then Satan has won the victory. The Wiles of the Devil, Ephesians chapter 6, I believe the Wiles of the of the devil.
Is this he?
Will try to discourage you and.
He doesn't want you to believe that those circumstances he has allowed in your life are for your good.
Doubts as to the goodness that is in the heart of God is the result is the cause of all our faith doubting the goodness that is in the heart of God. Satan's a master at it, and if he can do it, he has won the victory. That's one of his Wiles, the Wiles of Satan. Brethren, let us continue on as our brother.
Robert has said we're just on the threshold of the Lord's return.
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And we are to hold fast that which thou hast. Let no man take thy crown. You can't lose your eternal life, but you can lose your crown. And let us remember that the Lord will reward every act of devotedness in your life. The sisters this morning didn't take part.
It would be disobedience to the word of God if they publicly took part, but every thought that you sisters have had about the Lord Jesus this morning.
About His love and grace in our beautiful meeting this morning. That's recorded in heaven. That's recorded and it's going to be rewarded.
Sometimes I don't know idea how it is with my beloved brethren, but I find Lord's Day mourning. The enemy takes my mind here, there, and everywhere. But we need to. We need. I don't like to use the word focus, but you know what I mean. We need to think about.
The sufferings of Christ, the cost of our redemption, His love, unspeakable love, the the gift of God.
In the person and work of His beloved Son. And He would have us.
Not only did He die in order to have your company for eternity in heaven, we know that for sure the Lord wants to have your company now in this world. He wants you to walk with Him to enjoy His company. But if there's something in your life that is contrary to the Word of God, whatever it is, it's going to be.
A barrier to your communion with the Lord.
And if you don't have communion with the Lord, you've lost everything that is worth living for. May we be careful in our walk. Walk carefully and prayerfully, and remember that we have a great High priest interceding for us every hour of every day. And we have the Word of God to direct, to comfort, to instruct, to support, to give us wisdom.
For every step of the pathway, Divine wisdom.
In the world of turmoil and unrest, and also I'll just close. We are left here for one reason, brethren. We are left here to be a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like I my wife is Brazilian, as you all know.
At one time we were invited to a social event. There was nothing immoral about it in Ottawa, where all the Brazilians in the Ottawa area were invited to meet the ambassador to Brazil and his wife. So we went. We took some gospel material with us in Portuguese.
My wife is, I think, the best distributor of of Portuguese material that I know.
And we met the ambassador and his wife.
It was a privilege, but that man, a place of honor and respect. He was appointed by the government of Brazil. He lives in Ottawa. I know his house. I've never been invited, but I know where he lives. Beautiful house, but you know, he's a stranger here in in Canada. He doesn't belong here. He belongs to Brazil.
And he's only here to represent his country. And if you, if he does get.
Involved in the politics in Ottawa.
The president of Brazil will recall him immediately. He is there to represent Brazil, and that's what you and I are here for, to represent Christ, to hold forth the word of life. We are surrounded by souls that are perishing and going on to a lost eternity, and we have the root of life. Where you say I'm not an evangelist.
Well, there's not very many of them.
With Doctor Russell was asked the question, he said. I would think Doctor Wolston was an evangelist if anyone was, he says. I don't know.
But I'm trying to do the work of an evangelist, so everyone of us, young and old.
Sisters and brothers, we can be an ambassador for Christ. We can throw forth the word of life, and we can.
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We can be a representation of Christ because the world is watching. They're watching closely. They know how a Christian should walk. Well, I've gone too far and I've jumped around. But may the Lord bless these few thoughts, and may we continue on, brethren, in the path of faith and faithfulness, until we hear the shout.
Maybe tonight. Thank you.
Gospel 2
Gospel—Tim Roach
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Good evening.
I'd like to welcome everyone to the Gospel Meeting tonight.
I have with me here a piece of hell.
I plucked this from the lake of fire.
The meeting tonight.
It's not going to be entertaining.
You may think here's some things that aren't very nice.
But as I look at you all.
You look pretty nice.
And I think I'd let you into heaven.
But I can see down into your heart, and so I don't know who I'm talking to tonight.
But the gospel message goes out to whosoever, if there's anyone in the room who doesn't know the Lord Jesus as their savior.
I'm talking to you.
You know your parents are praying for you.
Your grandparents are praying for you.
Your friends are praying for you.
I knew a young man, knew him all my life.
He was raised in a Christian home, just like you.
He said in many Gospel meetings.
Just like you.
He came to Bible conferences.
Just like you.
He said he was saved, just like you.
When he was in university.
He decided to live an alternative lifestyle and he abandoned Christianity, He told me he's not sure there is a God.
He has no room for Jesus in his life.
He adopted a couple of children, and he will. They don't even know who Jesus is.
And you won't let me tell them about Jesus?
Is he saved? I don't know, but I ask you.
Who am I talking to tonight?
Am I talking to you?
Do you know Jesus?
I have a message of life for you tonight.
Will you receive that which is really life?
Do you have room for Jesus in your life? Let's pray our God and Father would like to sing the 1St 2 verses of #17.
Have you any room for Jesus?
Have you any room for tea?
Before the love downstairs.
I see not simply take me to stay in. Where would you like me to be grown for Jesus, Lord of the Lord?
And now it's where no pain.
And thou art courage to hide.
From urgent comes Lord of the Glory.
Days and now it's worth it.
We've asked, we've asked the question, do you have any room for Jesus now? I ask you, do you have any time for Jesus? You are here tonight and I'm glad you have taken the time to be with us, here, to be with Jesus.
00:05:15
Do you have time for Jesus? Let's see in verse 3.
I'm speaking to you tonight about the wrath and the love of God.
I come to you today with the gospel of Jesus Christ, Christ crucified, and there are two reasons why Christ was crucified. Wind is the wrath of God and two is the love of God. And I want to start by speaking about the wrath of God against the Sinner.
We have heard it said that God hates the sin but loves the Sinner. And that is true because God so loved the world that whosoever could be saved, and whosoever includes all sinners, even you.
And me. And after we talk about the wrath of God, then we will consider the love of God.
And as we discussed the wrath of God and the love of God, I want you to get a feel for the experience.
The experience of the wrath of God.
In the love of God.
And I want you to be able to picture them in your soul.
One day you will meet Jesus and on that day you will experience first hand either the wrath of God or the love of God. And this experience will not be a long time occasion. No, this will be your eternal destiny and after tonight.
Let us pray that you will be ready to meet Jesus.
And before we get to the wrath of God, we need some background information, because back in eternity past, God was thinking about people that he could share his love with.
And he knew that people would not love him. He did not want robot love.
He wanted thankful, appreciation and admiration for who he is and what he has done for the people.
And what he has done for you.
Well, God put.
The people on the earth and God wanted to love the people.
And he wanted the people to love him and obey him.
You know, this is a message. It's very easy to ignore. It's very easy to talk with your friends. It's very easy to forget about God and just think about your own thoughts. I've done it. When I was a child, I could look at the speaker all day long and not even hear a word he said. But tonight?
You need to know that you will meet Jesus.
The very first people that God put onto this earth was Adam and Eve. And God loves them and he had a fellowship with them. He came down and visited them every day. Put adamantly, they turned to their own way and they disobeyed God. They did their own room.
And all the people that were born into this world were the same. Everybody turned to their own way.
God made man in his image. In the image of God he made him and that means man has a spirit so he could interact and communicate with God. And also Adam was made without sin in the likeness of God so that God could have fellowship with Adam.
And in the process of time.
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Adam sinned against God and at that point he became a Sinner and sin infected his whole body so that there is nothing good in him.
And at that point, sin separated Adam from the love of God.
In Genesis chapter 5.
Genesis chapter 5 and verse 3.
And Adam lived in 130 years and began his son in his own likeness after his image, and called his name Seth.
Adam had children who were born in his likeness. They were born in the image of a Sinner in the image of Adam.
We are all descendants of Adam, born in the likeness of a Sinner. So there's none good. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and sin has separated you from the love of God. But that's not fair, you say. How can I be born a Sinner? I didn't do anything bad. Why should the wrath of God abide on me?
But it is true. You are lost in sin because you are born a Sinner.
Your life as a Sinner will go by very quickly. You were born as a baby Sinner and you grew into a child Sinner and soon you will become an adult Sinner and Job said in in Chapter 7 verse six. He says my days are swifter than a Weaver shuttle.
And they are spent without hope.
As you live through life without Christ and without God in this world, your days are spent without hope, lost in sin.
You know there was a nanny goat.
He wandered away and he got lost down by the dog food factory.
The owner didn't know where the goat was and rather Nannygate was lost.
She gave birth to a baby goat.
I ask you, was the baby goat lost?
Yes, the baby Golden born lost. The baby goat died because it had trespassed with the Mamago.
You you are like the baby goat. You're lost in your sin and your life is in danger of the wrath of God.
The baby goat had no one to rescue it from death, but you are different from that baby goat.
The baby goat died and that is the end. You have a soul that will never die.
And with your soul you have an opportunity to be rescued from the wrath of God.
What is the wrath of God? The wrath of God would be the righteous judgment of God against the Sinner.
We mentioned earlier that God loves the Sinner but hates the sin. But let me tell you, if you reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior, we read that he is angry with the wicked every day. God is angry with the sinners who reject His love and His mercy.
In Romans Chapter 9.
Romans Chapter 9 and verse 22.
And it says, what if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?
Well, God is not willing that anyone should perish in hell. That is why God has endured with you and with your selfish sin for so long and with so much long-suffering.
While God is waiting and giving you an opportunity to repent.
You're busy ignoring God.
As you are fitting yourself.
That is, you are preparing yourself for destruction, just like the verse says. You're preparing yourself for destruction in the Lake of fire by your sin and by your disobedience, and by your rebellion and by your selfishness.
God's wrath is the righteous judgment of God against the Sinner.
And the Sinner deserves the punishment that God has prepared for the unbelieving Christ rejecters who ignore the love and the compassion of God.
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In second Thessalonians chapter one God describes your punishment.
2nd Thessalonians one verse 8:00 and 9:00.
In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them, they know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
The flaming fire, that is the lake of fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And in Matthew 25 it says, Then shall he also say unto them on the left hand, depart from me, you cursed.
Into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
If you do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, you experience the flaming fires of hell. I want to read in Luke chapter 16 the story of Lazarus and the rich man.
Luke, Chapter 16.
Starting at verse 19.
There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores, and it came to pass at the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died.
And was buried, and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment, and see if Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may tip the dip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that you and your lifetime received your good things.
And likewise, Lazarus, Evil things. But now he is comforted and you are tormented. I tell you. I tell you there is no comfort in the fires of hell. The wrath of God will burn against you forever and ever and ever, with no end. There will be no reprieve. There will be no end of the torment. You are a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction by your own rejection of Jesus.
Christ.
When I am in Goma, Congo in Africa, sunlights I can lookout. Over Mountaineer Oregon, I can see the red glow of the lake of fire.
On top of mountain Mira Golu is a lava lake. That is, it's about 200 meters across.
And almost 800 meters deep of molten red hot boiling lava.
Lava. It's a molten rock.
And the melting temperature of those rocks is more than 2000°F. It's about 1100.
Degrees Celsius.
And the rock is so hot it turns into a fiery lake.
Back in May 2021.
The side of Mountaineer Bongo split from too much pressure of the lava building up inside and the fire and brimstone flowed out the side of the mountain and 17 villages were destroyed. 400,000 people had to be evacuated and they were running for their life and fear and terror from the lake of fire that was coming towards them.
More than 30 people did not make it.
The lake of fire flowed down the mountain, melting houses and animals and people.
There was one lady named Ernestine and she stayed with her invalid husband as long as she could because her husband could not walk away and the lava flowed closer and became very hot and the sulfur made it hard to breathe and Ernestine had to run while the river of lava consumed her house and her husband.
The law, the screaming of the people who could not get out of the way of the lava flow, was heard in the terror of the night.
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That night I received a WhatsApp message from Brother Gideon.
He lives near the bottom of that mountain, just 15 kilometers away.
And the lava was flowing towards their village. And he wrote me a message and he said hello brother.
Pray for us. The volcano is erupting now. We don't know what to do. We don't know where to go. Only God can protect us.
I have in my hand a piece of hell.
This was part of the lake of Fire that flowed down the mountain near the city of Goma.
When the lava flows down the mountain and it cools, it turns into lava rocks like this one.
Some of them are just small pebbles, some of them are big boulders, but many of them are about this size.
In February, I visited the assembly in Goma.
And I went to one of the villages that was destroyed.
And we spoke to the village headwoman. She was the chief and she was standing on top of the all the rocks. As the lava had cooled, it turned into all these rocks. She was standing on the pile of lava rock and she said this is the spot where my house was, only it was 3 meters down below the surface of all these rocks.
The people were helpless. In her village alone, eight people died in the lake of fire.
The volcano erupted at night. People. Some people didn't get up and get out of the way in time.
And as the rich man.
Looked across the ravine at Lazarus. He was in the tournament in the flames of hell. I would guess that Lazarus could see the rich man in the midst of the flames of hell in his torment as the rich man pleaded for relief. But there is no relief in hell. This wasn't even hell. This was Hades. This was a raiding place for you before, for the Sinner, before he is sent into the lake of fire and he was in torment in the flames.
There, before he even got to hell. There's no relief, and hell is forever. You'll have no hope of ever getting out. Health is the wrath of God against the Sinner.
The wrath is the righteous judgment that you deserve.
Because you are a Sinner and up to now.
You have refused to submit your life to Jesus Christ as Lord. You have not believed in Jesus. You have not trusted him as your Savior.
As it says in Romans chapter 2.
Romans chapter 2.
And verse four and five.
You have despised the witches of God's goodness and his forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that it is the goodness of God that leads you to repentance. Verse 5 But after your hard and unrepentant heart, you are treasuring up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
But you you refuse to change. You refuse to be sorry about the wrong things that you have done.
And so you are causing God to become angry with you.
And he will punish you. He will punish you even more on that great day. On that day he will show how angry he is with the rejecting sinners.
God will show what He has decided about you according to whether or not you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Or if you have rejected, And if you have rejected, you will pour out on you the wrath of God, his righteous judgment against you, the Sinner, and the wrath the wrath of God abides on you. You are condemned already. You will be bound, hand and foot and cast. That is, you will be thrown with force into the screaming terror of the lake of fire as you well in desperate hopelessness.
00:25:07
You will know that you made a mistake when you did not get to know God, and you ignore Jesus Christ and you did not believe, and you will find out that God does get angry with the Sinner.
And every day his anger is building towards that day when you're a judge and you're cast into the lake of fire. If you are one of the wicked that God is angry with every day just before the Millennium.
If you survive the seven years of tribulation, God will gather you together with all the other wicked people who rejected the salvation that all was offered by Jesus Christ. And if they are still living, if you are still living on the earth at that time, you will be cast alive into the forest of fire.
That's where selfish people go.
You did not work out. You lived for yourself in this world, so you will be cast into the lake of fire by yourself.
That's who you live for all your life. You lived for yourself. Now you must spend eternity with yourself.
Alone. You don't even have friends to go with.
You'll be alone.
And there will be nobody.
That will care.
It's hopeless.
It's endless.
It's eternal damnation, alone in the darkness with your conscience, eating away at your soul.
And you will suffer in the fires of hell. God prepared hell for the devil and his angels, and they trim there with fear, knowing that they will be judged by a just and a holy God, and they are afraid.
Are you afraid of the wrath of God tonight?
Everyone here who has not trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you should have a healthy fear of God and tremble like the devil and his angels, because hell is your eternal destiny, because you have refused to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
But there is good news.
There is good news because the wrath of God is not the heart of God. We never read in the Bible that God is wrath.
We don't believe that God is anger or God is hate. No, we read God is love. God is not willing that anyone should perish. And God knew that you would be here tonight, and he has arranged your life so that at this moment, on this night, you would be here to hear the gospel of Christ crucified.
The love of God.
Planned before he created the foundations of the earth.
The Love of God planned that you would hear the message of the Gospel of God's love tonight.
The love of God took the wrath of God upon himself so that you, the Sinner, could escape the wrath of God.
But this love of God, it cost Jesus so much.
When we consider the magnitude of the wrath of God against sin and against the unbelieving Sinner, it amazes me to find out that God the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. And God did that so that God could take all the wrath and all the punishment and all the terror that was meant for me to pour it out all on his Son, Jesus Christ. Oh the the little God amazes me.
How great that love is when we realize the extent of how big the wrath of God is and how bad the punishment of sin is and how fearful the terror is. The love of God is so great it amazes me to find out that the Son of God loved me so much that he gave himself to die for me the Sinner, when he knew that the big laugh and the bad punishment in the fearful terror would fall on him when he was crucified there on the shameful cross.
00:30:08
But Jesus could say to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. He could say not my will, but thine be done.
He could say, I come to do your real God. God could ask who go for me, who will go to the cross to suffer on the cross to die for sinners. And Jesus said I will go, I love you so much I will go.
And so Christ died for our sins, and he will bury and praise God on the third day. The Angel could say he's not here. He is risen. He's risen from the dead. Hallelujah. Jesus is alive. He is alive.
Jesus is living now in heaven, and He's waiting. He's waiting for you to believe. He's waiting for you to put your trust in Him so He can give you eternal life.
It amazes me to find out that God loves me with an everlasting love and that there is no time in eternity past where God did not love me and where he did not plan for me to be his child.
Even though he knew it would cost him his life. Oh, greater love has no man than this, that a man laid down his life for his friends. But God, God approved the demonstration of his love toward us.
And so Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
God, who is rich in mercy, He loves us with such a great love.
Below these four, greater than we can ever imagine. It is allowed. That passes our ability to understand. Sometimes we sing that song. The love of God is greater for than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest. Hell, the guilty pair, I assume that might be somebody like Adam and Eve. They are guilty. Bow down with care. God gave his son to win his erring child.
He reconciled and pardoned from his sin. Oh Lord of God, how rich and pure, how measureous and strong, it shall forevermore endure the Saints eternal song.
The love of God wants to give you the life of God.
That is eternal life for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. What an incredible role God wants to give you that life, that life is his life he wants to share with you. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
I ask you again, do you have time for Jesus?
You have opportunity right now to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ believe in.
Trust in.
He will save you. Don't wait until it is too late.
Trust in Jesus. Now you can pray to Jesus. Now you can say Lord Jesus. I'm a senior.
I deserve to go to hell and to suffer because of my sins.
I believe you died on the cross to take the wrath and the punishment and the terror of hell for me. I want you to be my Lord and savior. Lord, I believe.
There are a lot of Canadians who don't know Jesus as their savior.
But some of them, they know that you are here tonight.
You and if Jesus came tonight before this meeting is over.
All the believers will be called to build, to be with Jesus. And we would hear the trumpet sound and we would go immediately to be with Jesus. But you know, we came into this world with nothing, and we're going to go out of this world with nothing. And on the chairs of the believers you'll find a pile of clothes.
00:35:17
You'll find a Bible and a Hindu and a him she.
You'll find some money, and on some of the chairs you might even find some spare parts.
The Titanium Pip.
Fall steel.
Some metal plates and screws.
Some pacemakers and many pairs of eyeglasses.
Those who wear contacts, the contacts will pop out. And those of us who have had cataract surgery, the lenses will fall out. We don't need these spare parts anymore. Let them go in the twinkling of an eye. Our bodies will be changed like under his glorious body. But you.
You have rejected Jesus up until now by ignoring the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord.
You won't hear the trumpet sound.
You won't go to be with Jesus. You will be sitting here in your chair.
Alone.
Because you don't know Jesus.
You look around the room, at the empty chairs, in the piles of clothes.
And spare parts.
And you will know what happened.
The neighbors might come in.
So what happened? Where did everybody go?
And you will have to. You have the solemn responsibility to tell them, Mr. Roach said. Jesus was coming and it happened. Jesus came and took them off to heaven.
And they might ask you, why didn't you go?
Because I didn't believe. But it's true. It is true. Jesus came and left me behind.
Your friend might say, but you are all alone. Where will you go now?
I'm going to hell.
I'm going to hell, and you'll have a certain fear that will grip your soul in that moment.
Because you will know that it is too late for you. You waited too long.
And you will know that Jesus came and you were left behind.
And there is no more chance for you ever to be saved again.
Because you rejected Jesus.
John 318 says that he that believes not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, and verse 36 says he that believes not. The Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Jesus wants to give you life tonight.
John 647.
And here Jesus says to you he that believes on me has everlasting life. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. You will receive everlasting life, and you will never perish.
I want to sing the 1St 2 verses of #1. I guess there is only two verses.
Almost persuaded.
Now to believe.
Maybe you've considered what we've said tonight and you realize that you need to get saved. You've waited too long, but you need to get saved. And as you're thinking that, you're almost saved.
Almost persuaded.
Let's see #1.
Almost perceived.
How to believe?
Almost.
Some soul to say.
God's fear.
It is harvest. This past land is persuaded. Doom comes at last or loose. Cannot have failed almost. Is but to fail. Sad, sad. That bitter whale almost.
But lost.
Just like the baby goat.
Lost.
Let's pray.