Open—Bruce Christensen
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Just reflect for a few moments on a few of the lines of the hymn that we have saw.
We sung about.
The Lord's constancy.
What does it mean to be constant?
I believe it would bring before us the fact that there was an evenness.
In the Lord's journey.
Here those approximately 33 years while we walked upon the earth.
Our low.
Our emotions.
Ebb and flow, we go up and down like a yo-yo.
Sometimes we're happy.
Some. So sometimes we're sad.
Sometimes our walk is consistent.
Other times it's not.
We think of the meal offering and what does that picture? I believe it pictures the evenness.
The constancy of the Lord Jesus as He walked here upon earth.
I'd like to just address.
A little.
Turn to a few scriptures that refer to the believers pathway here below.
And what God's mind is for us as believers. Let's turn to the book of Galatians.
Chapter 5.
And verse 7.
It says.
Ye did run well.
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?
The past tense is used here in this portion.
Ye did run well.
But there was something that came in.
To hinder.
To block.
That testimony.
Here it says who did hinder you? Perhaps we could also say what did hinder you. And so there are a lot of hindrances in our lives that can block communion.
With ourselves and the Lord Jesus.
So let us keep in mind this very.
Searching scripture you did run well.
Who did hinder you that you should obey?
The truth. And then let's just turn to I believe it's second Kings.
For just a brief moment.
The early chapters of Second Kings.
And the Lord Jesus desires consistency in our Christian life and pathway.
If we had time, we could look at a number of the kings of Israel that had a promising beginning.
But we see that they were hindered in some way towards the end of their life. And so it is with our Christian lives.
Let's just turn to the second chapter of Second Kings.
Beginning with verse five, and the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha.
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And said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from my head today? And he answered, Yeah, I know it, Hold ye your peace, and allow you. Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee hear, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
And they too went on.
I believe that we could look at various applications to Jordan, but that's not my intent this afternoon. But just look at that expression that's used at the end of verse six. And they too went on.
If we read in First Corinthians, we read about strife coming in amongst the early assembly, and it was not God's intention that this strife should come in and we think of Abraham's herdsman and lost herdsman.
Where there was strife also that had come in, but we see a lovely picture here.
Of Communion.
They too went on reading verse 7, and 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood afar, and they too stood by Jordan. We have this continuing here, don't we? And then in verse 8.
At the end of the verse we have the expression they too went over on dry ground. And then finally the last expression that I wanna call attention to is in verse 11 and it came to pass as they still went on.
And talked. Behold, there appeared at chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, And Elijah went up by a whirlwind.
Into heaven.
What I believe that this brings out is the end of a course of life we see earlier in First Kings, we see of Aisha ministering.
Uh, to, uh, Elisha and so.
We see early on.
The intimacy between Elijah and Elijah.
And viewed in this sense, there was communion between those two servants of the Lord. And we see this continue, we see that this communion.
Is going on in a consistent way and we see that it continues to the end and so the Lord would desire.
A consistent, faithful life.
Devoted to him to the end, and we don't want it to be said of each one of us. He did run well.
That's a searching term. That's a searching scripture. But what a lovely ending we have here in connection with Elijah and Elijah.
I think.
Of what is said of Abraham? Abraham at at Abraham's death.
It's mentioned that Abraham died full of years.
And I believe those last few words of years is not in the original and it gives the sense that there was a fullness.
In Abraham's death, just as there was a fullness in his life and so.
It is searching for me as well as you to end up with that con, with that acknowledgment. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
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The Lord Jesus desires consistency in our lives, and may we desire to honor and please Him.