Open—B. Brimlow, E. Wilson, T. Roach
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Look at that the 11Th chapter of Romans for a moment.
We've been enjoying this lovely outline of the book of Romans.
And these meetings.
And it's been laid in my heart. I trust the Lord of the Lord to review a little something of the end of the story. You know, we like to hear where the story is leading us. And I think it's wonderful to be able to anticipate what God is going to do in this world, Beloved, and you and I that have the, as has been pointed out in these meetings, the Spirit of God to give us that blessed hope to know where we came from, what we're here for, and where we're going.
And I believe with our young people, they need to have that vision enlarged and that's what's in my heart to just enlarge a little bit on what we had this morning.
It says in the Romans 11/26.
I'll make it right to the point.
And so all Israel shall be saved.
And so all Israel shall be saved.
And so the apostle he exalts about this.
He says.
In the 33rd verse, listen to this great benediction that he gives a praise.
All the depths of the knowledge, all the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out?
His ways past finding out. It's like this, like it says.
Who hath known the mind of the Lord is not wonderful. Who hath known the mind of the Lord? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto him again. And then we get this lovely thought, brethren. For of him and through him and through Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
How is Israel going to be saved?
I've been put on the spot about a certain portion in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel. Our brother mentioned it this morning in his remarks, and I thought it struck me that we should perhaps just have a short time to review the end of the story. How's it going to end with Israel? All Israel's going to be saved, you know. There's nothing for your heart and mind, beloved, like a picture.
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Some of us, we like to tell stories that got pictures in the story with a motive, with a purpose, with a moral. The Lord Jesus, when he was here, he could talk to the farmer about the about the grain of wheat falling in the ground, and he says unless it dies, it won't bring any fruit, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. A picture for your mind and especially the farmer would understand right away what he's talking about.
But here's another picture. Let's turn to the 37th of Ezekiel.
I've enjoyed these thoughts in my own meditation or else I wouldn't be able to say anything about it. But you know, this is such a beautiful picture, and I hope the youngest person here in this room this afternoon can understand what it's about. You know, the Lord Jesus wants you and me to get a hold of the truth, and sometimes we get the teaching and the doctrine, but we don't get the picture. I hope that I could be an encouragement.
Not only to the young as well as to the old. Let's read it. And the hand of the Lord was upon me.
And carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which.
Was full of bones. Oh, can you see the picture? You're coming to a dry place that's full of bones.
What's it about? You know, somebody said, what's that all about? I don't understand it. Well, let's see if we could have with the Lord's help, we can understand it this afternoon. The apostle Paul had, I think this in mind when he when he spoke. And so all Israel shall be saved.
I'm delighted. I'm delighted that the Lord tells us about what he's going to do with his earthly people.
What am I here for? You know the Lord Jesus in that 11Th chapter of Matthew, he said come.
Take, learn, learn what of me You know, this is all about His doing, and you and I are going to be filling the course of heaven with praise for what He does, not only what He's doing, what He did, what He did in the cross. We could go back to the 8th chapter of Proverbs and He could. He could say before the foundations of the world. He could say in my delights, who were the sons of men.
And you know, beloved, His delight is with you and me, and He wants you and me to be in the enjoyment of it. Let's read on.
It caused me to pass by them round about, and behold, they were very, very many in the open valley, and Lord, they were very dry. You get the picture, A valley of dry bones. What is the Spirit of God trying to tell you and me about by the prophet? And he said unto me, Son of Man, can these bones live?
You know, it's almost like a a question that the Lord would put to somebody.
Whose image and superscription is on that coin?
What a perfect answer the Lord gave to those Pharisees of old that would try to entrap him. But what words of grace he tries to lead you and me, when he could say, learn of me, take my yoke.
Learn of Maine. He wants to walk with you and me, beloved through this world and companionship with himself. How can we do it?
He says without me you can do nothing, without me you can do nothing. He wants to take you and me by the hand now and take us back to the valley of dry bones. And I hope that the Spirit of God would give that liberty that you and I would be able to get to the simple simplicity of what he's talking about by the prophet.
Can they live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, prophecy upon these bones, and said to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Then saith the Lord gone unto these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live, and I will listen yous upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Dry bones.
Dry bones, they're going to live. Oh, is this a mystery that the Lord would unfold to your heart and mind? Beloved, from these beautiful things, what things were written aforetime were written for what?
Our instruction and learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have something.
HOPE, hope.
I wonder how old you have to understand that? What that word means? Hope. Well, here it is, the hope of Israel. If I could give the clue. Let's go on.
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So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, the shaking of the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld Lord, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them. Verse 9. Ezekiel 37.
Then said He unto me, prophecy unto the wind, prophecy, Son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, become from the four winds or breath.
Upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army.
What a picture, beloved, that the prophet brings before your heart and mind of what things were written before time and the Lord Jesus at the grave, before he raised Lazarus, He could say those wonderful words, I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Oh, that's the enlightening words that the Lord gave to the grieving sisters of Lazarus. Lazarus being a picture, you know, that's a comparative. It's a reflection of what we get in this chapter, but a lot more light because there was the man there, the man Christ Jesus who raises the dead.
Who could say I am he that lives? I am he that died and lives again? Well, let's read on and see what happened in this story.
Verse 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel.
There it is, the whole House of Israel.
Here's a picture, beloved, of the revival of what we've been speaking about the Apostle Paul is leading us into in that 11Th chapter, Romans. You know, sometimes we like to hear the end of the story. We would like to read the end of the book to see how it's going to turn out.
I don't mean to get ahead of our meditation that we've got in the Romans. I think the desire of our brethren and the Spirit of the Lord in these meetings was to bring us into the picture of what the Romans would set before us.
Those wonderful truths of the gospel, of the grace and love of God, first to all.
It says for all of sin and come short of the glory of God, there's none righteous, no, not one Jew or Gentile. All condemned is like the courtroom scenes like our brother was bringing so graphically before us this morning the judge said guilty.
Guilty. Israel was guilty, and God had set them aside and there were they now, Well, we were talking a little about that on our discussion, but I wanted to lead you on to the end of the story. It makes it more exciting, you know, to fill in the details now from where we started in the book of Romans.
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness.
An ungodly man that hold the truth and unrighteousness.
These are verdicts, these are truths that we need to take heed to young people.
We get away with nothing. It says the wages of sinners. Death.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I never want to get far from that side of the truth of this man that came down from heaven because he loved sinners like you and me, but he loves his earthly people.
And in that chapter that was referred to this morning, he said the other sheep that I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring, you know, you and I are some of those sheep, but from the other, the other pastor, the other folk. But there's going to be one in Christ in glory very shortly.
But let's get on with this picture that goes back to the Old Testament to tell us what's going to happen in the future. You know, there's three questions that I like to address to people in the gospel.
Where did I come from? What am I here for? But where am I going? This tells us of the future, beloved, the future of this world, this earth, and the Kingdom where we're going. And the Lord Jesus is going to share it with you and me. And do I deserve it? Like we've had that reflection. How come?
The brother said it, how come chosen to him before the foundation of the world. You know I don't understand it, but praise the Lord, I believe it and you know the Lord wants you to believe it more and more. And the Lord says he that believes on me has everlasting life that the verse and John waters is 647.
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believes on me has everlasting life.
That's the gospel of the grace of God, beloved. You and I are in the good of it, but He's going to bring his earthly people into the good of it in the future. An earthly blessing, if you please, in this world.
And so all Israel shall be saved. Where on the earth? It's that hope of Israel is to have the glory of the Lord Jesus flowing from Zion, the city of God in Jerusalem, on the earth. Yes, this is what they're coming into. And here's a little picture of it. And the Lord wants you and me to be interested in his earthly people as well as his heavenly people. Let's read on.
Behold, they say, our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off.
For our parts, therefore prophecy and saying to them thus saith the Lord God, behold.
All my people, or how the heart of God has seen in this, this portion, beloved, all my people, the heart of God yearns for the restoration of his earthly people. And you know, I, I was taught to love the Jewish people when I was a little boy in New York, where I came from, there was a lot of Jewish people where I went to school and I remember I made friends with some of them.
And my desire was to want them to know about my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you have the same desire when you meet a Jewish person. And it's like the one brother remarked, I love to meet a Jew that saved. Oh, I tell you, my heart leaps twice when I meet. Anyway, let's get on with this story. Behold all my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel.
And so all Israel shall be what SAVED. And who's going to do it? The madness and the glory, with the marks of the cross, the hands and the feet, and his blessed side, from where with came the blood that cleanses from all sin.
I hope that you know him as your savior this afternoon.
You know, I'd like to put a question to you.
If the Lord Jesus was to come this afternoon, would you go up?
You know, I asked that question, people, I get all kinds of answers, 57 varieties. Oh, I don't know, hope so. I never heard one of them yesterday. I don't want to go up. I had the one girl say to me how high? And I said all the way to the Father's house where the Lord Jesus is. Let's go on.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, all my people, and brought you up out of your graves.
Where is the Nation Today? They're dead. The Lord Jesus, when he was here because they rejected Him, he said your house is left unto you desolate.
Desolate.
It was at Treblanca during the war.
And Pastor Warmball was there in Warsaw.
I think we're sports up.
And they were taking and hurting those Jewish people from the ghetto and putting them on the trains.
To the death chambers.
And there was a young woman that was probably 1920 years old.
That they had considered. Why all this trouble?
Came to the Jewish people.
And Pastor Warm, Warren Brandt, he had told her the gospel and she got saved as I remember the narrative.
And one day they rounded up this Christian Jew, this converted Jewish girl onto the cattle car with all of the evil and difficulty and wickedness of the heart of man to crowd them in like a like a bunch of beasts.
And as they were going in the train to the Treblanca, they were crying. Oh, why, why, why this troubles come upon us. You could feel in the narrative the lament and the passion of the feelings of those dear people as they're being hurt off like so many animals to the slaughter.
And this young girl said, I'll tell you why, because you said to Jesus.
Are you rejected Jesus and he said your house is left unto your desolate until you say blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord she's but I want to tell you what he did for you. He did this for you on the cross. He shed his precious blood that you and I might be redeemed and our nation rejected him. But she said I found him as my Savior and I want to tell you if you'll ask him to save you, he'll save you right now. And when you go up and smoke it won't be in smoke. It'll be to the glory to be with Christ and she gave them the gospel for God so loved the world that he gave his only begottenness Son.
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That whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
She got off the the the cattle car crowded toward the ovens and all the showers that they would take. They tell them it would take a shower so he cleaned up before you go on to this new job of going to give you.
And so the fury of the enemy against God's earthly people. Who's being vented by the Elf Hitler.
It's in the history books.
I don't want to review it except to tell what happened. There was a guard as they were crowding down out of the car. She was giving the gospel to some of those poor women on the train on that car that were had been crowded with her. They said, oh, tell us more, Tell us more of this man Jesus. And the guard was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he grabbed her roughly and said comedy.
And he took her over to the side and he said, I'm a Christian. She said, I want to show you the way of escape. Go back and warn the rest of them and tell them of Jesus. He said, I'm powerless in my job, that I can't do anything else. But I realize what you're doing quick through this gate. And so she fled, and she found her way back to the Warsaw.
And she told him about what was coming to death and judgment, death and judgment, the smoking furnaces, but how they could have eternal life by by looking to that man whose name is Jesus, who said I'm the resurrection and the life.
He that believes in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth me, and me shall never die.
And she told Pastor Warren Brandt about what was going on.
And so he no doubt arranged for her to speak to others, and finally another roundup came and she was caught again and stuffed into the cattle car.
This time there wasn't a friendly guard to rescue her and she was taken to the ovens.
And her remains went up in smoke. But beloved, I'm going to look up her sister when I get to heaven.
You, we, I won't have to look her up, you know. It says we shall know as we're known. But let's go on.
Here is the lament.
The Lord says in that 13th verse, Ye shall know that I am the Lord. One eye have opened your graves, all my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then shall you know that I, the Lord have spoken it, and have performed it, saith the Lord.
That's the picture, beloved. He's going to bring them back into their land. And so that that portion that we're reading about, let's just turn to it in the closing remark or two about the Romans, Chapter 11.
We may get to it in our readings, but I was so excited to hear about what was leading, what all these things are leading up to at this 11Th chapter, because her brother remarked about it this morning.
And I thought to myself, oh, what a vision for you and me, beloved, to know that all Israel is going to be saved.
But you know it always gets back to #1 Are you saved?
If the Lord was to come this afternoon, would you go up?
Israel is going to be saved and so the apostle says I would brethren, verse 23 of chapter Romans, Chapter 11.
I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest he should be wise in your own conceits. That blindness in part has happened to Israel. There's the picture, the dry bones. What's blinder than a dry bone?
We get these beautiful pictures in the word of God for your conviction and encouragement and instruction that we might have. What hope, hope in that man is in the glory that has the marks of this world's hatred on his hands and his feet and his side, and yet he reaches out today and he says, come unto me.
Come unto me only the labour and are heavy laden, and I'll give you something rest.
What kind of rest? You know, the boys and girls when I was a little boy, when I did something bad.
I didn't feel good.
You little boys and girls, when you are, you grown-ups, when you're a little, you did something bad, you didn't feel good. You know the Lord still wants you to feel good.
I want you to have rest of conscience.
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You know the conscience doesn't make us feel good when we know that we're sinners. He wants us to have rest, and he's the only one that can give it. He says I'm the resurrection and the life. But in that lovely narrative, that lovely approach the Lord makes in the 11Th chapter of Matthew, he says, come unto me. Only that labor now heavy laden, I'll give you rest.
Oh, I love it. Rest of conscience, rest of heart, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then what does it say here?
I would not at verse 25 of this chapter, Romans 11 That you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest we should be wise in your own conceits that blindness and part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. Oh, how blessed. How is the Lord Jesus going to take away the sins of Israel? He did it already on the cross.
He did it for you too, and for me. And that's why we can sing and rejoice. We can say.
All my sins are gone.
All because of Calvary.
That's the story in a nutshell.
The other one is.
That it says there in the first John one and chapter chapter one, first John one and I think it's verse 9. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from how many of my sins.
All.
All my sins are gone, all because.
Of Calvary life is filled with song, all because of Calvary Christ my Savior lives, lives from sin to set me free.
One day, he's coming.
All Glorious blessed day all.
Because of Calvary. How does it end here?
But this is my covenant.
Verse 28 As concerning the gospel there are enemies for your sakes, but as touching the election they are beloved for the Father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of a God are without repentance, for as He in time has passed have not believed God.
Yet now hath the turn mercy through their unbelief. Even so, have these also not believed, that through Your mercy they also may obtain mercy? For God hath concluded that concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. And then the wonderful doxology of praise.
All the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom.
The knowledge of God.
How unsearchable are his judgments in his ways past, finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, and who hath been his counselor, or who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him of who Jesus that's Who, for of him, and through him who Jesus, the one that came from heaven's highest glory.
That came to this world and took human form as a man.
Of him.
And to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen. Well, may these words be appropriate in view of some of the background that we've had in these meetings.
Let's turn to Genesis.
Back to Genesis.
How many times we can go over?
The death of Christ.
How many times we can go over that?
The most momentous thing that has ever happened in all the annals of time or eternity. And the Spirit of God can give us one more aspect if we have the eyes to see it.
I just want to share a little thought with your brethren that I've enjoyed recently. And I believe I had the the mind of the Spirit of God in this too. We've been hearing a little bit, you know.
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About the fact that Israel will be saved, The fact that you and I have salvation now through the precious blood of Jesus.
Look down at the end of Chapter 2.
And by the way, the book of Genesis, one has said, is the seed plot of the Bible, all of the great.
Foundational doctrines of the Scriptures are found in this wonderful book.
Very precious.
I want to read from the 21St verse.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep.
To fall upon Adam.
And he slept and he took one of his ribs. We've been hearing about bones.
He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof.
I want you to fix this phrase right here in your mind.
And closed up the flesh thereof. Now let's go to John 19.
The Gospel of John, the 19th chapter, that great chapter.
That the Spirit of God, through the Apostle John gave to us in connection with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I think I may take the liberty to read the 20th chapter 2 a few verses in there to connect up the the thought the 19th chapter.
The verse will pick up the thought from the 32nd verse. Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and of the other which was crucified with him that would usher these men into eternity.
That's what it would do.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs, but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side.
Remember that the rib was taken out of Adam's side, right?
Was taken from his side. Roman soldier now in hatred raises that spear, and he pierces the side of the dead Christ.
You see, brethren, dear ones, the death of Christ is unique in every way.
You can see over and over again when you look at the death of Christ, you see facets and aspects about it which are totally unique.
Totally unique.
One among us who said think of the nails passing through his hands and his feet and not a bone broken.
Now this soldier raises this spear and pierces the side of the Lord Jesus, and something else miraculous happens, because the blood issues force.
Wonderful.
Now let's go into the 20th chapter and I want to see why this is so significant. You know the Bible.
Gives us contrast.
And here we're going to see a contrast now in the 20th chapter.
Verse 26.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hit her thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hit her thy hand, and thrust it into my side. And be not faithless, but believing.
Remember I told you earlier in Genesis to keep your eye fixed upon the fact that after God took that rib out of the side of Adam, he closed that flush up again?
Now that precious savior standing in resurrection life, that side is opened.
It's open outside has never been closed.
I never realized, you know, you read it, but the impact of it does not hit you sometimes. That's why it's important to read the Word of God over and over again. Isn't that beautiful?
And Jesus is going to bear in his body forever those wounds in his hands, feet.
And his precious side.
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Of course, what's Thomas the picture of here?
He's no doubt a pitcher of the Jewish remnant that will believe in a coming day. They will believe.
But let's go on in the chapter, we'll see something.
Man, Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God, and he couldn't do any other. There was the evidence standing right in front of him.
Jesus after him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed.
That's the way it will be for the Jewish people. They'll see and they'll believe.
Oh, but you and I have been called to something far greater. Look at, look at the next bar. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. What a great thing.
What a great thing You don't want to know that every, practically every difficulty among us comes in as a result of two reasons, our unbelief.
And our self will.
Much mischief, if not all, can be traced to those two fountainheads.
Unbelief.
And our own self will.
Oh, May God make us believing believers.
May make us believing believers that we will believe.
And may the self will in US, may it have no place.
He's everything.
I want to finish with a couple of thoughts in.
Ephesians, we touched on that book this morning. Beautiful book. Ephesians chapter 2.
Verse 19 Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, fellow citizens, with the Saints, and of the household of God built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. The thought is really the cornerstone, because there's only one.
In whom the whole building, all the building, but not in what it's In whom all the building fifthly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. Verse 22 is what I had specifically in mind. In whom He also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. Back in Genesis. It tells us that with that rib that he took out of the side of Adam.
He builded a woman. That's what really the original word means there. That verb build it is brought over into the New Testament, and this word build it here for a habitation of God through the Spirit is the exact same verb in the Greek. Not interesting.
See how it all fits together.
You dear young people, you older ones, do you see how these things fit together?
Wonderful, isn't it?
Now it was our God who wrote the Bible.
Who is like unto me, declaring the end from the beginning, and things that are not as, and calling things that are not as though they were?
Wonderful, isn't it?
You know, wonderful to realize in the 5th chapter of Ephesians it says this. This is a great mystery, but I speak as concerning Christ in the church.
What a great thing it is.
But it's a blessed, blessed fact, a glorious fact.
Build it together for an habitation of God.
Through the spirit. Now there's nothing much drier than dry bones.
Brothers brought that before pretty dry in it, a dry bone.
Israel right to the point where there's not even a smell from a decaying corpse, everything is just rotted away until there's a point where there's just nothing but but bones left, and dry ones at that.
But what is that in connection with the God of resurrection? Do you know this afternoon that resurrection is the greatest power that's known?
Our God, our precious Savior, the one who himself said I am the resurrection and the life. He is the one who holds.
That power?
Brethren, this is the one we're gathered to.
This is the one who's the head of the church.
This is the one who has called us to glory and virtue. This is the one who it says in Colossians, Christ is everything, Everything. And so we have to bring the question home to our own hearts. What?
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Is he?
To me.
What is he to me?
I speak to you, dear young people.
Some of you have not taken your place at his table.
What's holding you back?
Do you know it's an unspeakable privilege to be able to sit down in His presence and remember Him who not only went into death, but on that third day came out of that tomb triumphant? And as it tells us in Revelation 118, I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore and had the keys of death and Hades of the departed state. It's all his. He has it all. In John chapter 10, it tells us very clearly, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Then he makes the question right home to her heart. Martha, do you believe this?
She says yeah, Lord, I believe.
She gets tested later.
Comes to the tomb.
The Lord turns to him. He says take away the stone.
That's very interesting the statement there and the sister of her of him that was dead, not something that's like us and the sister of her of him who was dead said Lord, by this time he stinketh, he's been dead for four days. And then the Lord says, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst what believe, I should to see the glory of God resurrection.
Resurrection.
I want to finish with one final statement. Is this do you and I believe?
Do you? And I believe this afternoon that we're on the verge of the greatest event.
Since the coming of the Holy Spirit.
To baptize all believers into one body, by the way, and not only baptize the church into one body, but it's the Spirit of God is going to lead us out of this world home to the Father's house.
Up there to meet Christ in the air. Think of it.
The power of the Spirit of God. I mentioned that to a brother the other day. Is it an interesting?
That the dead and the living rising, changing instantaneously in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trump. And I'll tell you something else that thrills my soul.
To think that all of the self will, all of what has been of man's arrangements, that's going to be swept away at the coming of Jesus.
One heart, one mind, 1 voice.
Blessed be his name, hast going to rise in a mighty crescendo to him, unto him that loves us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Brethren.
We're getting closer.
Apostle John reminds us in his first epistle, the second chapter. I quote the first part of that verse. Little children.
It is the last time, it is the last hour is how it's read in the other translation. We're right there, we're right there. What a thrill it's going to be to see that ancient people brought back into blessing. What a thrill it's going to be to see Him given his rightful place. Every believer in this room longs for that day when Jesus alone is going to have his rightful place.
I trusted, so I just want to leave these few thoughts with us. May they encourage us. His side was opened and it will remain opened forever. Adams was opened and then it was reclosed.
In the lovely little pictures of the Spirit of God can give us, in the word of God, I commend these things to us, commend these things to us, but keep these things in mind. It'll make the remembrance of the Lord really sweet to us, won't it?
That side is opened.
And we're going to see the marks of that servitude forever. Blessed be his name, O May that love.
Grip our souls.
Neither realization of that love Anna, made us to a more fervent and a more arduous pursuit of those things that are pleasing to himself till he come.
Will you turn with me now, please, to Matthew, chapter 16?
Matthew, Chapter 16.
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And verse 18.
Lord Jesus speaking.
And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock.
I will build my church.
Gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The rock, of course, is not Peter, but that which Peter had just previously confessed. Thou art to Christ, the Son of the living God.
I will build my church. We've been speaking much about Israel, about the former dispensation, and the Lord Jesus here speaks of His church as yet future.
Because he was still dealing with the Jews.
He had not yet given them up. I will build my church.
So it was still future, just to fit that in with what we've been having before us. So much of the difference between the old dispensation and the present one. And now we've heard about that coming one. And I really enjoy thinking of how Israel is going to be blessed, how those bones will revive and the way back, and the Lord Jesus will have his true place as their king reigning over them.
But you know, he's not our King, He's our Lord. And I would really like to speak a little bit about the precious privilege that we have of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast gain thy brother, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth.
Shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.
Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Now, just prior to this portion, the Lord Jesus has spoken of humility, and He brought a little child as an example.
And subsequent to this portion that we have read, we have.
A portion on forgiveness and this fits in between.
Now a number of brothers and I, our last few stops and traveling about, have expressed the desire that young people and all of us really would hear what it is to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I wonder if everyone of us took out a sheet of paper to write a one page essay on what it means to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, backed up with scripture. Could you do it?
You know, there it's a wonderful thing when a young person brought up on a Christian home, brought up on the assembly, asked for their place at the Lord's table.
And when they first break bread, I like to say to them, are you happy? And they're smiling, you know, they say, yes, I'm happy. Who's happier than you are? Oh, they say, the Lord. The Lord, That's true.
But many times I think we fail in presenting to them the responsibilities and what the assembly is and how we must respect it. And we don't have time to go through the scriptures. There's a number of portions that really cover it, but right here we have.
We have something that really we can think much about because it speaks about a a trespass. And I know someone will say that's a brotherly trespass.
One-on-one, but I believe it sets before us a principle of how to deal with things. If you can go to that person yourself that has caused some offense, said something that wasn't correct.
Well, I'd appreciate it if I say something that isn't according to Scripture. You come up to me and tell me. Don't go tell everybody else.
They can't help me. Come to me.
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And so this is the process.
And if I remember rightly, I heard I didn't hurt directly, but I heard someone remark of brother Eric Smith saying that anytime this process was used, he never never saw it go before the first step.
In other words.
It's so powerful just to go to a person and point out their mistake or failure, whatever it was. They never had to go beyond it. But if it does go that far, there's a there's a recourse. I just wanted to say that there is authority in the assembly.
And when you come down to verse 18.
It says, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven when someone asks for their place at the Lord's table.
Where there's a a responsibility to inquire.
In fact, this is I was thinking of a bunch of questions that would come up in connection with the Lord's Table. One would be young people, sometimes I believe, hold back from asking because they say, what kind of questions are they going to ask me?
Well, we don't have time to turn to scriptures, but one question would be, are you saved?
Do you know that you're saved? Because only those who are saved can remember the Lord as their Lord, the one who died for them.
That's the first responsibility.
Baptism is another, putting on the uniform, as it were.
And and then there is the question of.
What are you going on with in your life?
And so when someone shows up at the door and wants to remember the Lord.
We don't just receive them in, we don't know them.
And so there needs to be some questions asked. And Nehemiah had told us in the 7th chapter, the third verse.
They were not to open the gates until the sun was hot.
And when the sun is hot, you know it's bright. You can see there's nothing in the shadows.
And so there is that caution to be displayed.
That isn't in this particular passage here, but I think we'll just bring it up.
Someone said to me one time, if it's the Lord's Table and you don't invite anybody to come because it's the Lord's Table, then why do I have to ask you?
Well, that's a good question. Why does someone have to ask?
Well, over in First Corinthians 5 we have a case of evil in the assembly.
And I want to turn to that because it does bring out the 20th verse here gives us is the authority, where is the authority to meet together as we do?
So in First Corinthians 5.
And verse 4.
I believe this is the authority that the assembly has to function.
And the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together.
And my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The power is in the assembly, the authority in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's not given to a few brothers.
Brothers have to maybe make an investigation to get that on the 15th of Acts. All these principles come out in various scriptures.
But the authority in the assembly is in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we're gathered together.
Well, there's binding and losing, and it's a very strong thing if it's bound in heaven or loosed in heaven.
And it can't be changed by man.
I think of an Old Testament example when the Gibeonites came to Joshua.
And Joshua and the elders of Israel made a decision. They didn't consult the Lord.
Didn't talk to the people. They made a decision.
And the name of the Lord.
And they loose them.
They were held to that. Israel was held to that. It was a poor decision. The Gibeonites were their neighbors. They were supposed to destroy them. They could not do it. They were not allowed to do it because they had sworn in the name of the Lord that they would not destroy them.
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I'm not sure the timing, but probably 500 years later.
500 years later, time didn't change this. King Saul in his false zeal tried to exterminate the Gibeonites and God sent a famine in the land, and David had to deal with that.
He did, He dealt with that, but I mention it because here was a bad decision, but it was made in the name of the Lord.
And it was bound in heaven and it was not going to be changed by anybody on earth.
Well, these are the responsibilities and the authorities of the Assembly.
That that we have in this chapter.
And I just should go on with that question that someone says, why do I have to ask you? Let's go back to First Corinthians 5.
Why does a person have to ask?
To have their place at the Lord's table.
Well, the authority is in the assembly, in the gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And verse 12 of that chapter.
For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?
But them that are without God judges. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
The man asked me that question. Why do I have to ask you if it's the Lord's Table?
I believe the Lord gave me the answer. I couldn't have come up with it myself, but this was the answer if we have to deal with evil within the assembly.
Should we let it in and then have to deal with it?
It must be kept out.
1St Corinthians 10 shows us that.
Those that partake of an altar are in fellowship, preparing communion with that altar and what we bring to that altar.
Is not an altar in our case, it's the table of the Lord. Because of the Lord, what we bring there affects the the honor of the Lord.
They were not to allow in anything that would dishonor the Lord an immoral life, bad doctrine, a bad association.
Because it speaks in this chapter of association. It says in verse 6.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? She turned to Galatians 5. You find the same statement made with doctrinal evil here. It's moral evil.
So association with the evil, it carries the evil with it, it leavens the whole law. So if we would allow somebody.
In our responsibility.
To break bread at the table of the Lord. That's going on with evil. We're defiled by it.
Not we only, but the name of the Lord is dishonored by it, and that's the important thing to see. I hope that we can all get a feel for that. It's not our honor, it's his. It's the honor of the Lord that's at stake.
Well, it names these things here, and in verse 11 it tells us how to deal with those that are.
Immoral.
And it says.
In the end of that verse 11 with such a one no not to eat.
Now some think that's hard, and I know that there are young people when one of their friends has to.
Be excommunicated because of evil in their life. They feel sorry for that person. They try to console them, try to make them feel comfortable.
I think if you read this carefully and you go over to the second epistle to the Corinthians, you find out that they must have held the line pretty well. They did not sympathize with this person. They made him feel his guilt and his sin, and he was restored.
If you want to see your friend restored, don't console them over there being disciplined.
That is an error that is not going to lead to their restoration. They need to feel it and unfortunately today.
There are many groups and you can just, if you're put out of the assembly, you can say, well, I'll go somewhere. Well they'll accept me.
But God only has one place. He only has one assembly. The Lord Jesus has a right.
To tell us where to meet and how to meet. And there are people, I've heard them say we're not told how to worship. We're told how to be saved. We are told how to be, how to worship. We have it in various scriptures which we don't have time to go into, but the Lord is in the midst of those who are gathered to his name. And if we can just remember that.
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That it says where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst of them. You know, it was pointed out one time about Elijah when he had to tell Ahab that there would be not rain or do in three years.
That he was told to go to a certain brook, and God said to him, I've commanded the Ravens to feed thee there.
There at that certain brook.
And if Elijah said that there are more trees, if there's other brackets, a nicer place, it's cooler, or something else, he wouldn't have been fed. He had to go where the Lord told him and there he was fed.
If you want to be with the Lord Jesus, since in the midst it must be as gathered to His name, there am I in the midst of them.
There am I.
Someone was just saying the other day.
If a person was cast up on a desert island.
And had a Bible and read it and got saved and if he read it further.
What would he find? He would find out that he should be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. He would just be under the name of the Lord Jesus.
Met a lady in the parking lot during the break and she said, is it some kind of a church convention in there? What is it? Jehovah's Witnesses? No 7th day Adventist? No, just simply Christians that meet in the name of the Lord. Oh, all the nominations? No, no denominations, no denomination, just the Lord, the name of the Lord Jesus. Oh good, she said. That's the way it should be.
Well, that's the way it should be and if we're honestly searching the scriptures.
We won't want to think that the Lord has set up a rivalry against himself. He is 1 as one way of salvation, one way to meet.
And I'm sorry there isn't time enough to go in more detail to some of these things, but I hope that if any of you do have questions about these things, why not ask your brother in your assembly or ask someone of us here? I'm speaking especially the young people. You may not understand these things. It's probably a great mystery to some of you what goes on and how an assembly operates.
But it's all recorded in the scripture. Those two portions we read you'll learn something from.
Acts 15.
And other other scriptures, but particularly these ones. We looked at 1St Corinthians 10.
I'll just recommend it. You look at those things yourself and.
Has been appealed to those who might not yet be saved to trust in the Lord Jesus. But I'd like to make an appeal to those of you who are saved. Have you taken your place at the Lord's Table in the simplicity of it, just to ask?
The Lord to show you the way.
To rest on him. He wants you to be there. He wants you. He wants you to be happy. We were hearing he wants us to be happy.
He wants us to be in that place where we can be happy and where we can learn. Oh, you say, Don't know very much.
No, you don't usually know very much until you take your place and you Start learning. Then that's where you learn.
So I just leave you with that little exhortation and trust that we have a desire, each one of us.
To understand these things and to appreciate why things are done the way they are. I don't mean to say we don't make mistakes and we aren't don't have the flesh. We do and we fumble.
But the principles is what we're talking about. We need to act on the principles of Scripture and then.
We have the blessing of the Lord. That's what we want.
Oh my.