Scranton Conference: 2010
Table of Contents
1 Thessalonians 5:16-28
Reading
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OK, our God and our Father, we thank thee for an opportunity to be here and thy word is open. Pray for a blessing. We just do thank Thee that we know that we do have a father and that we're the sons and daughters of that father. And we just do pray that we might be more conformed to the image of thy son that whether it's at work or at school or at home in our marriages, umm, in our local assembly, that we might, uh, consistently be.
What we might appear to be here today and that, uh, we might have that, uh, consistency, that Christian consistency in our lives as those that truly belong to thee, Lord Jesus, we just do pray for encouragement in our hearts that might be built up. It might affect our feet. In Jesus name we give thanks, Amen, Amen.
00:05:39
For this reading, I'd like to suggest we only have one reading the last few verses of First Thessalonians chapter 5.
And Him We Just Sang brought it to mind in connection with his desire that we would glorify Him here in this world, while we're still here in the past. Faith and service.
And so I'd like to suggest, if we do that, that we begin at verse 16, First Thessalonians 5 and verse 16.
1St Thessalonians 516. Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless.
Onto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith will see that calleth you, who will also who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
While we were singing of that time when the Lord Jesus is going to come and we're going to be with him and we're going to be openly confessed as the sons and daughters.
Of God, and we look forward to that moment. And in this epistle he has taken up at great length the subject of the Lord's coming. And I trust that as we think of the Lord's coming, we lift up our hearts and say, Even so come Lord Jesus. But there are some practical exhortations at the end of the epistle and a little prayer that the apostle has for the Thessalonian believers, and this is really what brought it to mind when we were.
Singing the last verse of our hymn, and the apostle says here in the very God of peace, sanctify you wholly, and so on.
His desire for these Thessalonians while they waited for the Lord Jesus to come, was that they would go on in the path, glorify God, so that in that day there would be a rich reward and a Hardy well done, thou good and faithful servant, and that they would be preserved spirit, soul and body blameless. Whereas he says, yes, spirit, soul and and body. But at the end of this chapter there are then these short pithy exhortations.
It's not really doctrine we have here. It's some practical, some practical exhortations in connection with our walk while we're waiting for the Lord Jesus to come so that we will be preserved, blameless in that way when the Lord Jesus comes and when we stand before him at the judgment seat of Christ. They're not difficult exhortations to understand their short, their direct.
And perhaps, brethren, if we just go down these Scriptures and consider them in a very simple and practical way.
Perhaps it will encourage each of our hearts. The days are dark. We're right at the end. We've never been closer to the Lord's coming than we are right now. And we can go on for the Lord's glory until that moment when He calls us home.
I understand that the dispersed 16 is actually the shortest verse.
In the original Greek New Testament, rejoice evermore.
I think it's wonderful how the Spirit of God brings before us these exhortations in just a few words and simple words. And here we have in three verses that which we are to be doing all the time. First of all, rejoicing.
00:10:12
Secondly, praying and thirdly, giving thanks.
And notice it does say in everything. Give thanks.
I heard one say it doesn't say for everything give thanks, buddy, in everything give thanks. But you know, if we turn over to Ephesians chapter 5, I believe we see something that's very precious.
In Ephesians 5 and verse 20 it says giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, we give thanks for that which does us good. And the fact is that no matter what takes place in our lives, I do believe.
For the Christians, it's an expression of the Lord's love for us, even the difficult circumstances of life. And so as we contemplate the love of Christ.
And it was manifest there at the cross.
Where he offered himself without spot to God.
For God's glory and for our blessing, we think of His love. We have to admit there's nothing in our lives but what His desire is that it would be for our good.
And that's why I think your pastor says give thanks always for all things.
Our brother Gordon Hanley say too, to give thanks for our trials too, because, uh, we may not understand why the Lord is bringing us through this trial, whatever it happened to be me, but we can be assured for our eternal, uh, good and blessing. And that's really what you have in Ephesians is not just giving thanks in the trial, but as Wally said, for it. Mm-hmm.
Because I don't believe we can really give thanks in the trial until we've come to the point in our experience that we've given thanks for it. Because until we realize that the Lord Jesus has allowed this circumstance in my life, I'm not going to give thanks for it. But when I realize that this has been allowed in my life and I give thanks for it, then there's a joy and a peace that comes in the in the trial, And I can rejoice it. I can give thanks.
In it.
But I, I don't, I think we ought not to skip these first two expressions. First of all, he says rejoice evermore. I like to put this verse with another short verse in the English Bible, and that is Jesus wept. If we put those two verses together, there's the two shortest verses in our English Bible and they stand in stark contrast to one another because God teaches us by contrast in His Word.
And the Lord Jesus, as he walked through this world, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Now there was joy in his pathway too. There was the joy of doing the Father's will.
There was joy when souls came to repentance, there was number doubt joy when they took up the children and He took up the children in His arms and blessed them. And there was even a joy in going to the cross, knowing that He was going to return to the Father, having glorified God on the earth, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, and so on. But brethren, He was in His pathway as a man, the man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
He groaned and wept. He wept at the grave of Lazarus when he saw the awful effects that sin had brought in.
And the sorrow that it brought to that little home. But brethren, what does he say to you and to me today in contrast? Rejoice evermore. The Lord Jesus has accomplished the work of redemption. And, uh, he's dest, He's, uh, an old death and he's conquered death and he's risen and he's brought us into a place of blessing where we're going to spend eternity with him and enjoy all the benefits and blessings that he has for us.
And what does he say? Rejoice evermore. Does that mean we're gonna see the the removal of the difficulties? No, we're gonna have, as we've already said, lots of trials, lots of difficult circumstances. But like Paul and Silas, we can rejoice even in a difficult circumstance. But notice, coupled with that, he immediately says pray without ceasing. And I suggest the two things go together. Is any Mary, let him sing psalms.
00:15:24
But it's any heavy lead impress is any thick. Let him prey. You get that in the end of of the Epistle to James and the two things go together. We need prayer. We need to cast our burden on the Lord. There's things to exercise. But if we do that, if we rejoice and we pray, then we can give thanks no matter what takes place.
In Psalm 30, there's a connection between the verse that was referred to in John 11 and the verse in our chapter. The latter part of verse five says.
Weeping may endure for a night.
But joy cometh in the morning.
There's different characters of prayer. We might say, uh, there's the public, uh, assembly prayer, which is very important. Umm.
Uh, collectively when we come together, sometimes the prayer meeting is the uh.
The uh, uh, a meeting which is uh, often, umm, omitted by people or, uh.
Umm, not, uh, often.
Uh, well attended, we might say, but it's important because, uh, it's the pulse of the assembly. And that's where we corporately, uh, make our request known to the Lord. That's the public prayer meeting. And the sisters have a part in that meeting too. And then there's a prayer in the closet when we can unburden our hearts to the Lord. No man, uh, observing us the greatest victories of our lives.
With our families and so on, we'll be on our knees. And that's the, uh, the closet prayer outlined in, uh, Matthew's gospel. Well, this is the third, uh, character. You might say it's prey without ceasing. We are to, uh, live in a, uh, a constant spirit of dependence on the Lord. As we're walking down the street, in school or business, whatever, we can lift our hearts, uh, to the Lord.
About that particular difficulty that we are faced with or problem, uh, we have an example of that in Nehemiah here. He was, uh, serving the, uh, king of Persia, a very powerful monarch and, uh, he was put on the spot, so to speak. How is he going to, uh, answer this, uh, this powerful, uh, tyrant that could have, uh, taken his life?
Or, uh, he had the power to do so. And it speaks of Nehemiah praying first, just there in the palace of the king, in the, uh, in the court of the, uh, of the monarch. He just lifted his heart in prayer and then he answered the king. It's a good example for us. Sometimes we're so quick to answer, but uh, we need to, uh, be in that spirit of, uh.
Constant dependence Prayer is an expression of dependence and confidence.
Umm, as we have, uh, continuing prayer and watching the same with Thanksgiving. So it's so important that, uh, prayer is not neglected, uh, in our lives, umm.
And, uh, if we live in that spirit of prayer and dependence, we will not have a fall. Umm.
Peter when he should have been praying he was, uh.
Acting in a fleshly way and following afar off and sleeping. And he had a fall. So this is a good exhortation for us to take to heart.
Let's go back and just read that incident because I I think it's helpful. God teaches us by example as well as precept. Just go back to Nehemiah chapter 2. I believe it is.
Yes, Nehemiah chapter 2.
00:20:00
We find in verse one, he's in the presence of the king as the King's cup bearer, and the King's cup bearer was to bring the cup of wine to the king, which speaks in Scripture of joy. But one day Nehemiah was sad in the presence of the king. I'll read from verse two. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance said, seeing thou art not sick, for this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. You know the kings in those days had the power of life and death.
And the King's cup bearer was not to be said in the presence of the king. And you can just imagine Nehemiah how he felt and the king is going to ask him a question. And he knew it was a question that needed to be answered wisely.
Verse three. And this is the king speaking, said unto.
Then I was so afraid, the end of verse two, and said unto the king, Let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my father's sepulchre, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Now notice this. Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? Now Nehemiah knew that his answer had to be from the Lord, because if he said the wrong thing, he was going to.
I the least lose his job, if not lose his life. Now notice what it says. So I pray to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, Well, if you go on and read this, you find that Nehemiah answered very wisely. He was given wisdom from the Lord, and the king not only granted his request, but far, far more than he asked. To think that this Gentile king would give him his request and provide for his journey so he could return to Jerusalem and view the wall and start the building.
Why, it was almost unthinkable, But when Nehemiah's brother John said when he expressed that dependence on the Lord, the Lord came in. And I know you've experienced this. You've been driving your car. Some question you know you're going to have to answer when you get to work or school. And you know if you don't answer wisely to your employer or your teacher that it's going to be a difficulty. And you're praying and you're asking the Lord. Someone asks you at work to do something. Some other young person asks you to go somewhere. And you know you've got to answer carefully. I know you've done it. Just a swift little prayer. Lord, help me. Lord help me. Lord tell me what to do.
Well, Nehemiah did that. He didn't have time like Daniel and his three friends when they faced the king to get together in their room and have a prayer meeting. No, he had to give an immediate answer. Well, I believe this is a wonderful illustration, as Brother John has pointed out, of praying without ceasing. It isn't that we're necessarily always forming words in our minds like we would normally think of prayer when we go into our closet or we get along with the Lord or in the assembly.
But it's to be in the spirit of dependence and confidence. And if I can put it this way.
To keep an open line between yourself and the Lord so that you can turn to the Lord.
At any time, you may not always be actually praying, but you're in that you're walking close with the Lord, that open line. Nothing has come between you and the Lord so that when there is that question or that difficulty, you can say, Lord, what should I do? Lord help me. That's really what it is to pray without ceasing good. I was thinking also in the rejoice ever more we think of the apostle Paul and all the sufferings, afflictions.
Perils that he endured. Uh, he mentions similar words in the Philippians. 4 Rejoice always. And again I say rejoice. But his circumstances were very difficult. If Solomon had said that in, uh, the palace of Jerusalem, we might understand it. We would say, yeah, you have everything that your heart can wish. But Paul was in privation and suffering and difficulty in being persecuted and imprisoned and so on.
And yet he could say, rejoice evermore. What a wonderful triumph of grace and the the we have the same God that we deal with.
Yeah, prayer and Thanksgiving there too. Don't be in Philippians chapter four. First, rejoice in the Lord hallway. And again I say rejoice has been brought out. We can always rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He does not change, and we rejoice in the wonderful salvation that we have in Christ.
00:25:03
And the fact that we now have a relationship.
With God as our Father as a result of that finished work of our Savior at the cross.
And we know that the Lord Jesus always goes with us.
He's promised never to leave, nor to forsake us.
And so we rejoice in this companionship that we.
Have with the Son of God the one who could say, all powers given unto me, both in heaven and in earth, and his love is just as great as his power. And these things don't change. You know, our circumstances do change.
And so I don't believe that if we're basing happiness on circumstances.
We're gonna be very happy because sometimes circumstances are very difficult.
But you know the Lord is with us in those difficulties and rejoice in the Lord always doesn't say rejoice in the circumstances always.
But then in verse.
5:00 and 6:00.
Philippians 4. Let not let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand, Be careful for nothing.
Or be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known.
Unto God.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I believe that even as we pray, we can give thanks.
To the Lord for the answer that He's going to give.
It may not be the answer that we expected, but it's going to be a good answer. So even as we're praying, we can be thanking the Lord for the answer He's going to give.
Because we know He loves us with a perfect love.
And perfect love casts out fear.
And with respect to Thanksgiving?
What impresses me is that the Lord Jesus.
Could give thanks for that which spoke of his deepest agony, suffering.
You know, when he was there in the upper room with his disciples, it tells us he took the bread and he gave thanks for it and that he break it. It's that which spoke of his death. He said this is my body which is given for you. And then it tells us that he took the cup and likewise he gave thanks for the cup.
Well, I believe the Lord Jesus saw that God was in all of this that was before him.
And he knew that his father made no mistake. He gives thanks.
For the bread, for the wine.
Well, sometimes young people ask how can we know the will of God? Or I want to know what God's will is for me in my life.
And there are many things that when we seek the will of God in our lives and we do them, we have to say, well, we trust.
We have the Lord's mind in doing this or that, but you know, there are some things in Scripture that were not left in any doubt as to whether it's the will of God or not.
And we have just had three statements that bring before us three things that are the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
That's what he says in verse 18. And so it's God's will that we rejoice evermore.
It's God's will that we pray without ceasing. It's God's will that in everything we give thanks. We don't have to wonder whether it's God's will or not. And brethren, and I can only say this to my own heart, if these three things.
Are not characteristic in a practical way in my life, then I'm not fulfilling at least one aspect of God's will for me in my life.
God's will is that every believer would rejoice, pray, and give thanks.
And so we need, I think, to take an assessment of our lives, look back over some of us were here last year, look back over the past year. How much has this been practically true in your life and mine?
Different aspects of prayer.
00:30:00
That we could consider and we turned over a page to 1St Corinthians 2. We see.
I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and giving a thanks be made for all men.
Supplications have to do with our needs. And so we're noticing recently as we're looking to look at Matthew.
In our assembly in Mount Tabor says in Matthew 918, Well, he speak these things under them, behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped him, saying my daughter's even now dead. Isn't that interesting that it's called worship when he expresses?
Is need and I believe it's because.
He's recognizing that one as the one, uh, who could answer the need. And so that's worship. So supplications are part of prayer and it's part of worship, uh, in a certain sense, because we recognize that he's able to answer our needs. And then it says, uh, speaks of prayers and that all aspect of prayer involves devotion, so.
Uh, when we express our, our worship, our praise to the Lord, uh, that's all part of prayer, of course, and but all prayer, I think suggests the thought of devotion to the Lord.
And then the third aspect is mentioned here, intercessions, that is, uh, for we might pray for others and that's another aspect of prayer that we have enjoyed even today. And then finally listed as the giving of thanks.
Be made for all men.
Uh.
Giving thanks and that's already been talked about. So we have these four things, supplications, prayers, intercession, and Thanksgiving. That's what I call the spit formula. That's for supplication, P for prayers and so on. So when we have our needs, when we have.
Something to give thanks for, something to worship, something, uh, to ask for others. We need spent, uh, those four things.
And we might mention also in passing that, uh, prayer is not a question of ability or gift, uh.
Uh, it's a priestly function and, uh.
Remember, uh, brother Gordon, uh, saying years ago that?
A young brother that wanted to be a help in the meeting. He thought it would be nice first of all to hear his voice in prayer. I agree with that. Umm.
We can all participate, brothers, I'm referring to in the, uh, prayer meeting. Uh, certainly it doesn't need to be a, an eloquent presentation, but it's in refreshing to hear a young brother lift his heart and maybe a simple short prayer in the assembly meeting. And, uh, it's not a question of having a gift. It's a priestly function.
Now there is ministry, which we come down to here in verse 19 and 20. There is ministry in the assembly, which, uh, supposes a gift, an ability, but not in the prayer meeting. Is that right, Jim? Yes. And that really does bring us to these next few statements, doesn't it? Because we've spoken at a great length about the individual aspect of things. We've spoken about rejoicing in the Lord.
Individually, we've spoken about praying. I know we've brought it out in connection with the assembly too, and but particularly in connection with personal prayer and instantaneous prayer and so on. We've spoken about giving thanks and how this is the will of God for each one of us. But now he's going to bring us to the collective side of things because our interactions with one another are important as well. And so first of all, he says quench, not the Spirit.
Now in Ephesians he speaks about grieve. He says grieve not the Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
To grieve, if I can put it this way, to grieve the Holy Spirit is really to hinder the work of God in US. It's more an individual side of things. If I allow sin in my life or something to come between me and the Lord, it's going to hinder the work of the Spirit of God in me. You ever get down on your knees to pray or you opened your Bible to read the Word yourself and you just felt you couldn't pray or you didn't get anything out of what you read from the Word of God?
00:35:28
Well, perhaps it's because you've allowed something in your life to grieve the Spirit of God so that he cannot, uh, lead you, uh, guide you in prayer because he's the one that we pray in the, in and by the Holy Spirit or he cannot minister to you the things of Christ from this book because it's the Spirit of God that takes of the pages of this book and makes it real and precious to us and brings out what God is saying to us.
But that's to grieve the Spirit of God. If to grieve the Spirit of God is to hinder the work of God in me, then I suggest that to quench the Spirit is to hinder the work of God through us. That is if I can use a very practical illustration. Perhaps you've experienced it, brothers, you sit in a in a meeting and some him comes to your mind and it's pressed upon your soul and you just don't give it out. You say, oh, I'm not, I'm not going to open my mouth today.
One of two things may happen the Lord may the Spirit of God may use somebody else to give out the same hymn because.
God is very gracious and He's greater than our weakness. But you know, sometimes I have to say to my own soul, I've sat in a meeting and not said something that I are given out to him that I felt the Spirit of God was leading me to do. And somebody gave out something else that didn't seem in keeping with the character of the meeting or the leading of the spirit. You can't question or judge, but you know, we need to be exercised that we don't quench the Spirit of God.
If the Spirit of God, we need to maybe you won't open your mouth in a meeting, but come with exercise brothers, that if the Spirit of God desires to use you that you're a ready vessel to be used. Otherwise you may quench the Spirit of God. So he's taking up now some things in connection with the our interactions, the collective side of things. He's going to go on to say despise not prophesying. We're going to we're having ministry here.
In these meetings, there's going to be some open meetings, some addresses, this reading, what are we going to do? Are we listening to what God is saying to us through his, through his servants? Are we listening to what he's ministering to us from the word of God? Or do we say, oh, well, that's not for me, or I just let that shot go over my shoulder, or we shut our ears to what is being said. Maybe it bothers our conscience, speaks to our hearts, so we just set it aside. No, we don't want to despise what God is is saying to us, what is prophesying for our purposes. It's speaking the mind of God.
God raises up men to, to convey his mind. We don't have foretelling like they did in the Old Testament perhaps, but we have 4th telling and God has his prophets today and, uh, we need to listen to what they have to say and then weigh what they have to say. Prove all things. What do you think, Steve? Is that right? I think that's, uh, that's right. Not all that is said might be of the Spirit. So there is that need to prove all things.
The, uh, the faithful remnant in the coming day is warned against false Christ and the earth, but we're warned against, uh, uh, false spirits and to try the spirits. And so there's needs to be carefulness that, uh, we, we prove that all that is said is really according to the word of God and, and it's the Spirit of God bringing it out. Just like to mention a brother said something to me just before the meeting that we desire good doctrine and.
And exhortation and encouragement. But he said, what do we really want? He said, we really want the leading of the Spirit of God in the assembly meetings. And then we'll get all those things that we need and that we desire. And so it needs to be our desire and prayer and, uh, a real waiting in our souls on the leading of the Spirit of God that we get what the Lord has for us.
Just like to mention two connection with what our brother John said and, uh, a young brother's voice being heard, perhaps first in prayer that there's really a moral order there. And because one might say, well, why first in prayer, you know, the temptation really, especially if the Lord's young brother is giving you an ability to minister the word of God, the temptation is perhaps to minister the word of God first.
00:40:21
The reason that it's better to be heard in prayer first is this, uh, as we have here, prophesying is forth telling and it might be edification, exhortation or comfort, but it's really.
Helping your brother and on in the past and giving them what they need. But if you can't pray for your brother, how can you tell him how to go on for the Lord? And if you can't give the Lord thanks for what he's done, do you really have any business telling your brother how to go on for the Lord?
There's a moral order of being able to intercede for others and give thanks to the Lord first before we're used to the Spirit of God to instruct others. And, uh, the Lord really wants.
And 1St and primarily one opinion from us. What thank you of Christ before we have a lot of other opinions about how our brethren ought to go on. The Lord says I've got one opinion I want to hear from you. What do you think of my son? And if you can't OfferUp an opinion, so to speak of, of your thoughts and on behalf as and as the mouthpiece of the assembly of of your appreciation of the Son of God.
Then really, uh, it's, it's getting things out of order to minister to the hearts of the Saints of God.
In the assembly, we recognize the scriptural order that uh, uh.
God has given gifts to his church. The Spirit of God has imparted gifts and we recognize those. The authority comes from the Lord for the exercise of those gifts in the systems of men around us. They really quench the Spirit because, uh, they don't allow the exercise of those God-given abilities and gifts in the, uh, in the church.
But they, uh, confine them all in the person of, uh, one man.
Uh, or, or a few, but there's not the free exercise of the Spirit of God to, uh, minister to the Saints through the gifts that have been imparted, uh, from, uh, an ascended Christ in the glory, so.
Quentin, not the spirit, Uh.
Well, we often apply that to, uh, the reticence to, uh, to speak, uh, when, uh, we feel, uh, that we should, uh, participate for God's glory. On the other side, some of us fail on the other side, we quench the Spirit by speaking too much. And uh, Bo, neither of them are, are correct. We need to be dependent on the Lord in, in those matters.
I'd like to make a comment, umm, on proving all things in connection with, uh, what we find in Acts 17, and we could turn there for a moment.
Max 17 in connection with the Bereans.
Not 17 In the 10th verse we have the brethren immediately sent away, Paul and silence by night unto Berea. The coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews, and these were more noble than those in Thessalonica. I wonder if perhaps that may have been part of the reason why we have this exhortation, uh, to the Thessalonians to prove all things. We find that theft graphs didn't characterize them the same way that did the Bereans. But we read here in the 11Th verse, these were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
In.
That they received the word with already and searched the scriptures daily. Whether those things were so And I've just appreciated in this verse that umm in relation with searching the scriptures daily.
It says here that there was a readiness of mind and I found myself sometimes having an agenda in something that I wanna do, and sometimes I search the scriptures to try to justify what I want to do. Well, here we find with the Bereans.
It says they had a readiness of mind. So in relation with proving all things in our personal lives and in our assembly lives, what a marvelous thing to be able to look at the Word of God with a readiness of mind to realize what the Lord wants for us to learn as opposed to seeking to find out from the Word what we really want to do.
00:45:20
It's been said, I believe it's true that.
The great sin of Christendom today.
Is sin against the Holy Spirit?
And it's been brought out how that there has introduced.
Into the church, that which takes the place of the Spirit of God.
You know, the Holy Spirit is really the only divine leader that is to be in control of all proceedings in the assembly.
But we find.
Human arrangement has come in and.
Instead of waiting upon the Lord to direct by His Spirit and worship and ministry.
Some individual makes up a plan and this is what we're going to follow.
You know, Brother Steve, if I came to Vestal and I said now.
This large day morning.
Got a program and I would like this brother to give out this him and another brother to read a portion and I'd like you to break the bread.
I don't think you'd accept that.
You wouldn't be too pleased.
And yet I believe that's what's happening. You would say, well, we'd rather be under the control of the Spirit of God to lead in this meeting this morning. And it's a wonderful thing, you know, when God is in control. So I just mentioned that because I think that we.
Ought to be so thankful, if indeed we are in a place.
Where the authority of the Lord Jesus is acknowledged and there's a vowing to his authority.
And to his leading.
By his spirit, the Spirit of God.
Well, when we do prove all things, then we see them from Scripture that what we've heard is right. As Dave said, the Bereans didn't take the Apostle Paul's word for what was ministered. They went and searched the parts of the Scripture they had and they saw what he was ministering was the truth of God. Then what are we to do, brethren? To just leave it on the table, so to speak? Know where to hold it fast. And So what is right? What we we come to meetings like this.
Maybe there are things we that are said that aren't according to the Spirit of God. Maybe they aren't quite accurate. We're to set those things aside. But what about the things we have proved us to be right from God's word? Well, we're to hold those things fast. And I believe that the great work of the enemy today is to get us to compromise. And to compromise is to let things slip slowly. It's to have a little pinhole in the bottom of the cup. It's as.
We used to say the thin edge of the wedge, it's letting the barrier down slowly. It's not giving up in great chunks or pouring out the cup all at once. No, it's just to let things go very slowly. But what are we to do? We're to hold fast. If there's an exhortation in, well, let's just actually, let's just read it in Revelation chapter 3, I believe.
S.
Revelation chapter 2, Revelation chapter 2 and verse 25.
But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And then in chapter 3 and verse 11, behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Now what is it that we've been given that we're to hold fast to? It's the precious truth of God. It's the word that we hold in our hands and those things that have been ministered to us from the Word of God, and we're to hold them fast and to hold fast to something.
Gives the thought of energy expended. You know, if you're doing some rock climbing like they have in the back of this gymnasium.
Or you're doing some gymnastics, you grip that bar, you grip those rocks and you hold them fast because you know what's going to happen if you don't.
00:50:01
If there isn't all your energy put into it to hold fast, you're going to fall, you're going to get injured, and so on. And brethren, we need to seek grace, to hold fast to the truth. The devil wants us just to give up a little bit, to just loosen our grip here and there. But Paul exhorts the Thessalonians, when they have proved all things, then they're to hold fast that which is good, and then abstain from all appearance of evil. But I'm gonna read this in Mr. Darby's translation because.
Perhaps a little broader thought. Hold aloof from every form of wickedness. And so we're to hold fast to that which is right, that which is good. But what are we to do with that which is not right, that which is not good, that which is not according to the leading of the Spirit of God? We're to, we're to set it aside. We're to stand aloof from it. We're not to get near it. We're not to touch it. Touch not, taste not, handle not.
Why is it so often we get entangled with things because we think we know our own heart and how far to go say, well, I, I can get maybe a stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon and you know, we've been there and there are barriers back from the edge and warnings not to go beyond that. But what would you think if I said, well, that's, that's too far back for me. I know how far I can go and still, still not fall. And so I climbed that barrier and I, I stand right on the edge and I go over. You say there were warnings. There were warnings to not to stand aloof from the rim.
Of the Grand Canyon. But I thought I knew how far I could go. And many a believer has got entangled in false doctrine, in moral evil, in ecclesiastical associations, because they thought they knew how far their hearts could go. God says take and hold fast to the good, but that which is wicked, don't even go near it. Stand completely aloof.
There's a, a helpful, uh, illustration of that brother with Samson, you know, in the end when, uh.
When, uh, he had laid his head in Delilah's lap and the Philistines came and his hair was shaved off, it says he went out.
To shake himself a as at other times, but he whisked not that the spirit of the Lord was departed from him. And you know when we go right to the the edge as it were, because we think we know how far we can go. We don't realize that something has changed. A moral change has come in. We're not the same person we were morally before we took that step to the edge. He wished not that the spirit of the Lord had departed from him. There was a moral change with Samson. Something had changed and he was completely unaware of it. And so when we think we're strong enough to go so far but not go over the edge.
And we take that step, we're morally a different person than we were before we took that step. And we no longer have the strength to to not go over the edge. We're different, we're changed. And he was changed and his eyes were put out and he ground corn for the Philistines in the House of the Philistines.
Speaks about Sampson, how that uh.
The Spirit of God began to move Samson just as a young person and.
And no doubt he responded to that movement of the Spirit of God and.
And in the next chapter we read about.
Under the control, the power of the Spirit of God, he was able to slay a lion and then he performed many amazing exploits for God. But under the power of the Spirit of God that came upon him. But you know, it tells us that the Spirit of God began to move him. And I'm thinking that here in this gym today, there is the Spirit of God working in some of these young.
People.
Young men and beginning to move and don't resist that, you know, don't quench that moving of the Spirit of God.
The Lord leaves you give out of Him or to pray or read scriptures. I think the best thing we can do is to do that.
Sometimes it's difficult because we think of the consequences and we wonder if we'll be able to do that, but you know.
The Spirit of God.
00:55:01
Disable.
To.
Help us.
Enablement is there.
I recall the first time asked to give the gospel.
And I was so.
You might say reluctant to do that, but a brother, he could see my reluctance and he said.
Wally won't be thinking about yourself. Think about the Lord. And it was a good word, you know, because we need to think about the Lord.
Verse 23 brings before us the important subject, large subject. Perhaps we couldn't cover all the aspects of it this morning, but sanctification is really separation from evil, holiness, delight in that which is good, and abhorrence of evil.
But the prayer of the apostle here, the very God of peace, sanctify you wholly. I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now sanctification is presented in two ways. I think we are all aware is a positional sanctification, absolute, uh, which we have in the Epistle to the Hebrews. We are sanctified.
Through the work of Christ once for all. There's no growth there, There's no progression in that sanctification. We are set as set apart for God, perfect, holy, blameless in the sight of God, by one offering. He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. But that's not the aspect of the apostle is bringing before us in our verse here. This is the practical side.
This is the progressive side.
Of, uh, of sanctification, uh, and we should be more sanctified from the world this year than we were last year. And how that comes about is not presented in this, uh, particular verse, but we know from other scriptures, it's through the word of God.
Uh, and occupation with, uh, Christ in the glory. But here you notice that spirit comes first and then soul and body because what we think about and pursue after as an object controls our lives.
We know that too well. And the apostle would bring before us the importance of the Spirit. What we, uh, what we are occupied with is going to, uh, affect our whole lives. But it was his desire that we might be separate spirit, soul and body.
Uh, from that which is a dishonouring to the Lord. And we have it all around us, do we not?
So the Lord pray too for the disciples. Sanctify them through Thy Word. Thy Word is truth, and the Psalm is set in the 119th Psalm by word. Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee? And so if we're going to walk in practical sanctification through this world, one of the keys is to have the Word of God before us at all times. It has a sanctifying, cleansing effect. And I suppose too, that's why in connection with the Spirit being first, as John said here.
Our spirit, it says in Colossians, if you notice your margin and it's a better rendering, it says that we're to set our mind on things above because if we set our mind on things above where Christ sits and our minds are full of Christ and occupied with him, it's going to take care of those things that are soulish. The soul is the seed of the emotions. The spirit is the God conscious part of our being. We are a tripart being as we often say.
The Spirit is the God conscious part of our being. But then the soul is the seed of affections and emotions. And why is it so often our affections and emotions are directed in the wrong way? It's because we haven't set our mind on things above. It's because our mind does affect what affect our heart. So the order is very important. And if the mind is set on Christ, full of Christ, then.
01:00:04
These things that we take up.
As to the affections and emotions, and there are things that are soulless, they're not wrong in themselves, but they're going to be taken up in the proper balance and perspective. Eat so much honey is as good for the honey speaks of those things that are natural, natural sweetness. And it's good to eat a little honey. Jonathan took a little honey and his eyes were enlightened. But if that is in perspective, then the body is going to be preserved. But so often the body is not preserved. So often the body falls into that which leaves a mark on it, moral evil and so on and other things.
The way of the transgressors hard and the body can often suffer because of it. But what is why is it so often we our bodies are abused or there's a mark of moral evil left for the rest of our lives and so on? It's because we haven't followed the order here, the Spirit first. Are our minds really set on Christ? Are they full of Christ? If they are, then yes, there are those natural things that they'll be in the proper balance and perspective.
And in the proper, within the safeguard of the relationships that God has instituted for the blessing of man on the earth. And then our bodies will be preserved. And so Paul's prayer and desire for these Thessalonians while they waited for the Lord to come, was that they would be preserved spirit, soul, and body in the three parts of their being.
Interesting to see our part and God's part set, uh, against each other. That is, we were exhorted to be judicial proof all things and hold fast what's good and hold aloof from what's not good.
Well then, that's our part. But then.
If we just leave it there, we're in bad shape. Uh, it's really the Lord that preserves us.
So we have our our responsibility to.
Umm, be holy, we might say, but it's the Lord that actually preserves us. So he praised that we might be preserved under the blameless, under the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and adds that faithful as he that calls you, who also will do it, Not only is he able, but he will do it.
Stop.
He's the God of, of peace that's gonna stand by us, will sanctify us, able to sanctify us. And peace is a nature that's satisfying. Umm, just think of it like a dog in the front porch there in his blanket in the sun. He just, everything he wants is right there just stretched out and he soaking it in. And we have a new nature that, uh, God alone can satisfy and he can satisfy it and fill us with all that it longs for and desires.
We have an old nature too, that, uh, has the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, and seeks to satisfy itself and cannot, no matter how much it gets to this world, it cannot satisfy itself. And soon it dawns on us that we have no power to satisfy what the flesh longs after. And it just is this endless agitation of desiring and desiring and never being happy because we can never be satisfied.
That's the opposite of peace. But we have a new nature that, uh, is given to us of God and, ha, having its proper object, Christ set before it is satisfying. And God fills us with good things. And that new nature we have then finds its rest and satisfaction. And there's no lack of anything, so to speak. There's a contentment of peace. That's peace and nature.
Satisfied.
And not only that, that object that God sets before that new nature, Christ.
Forms that new nature to his own image, He. He gives us what we need to be satisfied. He gives us what forms us and conforms us to that which he desires. And there's peace, a nature satisfied. But the old nature never will be and will never be at peace. There is no peace, There is no rest for the wicked, saith my God. Some years ago the question was asked to John D Rockefeller.
01:05:11
What is satisfaction?
And he gave a very short answer, a little bit more.
Than that.
Well, it's interesting, isn't it, that Paul praised this for the brethren in Thessalonica, doesn't pray that they'll get a good job or get their grades or whatever it might be, but he prays that they might be preserved in this way. Not that Paul wasn't concerned in the practical things of his brethren too, but his desire, really there was a desire that superseded the practical everyday, as someone said, the lost button type of prayer, and that was that they would be preserved in this way. But isn't it interesting that as soon as he has prayed this.
He turns around and says, Brethren, pray for us.
Did Paul need their prayers in this regard too? The Thessalonians might have looked at Paul and said, well, he's arrived.
The great apostle Paul, he's arrived. No, Paul said. We need your prayers just as much as we're praying this for you.
And I just want to say this to those who are younger. Perhaps sometimes you look at your older brothers and sisters and you feel like they've arrived. They, they don't, they don't need the exhortation or the prayer anymore. None of us have arrived, no matter where we are in our Christian pathway, whether we're children, young people, middle age, raising families a little further along in the path of faith and service. We need to pray for one another in this regard.
Sometimes we pray for our young people. You know, it's always encouraging when a young person comes to me and says, Mr. Hyland, I'm praying for you. I know you're going through some circumstance or you're going somewhere and I'm praying for you. You know, that does my heart good, nice to for the older ones to pray for our younger ones. But I think it's beautiful. And we who are a little older, we need the prayers of our younger brethren that we would be preserved in this way because there's always the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.
And the pride of life, I suppose those three things affect us at different times in our lives generally, But I think too that we can be affected by all three at any time in our lives. So Paul, yes, Paul, the apostle Paul, he desired the prayers of his brethren. Then I know our time is gone. But just to these last few verses, greet all the brethren within. Holy kiss. Well, brother and I, I know we don't do that so much in our society, but.
The kiss has always been, in Scripture, the sign of affection. Do we greet one another warmly and affectionately?
You go to different parts of the world. There's different ways that brethren perhaps carry this out, greet one another in an affectionate way. But whatever it is in our society, there needs to be that greeting one another in a in with affection. Then he says, I charge the Lord that the epistle be read to all the holy brethren. This wasn't just for some, this wasn't just for certain ones. This these exhortations were necessary for all and they're necessary for all our hearts, aren't they? And then he says the grace.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. So characteristic, isn't it, of Paul to end his epistles with this commendation of grace? Because as he takes up the truth, various aspects of the truth in each of his epistles, as there are the exhortations that go with the aspect of truth and doctrine that's brought out in each epistle, then at the end of the epistle the Spirit of God realizes that if there is going to be.
In any measure, a taking in a holding fast and a walking, in the practical good of the truth of the Epistle, it's only the grace of God. And brethren, it is only the grace of God that preserves us. Have we been brought along in some measure, preserved in some measure, spirit, soul, and body, up until this moment? We can only look back and count it as the grace of God, of all we received, of His fullness and grace upon grace.
It's for the that grace is available to everyone of God's people. Do we need more grace? He gives more grace. Is that all we need? My grace is sufficient for thee. So glorious. What comes at the end when the Lord comes. But grace is what meets our present need. And David said, I think it's the 84th Psalm. The Lord will give two things, grace and glory. Again, glory is what we're waiting for.
01:10:07
But in the mean time, as we wait for the glory, we need that grace. And so at the end of each of most of his epistles, I believe, if not all but maybe Hebrews, he speaks in some way of the grace of God as that preserving factor.
Oh umm.
It will be more than 11.
Right on my heart.
Uh, 5:00 most precious time sleep.
I fell on the train and go.
Phone number please. I'm all the heads up. And then I said I'm all.
6:00.
Uh.
And ourselves, our loving God and Father, we thank you for encouraging him that we have sung together and the prayer connected with it and the last verse that we have sung.
We think of the short expectations given to us in this chapter. We pray, too, that we might not just give lip service to that which we have spoken about this morning, that we may truly allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives and to work in the assembly too. We've heard this morning about breathing the Spirit and quenching the Spirit, and I believe.
Blessed Savior, there is much for us to reflect upon in this regard this morning. We just thank C2 for the fact that we can rejoice in our circumstances. We thank you for that joy that we have in Christ. We think of the encouraging scenario that we have read about this morning that we weeping may in endure for a period of time, but the fact that joy shall come in the morning.
01:15:20
We thank thee too, that we can pray for one another.
We think of the words of that hymn. I need the prayers of those. Certainly we need to pray for one another on a regular basis. And we thank you too for the hope of Thy coming and Thy grace which has been given to us to sustain us on our.
7 Examples of Prayer in Life of Lord Jesus
Address—Jim Hyland
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.
Let's begin the meeting this afternoon with 230.
Oh Lord, when we the path retrace, which thou on earth has trod to man thy wondrous love and grace, thy faithfulness to God, we wonder at thy lowly mind and Fain would like thee be, and all our rest and pleasure find in learning. Lord of thee, let's stand up to sing this. 230 And if someone could please start it.
Oh Lord, one word.
No, I said all night when it was gone.
Now that's why father's name.
Sounds like.
Uh, I don't. Yeah. Yeah. Well, good. And what?
25934 I like that. All good. And your husband?
And I brought up.
Maybe one?
Day.
And.
All of our friends and employees to our divide by yes, yes.
Let's ask God's help our blessed God and Father. We're so very thankful this afternoon for the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom we've just been singing. And we thank Thee that that one hasted through this world in the path of faith and service, went to Calvary's cross, and offered Himself without spot to Thee. We're thankful too, that that Blessed One is risen, ascended, and seated at Thy right hand as that object for faith as we pass through this wilderness world.
00:05:23
And now we're thankful for this happy day together with Thy word before us, and as we are about to open it again, our God and Father. We pray that Christ might be ministered to us in the power of the Spirit, that there might be that which would encourage we think of this meeting being scheduled as a young people's meeting and our God. We pray that there might be a special portion for those who are younger, those who are starting out on the path of faith, but for all of us too, we pray that Christ might be ministered to us.
And that he might become more real and precious to our hearts, that we might press on in the path of faith. So we ask thy help and blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.
By way of introduction to the subject that I have on my heart this afternoon, I'd like to read a verse in First Peter Chapter 2.
First Peter chapter 2 and verse 21.
For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us.
Leaving us an example that we should follow his steps before I comment on this verse, let's go to the book of Luke, Luke chapter 3.
Luke, chapter 3 and verse 21.
And when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying that heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, And a voice came from heaven which said, Thou art my beloved Son in thee I am well pleased. Well, I have it on my heart this afternoon to take up some instances in Luke's gospel where we have the Lord Jesus in prayer.
We're going to notice 7 instances in Luke's Gospel where you have the Lord Jesus as the dependent man.
But I read the verse in First Peter to begin with, because this really introduces us to go back to the Gospels and to take up the life of the Lord Jesus in the various aspects and ways in which it is presented to us in the four different Gospels. Because one of the reasons why the Lord Jesus spent so much time here in this world before taking up the work of eternal redemption.
Was, as we have read here, to leave us an example that we should follow in his steps. And it's important young people to go back and read the Gospels. In fact, I've sometimes mentioned that an older brother who served the Lord for many years, he's with the Lord now. But he was asked one time, what was your secret in taking up and studying the word of God. He said, I made it the habit of my life every day to read something in the gospel.
No matter where else he was reading or studying in God's Word, he always went back and read something from the life of the Lord Jesus. I thought that was a good exercise because there we get the perfect example. For you and for me. It's wonderful to go to the Old Testament and to other portions and see those examples of men and women, young people, boys and girls who lived for the Lord at various times in the history of God's people.
But I believe it's wonderful too, to be able to go to the gospel, to the different Gospels, and to see the perfect example of the Lord Jesus. And with that in mind, as I say, I'd like to take up, beginning with the portion in Luke 3, seven times that we have the Lord Jesus in prayer in Luke. Now I want to make it very clear that these are not an this is not an exhaustive list of times when the Lord Jesus prayed.
If we were to go to some of the other gospels, there are other examples other times when the Lord Jesus prayed.
But the Spirit of God I believe in, Luke's Gospel has chosen very carefully 7 examples to give us.
00:10:04
Seven times in connection with the presentation of Luke's ministry as the Lord Jesus, as the dependent man. Perhaps before I comment more specifically, I might just say, and it's often been mentioned, but it's helpful. In the four gospels we have the Lord Jesus presented in four different ways, and one gospel in no way counteracts the other gospel. No these ways that He's presented to us.
Are very beautiful in themselves and they never conflict one with another.
It's been pointed out that in Matthew's Gospel we have the Lord Jesus, most particularly presented as the King or the Jewish Messiah. And there are things in Matthews Gospel that are unique to that gospel that you don't get anywhere else. For instance, you get the wise men that came from the east and worshiped him who was born King of the Jews. You don't get that in any other gospel but in Matthew's Gospel. In Mark's Gospel, we have the Lord Jesus presented.
As the perfect servant. And something that's unique to Mark's gospel is that the spirit of God uses over and over and over again, words like forthwith and Anon and straightway and immediately as the Lord Jesus goes from one busy activity and service to another. So much time that they had that service that they didn't even, it says, have time to eat. There's no genealogy in Mark's gospel because it wasn't relevant to a servant in Bible times.
To be able to declare His genealogy to Passover to John's Gospel, we have the Lord Jesus, presented as the Son of God and the eternal Word. And again, there are things that are unique to that gospel. But in Luke's gospel he's presented as the perfect, dependent man. And so we have these times when He prays and will notice them as we go along. What we find here, where we began in the third chapter.
That it's in connection with his baptism. John the Baptist had been preaching the Kingdom of God and the baptism of repentance, and there was a little remnant in Israel.
That were confessing their sins at this time and coming to John for the baptism of repentance. And the Lord Jesus in identifying with that little company in Israel, he comes to the banks of Jordan and he's baptized by John the Baptist. Now I want to make it very clear, the Lord Jesus of course had no sins of his own that he needed to confess far far be the thought He did no sin. He knew no sin.
In him was number sin. He was wholly harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.
And so we might well raise the question, why did the Lord Jesus come and be baptized of John the Baptist? Well, baptism always identifies us, and he identified with this little godly company.
In Israel that were coming for the baptism of repentance, and it's the only gospel of the three that you have his baptism in three of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. And it's the only gospel where he's mentioned as praying, you see because again, he's presented here as the dependent man. He's he's presented as the perfect man. And if I can put it this way, the essence of a perfect man is dependence because young people, that's really as was said this morning.
What prayer is. Prayer is the expression of dependence and confidence. When I pray, I'm really saying that I have no power in myself for the situation. I'm expressing that I can't handle this situation, but I'm also expressing confidence that there's one who's able for the situation. And there is. And so we find, again as an example for you and for me, the Lord Jesus as the perfect dependent man.
He's praying here. Now we find here that the heavens open up.
On this occasion, and you know, if I can again put it this way, heaven opened up here because the Lord Jesus prayed. You know, we pray because heaven is opened. Heaven is open to our prayers, To this afternoon, we can come to the throne of grace at any moment, and it doesn't matter if it's day or night. Heaven is open and there's a line there to the throne of grace and to the ear of God. And so he prayed and the heavens opened, and three remarkable things are brought together here.
00:15:06
We find that first of all, the sun had become tangible. You know the Lord Jesus had come in incarnation.
Here was the creator of the universe walking on this planet as the dependent man. He'd come in incarnation, and the dictionary will tell you that incarnation is Christ coming human form. What else could it be? There's no one else has ever come into this world in that way. And so the sun had become tangible. Here he was coming up out of the waters of baptism, a man. And what else happens? For a moment, the spirit of God becomes visible.
You know there are two times in the New Testament when the Spirit of God for a moment becomes visible. The other time is on the day of Pentecost, in the form of cloven tongues of fire, when the church was formed. But here for a moment the Spirit of God becomes visible in the bodily form of a dove, to mark out this blessed one, lest there was any doubt in the minds of those that looked on on this occasion as to who this was.
The Anointed One, the Christ, the Son of God. Lest there was any doubt, the Spirit of God comes upon him in the bodily form of a dove. It says in the prophetically in Isaiah the Spirit of God the Lord is upon me free, hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And later on the Lord Jesus read in that very portion before his public ministry began. And so the sun has become tangible, the Spirit of God visible.
And the Father becomes audible, a voice declares from the open heaven. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. What a remarkable thing, but we might say, what do we really learn from the Lord Jesus praying on this this occasion? Well, I suggest that one of the things we learn in a practical way for our lives is that the more we are independence and prayer, the more we are going to enter into the position that we have by grace.
Now don't misunderstand me. The Lord Jesus as the Son of God, as the voice declared here, it's a special place that the Lord Jesus as the only begotten of the Father, occupies and will occupy for all eternity. No one else will ever fill that place as the only begotten Son of the Father. But you and I, by grace, have been brought in as the sons and daughters of God.
And how are we going to appreciate and enjoy this position as the sons and daughters of God? I believe it is in the measure in which you and I spend that time in His presence, in prayer and in and independence. And so this is the first time we have the Lord Jesus in Luke's gospel as the dependent man, you know in his pathway. Here He poured out his prayers as we get in the book of Hebrews, with crying and strong tears.
He was the man of sorrows, as we mentioned this morning, but he was also that dependent man, so often in prayer. Now let's go on to the fifth chapter.
Chapter 5 and verse 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. Well, now we find the Lord Jesus has gone on in his public service, and we find that there have been a number healed and blessed between his baptism at the banks of the Jordan and this portion that we read. And here we find that in the midst of his busy service, the Lord Jesus again as the dependent man and as the perfect example for you and for me.
He withdraws himself from his busy service, and he spends some time in prayer before his God.
And I suggest that the practical one of the practical lessons we learned from this is that we need in our service for Christ to withdraw ourselves time and time again and spend time in prayer. Because no matter how young or old we are here this afternoon, we all have a path of service for God, you and I, each one of us. The path He has for me is not the path He has for you, but there is a path of service.
This is just a little aside from our talk, but I might say in that regard, young people, we don't need to get up in the morning and pray and ask the Lord for opportunities to serve him during the day. What we need to do is get up in the morning and pray that we will be in such a state of soul and a watchfulness that we will avail ourselves of the opportunities as they arise, redeeming the time because the days are evil, or buying up every opportunity and whether you go to school.
00:20:26
Whether you go to work or whatever you do during the day, there's I suggest there are no shortage of opportunities. And so for the Lord Jesus, as he saw the misery of humanity, as he saw the conditions that sin had brought into this world, there were no shortage of opportunities for service. But he takes the time as the dependent man to withdraw himself for prayer, and so we need to spend those times.
I know sometimes there's a lot of things that seem to need to be done, but if you and I don't, do not have time at the end of the day.
Or have not taken the time to spend time in prayer and time with the word of God before us. We have been busier in our service for Christ than God ever intended any individual to be. Martin Luther said, I have so much work to do for the Lord. I dare not spend less than three hours a day in prayer. No wonder he was a man in the days of the Reformers that was used mightily of God.
And when you read the stories of missionaries of past ages and missionaries today?
Don't you marvel sometimes at the power that they had in their service, the blessing that resulted from them going out with the gospel of the truth, the way God provided for them sometimes delivered them in miraculous ways from their enemies. And you close the book and you say, wow, it would be wonderful to experience the power and blessing of God in that way. But look at their lives closely. They were men and women who were characterized by prayer.
And all through the word of God, we have those examples of men and women and young people, even boys and girls who were characterized by prayer, spent much time in prayer. Because it's been often said, prayer is the powerhouse of the Christian life. It is our powerhouse. In the measure in which we spend time in prayer, there will be power and blessing in our service for God. I remember one time.
They and I were visiting in a foreign country and we had a.
Quite a tight itinerary of different appointments here and there, a prison and a school and another institution and a meeting in the evening. But you know, I appreciated the sister who drove us around from one place to another, she kept saying to me. Remember, Jim, as we go to these places and present the word, the more prayer, the more blessing. The more prayer, the more blessing. And so it can't be otherwise. I suggest, too, that there's another reason why the Spirit of God has inserted this little verse here.
Of the Lord Jesus withdrawing himself for prayer, and that is that. It's a safeguard against pride. Now, brethren, again, young people, again, don't misunderstand me. There was nothing in the Lord Jesus that would bring up any pride in his heart. Remember again, he was wholly harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. But it is an example for you and for me. And the reason I say that is if we were to back up in the previous chapter.
And then in the 15th verse of this chapter we would find that between his baptism and this verse we read, there are three times it tells us that his fame went out abroad as he healed, as he blessed his fame went out. And so as an example for us, he withdraws himself into the presence of God his Father for a few moments of prayer. And so you, for you and for me.
If God uses us in any way, we have the flesh still.
And there's that danger of pride welling up. You do something and someone recognizes it. They pat you on the back. And I'm not saying there aren't times when we need to commend and praise. Let another man praise thee, not thine own lips. And so there's times when we do commend one another for certain things. If our children do something well, why we commend them? We praise them. But there's always that danger of pride welling up in our hearts. Maybe we see some fruit for from some service we did for the Lord.
And we get feeling that we've done something. We get feeling that the feeling that we were pretty good in carrying that out, and the Lord has used it.
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But, you know, if we get into the presence of the Lord, if we withdraw from our service and get into the presence of the Lord, there's no room for pride in his presence. Why? When we get into His presence, we realize that if there was anything done for him, it was he that worked in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And that if there was any fruit as a result of what we did, why it was all his work. It's God that gives the increase. Oh, he delights to use us. He wants to use you.
You know, I look into the faces of young people here. You've got a lot more energy than I do, you know, in every decade of my life, I realize my energy is beginning to wane a little bit. I can perhaps keep up the same pace, but I've got to push a little bit harder. And there are Times Now when I just have to say I can't go that far. But you young people, you're in the prime of life. You have your whole life ahead of you. If the Lord leaves us here and don't wait until you're older to serve the Lord, don't wait. He's got a service for you.
Even Samuel as a child, it says he ministered before the Lord. He had a ministry to do for the Lord and so many examples of young people. But remember this, as I say, the Lord Jesus has left this perfect example for us, that in your busy service always take those times to withdraw yourself. And he withdrew himself into a wilderness and prayed A wilderness would speak of a place of being alone. And I want to encourage you get along with the Lord. Spend those times alone. Thou when thou prayest, enter into thy closet.
And when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. But now let's go on to the next example. It's in the 6th chapter.
Chapter 6 and verse 12. And it came to pass in those days that he went up into a mountain to pray.
And continued all night in prayer. Well, here we have again the Lord Jesus and this time he prays all night in prayer. Before we set the context of this verse and why he spent all night in prayer, I just say that often in the Gospels, particularly in Matthew's Gospel, you find the Lord Jesus goes up on a mountain. A mountain would speak to us in Scripture of a place of separation.
And you know, sometimes perhaps we pray and we say, well, the Lord didn't answer my prayer or my prayer seemed to be hindered.
Well, you know, there are a number of reasons in Scripture why our prayers aren't answered, or at least answered in the way that we had expected.
One is that sometimes we ask amiss. Sometimes we don't pray according to the Lord's will. But, you know, sometimes it's because we're not walking in a path of separation from this world. Sometimes we're going on with things that hinder our prayer life. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. If I'm going on with something in my life that isn't according to the word of God, how can I expect there to be power in my prayer, in my prayer life?
Not only that, but if we're going on with something careless in our lives, we're not going to spend the time in prayer. One reason being that we're not going to feel comfortable in his presence. You know, if you have a friend and you spend time with that friend, you go to them. You have a need, a request. You say I can go to that friend, and that friend always gives me an ear, always willing to help me. But then, you know, something comes between you and that friend. Some little disagreement, some difference. You say I just can't go to that friend like I used to. Something has come between us.
And you're just not walking in harmony together. Well, if that's happened between you and the Lord, I want to encourage you to get before him, confess it and have it out, and have that open line and that communion restored so that you can turn to him in any moment. So we find the Lord Jesus. He goes up on the mountain here, a place of separation, and he goes up to pray, and he continues all night in prayer. Now I want to take this up in connection with our example.
In the Lord Jesus of praying in regard to choosing our associates, those that we are closest to as we walk through this world. The reason I say that is because if we were to go on in the subsequent verses, we find that when morning comes, he calls His disciples to Him and He chooses the 12 apostles, those who were going to be closest to Him during His public ministry.
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And I just throw this out to exercise my own soul as well as yours. How much time do we really spend in prayer in connection with our associates? You know, there are only two examples in Scripture of men that I can think of that spent all night in prayer. One is the Lord Jesus here. The other was Samuel. You remember when the people of God had chosen King Saul and sin had come in as a result?
And it says Samuel cried all night to the Lord. You know, I've never been that burdened for the condition of things amongst the people of God. Maybe if we were more burdened for the condition of things amongst the people of God and prayed all night for our brethren, maybe it would make a difference. But Samuel cried all night on behalf of his brethren to the to the Lord. And here the Lord Jesus, as the perfect example, spent all night in prayer before he chose those who were closest to him.
Again, I've never spent all night in prayer over some association or some choice that I had to make in my life.
But you know, some of you young people are at a crossroads. Maybe connection with school, a career, a profession, a trade, whatever it might be. How much time did you spend in prayer? How much time do you spend in prayer Seeking the Lord's mind in that regard, What about our friends, those that we've associate with on a regular basis? How much time do we spend in prayer? Sometimes at conferences like this, we see associations forming relationships between a young man and a young woman.
And that's a very wonderful thing. How much time have you spent in prayer before you have before you make that choice, some of you maybe are anticipating marriage. How much time have you spent in prayer regarding the one that you're seeking to choose as your life, as your life's partner? What about those we associate with in fellowship? Uh, as far as remembering the Lord, how much time have we spent in prayer before the Lord? You know there's a path of faith for us individually.
But collectively as well. And have we spent time in prayer seeking the Lord's mind in this regard? Sometimes I'm afraid we make choices and in this regard, and we don't spend a great deal of time in prayer. You know, Peter and John, it says of them that being let go, they went to their own company. Because God has a company of believers that He would have us to be associated with, where we can sit down in His presence, where we can not only remember Him in the breaking of bread.
But where we can sit down at his table to partake of the Lord's Supper. You know, I've often thought of Peter there in the 4th of Acts, when they let them go after they had told them not to preach in the name of Jesus.
And they went to their own company. You know, there was a time, not very, very far back, where Peter had associated with another company. He wasn't walking independence. And he had associated with another company around a fire. And his association there had caused him to deny the Lord three times with oaths and curses. But he had learned the lesson, hadn't he? And independence. He and John, they went to their own company. And so the Lord Jesus has left us this wonderful example. Did the Lord Jesus know?
Who he was going to choose before he chose the 12 Of course he did. But he spent all night in prayer here in Luke as the dependent man and as an example again for you and for me. Now let's go on to the 9th chapter.
Chapter 9 and verse 18 And it came to pass as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him, and he asked them saying, whom say, say the people that I am they answering, said John the Baptist. But some say Elias, and others say that one of the old prophets is risen again.
He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, the Christ of God. Well, here we have the Lord Jesus praying again. And here he was alone praying, and his disciples were with him.
Not an interesting expression. He was alone praying, but his disciples were with him. You ever felt alone in a crowd? Sometimes I felt alone in a crowd. You ever feel alone in your exercise before God? Maybe you're with the other young people, maybe you're with your brethren, but you just kind of felt alone. You said, well, I had an exercise about something and just seemed like nobody else had the same exercise. You know, the Lord Jesus had chosen these 12 to be closest to him in his public ministry.
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But sometimes, even in the presence of those who were closest to him and who should have entered in more and understood his exercises, sometimes even in their company, he felt alone. But where did he turn when he felt alone As a man? He turned to his God in prayer. Because, you know, we're never alone. Maybe sometimes you feel alone. And I know there's nothing worse than the feeling of loneliness, but there's always one who's with you. The Lord is at hand. He's right there beside you. He's a present. Help.
In in trouble, lo, I am with you always, even under the end of the age. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. And so we find He's alone, praying. And then he asks them this question. Whom, say the people that I am, they give some answers. And then he says, but what do you say? Who do you say I am? And Peter gives this wonderful testimony, this wonderful acknowledgement of who the Lord Jesus is by faith. And I suggest that the practical lesson we learn here is.
That you and I will only be able to give testimony in acknowledging His testimony to who He is, as we acknowledge His claims over us. Do you want to have an understanding of who the Lord Jesus really is? You've got to spend time in His presence and acknowledge His claims because that's what another thing that prayer does. Prayer acknowledges the claims of the Lord Jesus over us. You know, young people were not our own.
We're bought with the price. Do we realize that He has every right and claim over us? We'll only realize that again in the measure in which we walk in His presence, spend time in prayer, and acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in our lives. Whose authority do we really acknowledge in our lives? I ask that to my own soul. When we were growing up, we used to sing that hymn Lord of my life.
I crown thee now thine shall the glory be. We sing hymn in the little flock, rain thou within our hearts alone and in the measure in which we do that, and walk in under his authority, owning his claims, I say, will understand who the Lord Jesus really is. Who is he? Why, he's the very Christ of God. He's the Son of God. Yes, we have him walking here in Luke as the perfect dependent man, but he was indeed.
The Son of God and Peter makes this wonderful acknowledgement.
But there's another incident in this same chapter, just dropped down to verse 28.
And it came to pass about an 8 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. Well, I believe we learned here this is the the mount of Transfiguration.
And I believe here that we learn from this example of the Lord Jesus praying.
That in the measure in which you and I again are walking independence and prayer, there will be a reflection of the glories of Christ in your life and mine. Here, as he prayed his it says that his countenance was was altered. What's going to cause you and me to reflect something of Christ in our lives? It's the measure in which we walk in His presence, occupied with Himself.
And the measure in which we walk, independence and prayer, how are we going to be transformed? By the renewing of our mind? It's to be occupied with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we get that really, in Second Corinthians chapter three, we all be holding us in a glass. The glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. And what that verse is very simply saying is in the measure in which you and I are occupied with Christ today.
There will be some reflection of Christ in your life and mind, we often point out. But it's seen in the life of Moses, isn't it? You remember that when Moses went up on the mount to receive the commandments, that when he came down his face so Shawn, that the children of Israel could not look on his face, he had to veil his face. For you and for me. The veil has been removed. We look full in his wonderful face.
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We can look right up into heaven by faith and look into the face of the Lord Jesus. But the point I want to make in connection with Moses is that it says when his face shone, he wist not that his face shone. It was the unconscious reaction of being in the presence of God on the mount, and I believe there will be an unconscious reflection in your life and mind of the glories and beauties of Christ.
In the measure in which we are occupied with him now, now it's true. In the coming day we're going to reflect fully the glories of Christ. When we see him. We're going to see him as he is a glorified man, not as he was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief walking here in this world. We're going to see him as a glorified man, and we are going to be like him, for we shall see him as he he is, and when heaven opens up to reveal the Lord Jesus coming back in a future day.
To set up his Kingdom, we're going to come with them. And it says in Thessalonians he's coming to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that are about him in that day.
And that thrilling to think of when heaven opens up to reveal the Lord Jesus and his heavenly company coming with him, Every believer is going to be a perfect reflection of Christ.
What a day that's going to be. Maybe if we Christ isn't always reflected in my life the way it ought to be now.
There's things come between now, but it throws my soul to think that there's a day coming.
When I, I, and every other St. is going to reflect fully the glories of Christ, but He wants us to give that testimony now.
Because young people, I believe it's a very serious thing to consider that all this world is going to see of Christ today is what is manifested in your life and mine. I want you to really think about that, and especially in a day in which we live, and here in North America where they've closed the pages of God's Word, they don't want the light of God's word. What are they going to see of Christ? It's what I say is reflected in your life and mine.
We're epistles, known and read of all men. And when you go back to school, Oregon work, Oregon, to your neighborhood next week, what is the Are those that look on going to see of Christ? Are they going to see something even without you speaking the word? Even without you saying something? Not that what we say isn't important, but we need to show Christ in our lives, and I say we will. Not by trying to generate a testimony within ourselves, but by simply being occupied with Christ, the beauties and glories of His personnel. And then there will be.
That reflection of Christ in our lives. And so we have here as the perfect example the ability to represent him here in this world, in the measure in which we walk, independence and prayer. Now let's go to the 11Th chapter.
Chapter 11 And verse one. And it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place. When he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in heaven, so in earth as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day Our Daily Bread and forgive us our sins. For we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Well, here we find the Lord Jesus praying, and He's praying in a certain place. I want to notice that. And I want to encourage you to find a certain place where you can get along with the Lord and pray.
The Lord Jesus. Often as the man of prayer, he resorted to a certain place. A place where perhaps he could be alone with his God and uninterrupted. And I want to encourage you to do that. Maybe you share a room with a sibling, maybe it isn't. There isn't always a quiet spot you can find, but find somewhere where you can slip away and get along with the Lord. You'll be repaid. And so the Lord Jesus, He prayed in a certain place.
You know prayer takes discipline. And you'll find if there's a certain place where when you enter that place, you're there for that purpose, it will help you in your prayer life. You know prayer is not easy. Prayer is hard work because the minute you seek to pray, spend time in prayer, the enemy, the devil, is going to be right there to bring in every kind of distraction and thought and activity. And so he doesn't want you to walk independence and spend time within the presence of the Lord. And so you need to have a certain place.
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And as he ceases, His disciples say, teach us to pray.
They had seen on a number of occasions the perfect example of the Lord Jesus, and now they wanted to enter into this blessed privilege as well. You know, I'm thankful for those I have known in my life who have been wonderful examples of men and women of prayer. They've been examples to me and encouraged me in my prayer life. And I'm sure you can think of examples too. What we find here that the Lord Jesus then gives them a pattern prayer.
Now I know this prayer is often referred to as the Lord's Prayer, but it's really not the Lord's Prayer.
It's not the expressions of the Lord Jesus really. He's teaching his disciples to pray. The Lord's prayer is perhaps better mentioned in connection with the 17th chapter of John where the Lord at the end of his pathway and the end of the upper room ministry lifts up his eyes to heaven and he prays and we have the innermost expressions and breathings of his soul to his Father before he goes to the cross. But this might be better mentioned as the disciples prayer now. It was a prayer that was suited to their condition of things at the time.
I say that because they were still at this time under the Jewish order of things. And you notice that he doesn't teach them here to pray in his name, because they still had and would have for some time yet the Lord Jesus with them. When the Lord Jesus was here, the disciples never prayed in the name of the Lord Jesus. They went directly to the Lord Jesus to make requests. Later on in the upper room, the Lord Jesus directs them in anticipation of his departure from this world.
That the day was coming when they would address God their Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus.
He was not going to be with them the way he had been during his public ministry, but he says, I want you now to come directly to God the Father.
And make requests in my name, because making requests in his name qualifies what we ask for. If we ask for something in somebody's name, we're careful what we ask for and that our requests are in keeping with the character of the name in which we make that request. And so we find that he gives them this prayer suited to their condition at the time. But you know, while we don't perhaps pray this prayer as such, and let me just say this.
I'm thankful. I know it's been taken out of the schools for the most part, but you know, I'm thankful for anywhere where this prayer is recited because it is some recognition of God and the Lord Jesus. But we don't intelligently repeat this prayer because what the Lord really wants is prayer from the heart. He wants spontaneous prayer. But you know, I think there are some good things to consider in this prayer as a pattern or an outline for you and for me. Not just vain repetition, but a pattern.
Because he teaches them here to pray to the Father. If you notice Mr. Darby's translation, which art in heaven, he isn't in, and he leaves that out. And you know if we can come and we can pray to our Father just as if he's right there, We don't have to put him at a distance as being in heaven. But we find here that he teaches them not only to come to the Father, but to come in reverence. Hallowed be thy name. And you know, young people, when we pray, whether it's to the Father or to the Lord directly, we always want to remember.
Who were addressing? I realized there's no special language in Scripture for prayer except that which denotes reverence. We always want to come with reverence. You know, it's interesting too that the Lord Jesus, while he teaches the disciples to pray here, and while he prayed many times himself, and while he prayed for the disciples on occasion, he never prayed with the disciples and he never asked the disciples to pray for him.
He was a part in that way. He prayed for the disciples. He taught the disciples to pray. But I say again, he never prayed with the disciples, and he never asked the disciples to pray for him, never solicited their prayers. And so we have reverence. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done. Now we don't pray that perhaps we're praying more in the language of Amen, Even. So come, Lord Jesus, we're looking for the rapture. But you know, we are to love his appearing. We might not pray specifically for the Kingdom to come.
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But doesn't it throw our hearts to think that there is a Kingdom coming when the Lord Jesus will reign in righteousness here in this world? And so we're looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, and then give us this day Our Daily Bread. Isn't it good to look to Him for our daily needs sometimes in a country like this or a continent like this? We don't always express that dependence the way we should, but we ought to bow our heads and thank him before we partake of what we.
How what we eat? Because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. Well, it's true we don't pray for the forgiveness of sins, we have it. But you know when we do fail, when sin comes in, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous righteousness, and then lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
How good to pray that we would be preserved. We had that this morning how the apostle prayed for the Saints at Thessalonica, that they would be preserved spirit, soul and body. And then he said pray for us that we would be preserved as well. And so you can see it's a pattern prayer here that he gave the disciples. And there are some very good things to consider for you and for me when we pray as well and then we don't, we don't have time. But in the verses that are subsequent here in this chapter.
He gives the little story about the man who came to his friend at midnight and asked for three loaves for a guest that had come to his home and how he received what he asked for because he wouldn't give up. You know, I just say this, that sometimes I think we don't see the answers to prayer in our lives because we give up too easy. Not that we ever want to beg the Lord for something that isn't according to his mind, but again we noticed with the Lord Jesus, he continued in prayer.
And we're exhorted in Colossians and other places to continue in prayer and watch in the same. And the man he wanted something for the blessing of those that came under his roof. And his friend finally rose and gave him, not because he was his friend, but because he wouldn't give up asking. And maybe you're praying for something that's for the blessing of your family or some friends. Maybe you're praying for the salvation of a loved one. Don't give up because.
God's desire is to bless, and he may be testing you as to how sincere you are and whether you're going to continue in prayer. But now let's look at the last and 7th one in the 22nd chapter.
Chapter 22 and verse 41.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed. Well, we find this is in connection with the Lord Jesus and his agony in the garden. You know, his service was completed now, his path of faith and service. And he was about to now go to the cross and take up the work of eternal redemption. He was about to drink of the cup that his Father was going to give him. The hour was coming when he was going to come under the judgment of God.
And as he anticipates that hour, he bows his head in the Garden of Gethsemane and he prays in this way. It's interesting that the spirit of God records in loop that he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast. We might well wonder why the Spirit of God has inserted this little expression here in Luke. And I just want to make this simple suggestion. You know, the Jewish way of execution was by stoning if someone rebelled in the Old Testament.
Or sin. They were to be taken out and stoned, but the Lord Jesus was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast. He was not going to suffer death by stoning. No, he was going to suffer death, I realized He laid down his life. But I'm speaking from a human stand, from a natural stand of the standpoint of those who took him and led him away to put him to death. We find he was to suffer the death of the cross. He became obedient unto death.
Even the death of the cross, as it had been prophesied of him, because cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. And so he's withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and he's going to be not be stoned, but he's going to go to the cross. And as he anticipates this and all that it meant to his holy soul to anticipate being made sin, he vows in the garden. And he he prays, and he says.
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Notice verse 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.
Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. And I believe we have this at the end of Luke's Gospel, because no matter what aspect of prayer we take up, we always need to pray in the spirit of the Lord Jesus. Not my will, but thine be done, because I believe that that's really what's going to give us true peace and confidence in our prayer life, you say? I've prayed about something and it just seems like the Lord hasn't come in.
And worked it out the way I thought he would. But are we willing to like the Lord Jesus as the perfect man? Say not my will, but thine be done? Because young people and I know it's a hard concept when we're younger but.
The Lord Jesus is desiring the very best for us in our lives, and if he withholds something or turns us in another direction in the path of faith, it is the very best for us. Suppose we pray about something, and the Lord says it's not my will for you, but I'll let it happen. Oh, what would we say? Would we say yes, Lord, please let it happen the way I want it to happen? Or would we simply say not my will but thine be done?
The Lord Jesus. What was about to take place was not easy for the Lord Jesus. It was the hour of his greatest trial.
But he prays in this way, and there are great trials in our lives. If you cultivate a prayer life, if you cultivate the spirit of dependence and confidence in your life, I'm not going to stand here at the end of this meeting and tell you it'll all be easy. It wasn't easy for the Lord Jesus, but there was a perfect confidence. He could rise from the garden, and he could go forth in perfect confidence, knowing that he was accomplishing the Father's will. And as our brother read to us this morning.
That weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. He knew that there was a purpose for this, and there is a purpose for everything in your life and mine. I'd just like to, in closing back up to the 18th chapter for one closing verse.
As an encouragement and exhortation for everyone of us.
Chapter 18 And verse one. And he spake A parable unto them to this end.
Now this is the expression I want to press at the end of the meeting, that men ought always to pray and not faint. We had before us this morning, pray without ceasing and hear the Lord Jesus exhorts them to pray and not faint. Because as I said earlier, prayer is the powerhouse of our Christian lives. And if you and I think in our Christian pathway, if we get discouraged in our Christian pathway.
It's not because the resources weren't there available. You know when you have the armor of God in the end of Ephesians.
We find there that as after he has enumerated the different pieces of the armor, he then speaks of praying always with all prayer and supplication. Prayer is not a piece of the armor, it's the spirit and attitude in which we take up the resources that God has provided for us in Christ and utilized them to stand against the enemy. Do you want to stand against the enemy in an evil day? You've got to be a young person of prayer.
We have to be men and women of prayer and don't think it gets any easier as you get older. It gets perhaps even more difficult as the enemy attacks in one way or another. But all the resource sources are there. Men not always, not just sometimes, but men not always, to pray and not faint. Let's pray our God and Father how thankful we are for these precious examples of the Lord Jesus given to us in this gospel of the the man of perfect dependence.
And so we pray that these things might come home to each of our souls, that there might indeed be power and fruit in our Christian pathway. We ask thy blessing on thy word in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Our Manifestation With Christ in Coming Glory
Beams and Motes in Our Eyes
Confidence Under Any Circumstance
Remember
Gospel—John Kemp
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Well, we welcome everyone to the Gospel meeting tonight. What a privilege it is to, uh, be able to announce the glad tidings of God's grace once more.
To everyone here, if there's any, uh.
Visitors, we are glad to have you here under the sound of God's Word. We're going to, uh, open our meeting by singing #15 in your hymn sheets. Oh, blessed gospel sound, Yet there is room. It sells to all around. Yet there is room number 15 in your hem sheets at some brotherhood started, please.
Who blessed God's full silence?
And he sat down there, all along the island.
Yes, and then after things grow up.
I don't really. Well, I hear you crying, squeezing.
Everything.
Red, red, red, but it's not getting it, Yeah.
It's great for me.
Yeah, I can't remember this room.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, everything is really good.
777.
Round around here. Well, I saw that.
Where I'm going to pray from the heart and say.
SMS Adam.
Shall we pray? Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee.
First of all, for that unspeakable gift of thy beloved son, Heaven's beloved 1.
Who came down to this sad world to reveal the heart of God to us, to accomplish that mighty work of redemption so that whosoever will may come?
We rejoice to know there is still room in the heart of God for any poor Sinner in the room tonight.
Who feels their need of a savior, we ask. Lord.
To bless thy word to each one of us, young or old.
Because the door of salvation will soon be closed. And then that woeful cry, No room, no room, Bless thy word. We pray to each uh, soul present in this company for our our God, our long-suffering and patience and not willing that any would perish. Here we are still in the day of grace, and we pray for blessing.
00:05:27
Tonight, and wherever this wondrous message of pardon is told forth.
That there might be joy in heaven over sinners repenting, we ask thy help owning our weakness, our dependence.
And giving thanks for this privilege and the liberty to proclaim the message in the name for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
We'll see another hymn.
Maybe one that the children would, uh, recognize Number UH-8. Shall we gather at his coming? Could we stand and sing #8?
UH-1 moment if I told me I'm not Sky.
You guys began on the rocket star login.
Imploring us inquiry out of God bless me. Yeah, I don't hear what I'm gonna say this time. It's coming and watching the $10 love.
Yeah, this is all about right now. It's all right, inhaler and uh, uh, not for anything. I mean, yeah, it's a pretty good thing. So I just, uh, love me and watch it and watch in the bed. You're just one.
When I say their eyes are on the same.
Shouting walk and the bridge and everything.
Where you're going to be a long time.
Where you're still headed and friends that have been.
Yeah, when I'm cowardice or not. And it's, uh.
OK, let's go all the way down. It's going to be out again.
And, umm.
Fire and breathe through the blah blah blah.
08105.
301059 blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know what I'm saying. It's watering out. It's bothering me out, like.
You're crazy. So I'm just probably.
It was sympathetic.
OK, umm.
00:10:00
Well, the hymns we have sung at the outset of this gospel meeting and reminded us.
That there is still room.
For you to come and receive a full salvation.
Then in the last hymn that we sung, the Lord is coming and uh, it could be at any moment that the shout would be given that will rapture every blood bought St. of God from earth into the glory. Will you be left behind or do you have a title to enter God's presence if the Lord.
Should, uh, close the door of Grace?
This very night and you young person, boy or girl left there on your seat.
All the believers in this room.
Transported into the presence of the Lord. What a hope we have. Do you have that hope or would you be left behind? Have you a title to glory which is, as we sang in our hymn, that precious blood of the Lord Jesus that flowed from his pierced side, that last crowning sin of man.
To plunge a spear into the side of the dying savior.
And he was dead at that point. And forthwith came there out blood and water, God's answer to man's final wicked act.
That the blood flowed forth to cleanse from sin. The vilest offender who truly believes. How marvelous the grace of God.
That he would wait in long-suffering patients, not willing that any should perish. What an awful feeling it would be to be left behind when the Lord comes. You know, I had that experience this summer. I was going down to Brazil to see Eleanor and I had my passport with me and I thought that everything was in order.
Far as I could see, it had not expired when I got to Newark and was ready to board the plane to go down to Sao Paulo.
The, uh, lady in charge informed me that, uh, my visa had expired. I thought it was in order because three years from the first entry, but no, she said. Mr. Kemp, you uh.
You your visa has expired, the rules have changed. Even though she phoned Brazil, you know he cannot go.
So here I was, stranded in the Newark airport at, uh, 11:00 at night, tired and hungry.
Well, you must go to the Brazil consulate there in New York tomorrow. We'll give you a hotel and, uh, procure the needed, uh, document.
But I says my wife is waiting for me down there in, in Brazil. Well, we have to call her and tell her there's no use coming to the Guardiolas airport in Sao Paulo because, uh, I'm not on the plane. Everyone got on and I was left behind. Not a nice feeling.
My dear friends, if the Lord comes and you are not prepared.
Still in your sins before God, then you will be left behind and there will not be a second opportunity like I had to obtain the needed visa the next day. But then the door of grace will be forever closed, for the master of the house will rise up and shut to the door. And then that cry, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Uh, the Lord is seated in the glory now, and the door of salvation is wide open for you, for whosoever. But when the Lord rises up.
He will shut to the door.
00:15:00
Strive to enter in at the straight gate for many I say unto you, will seek to enter, and shall not be able, because the master of the house, the Lord Jesus.
Who longs for your blessing and salvation tonight will shut to the door. And like those foolish virgins who had a lamp, a profession without any reality, without any oil in the vessel.
We'll hear that. Awful.
Cry no room. I know you not. Though they knocked, though they outwardly appeared to be a Christian.
They all look the same as they went to the wedding feast and you may pass as a believer in your assembly even or in your surroundings. Everyone thinks that you are a believer.
But have you been washed in the precious blood of Christ? And when the Lord comes, will you be ready to meet Him as your Savior? Because those who are not prepared will be left behind for judgment, and they will be deceived by that strong delusion which God will send upon these favored lands of Christendom, that they should believe a lie.
That they all might be damned who believe not the truth. It's a solemn thing.
To be in a gospel meeting because decisions are made.
And I love her feeble. The message may be presented tonight. You are more responsible when you leave this room than when you entered it, because you have heard the message of pardon, the way of escape from coming judgment, the way you might have a passport to heaven.
Christ is the passport, the ticket is his precious blood that we have sung about that was paid there at Calvary. The sufferings of Christ. The payment was made to put away your sin and your guilt from the sight of a holy God.
Tonight you may be saved for time and for eternity. One verse in Jeremiah I would like to read. And before we go on Jeremiah.
Chapter 23.
And verse.
29.
Is not my word like a fire, sayeth the Lord?
Like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. Here we have the Word of God presented as a powerful instrument. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to awaken souls to break down that hard heart of yours. It's like a hammer that breakthrough the rock in pieces.
And our hearts are hard and Stony and unresponsive.
Years ago there was a businessman who lived in Great Britain.
And you still have to go to a a town in South Wales.
In connection with his work and when he went there he never got any sleep.
Because there was a big steel factory there, the Naismith factory.
And hour after hour, 24/7, down came those huge hammers beating out the molten steel. Why the thud almost shook the ground. The poor businessman, he couldn't get a wink of sleep there, no matter how hard he tried. But you know the people of that town.
Slept through it all, didn't bother them at all.
But when he went into that area, he's going to get any sleep. He better get out of earshot of those noisy hammers. Uh, and he arranged that, but one day.
There was a defect in the machinery and the hammer stopped. Everyone in the town woke up.
They could sleep soundly while the Hammers were going, pounding day after day and day and night.
But when they stopped, everyone woke up.
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You know that's what's going to happen to this world. The laborers are going to be called home. The door of grace is going to be closed. That gospel hammer that has come down so often. Maybe you have heard the gospel, young person, many times in your life. This is not a new message to you. And people sleep on in this world.
Satisfied with their profession of religion.
But really asleep in their sins, unaware of the judgment that is hanging over their head like a thread suspended. And then when the Lord calls the laborers home, and the day of grace closes, they will wake up. They will wake up, but there will be no more gospel meetings. Never again will the message of pardon.
Be sounded forth, it will be too late.
Dear friend, how solemn this is. If you leave this room in your sins, you're taking a very serious risk. God may give you another opportunity. God speaketh once, yet twice yet man perceiveth it not. We beseech you, as the love of God is reaching out to you tonight.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
Love that.
Sent to the Savior from heaven's glory, from the palace.
Of, uh, glory, where he was rich. He wasn't rich down here. He didn't have a penny to show, uh, the, uh, people.
He was poor down here, but through his death many are made rich. That man in the glory is still waiting to bless you, and the door of salvation is wide open.
Someone has a deep interest in your soul. Don't let Satan deceive you with his.
Lie from the pit that God is not interested in your blessing.
And in your salvation, God is deeply interested in your eternal welfare. And tonight.
He beseeches you, perhaps through the lips of a poor servant, to come while the door of grace is so widely open. Come just as you are. God has a deep interest. Judgment is His strange work, and He.
Does not want to consign anyone of his creatures into a lost eternity.
He wants your blessing tonight. He has extended the day of grace to this very moment that you might receive a full and free salvation, that you might know for beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are ready for that vast eternity that lies before you. We're going to look tonight at 3 cases, brief briefly where the word remember.
Comes before us. Let's turn to Luke's gospel. First of all, Luke chapter 17.
I think we are familiar with the passage, but we will.
You will read it. The Lord is speaking to the Pharisees here.
About.
The the solemnity of the days of Noah, the days of Lot.
Uh, chapter 17.
Verse 28 Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built it. But the same day that Locke went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Well, we've perhaps know something of the history of Lot from the Old Testament.
00:25:07
Locke was a righteous man who vexed his soul every day with the, uh, ungodliness of the city of Sodom. He was really a wretched man.
He, uh, he had a saved soul. We're gonna meet Lot in heaven, but I'm afraid he had a lost life.
He pitched his tent towards Sodom. He got a taste of Egypt when he was down there with his uncle Abraham. And when he came back to the land, he pitched his tent towards Sodom. Never tells us that Lot had an altar. Uh, he wasn't a man of prayer and worship.
Abraham had an altar, but Lot did have a tent. However, he soon dispensed with that when he got into Sodom. But he pitched his tent towards Sodom, and I guess he picked his wife up on on the way.
Because he went from city to city in the plains there, moving towards Sodom all the time. He didn't stay in one place and always rather unstable, but he had his eyes on the world, the prosperity.
Of this life. And he said I want to have a good time. And uh, before long we find him right into the city of Sodom.
And they elected him as a judge there. And there he was sitting in the gate trying to improve that ungodly city and whitewash it. But it was a dead failure from the beginning. He didn't improve it, and he had a wretched life in that place. While I speak to those of us who are believers, are we following that example? Are we?
Mixing ourselves in this world that is under judgment.
Sodom was an ungodly place, wicked, and this is where Lot was found trying to improve it.
Uh, and uh, there he, uh, raised his family and he got accustomed to the evil of Sodom, but it grieved him every day.
But God was merciful to Lot, and He was going to rescue him from that awful place. He only got out by the skit of his teeth. You might say he had to be dragged out, but he escaped the awful judgment that was going to fall upon Sodom.
The world is ripe for judgment, my friends. Judgment is hanging over this world. Is the Church ripe for glory? Because before long judgment is going to sweep through these favored lands. We read of it in Revelation, the awful judgment that will fall upon Christendom, who have had the greatest privileges of all, while judgment was going to fall upon Sodom.
But they were going on with the pleasures of sin, with all the luxury and the ease.
And the ungodliness of that city. They ate. They drank the sunshine brightly as they got up that morning. Everything looked normal.
But suddenly there was the crash of judgment. Lot was pulled out and his two daughters. He lost his other children.
He didn't have any testimony in Sodom because when he came and banged at the door at night.
His, uh, sons didn't believe what he said. What's happened to our father? He's here trying to improve this place, and now he's talking about God judging it. They couldn't reconcile things.
And uh, his wife did get out of that city. But you know, the Lord gives a solemn warning here as we read verse 31.
In that day, he which, uh, which, which shall be upon the housetop and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away. And he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife, Here is a warning that the Lord Jesus himself gives. Remember Lot's wife, I think we all know the story. She got out of that wicked city. Yes, she was dragged out.
00:30:05
But she looked back when she was distinctly told not to look back.
Why did she do that? Because her heart was in Sodom, her plight as she enjoyed the pleasures of sin in that city.
She was an unsaved soul.
That was the result of the associations that Locke had had for some years. His wife was not a believer, she was an unbeliever. Two things worked in her heart, unbelief and disobedience. And there she was turned into a pillar of salt, a beacon for all who could see the folly of unbelief. Her heart was insulted. She wanted to turn back. Her face was towards solemn Sodom.
And her back against God. Dear friend, are you in that position? This world that, uh, appears beautiful to you, it's not going to give you that which truly satisfies that heart of yours. The well is deep, and if you're seeking pleasures of sin and happiness in this world, you're going to be disappointed.
We introduce you tonight to the man of Calvary who loved you, who can give true happiness not for a few years, but for all eternity, The one who paid the price for your redemption on the cross and, uh, invite you to come, warns you too, to flee from the wrath to come, even though you have sinned against the Lord.
And you have dishonored him, and you have disgraced yourself.
There is one who has a deep interest in your salvation, one who knows all about you from beginning to end and yet loves you.
And, uh, wants to save you tonight. The story is told of a mother, I think this was in England. She had a daughter whose name was Mary.
She loved her daughter there was a close intimate relationship between the mother and the daughter but the time came when this girl had to leave home and go to the big city with all its temptations or it was a deep.
Burden to their mother to release her daughter into the world. Well, she had to leave to, uh, get employment. And with many tiers. She said goodbye to her mother and went into the big city. For several months. There was frequent correspondence, warm letters were exchanged.
Uh, the daughter made her mother the con her confident.
And everything was shared with her, but then little by little.
The letters became less affectionate and less frequent until they stopped altogether. The mother was heartbroken. What has happened to my beloved daughter? She no longer corresponds with me. She heard from other sources that Mary had left the paths of virtue and Puri purity.
And was living with her dissolute companions in the great city. But mother, the mother's love was deep. And she said, I'm going to go and look for Mary. I know I have her address here. We maybe I can find her and beseech her to come home. She had an innocent childhood. She knows the love of home and mother. So she went to the great city.
But Mary had, uh, left her lodgings and it seemed impossible to get her address. What is she going to do, give it up as a hopeless task? No, she went to a photographer and she said, I want you to give me.
Uh, we'll say 2025 pictures of myself. Yes, we can do that. So she took those pictures and underneath each one.
She wrote her name.
Mary, I love thee still.
00:35:02
Knowing, uh, the type of company that Mary was now.
Uh, frequenting. She went to the bars and the houses of ill repute and she put it up on the wall.
Hoping that maybe Mary would see this loving invitation. Well, sometime when passed and Mary with some of her shameful companions, was in one of these places. Why she said that looks like my mother.
It looks, let me see. She went closer. Yes, it is my mother.
And I can recognize the handwriting underneath, and there it says, Mary, I love these still. Can it be after I have lived this way for so long that my mother is still seeking me? That she still loves me?
Yes, she said. I must leave this way of life and return to mother.
So she separated from her companions in shame and she went back to mother. And you know the rest of this story, mother's arms and folded her, not with reprimands and reproaches for the way that she had lived, but with love. She received her back. And the end of the story is Mary got saved. She came not only back to her mother, but she came back to the Lord Jesus who was seeking her.
And I say that to you again tonight, dear friend, the Lord Jesus is seeking you. He loves you even though you have disobeyed Him and disgraced perhaps your parents and left the paths of righteousness.
We could say the Lord Jesus says, Sinner, I love thee still, so will you come as you are to the Lord, bow your head in true repentance. We're going to look at another. Remember here.
In a moment, but here, remember Locke's wife was a solemn warning. And uh, it's a voice to also to, to each one of us who are believers that we don't drift into the world which has crucified Christ. God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
The world has crucified the Savior. Let's not join hands with it in its pleasure. And it's a forgetfulness of God. Now we should take the gospel to the world, yes, but not join with its, uh, its ways. Let's look over now in the same gospel here, few chapters to umm, chapter 23.
I think we are all.
Familiar with this passage of Scripture.
Here again you will see the word remember.
Verse 39 One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering.
Rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord.
Remember Me when thou comest.
Into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today.
Shalt thou be with me in paradise? Well, what a beautiful story. The only deathbed repentance we have in scripture that no one need despair.
Here we have a man took a journey from Calvary to Paradise.
A man that deserved judgment.
He acknowledges that he justly deserved judgment. He confessed it.
Umm.
On account of his sins, he had lived a wicked life. He was reaping what he had sold. He was six hours from death if he was to enter heaven.
00:40:10
The matter must be settled there on the cross that he was hanging on, but he took a journey from shame to glory, from the gibbet to the throne.
How marvellous. From the brink of hell to the plains of heaven.
This poor thief.
And you know, in this passage we find two things that must be in your life if you're going to be in the glory. One is repentance, and that comes before us. And what the thief said, we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, he acknowledges.
That he had a heart that was set against God. He had lived a.
A wicked life. In fact, this man had actually reviled Christ before with his companion in sin and crime. But what a marvelous change there was. You know what repentance is? It's a change of mind. It's turning around. You may think you're all right, but you have a change of mind when you repent. You believe what God says about you to be true.
You acknowledge that the word of God is true when it.
When it shows you that you're a Sinner and that you're guilty before a holy God and that you're without hope.
Repentance is the teardrop in the eye of faith, taking sides with God against yourself. It's believing the word of God and then the other thing in this man's life, and I think it's brought before us in the Word, remember?
He had faith and confidence in the Lord. Those two things always go together. You can't have repentance, true repentance, without faith, and you can't have faith without repentance. But what a what a wonderful change there was.
Umm, but I wanna say dear friends, the ground of this deliverance of this man who?
Deserved hell as you and I deserve a lost eternity. What is the ground of his deliverance and his rescue and his release from the grip of the enemy who had him there?
It was the death of Christ, expiation of the Lord Jesus.
And without that, that thief could never enter the glory, nor can you or I. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and the blood he spilt.
Here we are, a large company of people, perhaps most of us are on the road to glory, but our title to glory, our warrant, is the work of Christ and the blood he shed for us. The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me, said the apostle Paul. An individual loved for each one of you.
Uh, this aft this evening will you come?
Umm, though you may have fearful guilt, there's one who is waiting to lift you up and put you on his shoulders and take you into the glory he holds. The the Lord holds the world on one shoulder. It tells us in the book of Isaiah. A lost sheep he will pick up, and he will place on both his shoulders.
And he won't let you go until he has you in the glory. What a Savior we present to you tonight. And this guilty Sinner that we read about here, he heard from the words of the Son of God, who cannot lie that expression. Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Fit it for more than Angels Company. Fitted for the very presence of God. There he is tonight.
Will you be with that man?
Washed in the blood of Christ. He who couldn't speak to this thief about improving himself or or doing good works, it was too late. He was hanging on the cross. He couldn't do anything or be baptized or turn over a new leaf. It was too late. If he was going to be saved, it must be there on the spot. And that's where the sovereign grace of God.
00:45:16
Shines forth in all its blessedness. Verily I say unto thee.
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise, the first trophy of the death of Christ. Well, we are no better, dear friends, those of us who may preach the gospel, we are just brands plucked out of the burning and saved by the matchless grace of God. We want to look at one more. Remember, before we close, you turn over to, uh, back in Luke's gospel.
To the 16th chapter.
Very solemn one here and I think.
Most of us are familiar with it too.
Luke 16. We won't read the whole passage. Perhaps, uh.
Most of us are familiar with.
This story here not a parable, but.
Actually, uh, the Lord lifts the curtain and He lets us look into the next World. Otherwise we wouldn't know. But we will read, uh, from the beginning here, there, verse 19, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
There's two things we notice about him. He was a rich man who, uh, was clothed in the very best apparel, and he had, uh, a feast every day. He fared sumptuously every day. There was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores, 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 that the beggar died. That's number three. The, uh, umm, the Baker died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. All right, that's the four things in the life of this rich man. He fared sumptuously every day, clothed in purple and fine linen. He died and he was buried. And now God pulls aside the curtain and he shows us the destiny, the condition of this man.
From the lap of luxury into the.
Fire of hell. You know, there's prayers in hell, but they're never answered. This man prayed in hell, but it's too late. God, reverently speaking, could not answer any prayer in hell. And what does he ask for? Very small demand, he says.
Umm in hell he lift up his eyes. Verse 23 being in torment, see as 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 dip the tip of his finger in water.
And cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. Yes, he asked for a small mercy. He didn't ask for a bucket of water or a pitcher of water. He asked for a drop, but he didn't get it. There's no mercy in a lost eternity. How solemn. And his prayer was unanswered and never will be answered. Wealth to poverty, honor to shame.
The heavy chains.
Of unending remorse and pain was the portion of this character here.
And then we come to the word of Abraham here in verse 25, which I want to emphasize. Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things. How solemn that is. Son, remember hell, a good memory, and a bad conscience. How solemn this is. What did he remember? The times of privilege and opportunity.
That he had had to get right with God.
But he had umm.
Neglected those privileges.
He had avoided those opportunities. His memory is master of the scene. Now he's in a place where hope can never enter. But he had a memory. He could think of the opportunities. And if you, my friend.
00:50:17
Leave this world in your sins, bound with the heavy chains of your sins. You will have a memory and recall to your soul in agony.
The times, the many times. Perhaps you heard the gospel, the many times you heard of the love of God, and you resist it, or you neglect it, or you put it off. You are willfully deaf to the message. How solemn the water of life is now offered to you. It is gushing out from the heart of God, but there's not a drop of water in a lost eternity. You may have heard the gospel many times.
But I was reading a story recently of a, of a man in, uh, Africa. This was in, uh, actually a Portuguese part of Africa. Eleanor and I had the privilege of visiting, uh, Mozambique, umm, several times on the East Coast of Africa, but this, uh, story took place in the on the other coast.
In Angola, but still a Portuguese country.
And this, uh, man.
That I'm telling you about, his name was.
Suachika.
Boys and girls might like to hear this story. Tsuachika lived in Angola.
And if you ever get the opportunity to read the account of the work of our brother.
Wilson, who uh, for many years worked in Angola preaching the gospel to, uh, many precious souls. There was much fruit from Mr. Wilson's work for 40 years in Angola, but he had an experience that I, that I enjoyed reading about.
He used to go into the villages preaching the gospel at night, gathering them around a campfire and presenting the glad tidings to the black people. And many believed one night, as he was going to retire after a hard day of walking through the forests, he was very tired. But he saw something moving in the distance, so he reached for his rifle, which he had cocked there and.
And load it because there was always the danger of leopards and hyenas. So he was ready. But then the men that were there, they began to laugh and say, oh, no, Brother Wilson, it's it's not an animal. It's a man. A man. Yes, there he is. He's coming. He's crawling on his hands and knees. And he came in and he greeted them. Sala Canaway. Sala Canali.
This poor man, his name was Suachiko. He had had polio when he was young.
And.
He couldn't walk. His limbs were just like matchsticks. He had no strength in his legs. Whatever. He could only crawl.
He came up to the fire and he says my name is Suachika. What does that mean? It means father of abandonment. That's a big word. It just means no one wanted him, He said after I had this disease, at one time I was strong and healthy and I could run and walk and and hunt and everything, and now I can only crawl. And so no one cared for me anymore. They called me.
Suachika, father of abandonment, lonely. Well, we're glad to see you, Suachika. We wanna tell you the message of God's love. And he began to explain to him from that verse, John 316. God's wonderful love for that man. Oh, he said wonderful. I thought nobody loved me. But you're telling me of a God that loves me. Thank you.
And he was, he went off. A year passed and they heard nothing more of Suachika. Until one night when, uh, Mr. Wilson was going to retire after preaching the gospel, he saw something moving in the distance. And, uh, he thought again it might be an animal that is, uh, prowling around. But after a little while he saw that it was a man crawling on his hands and knees.
00:55:15
And he recognized him immediately. Suachika. Welcome. Come here. Moya. Moya. We're glad to see you. Oh, thank you for remembering my name. But, Tsuachika, the last time I saw you, you were 120 miles away from here. Yes, at Chilimba. I saw you there, Mr. Wilson. But how did you get here? I crawled on my hands and knees.
All the way you crawled 120 miles.
How did you survive? Well, he said, I'm a good hunter. You know, the chokwe are dead shots. They always get their prey. I'd stop and I'd kill a deer and trade it for some food and then I'd go on and, uh, my knees would be bleeding and my knuckles would be all bleeding. I'd have to stop and wait, uh, for a little while until they healed. And then I went on because I wanted to hear more of that wonderful message you told me there.
Back at Chilemba that God loved me, I thought no one loved me. I just heard it once from your lips. But I've traveled all this distance that I might stay here and hear more of that wonderful love.
Of a, of a person that would think about a poor soul like me that no one wants. And Sue Achika remained there, uh, with, uh, the evangelist. And he got saved, baptized, and he lived for the Lord. Mr. Wilson tried to get crutches for him so he could walk, but it was impossible. It was too far gone. He had to go back to crawling. But we're gonna meet that dear man in the glory.
He heard the gospel once and it touched his heart. You've heard the gospel many times, my friend. Has it touched your heart? Do you realize that God is still seeking you? The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. We plead with you to take the warning, as we had with Lot's wife and with this man that we read about here in Luke 16. Too late for him.
Still an open door for you, for whosoever let him come and take the water of life freely. Shall we close our meeting by singing?
Song here #33.
Shall we stand and sing #33?
It's been very dry.
Have a nice day, but go on my way to our house in the building again. Come on.
The airplane and she's got to take me to the beginning and every time. Grace to our heart.
Let's play all your opinion.
And I don't do that anymore.
Shall we pray? Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for that finished work of Calvary which we can present to the Sinner tonight. How many of us have benefited from that work of redemption for eternity? We thank the Lord Jesus for thy love that led thee from heaven's glory to Calvary's depth of law for thy sufferings.
For the agony of Calvary to put away our guilty sins.
To pay the price to finish the work, that we might be saved for all eternity and have a home with Thee in the glory. We pray Thy blessing on the Word, O feebly presented tonight, that it might bear fruit in the heart of any who is still a stranger, any soul still a stranger to Thy love and grace. We pray for salvation of souls while still.
God lingers in his long-suffering mercy.
We commit the Word to Thee here and wherever it has gone forth. Thank Thee for this happy day that we have had together in fellowship over Thy precious Word, and we pray for the remainder of the meetings. We ask it all with Thanksgiving and praise in the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Pretending
Children—Paul Daplyn
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to welcome everyone to the Sunday School in Montrose and uh, before we start singing some hymns from the hymn sheet here. And we'll look to the Lord for His hell.
Our gracious God, loving Father, we just look for thee again. Thanks thee again for thank goodness to us.
Let me just thank you again for giving thine only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your Savior, we just look to thee.
This morning, Lord Jesus, that.
If there's anyone in this room this morning.
It doesn't know whether he is savior and it.
They will come today, They will come to Thee today, except Thee as I own personal Savior. So we just looked at the Lord Jesus for Thy help and thy blessing this morning. We thank Thee again, my worthy and precious name, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Now there's children hymns on the back, but you don't have to pick just the children hymns. So you just give us a number and we'll try to get it started. If I can't start it, I'll ask your brother to get started for us. Don't get a number for us.
Oops, sorry, sorry.
Pardon me 11.
#11.
That's a good ham.
Will your anchor.
With your hands turn, the floor turns green.
We have a good.
Soul said that the joy of the flame of the.
When the rainbow and the beast with me.
Wow, that's the prescription for me. So while I'm on the main too low, you got to hit you got anything to breathe in the way to get you to take care of our flowers over the floor?
And I think it's hard to fall asleep.
At the shore, while the pillow grows like you see in the rocks, and it can not like you.
So you're done while I think about it.
The way I'm not highlighting Friday, we're going to be riding your head today. But it's OK, I'll have to leave so.
When my thorns are passed for phantom born.
With our neighbor.
00:05:00
Souls.
That has been sure about the pillow control.
The rock is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Savior.
Someone else have a hymn for us?
OK. And your number is?
13.
#13.
Man of Sorrows.
I really don't know.
Anything like that?
Heal my body when I turn on the.
Water Day.
Guilty.
Of last week.
Spotlight blah blah blah blah blah blah Dee ORU throat and everything's proud of your.
Father's Day.
That's a beautiful expression of phrase, isn't it? One has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Who has the number for us.
#46.
Spelling Song.
Gladi.
You know what happened. Let me convince you.
And he called and he called all the GRE $500.
10301020035006.
You know the hymns that we sung already? We've already. We've already.
Proclaimed the gospel and the hymns, the words of this hymn, these hymns that we've sung this morning.
I guess we have time for one more because I want to see if anybody knows their memory verse. So we got we have a number.
OK #8.
Oh, maybe. We probably could start that for us.
Shall we gather?
All right, tell me there's no dangerous problem.
Different alcohol beyond the sky.
Yeah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Daily Mail is gone on again, the best many saw this long to be gone every day. Every day to see them, drive them to house and how how how to get it on.
00:10:13
Yeah. Well, kind of a kind of.
It's glory eyes ah, then down your legs to stay inside the sunny airport in the same air. There's a lot of.
When does it say your eyes come on?
Glory breathing.
Round your feet and have lots of dogs. Brilliant here with naked Gray and Sagittarius and.
Yeah, I'm glad I was out there. Now I can't come on. And then it's already up, it's lowering up and, uh, on the pain.
Yeah, I I know what I'm at the same time.
In the past, in the second, uh.
And last day, when Jesus come again Lisa's father, and praise him. No, no, no, no, no.
Thank you.
Bye, bye, she'll reply. And so.
Yeah, well, yeah, you're right. It's gone up to me a little bit little slower. Yeah, just blow up everything up and, uh, once again, I have a wedding. When you're saying it's like it's not only different, what symptoms say different, umm.
Well, I think everybody knows.
What this is, I think everybody knows what that is.
And they made it easy this time. They got a verse here.
That they liked you to memorize. You didn't have to remember the whole thing. It's Psalm 40 and verse two. You brought me up also out of a horrible pit.
Out of the miry clay, is there anyone here that learned that verse?
Noah.
Wow, well I guess I better explain. Maybe we better talk about that a little bit. Maybe you didn't understand what some of the words meant.
Well.
It's talking about salvation.
Being saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. And perhaps you all know that a pit is a very big deep hole. Very deep, big hole.
It says here out of the Marie Clay.
Now, Murray Clay is a kind of mud, and believe it or not, there are different kinds of mud. Perhaps the boys are more familiar with that.
It's a very, very slippery kind of mud.
If you're walking in that.
And you go every kind of a hell all, even a teensy weensy one. You're probably going to slip and go splat and you're going to be covered in it. Very, very slippery stuff.
And you know.
This pet that they're talking about?
Is probably not only just this slippery Myron clay, this slippery mud on the bottom of this hole. It's all up the sides too. There's no way you can grab on anything to get out.
No way at all.
Except there's someone above who can reach down and get you out of there, and not one is.
Our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray this morning, each one of you, dear children and older ones too, have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, as you let him reach down on that deep hole and bring you out and set you on a rock which is the Lord Jesus Christ and establish your going. That's the rest of the verse you didn't have to memorize.
00:15:15
I, uh, brought a few things this morning. I'm going to kind of, uh.
Copyright brother Mr. John Kemp a little bit. He sometimes brings some pretty interesting stuff and, uh.
I trust you'll find it as interesting.
A photograph here, it's taking quite a while ago and, uh, some interesting objects to look at as well.
Now.
There's umm.
A couple of verses in the book of Titus.
In chapter one.
And it was first two.
And three of chapter one is verse two and three I was thinking of in particular.
And now you're wondering if there's.
Someone here would like to read those two verses for me.
There's someone here like to read that for me?
It's, uh, Titus, chapter one.
And uh, verse two and three and I can, uh, I'll let you hold my Bible and I'll get this closer, closer to you so they can hear you. Yeah. Two and three, in hope of, in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began, but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior. Thank you.
You know, that's an amazing thing.
We have.
Father. Father who cannot lie. He's too holy, He does. In fact, he doesn't even know how to lie. That's an amazing thing, not being able to lie. This precious book.
Every word in this precious book, the word of God is truth and it's pure When you read this precious book through There's no reason to doubt a single word on this precious book because.
As his first is, we've just read, God cannot lie.
In the third verse, when half of duties manifested, his word now manifested as a probably a bigger word. Maybe the smaller children understand it means to make clear or make obvious to the eye of mine the eye or mind. To make clear to the eye or mind. That's what manifests means.
Through his word, through preaching, which is what we're doing this morning.
Which is committed unto me. That's the apostle Paul, according to the commandment of God our Savior.
Each one of us knows the Lord Jesus Christ should be seeking the salvation of others, telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's committed unto us.
Now there is another verse.
We've talked about one who cannot lie.
There's another one. Satan, the enemy of our souls. The exact opposite. He doesn't know how to tell the truth.
And that's in John chapter 8, verse 44.
John, Chapter 8.
And verse 44.
Would you like to read it?
You can. You can use my Bible if you like. I'll hold this so you can. We can hear you.
Ye are of your father as the devil, and the lust of your father he will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning. And Adobe.
Dubai not in the truth, because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie and he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. Thank you.
00:20:05
Well, here we have the St. and the enemy in our soul is an exact option. It doesn't even know how to tell the truth. Isn't that something?
It says here, I forgot to mention that this the beginning of this verse is referring to those who don't believe the Lord Jesus. They haven't accepted Him as their Savior.
Those who have accepted have not accepted the Lord Jesus to save them. They're lost.
Their father is the devil.
And they cannot do anything to please God. It's impossible to please God.
And there's no truth in them.
He doesn't know how to tell the truth.
Says here at the end of the verse he is a liar and the father of it.
So that means what Scripture says that that means the devil is a father of lies, the father of lies.
So if you're sitting in your seat this morning.
And.
You're pretending to be a Christian. This is bad news for you. Very bad news, because there's judgment coming if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
We're going to read another bad news verse four. Someone who's pretending to be a Christian. There really isn't perhaps can fool everyone in this room except the Lord.
And we're going to look to.
We're going to look to umm.
I got out of order here. See.
OK, well, we'll do, umm, Revelation 22.
Revelation 22.
And.
Verse 15. I'm only going to read part of this verse.
It's a latter part I'm thinking of in particular.
Whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Now someone who loves lies would have to be pretty evil. I don't think there's anyone like.
That in this room.
But there could be someone who's making a lie, and with the Lord's help, I'll try to explain what that means.
Especially if you're someone.
Who's pretending to be a Christian?
Pretending to be a Christian.
We have some bad, more bad news.
Well, good news too. Bad news. Good news, Bad news. Worse for someone.
Pretending to be a Christian.
Now the first part of this first John 3 verse 36, verse five is talking about a believer. It's almost accepted Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Latter part is for someone who's pretending to be a Christian.
Is there someone here who would like to read?
John, Chapter 3.
And verse 36.
The reason I can re. Oh, we've got a girl here.
He that believeth on the sun hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the sun shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Thank you.
The wrath of God invite us on one who does not loan the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
But those of us who have accepted the Lord.
Has everlasting life.
We're reading this from a book from God, and Father cannot lie.
I have no reason to question it.
But the wrath of God abideth on him. Now wrath is very strong anger. It's righteous anger.
Towards sin.
If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the wrath of God abideth on you.
00:25:04
I'm trying to think of a simple way to explain that. It's something that's stuck on you. You can't get it off. It's something stuck on you. You can't. You can't rub it off, you can't shake it off. You can't wash it off. My eyes on you and the only way.
That you can.
Have this wrath lifted off you?
If you accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
As your savior.
Now.
Boys and girls, it's, uh, perhaps you already have an idea of what I'm going to talk about in the next few minutes.
My exercise this morning.
Is everyone in the front row knows how to get to heaven? They're probably safe, and perhaps everyone else knows the way. Salvation too.
But there could be someone who's pretending to be a Christian, and that's my exercise this morning. That that, that you'll become real.
That you'll open your hearts in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior before.
Is too late.
We talked about in Revelation one who maketh a lie, and we're going to the Lord's help explain what that means.
So we've kind of read bad news first for pretenders, a good news, bad news for US1 for those who are real and those are pretending.
But we also got a good news for good news first for someone who's pretending.
And that's in Second Corinthians chapter 6.
And verse 2.
Two Corinthians, chapter 6.
And verse 2.
Now, is there someone who would like to read that for me?
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation.
Salvation have I secured the Behold now is the accepted time. Behold, now is a day of salvation.
Thank you.
The only time.
The Lord promises us now.
Not tomorrow, not next week.
Now, the only time he promises is now.
I'm going to read Mr. Darby's version of this verse. I think it makes it a little bit clearer. Succard is a very old English word. It's probably going back to, uh, umm, the 17th century, perhaps earlier than that. It means to help someone who is in danger or distress, to give help to someone who's endangering distress. That's what suckered means.
And if we read Mr. Darby's version of that, that makes it a little bit clearer. Before he says I have listened to the unaccepted time and I've helped the day of salvation. Behold now the well accepted time, behold now.
Is a day of salvation.
Well, I have a photograph here.
And.
But this photograph I have, this is taking a long time ago. It was taken in 1973.
This is actually a picture of me.
Had more muscle and less fat back than 1973.
And I'm going to show this to you.
I think you know what the animal is.
It's a very young grizzly bear. It had been allowed to grow full size. It would probably have been about twice that size. As it was, this bear weighed 300.
£350 still big enough and dangerous enough.
Kill a man.
£350 still kill a man?
00:30:02
About if it was full grown it could have been twice that size.
Now this picture.
It was taken way up north in Canada's Arctic.
A place where we had daylight 24 hours a day for two months. That's really weird.
And uh, I wasn't there when I had two months a night. I would have been awfully depressing. I don't think I want to be there. But we had two months of daylight. The sun would just go around and around and around. It would go lower when it was supposed to set, but it didn't. It got cooler. So you knew it was supposed to be quote UN quote night. There was still daylight.
And then we had this bear. It was it was a threat to our lives. Now we were on an island in the Beaufort scene, Kansas Arctic.
And this island wasn't very big. It was 3 miles wide and about 7 miles long, so this bear didn't have much space to roam around without bumping into us again.
But to make things matters worse, it was hungry.
As far as I could tell at that time, the only live meat on the island was US three men, and it was looking for food.
So it came to a point.
Whether it was either it, the bear or one of us could are going to lose our lives probably.
So we had to shoot it.
Now having looking at this picture.
Who shot the bear? That's a picture of Maine. Who shot the bear?
And we care to, yes.
What's the picture saying?
He says that the picture says.
I shot the bear. That's what it looks like for looking at this picture. Would anybody disagree with that?
No, OK.
Well, I'm going to tell you something.
This picture hasn't said a word.
But it's a lie. I did not shoot the bear.
I just pretended.
Shot the Barrett. I had someone take the photograph of a joke. I never actually used it to deceive someone thinking I shot the bear. I just had them take the pictures of joke. OK, it hasn't said a word, but it's still lying. It's what we read in Revelation 22.
Making a lie this picture is making.
A lie.
And dear, 1:00 this morning.
If you're pretending to be a Christian.
You're fooling everyone around. You're fooling your parents, you're fooling your friends, you're fooling everyone in this room. You can't fool God.
But you know what you're doing, you're making.
Why you're making a lie?
And worse than that is eternal judgment for you if you don't turn to Lord Jesus Christ now.
For forever.
Too late.
And I hope for the help of the Lord and this photograph.
That you can understand that it's possible to lie without even opening your mouth, OK.
Can do it. You can do it. It just proves it right here.
Now I say I'm just going to kind of copy Mr. John Kemp, so.
I got a couple of things here.
Now.
I've got this one little thing.
In this plastic bag.
I don't know if anybody can guess what that is. Boys may be able to.
Someone says it's a bullet. That's correct.
That's the bullet that killed the bear.
It's a little thing killed the bear. I won't go into the story of how I found it. It's a messy, yucky story and I, and we don't have time to talk about that anyway. But I did find the bullet.
00:35:07
These are the claws from the front paw.
You can touch it if you want.
Well, if it was full grown, it would be twice that size. They're not sharp, but there's a tremendous amount of power behind them. Like tremendous amount of power.
Anyway, while you're looking at this, I'll talk a little bit more of despair.
This photograph was taken.
I wasn't saved, I was on the road to hell.
And.
If it had been up to me to shoot the bear.
Probably would have been missed.
I wouldn't be here to tell you about it, probably.
Do you know what?
I wasn't here to tell you about it, but Barry killed me. Where would I be?
I've been hell.
I would have been already in hell for 37 years. I still got forever to go.
There's something else I'd like to tell you about this bear.
Lord Jesus, I think this is the first time I was a young man.
The first time.
God used one of his creatures to tell me you may never live to see old age.
You know I was a bad boy, but at least I was honest enough.
To know I was a Sinner.
When I was 14, there was a Christian who was seeking.
You know, they wanted me to come to Lord, but I was, I was. I was the Lord. The Satan used my friends to whisk me away so I couldn't hear the truth.
He asked me where I was going, and I was when I was 14 years old. I was honest enough to say probably going to hell. The tears start streaming down. This place, you don't have to go there. But I was wisp away before I could hear the rest of the story. Satan did that, so it was quite a few years later.
Before.
I would say.
30 to 90 years of age.
And.
Lord Jesus bear one of his creation.
To let me realize that we have no lease in life. We could be taken at any age. We've heard of different ones being taken at a very young age.
And I'd also like to say that Lord is so kind to her. You know what?
The man who shot the bear with a very good shot.
It went right to the heart.
Turned around, it was shot. It turned around and ran. Another shot was fired, which apparently missed. It ran about 50 feet and fell over dead. OK.
Lord is so kind after the bear had done its job.
Very little suffering had done its job. The Lord is so kind.
So kind.
You know.
I hope and pray there's no one here that's pretending.
Be a Christ.
And if you're real?
Have you told your parents?
Have you told your parents you've accepted Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior? You'll make them so happy. You know not only will you be making so happy, you'll be confessing Him with your mouth as well.
So if you haven't told your parents already.
Do it this morning. Do it this morning. Let them know that you belong to Jesus.
So if the Lord allows something to happen to you, you're taking at a young age.
They'll still be sorrow. They'll still be tears. They'll be comfort too. They'll know they're safe in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. So if you haven't told them already.
Tell now. Tell him now.
You know.
Today is a very special day for me. There's a few here who are aware of the state.
00:40:05
My wife.
Passed away six years ago today. Six years ago today. 6th anniversary of her passing.
And yes, there certainly was cheers, and yes, there certainly was sorrow. But yes, there was comfort too, knowing my dear wife.
Is safe the arms of Lord Jesus? There's comfort too. And that's why I urge you, dear ones, if you haven't done so already.
That you tell them. Tell them this morning.
There's just one more verse I'd like to read in closing.
It's in uh.
John, Chapter 21.
John, Chapter 21.
And I'm going to read verses.
21 and 22.
Of John, chapter 21.
Peter seeing him, that's the the disciple, John says to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do?
Jesus says unto him.
If I will that he tarried till I come, what is that to thee? Fall thou thee.
Follow thou me.
Now.
It's normal to expect the.
Lived her good old age, but as already said we have no lease in life to hold now as the day of salvation should be taken at any time. My wife has taken a relatively young age. She was 53 years old.
And there's many here.
Had their life partner and they're well into old age, you know, they're in their 70s and 80s.
You know, we could torment ourselves with the question, why? Why?
I'd like to.
Just read this, uh, verse 22 a little bit differently.
Jesus saith unto him, If I tear you that they, if that they.
Carry till I come.
What is that to thee? Follow thou.
Me.
Well, it's the Lord's desire that we run our course and finish our course with joy, but the only way we can do that is following the Lord, not once in a while, but all the time.
Follow thou.
Let's pray.
Our gracious God.
Loving Father.
We just look to thee and thanks thee again. Thine only begotten Son redeemeth.
These precious shed blood on the cross of Calvary. We thank Thee for the privilege of preaching the Word this morning, proclaiming the Gospel, and we pray earnestly if there's anyone pretending here this morning that they'll turn to the now before it's forever too late, and accept Thee.
As their own personal savior.
So we just look to me now, Lord Jesus, and thank Thee for thy help and blessing and trust.
Each one has learned a little more. My precious word this morning.
And if there is one here this morning attending.
They'll turn to thee now.
And accept thee, Lord Jesus.
Is their own personal say. We just look to thee and thank thee again, worthy and precious name, Lord Jesus.
God's Provision for His Own
Address—Wally Dear
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.
We never saw a king.
Of an unsubstantiated.
Answer and answered all questions.
The Lord will provide.
Yes, it's got a strong power. Or take it when I.
Run the warrior's eye cover. Oh Lord will grow by.
I think the day and that created you.
It's where, uh, there's great strong comfort of room.
Don't care anymore, talented ramp right on my flight.
Children.
Oh, Oh my God.
What beautiful words are these the Lord will provide.
The apostle Paul could say, My God shall provide.
All you need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Could we look to the Lord now in prayer for help?
Father and gracious God, we thank Thee that Thou has brought us together today to look into Thy precious word. We thank You that the Bible has the answer, and we pray, Lord, that Thou will undertake as we opened Thy word, that it might be a blessing to each one who is present. We know that heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop but a good word.
Can make it glad. And so we know Thy desire is that we should be glad. And we seek Thy help, as Thy word is presented, that Thy spirit might have liberty to bring it home to our heart and conscience, and that it might be that which would encourage us and build us up, stir us up, bind us up, whatever the need might be, we seek Thy help.
And thank you for these wonderful words that we have sung. In truth. The Lord will provide. So we look to thee now for thy help and give thee thanks for this time together in the precious and most worthy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Well, it's really great.
Be with the young folks here this afternoon and I noticed that we have some that aren't so young and some who are just children, and it's great to be here with you as well.
And this afternoon?
I must say that I don't have all the answers.
And I know many here have questions.
Big questions.
And I'm not gonna stand here and tell you that I've got the answer to your question.
But I want to tell you something. I've got a book in my hand, and this book has the answer to any question that you might have.
And I believe in this book you're gonna find an answer that's satisfactory. You know, we used to have.
A believer and he drove a frozen food truck in our area.
And we used to enjoy some fellowship together when he would come by.
00:05:03
But he had a sticker right on his door on the driver's side, and it said the Bible has the answer. And I never forgot that. And so this afternoon, how privileged we are.
To hold our hands the word of God which has the answer.
To any question, any problem, any issue that you might have.
And this afternoon I would like to talk a little bit about a man that was named Elijah.
Elijah.
And you might say, well.
I'm just a young person here and Elijah, he was a great prophet and how can I relate to a man like this?
But I want to tell you something over in James.
The last chapter in the book of James, it tells us that Elijah was the man.
Of like passions as we are. That means he was not a supernatural person.
He was a person like you and me, with the very same kind of feelings that you and I we have.
And so I find great comfort in reading about Elijah.
Elijah had his ups and downs.
Elijah knew what it was to be very bold.
But he also knew what it was to be very fearful.
There was times of discouragement in his life.
Elijah knew what it was to be happy in God, but there was times when he was sorrowful.
And as I think of his emotions and his feelings, I come to realize that here's a man like me.
And like you, dear young people.
Now the story I'd like to refer to concerning Elijah is found in.
First Kings.
First Kings.
Chapter 17.
First Kings, chapter 17.
Elijah.
Was living in a very difficult time.
In the history of the people of Israel.
Just like we're living a very difficult time at the present.
We find that.
Israel.
Had departed from the living God. They had turned to idolatry.
And we read about that if we back up just a little.
Perhaps it would be in order to.
Just read a little in chapter.
16 Before we go to 17 now this is what it says First Kings chapter 16.
And verse 29.
And in the 30 and 8th year of ASA, king of Judah, began Ahab the son of Omri, to reign over Israel. And Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel and Samaria 20 in two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of S Bale, king of the Zidonians, and went and served.
Failed and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a Grove. And Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger, than all the kings of Israel that were before him in his days. Did Heil the Bethelite Bill Jericho. He laid the foundation thereof. And I Byram his first born, and set up the gates thereof, and his youngest son of Sigurd, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua.
00:10:01
The son of Nun. This gives us a little.
Background.
We find that the king of Israel has married an idolater.
Zydonia Jezebel, and as a result, the worship of Fail is introduced into Israel.
And Ahab built.
The house.
Appeal.
And he reared up an altar in that house. What a terrible state of things in the nation.
And then we read about this man, Heil.
Who rebuilt Jericho, the city of the curse?
And I believe.
That this was in direct opposition to the Word of God.
And he suffered for it, I believe, two of his sons.
Were taken as a result of this.
Act of interjection to the Word of God. Such was the state of things.
In Israel.
Israel had departed from God.
But God had not departed from Israel.
And there was a man of God in Israel.
And there were those, I believe 7000 who had not bowed the knee to bail.
And so in this state of things, there were those who were willing.
To live for the Lord, to go on for God.
And God appreciated that.
And he preserved.
His people.
In the midst of this terrible.
State.
Well, we're in a terrible state.
In many ways.
In this country, in the world.
I had a young person tell me, he said.
You know, I go to school.
And.
There's alcohol.
There's drugs.
There's sex.
And he said it's just so terrible, It really is.
And I was just talking with the father here and he's telling me that.
In the school district where they are, they have occult meetings right in the school.
And of course, I know in our area we have bullying.
And it's a big problem.
Bullying.
And sometimes bullying leads to bullets.
It's so sad to think about the violence.
That comes as a result of sin.
But you know God.
Is still at work and we're going to see how God was at work here in Israel and that's why I like to read this next chapter, chapter 17, at least part of it and see how that God comes in and provides as we sang in that opening hymn. The Lord will provide and so chapter 17.
First one. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall not be, do nor rain these years, but according to my word.
And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hands, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook sheriff, that is before Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink up the brook, and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord, for he went and dwelt by the Brooke sheriff, that is, before Jordan, And the Ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning.
00:15:04
And bread and flesh in the evening. And he drank of the brook.
So we see that.
There was drought in the land of Israel.
And of course this was.
Predicted if.
There was departure from God. There would be consequences.
And we read about that back in Deuteronomy. I've just turned over to Deuteronomy, if you would please the chapter.
28.
Deuteronomy chapter 28 and verse 15.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
To observe, to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. And then we have curses. But notice in verse 23. And I heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the reign of thy land powder and dust from heaven shall it come down upon thee, and thou until thou be destroyed, and so on.
Well, I believe that this was.
The state of things in Israel departure from God. We find that Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and the heavens became his brass.
And the rain is powder and so things dried up.
And.
It was according to the word of the Lord, but you know God had his eye.
On Elijah.
And you know God has his eye upon you here this afternoon.
And upon me.
And I don't believe that the Lord ever takes his eye off of his own.
He's focused on us.
We may not be focused on him, but he is on us.
And his desire is to do us good.
And you know the Lord is near.
To his own. Sometimes we lose a sense of it.
I saw a sign driving down the road. It said if God seems far away, who is it that's moved?
I spoke to my soul.
God hasn't moved.
But I need to search my heart.
Perhaps I've gotten away from the Lord and my soul.
But you know, there's always a way back, and the Lord is always there. And if there is true repentance.
And if there is a confession?
God is there. He will forgive. I'm speaking out to believers. We don't have to ask for forgiveness.
But we do need to confess the sin, as it tells us in First John. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And so that's the way back confession.
We had a teenager this summer.
And she thought she had really gotten away from the Lord. She wanted to get back to the Lord.
Well, you know what?
Separates us from God.
Is sin. That's what separated Adam and Eve from.
God in the beginning.
But God in his goodness.
Has provided a means whereby that separation can be removed.
Because the Lord wants us close to Himself.
That's the only way to be truly happy, and so he was willing to give his son.
And on the cross, his Son shed his precious blood, his own life's blood, as we had read to us this morning, the one who loved us and who has washed us from our sins in his own blood. This is the gift of God, and it's the blood that makes it permanent for the soul. So I believe once that sin is removed.
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It's taken away forever.
I believe that.
You know, it says that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. And some have the idea that's kind of an ongoing cleansing. In other words, when we sin.
Well, the blood of Christ is available to just wash it away. It's always there for that. But I don't believe that's the thought. The thought there is simply a statement of fact as to the value of the blood of Christ.
Just as I might say water quenches my thirst, I'm telling you the value of water. Or I might say soap.
Cleanses dirt. I'm telling you the value of soap without any reference to time and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us.
From all sin.
The value in the precious blood of Christ, how wonderful it is.
So I do believe that the blood of Christ takes our sins away once for all.
And our relationship is established with God. How wonderful that we can address Him as Father.
And the apostle John could see, behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called his children.
How wonderful. But you know what we can lose?
Enjoyment, fellowship with God.
We don't lose our salvation for the relationship.
But the fellowship, and we need the fellowship in order to be happy.
The Apostle John made it plain in his first epistle. There, chapter one, he said.
Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son.
Jesus Christ.
And then he goes on to say, And these things have I written unto you, that your joy may be full, you can't enjoy.
Life truly without enjoying fellowship with the Father and with the Son, the fellowship can be disturbed, can be hindered by allowing sin in our life. But again, we confess to sin and be specific, whatever it might be, and the Spirit of God, I believe it will bring it before our souls that we know what it is.
That has offended.
And we can confess that and automatically we're forgiven fellowship.
Is restored well.
Elijah here was told exactly what to do.
In the midst of these most adverse circumstances, because the eye of God was upon him for good.
And the eye of God is upon you and me for good.
And he has a path for you to follow.
And he wants to make it crystal clear.
It was David, he said, teach me thy way, O Lord, lead me in a plain path. That's what God's desire is, to lead us in a plain path. And we see the instruction here that was given to.
Elijah, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook sheriff.
That is, before Jordan, there was a place where there was water to drink. God was concerned about keeping body and soul together.
For Elijah.
And not only was there water.
But notice verse four. And it shall be that thou shalt drink up the brook, and I have commanded the Ravens.
To feed Dedic.
Oh, Can you imagine that?
Ravens, a carnivorous bird bringing food.
To Elijah.
And it tells us.
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It wasn't just bread they were bringing, they were bringing flesh. Bread and flesh.
But I noticed a little word there in verse four. It's the last word in the verse.
THERE.
There is where?
Elijah would find that which would meet his need.
I have commanded the Ravens to feed the.
There. And that is where Elijah went.
We turn over to the New Testament.
We find that the Lord Jesus give instruction.
About various.
Thanks.
When it came to.
Eating a coat to ride upon.
He told where to go.
And you know exactly where the colt was and they went and they found us, he had said.
He said it would be there and they went there and there it was.
On another occasion, there was a question of where to prepare the Passover.
And the Lord Jesus said, you go to this city, when you enter in, you're going to find a man bearing a pitcher of water.
And follow him.
Into the house and there make ready. So they did what he said.
He said go there. They went there and there they found a man. You know, the, it's beautiful to see the, uh, guidance.
Of the Lord and how he desires to.
Not confuse us, but to lead us in a plain path.
And we never do better than to follow in the path that he has marked out.
So it tells us Elijah went, and he did, according unto the word of the Lord. That's beautiful to see, a submission to God's Word.
And it brought.
That which provided for it.
Elijah's need.
Submission to the Word of God.
God spoke.
And Elijah obeyed.
I was noticing connection with Noah.
You know, back in.
Genesis Chapter 7.
God told Noah, he said come down in all the house into the ark.
And the next thing I read is and Noah went in.
And his wife, three sons and their wife. It's beautiful to see this kind of.
Submission to the will of God.
God said no come in and says Noah went in.
With respect to David, David said, you know, the Lord said to me.
Seek ye my face.
And the next thing we read is what David said. My heart said, Thy face, O Lord, will I seek.
So.
This kind of response to the will of God is very beautiful and it brings happiness into our lives. It truly does.
It's been said salvation comes by faith, but happiness comes through obedience to the word of God. The Lord Jesus said if you know these things, happy are ye if you do that.
And so we find that.
Elijah drank of the brook.
And.
Here comes a Raven.
Winging its way.
And as Elijah watched, no doubt he thought that Raven's coming my way. He's got something good in his mouth.
And there's more than one Raven, I take it, since the Ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning.
00:30:02
And bread and flesh in the evening. So I had a meal in the morning.
And he had a meal in the evening.
And he was provided for.
The Lord is working miracles today as well.
Well, I read, uh, not that long ago about.
AI believe it was a mission outreach of some sort in Africa.
And they had a clinic set up and there was uh.
A nurse there.
And it can break time.
And she and her associate, they thought they'd just go out under the trees and.
Enjoy the outdoors and have their little lunch.
And I don't recall what it was, whether it was a loaf of bread or.
Fruitcake or whatever it was they were planning to enjoy together.
They set it out and then they were distracted and when they went to eat.
They found it was missing.
They wonder what happened.
We were going to have a lunch here.
And now?
What has happened? It just.
Disappeared into thin air.
And it just boggled their minds.
Well, it was sometime later.
That became one of the natives to that clinic.
And she?
Gave a very interesting account, she said. I was out.
In my community and I was so hungry.
And I was praying about the situation, asking the Lord that he might send something to eat, and all of a sudden.
Something dropped out of the year right in front of me.
And I wish I could recall the details, but it was a loaf of bread or a fruitcake or something of that nature. And she said it's just like a a gift from heaven. It fell there. And apparently a bird had dropped that. Well, you can put two and two together. You know the story now.
And the nurse, well that is amazing. Now I know what happened to my lunch.
And it was encouraging to see how the Lord works. You know, He has control over all of creation.
The fish of the sea.
The fish brought a piece of money to Peter. It's like taxes could be paid.
And of course, uh, the birds of the air and of course also the animals reference made to the cult, a cult that had never been written on before. The Lord Jesus rides upon it. And like we sing in that little children's song, when Jesus was riding upon him, he went just the way that he should.
Acquired a submissive, weak donkey. Jesus was in control.
God provides for Ravens even though you know they're unclean bird. But over in Luke's gospel, we read there about how that the Ravens.
They don't sell, neither do they reap.
They don't have any storehouse.
They don't have any farm, but God feeds the Ravens. He takes care of them.
And of course, in that instance, the Lord was seeking to bring before.
The disciples.
How much more important, valuable they are than the Ravens. So God feeds the Ravens, and hear the Ravens feed Elijah.
And so this went on for a time.
And here, Elijah.
Was in solitude.
You know God has times of solitude for us.
I believe.
These are times that are necessary.
00:35:00
Now, it isn't simply being alone with ourselves.
That will help us in the service of God. No way. In fact, if we're alone with ourselves, that's maybe the worst company that we could keep.
But if we are alone with God.
Now we're talking about the best company.
And that's what Elijah really enjoyed here.
I know Howdy enjoyed the presence of God and there was fellowship with God.
And it just was that which no doubt cured his soul.
And.
There was, I believe, a real blessing.
To Elijah as a result of this solitude.
Moses in order to be effective for God. I believe for 40 years he was on the backside of the desert.
And the Lord Jesus himself spent time in the desert, I believe 40 days in the wilderness.
But he was there with God.
And if you find yourself in a place of solitude.
I believe God can use that in real blessing to your soul because you're there not just with yourself but with God. That's how it was here with Elijah.
Well, you know, time brings its changes.
And that's what happened here in verse seven, it says. And it came to pass.
After a while.
That the brook dried up because there has been no rain in the land.
Now Elijah is confronted with a new situation.
He sees the water in the brook.
Reducing down to a little trickle.
You can see what's happening. This book is gonna dry up.
Now what are you going to do?
Is she gonna be guided by sight?
Or as he could be guided by faith.
I believe there was a conflict perhaps that went on here.
He could see by his eyes the water is drying up. It's time to hit the road. I need to get on my way.
But Faith told him to stay where you're at.
Until you get a word from the Lord to go.
It speaks to my own heart because sometimes, you know, in our circumstances, we think things are maybe kind of deteriorating and we think, well, I think it's time to get out of here because things aren't looking good. Oh, wait a minute.
Do you know where to go?
Do you have a word from the Lord?
To leave.
Elijah didn't have a word to go.
He stayed where he was. He stayed put.
In time, the word came.
I'm sure Elijah realized that God was for him. He had been provided for water.
Out of the book.
And food brought in a miraculous way.
God had a plan, and so Elijah, he waited on the Lord.
Well, that was good, because in verse eight it tells us. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying.
So in our lives.
There are times when doors close.
But we need to be certain that God is closing the door.
Because sometimes.
It's not God I believe, it's Satan.
Trying to discourage.
And what may appear as a door that's closing is only the effort of the enemy to discourage us.
Well, I believe God can make it plain as to what His mind is with respect to our movements, and He desires to lead us in a plain path.
00:40:10
And one day at a time, you know, that's how it was with Elijah here.
You didn't store up apparently. What the?
Ravens had brought.
But it is 8.
And there was food.
For today.
And, you know, we had the prayer there in the Gospels. Give us this day, Our Daily Bread.
When the children of Israel passed through the wilderness.
We know the manna. It came down one day at a time, except on Friday.
There was enough on Friday for two days because they weren't supposed to gather it on the Sabbath. But the point here is God provided day by day.
For his people.
And that's good.
I heard many, many years ago.
Take one day at a time.
I didn't think too much of it, but now as I've grown older, I really think that's good advice.
And God gives us strength for the day. As thy days, so shall thy strength be.
And if we can't borrow tomorrow's grace?
To de to deal with today's problems. What makes us think that we should borrow tomorrow's problems?
And deal with them today.
You know, what I'm seeing in this portion and in the next story that we're gonna read is that God takes care of his own.
But it's one day at a time.
And there's a dependence on him as a result.
And so let's just read the next story and then.
Will be done. This is very beautiful to see how God is leading in verse 9.
It says, uh, well, verse eight. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zaiden, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks. And he called her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
As she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee.
A more slip bread in nine hand.
And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake.
But a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruise and behold, I am gathering 2 sticks that I may go in and trust it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not.
Go into as thou hast said, but maybe thereof a little cake 1St and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel. The barrel of meals shall not waste, neither shall the crews of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, And she and he and her house did eat many days, and the barrel of meal wasted not.
Neither did the crews of oil fail according to the word of the Lord.
Which he spake.
By Elijah.
The Lord tells Elijah.
Go to Zarephath.
And it was inside. Or at least it was close to Zidane. Perhaps it wasn't inside in itself, but.
You know.
Elijah might have said to himself, Wait a second.
Zaiden Well, that's a hot spot for veil worship.
I don't want to go there, you know, as spiritual.
Uh, sensitivity instinct might tell them I don't want to go there.
And furthermore, he was supposed to go and, uh.
Find a Gentile woman, he might say. Well, wait a second, I'm a Jew, I don't really wanna go there. It's religious instinct would tell him not to go.
00:45:04
And then to have a widow woman sustaining him.
That in itself perhaps, would be rather obnoxious to his manly instinct.
But I think that Elijah forsook his own thoughts.
And he was willing to.
Submit to God's.
Instructions.
And how important that is, You know, sometimes perhaps the Lord shows us things that.
We just don't really want to do but.
I believe.
That God.
Well, how shall I put this?
Uh, God makes us willing to go. He does that.
And that's why in uh.
Philippians 4.
It says it's perhaps it's Philippines too. It's God that works in you both to will.
And to do of his good pleasure.
That's encouragement to my soul because God puts a desire in my heart, but then He gives the ability to do it.
And I think Elijah had that desire to serve and to please the Lord, and so he went.
And he found just as the Lord had indicated, and there was that little woman gathering these sticks.
And he asked of her a drink.
That's what Elijah asked. Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I may drink. Kind of reminds you of how the Lord Jesus.
When he was there at the Well of Sychar in Samaria.
Yes, drink of.
That, uh.
Woman.
And you know, the Lord never asked a favor of anybody, but what he always gives so much more in return, as that woman of Samaria found out. And this woman here, she said, well, I'll go for the drink. And she did.
She was going to fetch it, but then Elijah made further a request that I think pretty much overwhelmed her and stopped her in her tracks. He said to her, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
Well, she thought she could get the water, but as far as the, uh, morsel of bread, that was asking too much. And uh, verse 12, she said, as the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruise. And behold, I am gathering 2 sticks that I may go in and trust it for me and my son that we may eat it and die. We'll talk about his depressed state of things.
What kind of an outlook did this woman hit?
Since you're going to make this little cake and sit down and her son and her were going to eat and then they were going to die. That's all they had before then. The most depressing future.
But Elijah said under her fear not.
Fear not go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first.
And bring unto me, and after make for thee and for thy Son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel. The barrel of meals shall not waste, neither shall the crews of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Now I think.
Elijah said. At ease.
The mind of this woman.
He said fear not, but at first perhaps he said, well, he's telling me to fear not, but.
Is there any substance to this?
Well, Elijah explained why she was not to fear. Because.
He had received a word from the Lord that the barrel of meal it wasn't going to waste, and the cruise of oil, it wasn't going to fail.
Until the day the Lord would send rain upon the earth.
So verse 15 is to end. She went and did according to the saying of Elijah.
00:50:02
You know, in the scriptures we have so many. Fear not.
And I've been told I never searched it out but we have.
At least 365 times reference to either be of good cheer or be not, afraid or fear not, or something of that nature that would set the mind of the believer at ease.
God tells us why too. We don't need to fear.
You know, perfect love casts out fear and as we contemplate the cross, the sacrifice of Calvary.
The Lord Jesus says the Lamb of God.
Suffering there for you and for me.
As well As for God.
We come to realize in some measure His love and we know that He is for us and He's going to provide and He will.
Take care of.
Every need my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
And here Elijah said he would provide until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth. You know, I like to think of the.
Today, As for the Christian.
When we hear the shout.
The hymn writer said Heaven's morning breaks.
And glory dawns when His blessed face we see.
And that could be this afternoon. We're gonna hear a shout and we are in the night of this world. But you know, the Daystar has already arisen in our hearts and we know if we go out.
When it's still dark, we see the morning star. We know the day is coming. It's a precursor of the day. The Daystar has arisen in our hearts and we know the coming of the Lord is at hand. Of course, we know that for this world, the Sun of Righteousness is going to rise with healing in his wings.
And what a wonderful day that will be for this world.
But in the mean time, God provides for us and the meal I do believe is symbolic of Christ.
The Lord Jesus could say, he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and we can enjoy the Lord Jesus as we wait his return.
It's been said we can have as much as Christ as we want, and He is the one that truly satisfies. He satisfies the lying soul, fills the hungry soul with goodness. As far as the oil, I believe that's a type of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God remains with us.
And how wonderful to have God himself dwelling within you and me, because the Holy Spirit is God, and greater is he than you than he that is in the world.
Well, this dear woman, we find that she went and did.
As the profit commanded her.
And it might have seemed like a little thing, but really it was a big thing.
A little bit of meal, a little bit of oil. She makes this little cake, gives it to the prophet.
But you know what?
Little as much when God is in it. We turn over to the New Testament. We find there another widow woman.
We're just a little thing. She had two mites. That's all she had, and she cast both of these mites into the collection.
In the eyes of the world, it was so insignificant.
But in the eye of God.
It was just the opposite.
And you know, let's no one here say that I don't have anything.
To give to the Lord.
I really don't seem to have any particular gift. I want to tell you something.
Everyone here that belongs to Christ has a special gift.
And there's something that you can do for the Lord better than anyone else. I believe that with all my heart.
00:55:00
And you might say, well, it just seems.
Whatever I do, it'd be so insignificant.
But you know, God is in the little things.
And I think of how Sampson.
How he?
Yeah, the jawbone.
He did wonders with that jawbone.
David had a sling. It was just a little sling. He did wonders with the sling.
Shamgard tells us he had Knox code.
He did wonders with the ox goad.
Singing in the children's song.
Dorcas had a needle, just a little thing, but she used it for the Lord, and she did some wonderful things for God with little things, little as much when God is in it.
And the other thing is, you know, sometimes God's doings are delayed.
Until, you might say, the last minute.
Here, in this case, this woman, she was about to eat her last meal.
But God came in in a wonderful way, and instead of her last meal being eaten, she had many more and more meals, and she continued to live.
Well, God took care of her, and I think of the disciples, how they were out.
Toiling in the night and they might have said, well, I'm just going to give up, You know, this is so exhausting.
But you know what it tells us that the Lord came to his disciples in the 4th watch. Just maybe when they were ready to give up, there was the Lord.
For them.
And I think it's wonderful how the Lord comes in.
But He does test our faith. But you can be sure He hasn't brought us into this wilderness to perish. And He's been all the way home, Savior, and He's gonna provide.
One day at a time.
And it's going to be.
Until the day.
Perhaps we could sing.
Number.
23.
#23.
How good is the God we have gone?
I, God and our Father, we thank thee that there is nothing too hard for Thee, and we thank you for thy love as we have just been singing. That is as great as thy power and knows neither measure nor end. We thank Thee for thy provision day by day. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus.
That precious savior.
Who gave himself a ransom for many. We thank you for Thy Holy Spirit too, who we know will guide us.
Directus.
01:00:02
And will empower us and we feel so blessed.
Now we just rejoice this afternoon and thy goodness, Father, and we just pray that Thou will continue to undertake for thy dear people.
And we pray that I will just lead us in a plain path, and that questions might be answered through Thy precious word, uh, to thy own glory and for the satisfaction of The Enquirer. And so we ask these few things now as we thank you for this conference.
And how we have been blessed as we have been together. We thank thee for the rich ministry, the warm fellowship.
We know that now has afforded us these times as we await the shot, that grand meeting in the air. So we ask now and give the our thanks, Thy worthy and precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Our Oneness With the Father and the Son
The Lord's Coming to Set Up the Ministration of the Kingdom
Gospel 2
Gospel—David Mearns
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We had read to us, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Could we sing?
The first verse of #49 in the appendix. The first verse of #49 in the appendix. In the little hymn sheet that we sang from this morning and also last night, there's a little chorus. We'll sing that too. So 49 the appendix, just the first verse.
There is life and a look at the crucified one. There is life at this moment for him.
The Lord, the man love unto him, and he said unto him.
He was now in the middle of the street.
There is light down what kind of Christmas we find one.
There is life back in the morning.
We ask the Lord for His help.
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee for our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus.
We thank thee for that Blessed One who was lifted up.
And we just would pray that if there is anyone here.
This afternoon.
That is a stranger to thy love and grace.
A seasonal beauty in that blessed One, our Lord Jesus.
That their hearts would be touched in the next few minutes and they might turn to thee. We just would ask this our God.
For thine honor, and for Thy glory, the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
Just like to read a few verses in connection with umm.
With this, in my personal reading, I'm in John's Gospel and yesterday morning I read.
Half of the third chapter, and this morning I read the other half. So I'd like to read a couple of verses from each of my readings yesterday morning and this morning in John chapter 3.
John, Chapter 3.
And verse 14.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And then turned back to the Book of Numbers.
The Book of Numbers.
21St chapter.
And verse four, an attorney from Mount Horror by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom and the soul the people was much discouraged because of the way.
And the people speak against God and against Moses. Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? Is there no bread?
Neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread.
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee. I pray unto the Lord, that he may.
Pray unto the Lord, that he may take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pool, and shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
I don't know everyone here in the room.
This afternoon.
But perhaps there is someone here that is a stranger to the Lord Jesus. You do not know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
You know we read.
The apostle wrote to the Saints in Corinth, and he said, The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not.
00:05:01
The Gospel.
I had an interesting thing happened a year ago this past February. There was a brother in our assembly that passed away just a few weeks ago. And at our fellowship tea in the month of February, I asked this older brother. There was a number of months where he wasn't able to come to meeting the last few months, but in the month of February is his last fellowship Lord's Day that he attended and I sat across the table from not a not a man that was a stranger to me. I knew him very well. When I first came to Rio Ferry, I lived in his home.
I boarded with Heena's wife and I sat there across the table from him.
And I said Ross.
When were you saved?
And he looked me in the eye and he said, David.
I was saved when I was 17 years old.
It was one month before my 18th birthday in 1939.
You got this far la far off look in his eye, he said. David.
A soul must realize that he or she is lost before they can be saved.
A soul must realize that they are lost before they are saved.
This afternoon at the end of these meetings.
Do you have a sense in your soul that you are lost?
You have a sense in your soul that you are lost.
You know, this morning our brother Paul was speaking about a quagmire of clay. As he thought of that, my mind went back a few weeks ago to when James and I were working on a job and it had been raining for a little while. We were trying to do an audition and we were just doing the excavation and it was clay and it was wet.
It was such that we had the backhoe in there and every scoop that the backhoe took up.
He couldn't shake the dirt out. There was nothing to hit onto. He he often you see a backhoe shaking the, the, the, the bucket to get rid of the dirt. And so James had to, with his shovel, get the dirt out of the out of the bucket. I just thought of that in connection with a soul, a Sinner that's in the quagmire of his sins. And perhaps there's someone here this afternoon and that's just where you are. But you don't know it. You don't know it.
Maybe if we start through these meetings, you are like these folks here that are so low that this light bread, this, these things that we're speaking about from the word of God, they're dry things. They're of no value to me.
You know what a marvelous thing to realize we've had before us in these meetings that blessed One, our Lord Jesus in so many aspects. To think of this portion we've read in the 12Th of John, the Lord Jesus saying, I, if I be lifted up, we'll draw all men unto me. To think of the Lord Jesus there on that cross of Calvary. To think of him bowing his head in death after those three hours of darkness where the question of my sins was dealt with forever. And to see that soldier take that spear and plunge it into the side of the dead Savior, and forthwith came thereof blood and water.
The Lord Jesus taken down from the cross, buried in a grave, and then and to see him rise again the third day.
Does that mean anything to you this afternoon? Is it nothing at all?
As we consider all that's been done for the soul.
It's something here in this portion. I just want to look at one verse in Numbers 21.
It said, And Moses made in verse nine. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and he put it upon a pole, And it came to pass if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
He lived.
We've just been singing. There's life in a look at the crucified one. There's life at this moment for thee.
It's astounding to think of the finished work of Christ, all available for the soul.
And all you have to do is your gaze from here to be lifted up. Think of these ones that were bitten by the serpent. All they had to do was lift their gaze and they were healed.
What about you this afternoon?
Where is your gaze? Where is your gaze this afternoon?
We've had much about the eyes in these meetings before the last.
00:10:05
Meeting yesterday, we read in 123rd Psalm unto thee do I lift up my eyes?
Impressed with the many times we have those that lifted up their eyes in the word of God.
We won't turn to them, Gideon could say.
Look upon me as I do, so do ye.
Think of Jehoshaphat with a great company against them, he says. We have no might against this great company that's come against us, but our eyes are upon thee. It was a great victory.
To think of as we had last night of Lot's wife had her gaze this way. She changed her gaze and it went this way. She didn't lift her gaze up. Think of Moses and how it says after he slew the man, he looked to the left and he looked to the right. We don't find him looking up. He buried the man in the sand.
Where is your gaze tonight? The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not the Gospel. I told a story just and our reading meeting this past Thursday. I'm gonna tell it now. We had a very a bear story this morning. We're gonna have another one.
This evening some of us were canoeing just a week ago.
And with some young people. And while we're canoeing, umm, on the 2nd morning, uh, I got up where the boys were.
We're sleeping and I swam over to their island and I got up on the island and I asked one of the young men. I said, so how was your night? He said, oh, it's pretty good. I said, it's any bears. Well, you have one. It's interesting, I said. So what did you do? He said I poked his eyes out and then I killed him.
He was pulling my leg.
I told him a story of my brother-in-law.
Who is a farmer and was plowing the field and while he was plowing he he did a circuit around and he noticed that there was a pheasant sitting on some eggs.
And uh, he bypassed the pheasant and then did another circuit and on the next circuit around.
As he is approaching this pheasant that was sitting on eggs, he was watched a hawk come down.
So he jumped out of the tractor as fast as he could, and he made a beeline over towards the pheasant to try to scare off the hawk. But the hawk had landed, and just as quick as a flash, it had poked out both the eyes of the pheasant.
Which is what they do, and then he can kill the pheasant at its leisure.
What about your eyes this afternoon? Your eyes blinded.
If it's that way, it's the God of this world blinded your eyes.
So that you can't see any beauty in that finished work of Christ.
That one, our Lord Jesus who has done so much, who has done everything, God the Father giving his only Son for you and all available to you. And all you have to do is take your gaze from this poor sin, sick world and the quagmire of your sins and lift it and gaze at that blessed One, our Lord Jesus, and accept him as your Lord and Savior. Will you do that this afternoon right at the close of these meetings? Let's turn to 49 in the back again and we'll sing the last verse.
#49 in the back it's almost the same as the first verse, but the last line is different. Notice the last line of the first verse, The last two lines. Then look Sinner, look unto him, and be saved unto him who was nailed to the tree. But then look at the last verse. Then look Sinner, look unto him, and be saved, and know thyself.
Spotless as he.
Oh, what a thought to think.
Of us brought in into all the acceptance of the Lord Jesus himself by a look at the Savior.
About Need a confession of His name? Let's sing this last verse.
There is.
Life.
After it's gone and 48.
00:15:17
Every life and I was at the grill and did my mind.
That is why it happened.
Can we pray?
Our God and our Father, we thank thee again for the Savior.
We thank thee for that Blessed One that was lifted up.
That one whose desire is to draw all men unto him. And we thank thee, our God, for those of us who have been drawn to thyself.
But our prayer this afternoon is for anyone here that is lost and in their sins, we pray that they might realize it and they might indeed look to Thee. They might look to the Savior.
Might have their sins washed away in that precious blood and to be able to go from this place on their way rejoicing. We just would earnestly pray our God that thou hast work in the heart of some such person this afternoon. And so we just would thank thee for our time this last couple of days. And we just would ask now thy blessing upon my precious word and the worthy and the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Open Mtg. 3
Open—J. Kemy, P. Hadley, B. Christensen
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Could we sing #267?
Our fullness resides in Jesus. Our head of fullness abides to answer all needs. Whatever distress awaits us below such plentiful grace the Lord will bestow. 267.
My father said I swear and pray and then once I saw her.
All right, and.
I don't want to be alone.
I'm still shut down all the time and silent started being.
What's wrong with the sandwich over there is trouble. And now I'm on that again. Yeah, it's like, well, my.
Trying to benefit from how long, how long, how long and I'm not going to go ahead and weigh in our hearts and then.
We'll have to stop. We'll be gone in my eyes.
We're inside.
Awesome.
Without die down flowing around.
Should we read parts of couple verses in Psalm 123?
Psalm 123.
So how do you begin with that Psalm?
A song of the grave.
Unto thee, and lift eye up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heaven. Behold as the eyes of servants looked unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hands of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God. Should we look to Him for help?
Loving God and Father, we thank Thee for thy having, uh, wisdom and the knowledge to meet every need of each one in this room and more.
All of our people throughout this world and being there strong on our behalf. We thank thee for the privilege of being together now. And we think of the meeting before us and our needs. We ask you to give us dentistry suited to our state of each one of us We have that there will be help and blessings, uh, dependence on thyself. We thank you, but I love Lord Jesus and pray my most worthy and precious name, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.
Shall we turn for a few moments to?
Revelation Chapter.
19.
00:05:00
Uh, reading from verse, uh.
7.
Revelation 19.
Let us be glad.
And rejoice and give honor to him.
The marriage of the lamb is come.
And his wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted.
That she should be arrayed in fine linen.
Clean and white with a fine linen is the righteousness it should be here, righteousness of Saints.
He said unto me, Right blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the lamb. And he says unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Well, brethren, I'm not going to speak at great lengths here. I hope that, uh, someone else will have a.
An exhortation for us, but just a few thoughts.
Just to get the setting of this passage here that we have read, we're looking on to, uh, a scene of glory. It has not come yet. We're looking on here to, uh.
The time when, uh, we will be manifested with Christ in the coming glory.
The Church, the bride of Christ, here called umm.
The the the wife and the occasion. The marriage supper of the lamb.
When will it take place?
Well, probably toward the end of the seven-year period, because, uh, we know that after the rapture, after the church is, uh, taken from this earth into the presence of the Lord, which could take place at any time, there is an awful period of judgment for at least seven years, the great tribulation.
And during that time, our lives are going to be reviewed.
That is commonly called the judgment seat of Christ.
The judgment seat of Christ for believers.
Does not have the thought of the.
Judicial dealings of God with us, Umm, receiving the punishment for our sins? No, that's not the thought in the judgment seat of Christ. For the believer, that is the case with the unbeliever, yes. But for the believer, there's going to be a review, there's going to be rejoicing or loss, and there's going to be a reward.
So, brethren, our lives are going to.
Uh, be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ, not for condemnation, as I have said, but for reward.
But it also says, if any man, if any man's works are burned up, he shall suffer loss, yet he shall be saved yet so as by fire. When none of us want to have a a life that ends like that, we have an example in lot a save soul and a lost life.
But the judgment seat of Christ is going to, uh, bring up not our sins, not the judgment of our persons, but the judgment of our works.
Like an empire or.
One who, uh, may be, uh, responsible to uh.
Judge the merits in a flower store, uh, an agricultural exhibition or whatever.
They don't condemn the uh displays, but they apportion our reward according to what has been done, and so our sins will never come up to condemn us. Thank God the work of Christ is perfect. God is satisfied with the umm, accomplished redemption that the Lord made at Calvary.
00:10:01
Our sins there were atoned for, put away from the sight of a holy God, and will never be resurrected again to condemn us. Thank God for that marvelous grace. Our sins so great, so many in His blood are washed away, but our lives that we are living now will be reviewed, which is a solemn and a searching thought.
You remember in the days of.
David when, uh, he records the rewards of the mighty men in his army.
Some are not there.
But he records those who had been faithful.
They did not receive much commendation during his life. We don't read of them. But at the end, when he the Kingdom is established and he is there reigning in peace in the land of Israel as King, he remembers those who were faithful under difficult circumstances, whose names were not well known.
Among his ranks, but who were faithful?
In, in days of trial and, uh, conflict. Well, brethren, our lives too will be reviewed and, uh, how wonderful to know that, uh.
Everything that has been done for Christ will receive its commendation, its reward, and it will be manifest at the appearing of Christ, not at the rapture. That's the sovereign grace of God that will take every believer into the glory, regardless of how they have walked.
But for the appearing, our lives are going to be manifest. I believe that's the thought in the wife here being arrayed with fine linen, clean and white, as the apostle says, the righteousnesses of the Saints there. It's not a question of the divine righteousness which we possess through the work of the Lord on the cross, our perfect righteousness in which we stand before a holy God that will never change for all eternity.
We have a flawless title, but.
Our works, what we have done, our conduct, our lives will be manifest in that day. And as I said, the correct translation is the righteousnesses of Saints. That is our good works, What we have done will be displayed there in the glory at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
She has made herself ready. We are making ourselves ready now by the way we, uh, conduct ourselves in this world. And, uh, to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen. How wonderful in that day.
That everything will come out.
Even a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple will not lose its reward. So let us be encouraged, brethren, to press on and to perform that little service which the Lord has given to us. It may seem very small and trivial in the sight of men.
But God has recorded it in the annals of eternity in that book of remembrance that we read of in Malachi at chapter 3, which will be opened someday. The Lord, it will be His delight to reward everything that has been pleasing to Him.
Well, uh, the appearing of Christ.
Will be at the end of the Tribulation period when we will be, we will come with Christ in the glory and, uh, the world will see, uh, how we have walked. They will see the Church of God arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, there with Christ in the glory and that reward which will go on into the Millennium.
00:15:01
And our position.
In the coming Kingdom will be according to our walk down here, we cannot lose our salvation that is secured to us through the work of Christ. We'll never lose, uh, eternal life. That's a link that nothing can snap, but we can lose our crown and our reward and how we need to walk carefully.
In self judgment.
That when the Lord reviews our lives in that coming day and everything will come out, whether it will be public or not, I don't know. But certainly this is public here that we have read of in Revelation 19. It's like a young lady who's going to be married and night after night, in the quietness of her room, she works on her wedding.
Garments stitch after stitch, many laborious hours of work. No one sees what she is doing. But then the wedding day comes and she is arrayed in that beautiful robe that she has worked so hard on for so many evenings. And we are preparing our wedding garment now. And someday we're going to be manifest with Christ in the glory. It will be his delight to have his bride with him, and it will be His delight to.
Reward faithfulness for him.
And any little service that we may have been given by the Lord.
To perform for him whatsoever thy hand findest to do, do it with thy might.
And it may not be in the public sphere. We, we tend to, uh, look up to a person who may be on the platform, we would say as having, we'll have a special reward, the greatest reward in that day. I don't believe that will be the case. Perhaps it's a sister who was, had performed her service in unconspicuously, inconspicuously.
But faithfully.
Week after week, month after month, year after year, in the little assembly that she attends or a brother, not in the public eye, but, uh, the Lord beholds those little acts of devotedness. This is where our devotedness will come out. And, uh, so don't be discouraged, young people or sisters, that you may not, uh, be in the public sphere.
But perform that service the Lord has given you devotedly, faithfully. It's recorded in the glory. The Lord has not forgotten any precious thing. And I think we will be surprised at the reward the Lord will give to us. Poor, failing creatures, unprofitable servants at the very best.
But the Lord delights to to uh.
Reward and he would encourage us now in our pathway down here to be faithful.
To, uh, manifest that divine life, to serve the Lord and our brethren, to preach the gospel. You say I don't have a gift for doing that, but we can all do the work of an evangelist.
And speak to people and give a gospel tract and leave the results with the Lord. So there's many ways in which we can serve the Lord and, uh.
It's wonderful that, uh, the Lord would give us an incentive and encouragement in the reward that we will receive. Turn over to, uh, First Corinthians, uh, Chapter 9 and then I'm finished.
First Corinthians, Chapter 9.
Perhaps is familiar to us, Uh.
00:20:01
Verse 24 Knowing not that today which run in a race, run all but one receiveth the prize. So run that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run not as uncertainly sulfite eye, not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Well, the apostle did not doubt his salvation, but he said, I want to walk.
In view of that day.
Our manifestation I want.
To please the Lord, that there might be that incorruptible crown.
That the Lord will apportion.
And he said I must.
Walking self judgment. I must keep under my body and not allow it to rule me how much we are ruled by the appetites of our body. We know that too well. But the apostle says I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. That was the path of discipleship. There was there was going to be sacrifice. There was going to be self denial and uh.
We see it sold remarkably illustrated in the life of the Apostle Paul, but we have the same life.
And we have the same future, and may we walk carefully in holiness, separation from this world and from sin which we have. As we've been reminded, the flesh is in each one of us that we keep under our body and bring it into subjection that Christ may be glorified in our pathway down here. And the Lord bless His word to us.
Turn to Matthew 7, Matthew 7, and verse three. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considers not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how would thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the most out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye, my dear brothers and sisters and the Lord.
I, uh, would like to perhaps draw attention to a beam in our eye. I've removed many moats out of eyes and my line of work.
Never come across a beam.
I think a beam is something you have to take out yourself.
Uh, we have a neighbor who has a couple of years ago had a weed in her backyard.
I watched that weed grow grew out of the wall like a foot high. I wanted to go over there and clip that weed so bad.
But I had to hold myself back. It's her yard, not mine. And she takes good care of her yard. And I say she because the husband doesn't bother, but she takes good care of her yard. The yard looks great, looks much better than mine.
That weed bothered me and it grew and it grew, I think about 3 1/2 feet high.
I just didn't understand why she didn't take care of that weed or there wasn't a weed in the rest of the lawn. No weeds in the grass. That one weed grew out of the wall and grew so big.
And I just want to take it out, you know, that's the way it is sometimes spiritually. You look around at somebody else's problem and boy, would you like to correct that. We look around and see the weed of, uh, let's say the clergy, uh, the clerical system or some other weed that we look around.
And see and fall. We'd love to get that straightened out. We'd love to go over amongst those other Christians that are meeting across town and get them straightened out on that.
As I said, my yard doesn't look so good.
00:25:02
Well, the reason for that is I've got to wait in my yard now. My weed doesn't grow 3 1/2 feet high.
It grew all over the lawn.
I tried broadleaf weed killers, a little thing with about a about size of penny of these little leaves on this thing and.
Tried breaking it out.
Nothing seemed to work on it. A year or so ago I tried poisoning it and poisoned all my grass along with it.
I look at the great brown spots in my yard.
Finally, friend this year got down and pulled out one by one. It was the hard work days. Piles and piles of weeds pulled out of my yard. Finally I think it's gone, but now I look out the window down below and big brown spots where the weeds are all pulled out. There's no grass there.
I'm not here to talk about horticulture. I'm Speaking of a weed that I feel in my own heart and I think grows in the heart of almost all of us.
I'm Speaking of the way the sectarianism.
I belong to a sect.
And I'm happy to say that I belong to a sect. There is a sect that has that was formed at the Day of Pente Pentecost.
The sect of the one body of Christ. I'm pleased to be part of that sect. But when we speak of sectarianism, we usually speak of divisions within that sect, and those divisions are what we call sectarianism.
It's something that is forbidden in the Word of God.
It's something that is the exact opposite of being gathered on the ground of the one body. Now, we say that we're gathered on the ground of the one body. The exact opposite of being gathered on the ground of one body is being sectarian. So since we're gathered on the ground of the one body.
And that's the opposite of it. We need to be very careful about about that.
Is forbidden in the Word of God.
And, and, uh, First Corinthians 1 schisms are spoken of. Those are little divisions, uh, little cracks developing in the body.
Again.
What is it 10 chapters or so later?
Umm, it's spoken of against again.
Uh, it must be, uh, I, I won't take the time to look it up, but it's twice spoken up against.
In the in the book of Corinthians.
It's something that our early brethren taught vehemently against.
It's something that they warned about.
Because they were gathered on the ground of the one body, and they.
As Mr. Darby put it, uh.
Sectarianism is something that's.
That's uh, uh, that the religious heart tends toward.
So they spoke against that and warned against it.
It's something that the Lord Jesus prayed about and, and uh, John chapter 17, we pray that there would be unity of the body.
That they wouldn't be all divided up.
It's something that hinders the gospel, and you know that for a fact. When you try to give the gospel to people, they bring up the subject that Christianity is all divided, all little, little pieces.
And in fact, in John 17, he says that that more or less states that, uh, it would.
I better read that.
One of the three reasons that he gives.
That his own should stay one.
That's verse 21 That the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
So if we all divide up.
It hinders the gospel that the world might believe that.
That God sent his son.
Sectarianism.
Makes that which is heavenly earthly.
That is, once you define a membership, once you define that that this is a group of people here on earth.
00:30:09
Then you make something that's heavenly, an earthly organization.
We have an altar.
A heavenly altar that, uh, we are to worship at.
It's not an earthly thing.
Not that we don't do it here on Earth.
But we worship in spirit and truth at an altar that's heavenly.
We worship.
Living head in heaven.
We're part of his body here on Earth.
Sectarianism.
Leads to some bad teaching.
It leads to a teaching that you do not find amongst our early brethren.
If you go back and read the writings of our early brethren, you will not find them.
Teaching.
Ecclesiastical evil.
They refer to it as error, not evil.
That might be shocking to some people to hear that, but they did not teach against.
Uh, they did not teach that that was an evil we were not contaminated by.
Ecclesiastical associations I know in the last.
Perhaps half a century or so that has been taught, but you won't find that. I don't believe. I've never found it in any of the writings of our early brethren.
It makes us think that we're something special instead of what they thought they were in the old days. Simply believers, Christians, nothing, nothing but Christians gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on the ground of the one Body.
They didn't take great pride in that, they just group of people meeting together to remember the Lord. How beautifully simple, The simplest, the simplicity that is in Christ.
I was surprised to read recently that.
Our brethren, Our earliest brethren.
Those who gathered together in couple homes, 1825.
Later in 1829, in the House of.
Mr. Hutchinson.
They met together and broke bread on Saturday night.
Why? So that each of them could go to their separate places of worship the next day.
They didn't think there were anything. Neither are we once we start thinking that we're something.
Reason. All kinds of other trouble.
For one I will name.
Great Expectations.
I hear often people I didn't get anything at the meetings.
Well, you know, if I come and say I'm an apostle.
You're gonna look around and say doesn't sound like one to me.
If I come and say I'm nothing but a believer and you ask me to, let's say you have the gospel meeting in your hometown, everybody comes back and say, well, that was a lovely message, Brother Paul. If I say I'm an evangelist.
They get disappointed. That wasn't so good for an evangelist. They'll say, uh, same thing. If we're nothing but Christians, we have low expectations. We're just believers gathering together in simplicity. We, uh, we gather together and meet together and break bread. Remember the Lord as he's asked us to do.
On the ground of the one body that means if you're a believer.
Here on the same ground as I am.
That's how they did it. Let's see how they did it for 100 years. Well, fifty, 60-70 years at least.
And it was a beautiful thing.
Now that weed that I had in my yard gradually spoiled my whole lawn. I just fear, my dear brothers and sisters, that if we continue in this way, we get more and more isolated thinking that we're something and we're really nothing thinking, thinking that we've got something special and it's just a disappointment if you think you if it's that's so special.
00:35:12
We're just believers.
Just like our early brethren were just believers gathering together to remember the Lord on the ground of the one body, recognizing Him as head.
To think, much more to be said.
But let that be.
All other than a few verses in the Revelation.
Chapter.
Chapter 2.
Verse five. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen.
Chapter 2. Verse 25.
That what you have already. Hold fast till I come.
Chapter 3.
Verse two Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die.
And then chapter 3.
Verse 17 A warning.
Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.
And the exhortation, which I won't read. Let this not be our spirit, to think that we are rich, we're something special, we're increased with goods, we have many gifts.
We have need of nothing. We do not need our.
Brethren that are gathered elsewhere, we have need of nothing.
Like we just look with the Lord's help, with a few words and, uh, Daniel chapter 2.
And I would just like to preface my remarks by saying.
We have an example here of confidence under.
Any circumstance, confidence and under any circumstance.
And we know that many of the Lord's people are going through trying times at this time, some perhaps facing health problems, some perhaps facing bereavement, some perhaps finding difficulties in school perhaps.
Some facing an eminent layoff at work or termination of employment.
Many, many difficulties are confronting.
The people of God. But we have a resource and I would just like to again look at 3 individuals that are mentioned here in verse 16 and verse 17.
And also verse 18 it says Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered.
And said to the King, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Well, if we use today's language and terminology, we would probably say.
Or our present usage would be we are very careful and we are giving much consideration to what you have had to say and I'm sure that that was the case.
We see one in the Word of God in the Old Testament King Hezekiah. He was confronted with the difficulty, and what did he do? It says he spread the matter before the Lord. And so these three individuals, these three Hebrew prisoners.
Were not going to give the king a rash answer, but they would take.
Uh, their response, uh, into consideration and bring that matter before God.
And so it says in verse 17, if it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. So we have one scenario here we see possible deliverance and they.
00:40:01
Begin their reply with those words.
If it be so, and we're going to also link that to three words that they use in verse 18. So they recognize that God was able to deliver them from that situation that was confronting them and it certainly was not a very appealing or inviting situation.
To be thrown into a burning furnace. We have not been confronted with that difficulty. We've had difficulties, have we not? But I'm sure we have not experienced so greater difficulty as experienced as confronted, as confronting these three individuals. But then in verse 18 it says, but if not be it known unto thee, O King.
That we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set.
Uh, thou hast set up. And so they realized that there was ano another possibility that they might not be delivered, but they were willing to leave that also in God's hands. And so we have confidence here under any circumstance. Now let's just go back to Psalm 34. I was just noticing not too long ago, a few few verses in this 34 Psalm.
And.
It's certainly a very comforting Psalm to look at.
The heading is a Psalm of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.
Let's look at verse two. It says, well, verse one and two, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall be continually in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. What magnificent.
Uh statements are being made here by one UH who was facing difficulty and trial.
Then in verse four it says I sought the Lord and he heard me.
And delivered me from all of my fears.
No, often.
We're troubled by many things.
Many of the things that we're troubled about often don't come to fruition. They don't take place. We're anxious about many things in our lives, are we not? But here we have one that was able to deliver from all fears. And So what a precious thing that is. And then it says in verse six, this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him.
Out of all their troubles. So now not only are we saved from and encouraged when we have fears, but here we have one that can deliver us from our troubles. Then it says in verse 90, Fear the Lord ye his Saints, for there is no one to them that fear him. The Young Lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord.
Shall not want any good thing.
And.
We would go again to verse 17, the righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles. And then verse 19 it says many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivered them or delivered them out of them all. Well there are those that would preach a a gospel of pres prosperity. Well, if you follow the Lord, you accept the Lord, the Lord will make everything rosy in your life.
But this isn't what we're promised, is it? But we have the Lord's promise with us through the difficulties that he passes us through. And so.
00:45:01
Uh, we have that assurance. And then in verse 22, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. And what a comfort that is. And let's just turn to just a few verses in Job chapter. I believe it's Job chapter 37.
In connection with the large ways.
We're reminded that the Lord chastens those whom in loveth.
Just a few days ago I spoke to a brother out in the West Coast who was going through quite a bit of difficulty. His wife had had a number of surgeries, he was in the 70s, and he was having to provide almost 24/7 care for her. He was very discouraged, he was very weary, yet he was still happy.
In the Lord, and I sought to comfort him with some scriptures. And just a day or so I was going through some of my old pamphlets and I came across a back issue of the Christian from 2008 that had to do with trials and temptations that would face the believer. And I read through that and I was very much comforted from reading through that issue and had a chance to send that on to him.
But let's just read this 13th verse. It says he causeth it to come, whether for correction or for his land or for mercy. Or as another said, we have three things brought before us here, that which is punitive, that which is purgative, and that perhaps which is preventative. And we're reminded, are we not, of the apostle Paul who was given a thorn in the flesh so that you might not be lifted up?
Well, what an encouragement we have, uh, from God's precious Word to help us through these difficulties and trials that face us as we walk, uh, our journey through, uh, our life here.
In closing, there was a piece of poetry that concluded that issue.
Of the Christian and that piece of poetry is entitled He is Near.
And there was a verse of Scripture written on the top, and that verse was from Isaiah chapter 43 and verse two it says, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.
Says whom? The Lord?
Whom the Lord does love, He chastens one of Scripture's presses through. And we called to mind the testing of those much tried Hebrews youths, who within a fiery furnace for their faithfulness appear, but whose chastening was tempered by the presence that was near. Again, those last few lines, but whose chastening was tempered.
By the present presence that was near for the burning fiery furnace not alone by them was trod.
Oh, they had the blessed company of that one, the Son of God. What a joy amidst their trial. How it must have calmed their fear in the hour of their affliction, just to know that He was near. Yes, in the hour of.
Our affliction we can know that He is near so as we go or life's pathway trials and sorrows we must meet, but they will not overpower us if we are at Jesus feet within hearing of His whisper that will fall upon our ear in the roughest darkest places. Trust and fear not, I am near owe the lonely hours we pass through.
In the nearest cannot share we to Him our hearts and burden take our grief to Him in prayer. Then it is He loves to hear us, loves to comfort and to cheer and to joy. He turns our sorrow by His whisper. I am near.
Of His love He does assure us, shows us that the trial was meant, but to draw us closer to Him, and in tender love was sent that we might rely more fully on His love while we are here and be ever conscious listeners.
00:50:16
For his whisper I am near and be ever waiting, watching or watchful.
Four is coming in the air.
When Osteo himself, he'll gather A to dwell with him up there. Then in every waking moment, may this thought our spirits cheer. He is coming, coming for us, and blessed hope his comings near.
Could we sing verses 1?
Four and five of #35 in the back of the book versus 1, four and five.
Oh my.
When everything.
Oh.
Umm.
Uh.
Uh, we'll have part of my daughter. We're all after hours, very mixed up and.
Then.
Everything about.
We sing also just the last verse of 42 in the appendix and #42 in the appendix just verse 3.
Dial 0 111 Five.
Green light.
And breathing, you know, it's raining in the head and bladder and letting them fall asleep strong. And I'll look up all over the center and you'll see if you're going to be able to get a little bit of hot.
But I'm going to get 1000.
112.
Why not explain my problems and everything?
54.
Isaiah 54 and verse 11.
Odalis parks with a Tempest.
And not comforted.
Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires, and I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, and all thy children shall be taught to the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.
01:00:04
Right, Our God and our Father, we just do thank Thee that we've been reminded of that time that we commonly call the judgment seat of Christ.
When things will be brought into thy review and uh, thou will have reward for each of thy children.
We just do thank Thee that whatever the trials of this life are, whatever they might yet be, we know that Thy eye is upon us, that it does care about us that will carry us all the way through just to thank Thee. That we know we're at the end of that path lies. It lies in Thy presence, Lord Jesus.
And we just do thank Thee that we can trust Thee and be encouraged. We thank Thee for thy word. We pray that we might have an understanding and a desire to follow in the good of it. In thy name we give thanks. Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
Open Mtg. 7
Open—S. Stewart, B. Imbeau
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We sing #166.
Lord, thou hast drawn us after thee. Now let us run, never tire.
What in thy love possess me not?
Our star by night has fun by day 166.
For thou hast grown after thee, and all that's wrong, I never thought.
The soul of my breaking.
Thy son of thyroid life.
All right, let's say.
You're in a while barking.
Lord and can go.
If I did.
Call president.
McDonald's.
I spray the light rain hard red, brown.
Our lightnings in our Grandmaster and.
I think my voice.
I rode before the road of God.
Life and diversity.
Silverstone.
And then let's go.
Play layoffs.
And glorified again. I'll have the rainfall.
And close up in America.
And.
Spread together.
Our God and our Father, we are still thankful for the rich provision that thou has given us thus far, our Lord Jesus, and from thy word and just pray now that thou hast give us a little more of him and.
Just ask that the Spirit might have liberty through thy word and it's truth to touch our conscience, affect our life, that it would be for his praise and his glory. Just ask for thy blessing too in the gospel meeting as it would go forth and the credits in Jesus name.
We turn to.
Gospel of John.
And chapter.
11.
There's 49.
And one of them named Caiaphas being the high priest that same year.
Said unto them, You know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
00:05:06
And this spake? He nodded himself.
For being high priest, said Eerie prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. John 17.
There are three.
Versus.
Three, uh, times one. This is mentioned in John 17. I'd like to look at them just briefly.
John 17 and uh.
Verse 11.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.
That they may be one as we are.
The Lord here in this, uh, in his high priestly prayer, if you look at Mr. Darby's translation, it's not even exactly a prayer, but he comes in light of a finished work, as he alone can call those things present which are yet future. And he demands based on that finished work of the Father in the light of that finished work.
And here he requests.
As it were, uh, that the apostles, those that he had chosen, those 12 That he had around himself in that upper room, that they might be one. And he says, as we are the Father and the Son.
This oneness is not the oneness of the body of Christ, although we often connect it in our thoughts. But it's not the oneness of the body of Christ, but it's the oneness of the Father and the Son. And that they were one in their thought, one in their aim, one in their purpose, one in their council.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Are one in all their counsel, and the apostles are brought into that, that they might be one too, and their thought, and their aim, and their purpose.
The second one Ness that's mentioned is verse 21.
That they all may be one as our Father art in me, and I in thee. That they also may be one in US.
That the world may believe Thou hast sent me. I probably really should read. I've read, uh, verse 20 as well. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. Up to this point he'd been praying and the oneness mentioned and the oneness that he wanted his own brought into his praying for the 12. Now he broadens out in that prayer, and he includes in that scope those that would believe on him through their word.
Because he was going to send them, and they were going to preach Christ, and there would be those who would believe. And he adds something more to this oneness. He says, as thou art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in US.
And here it is a oneness of divine fellowship.
A oneness of common interests of the father, and his son and his son.
In the Father.
And it's that divine fellowship that you and I have been brought into who have believed.
And the Word of God that has presented Christ to us, written by those very apostles, inspired by the Spirit of God, and we've been brought into that oneness of enjoyment and appreciation of the Father and the Son. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen the Father at any time.
The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him, and we beheld His glory. The glory as of an only Begotten with the Father, full of grace and truth. And the greatest revelation of divine truth and love that this world has ever seen and ever will see, is the Father and the Son.
00:10:02
Incarnate in this world, we beheld His glory.
And we've been brought into that fellowship. Now there's one more oneness named.
Verse 22 And the glory which thou gave us to me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I and them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast love them as thou hast loved me. This is future. All that second oneness was going to result in testimony that the world may believe in the Gospel would go out.
But now this is future when he comes in, in, uh, that coming day to set up his Kingdom and is displayed before this world and all his own are with him.
And it's the oneness of coming glory, and it's imperfection. And there's no that the world may.
Believe will they may? No, it's that the world will know. If they're going to see that display, it's not going to be a matter of faith anymore. And they're going to see those that are one with him are those that are in the fullness of the Father's love and the objects of his love and affection and the Son's love and affection. And you and I will be there in that day, in that perfect oneness. Again, this isn't the oneness of the body. It's the oneness that John presents to us.
And it's beautiful in its place. Let's turn over to the First Epistle of John.
Verse 3.
Chapter One. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. That's the apostles.
And truly our fellowship, the apostles fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. That's that first oneness the apostles unity won in thought and a name and purpose. But he it widens out again to that second one, as he says, we want to bring you into it, The fellowship that we've enjoyed, that oneness that we enjoy.
In In the Appreciation of the Father and the Son.
And these things right we unto you, that your joy may be full.
This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declaring to you that God is light, and in Him as no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
He's brought us into this unity. He's brought us into this light.
And the basis of being able to do that because we were sinful was through the work of Calvary and the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin and made us fit to come into that unity and the enjoyment of the Father and the Son.
God is the center.
And this is the part of the thought that I really would like to convey. God is the center of every unity that he has formed.
And because he is light, and because he is holy.
If we are going to be in that unity and in the enjoyment of it, it has to be in accordance with His own nature of holiness and light. It cannot be otherwise.
Again, every unity that God has formed, He is the center of it, and because He is the center of it, those that are in that unity must be there in accordance with His own nature of holiness and light. And so the principle of unity is this.
Separation from evil.
It cannot be otherwise.
In the beginning when God created this creation that we walked through with all came from Him in perfection and purity, and He was the center of that unity of His creation that He made, and He set man in there in His image and likeness as His representative at the center and made Him head of it.
00:15:00
And we know what happened. Sin came in and man fell, and with him the whole creation fell with it, and God had to separate.
From it, because he can have no fellowship with sin. And a distance came in, a separation came in.
Let's turn to Ephesians.
Chapter One.
Verse 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one, or head up in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth. Even in him there is a day coming. There is an administration yet to unfold in this world, a dispensation.
Yet to unfold in this world and God is going to have a unity in that day of all created things in heaven and earth. And the head and center of that is going to be himself and the person of his Son, the Christ. He's going to head up all things in one in Christ.
Now let's turn back to a few scriptures that concern that coming day.
And it's unfolding. It's beginning.
Matthew, Chapter 13.
We know these scriptures so I'm not going to read everything.
Matthew 13.
And verse.
38 The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the Kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of the world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and then which do iniquity.
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire.
There should be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Verse 49. So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angel shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and he and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have you understood all these things? They said unto him, Yeah, Lord, turn over to chapter 24.
Verse 36.
Whether that day and hour N no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
As in the days of Noah, so as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, took them away in judgment.
So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. There shall then shall two be in the field. One shall be taken, the other left.
And so on taken for judgment.
At the inauguration of His Kingdom and His glory. And we could turn to the next chapter and see when He sits on the throne of His glory, and He brings the living nations before him, and He separates them as sheep and goats, and there are those who depart into everlasting fire. Judicially God is going to clean, and the mighty angels of the Son of Man are going to clean this earth. They're going to wipe it clean of every evil. Because when God sets up that unity in that day of all things in heaven and earth, and Christ heads it up as the center of that, there is going to be nothing that defiles.
That's associated with that unity. Nothing, because the one who is center of it is light and holy.
Judicially, he is going to clean it away.
But we live in a day where God is not dealing with this earth.
The tears aren't to be rooted out now.
Are going to be.
But.
The apostle says, what have you to do with them that are without? God judges them that are without.
00:20:04
But we're responsible for judgment within. Why?
Because there is another unity which God has formed on this earth, the unity of the body of Christ. Christ is its head and center, and He's holy.
He is holy and he cannot be associated with evil. He cannot be.
Can we turn to?
Ephesians.
Chapter 4.
Verse one.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all loneliness and meekness and long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as you're called, and one hope of your calling.
What is it to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit? It's to strive to enter into, to lay hold of that unity which the Spirit of God formed here in this earth, consisting of every member of the body of Christ united to our head in heaven, and to walk in the good of it, meanwhile knowing and comprehending that nothing can form part of that or be connected with that unity.
That would be contrary to what He is and all his holy nature.
It's a unity that does not come because we want it to, or because we think it's a good thing that it should come, or because we, uh, think it's a nice thing.
Because it must have a righteous basis, it must have a righteous basis.
Now he exhorts them to walk worthy of that vocation wherewith they were called, which is taken up in chapters 2 and three, The Church, the habitation of God through the Spirit, and in chapter 3, that which he has wrought to form that Church. And broken down that middle wall of partition of Jew and Gentile, formed, 1 Newman. One body of which Christ is the head. And we give expression to that when we partake of that one loaf.
That there is one body.
I'd like to turn over to.
Time so short, I'd like to turn over to 1St Corinthians, so I'm just going to touch on these principles.
First Corinthians in chapter 5.
Where we know sin had come in to that assembly.
Verse 6.
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out there for the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened for even Christ. Our Passover is sacrificed for us. Here was in connection with moral evil, a sin that even shocked the Gentiles, unbelieving Gentiles who are around, and they had to put away that wicked person from among.
Themselves.
If they were going to walk on in that unity which the Spirit of God had formed, and the apostle says, Ye are an unleavened lump, but you know there was a danger if and who doubts, if they had not listened to what the apostle had said, that they would have become an unleavened lump, and they would have lost the title and the privileges and the responsibility of the Church of God here in this earth.
Little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
That had to be dealt with or would spread through the whole and characterize the whole.
Uh, let's turn over to Galatians.
Chapter 5 or seven. You did run well. Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Here it is. Doctrinal evil had come in with the Galatians, and it's the same statement. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. It had to be dealt with, or they would not continue on in time.
00:25:03
As the Church of God here in this earth. But doctrinal evil is far more insidious and worse. Because what's worse? For a man to get drunk, or for someone to stand up as a preacher of the word of God and say it's OK to get drunk and put out a doctrine in the name of Christ and sully the name of Christ with evil?
Doctrinal evil is far worse because it makes God the author of it. He cannot be.
He cannot be.
Let's turn back to.
Matthew again, chapter 13.
Verse 33.
Another parable spake he unto them. The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened, till the whole she hid it.
This was sneaky. This was underhanded. That's what's pictured to us.
She hid leavened sin. Evil doctrine is to the person of Christ really until it spread from end to end, and characterize the whole. Brethren, what is on my heart?
Is that we are gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, and in all feebleness.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and those bonds of peace. And I trust for my own soul it's in the bonds of peace, not with an agitated heart.
But the principle of unity is separation from evil, and there is no evil or unity unless there is separation from evil.
We're in a day when apostasy has Wellness spread from one end of the Christian testimony to the other, and there is hardly a group of believers collectively today that does not either tolerate moral evil or doctrinal evil or both.
We are not free to just receive indiscriminately our dear brethren in Christ without the carefulness that becomes keeping the unity of the Spirit and the uniting bond of peace.
It is a principle that exercise our early brethren deeply, and that they learned, sometimes with real sorrow.
Luke.
After 11.
Verse 23.
He that is not with me is against me.
And he that gathereth not with me scatter.
There are many unities that have been formed by men in this world, and I'm Speaking of professing Christianity.
But there is only one that God has formed.
And the consequences that every other unity that man has formed on any other basis stands in direct opposition to what God has formed.
And to what he has encouraged us to endeavor to keep.
With all meekness and lowliness, because we cannot keep it any other way.
He that gathereth not with me scatter. And those centers of unity become the harbors of evil, because unity becomes an object in itself. And if in order to keep unity we have to tolerate evil, then it just becomes woof and warp of the whole fabric of that unity rather than separation from it. And every one of those unity stands in opposition to that which has Christ as its center.
Separation from evil is God's principle of unity, and it always will be.
But it's not the power.
I wanna close with one verse.
John, Chapter 12.
Here's the power.
Of Unity.
John 12.
And verse 32.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, we'll draw all men unto me. What is the power of unity and gathering? It's the attractive beauty of the one that God has placed at the center of that unity, His own beloved Son.
00:30:32
This is a bit of switch, but it does have to do with the setting up of that.
Future.
Dispensation.
And so if you can turn with me, please, to the first chapter of Acts.
Acts chapter one.
And.
Umm.
Verse six. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord.
Wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom of Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power, that ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses both unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and all Samaria, unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel.
Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven?
Shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven?
And.
Turn to.
Uh.
Zechariah.
Verse nine of Chapter 9. Zechariah 9/9.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, He is just in having salvation lowly, and riding upon an *** and upon a colt the full of an ***.
And I will cut off the chariot for me, Frim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen. And his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
You know there were.
Several hymns and I meant to Can I borrow your hymn book?
Meant to bring my hymn book up but there are several hymns that we sang this morning that.
Tied us to that future.
In an interesting way, I thought it was.
170 is one of them.
Low He comes from heaven, descending once for favored Sinner slain. 1000 thousand Saints attending swell the triumph of his train. Hallelujah, Jesus comes and comes to reign.
You know we look forward to the Lord coming in the rapture.
And Acts chapter one where it speaks of the Lord coming again.
Is not the rapture, even though we often apply it that way and appreciate and enjoy it.
But it's this what we sang?
This morning.
00:35:01
It's the Lord coming to set up that new administration in this world.
And uh.
To me it's an astonishing scene because of course it follows on this dispensation.
Which we have so UN admirably failed in so many ways. And some of what's just been spoken is very indicative and, uh, a word to our consciences.
But still our eyes like the eyes, that little maid.
Uh, there to be on the master.
And looking in a different way.
And it is with an appreciation that we can look forward to that day.
When the Lord Jesus Christ will be manifest in this world.
Will everything just fall into place the 2nd that he appears? No.
As a matter of fact, in writing or him coming to the Mount of Olives and then riding down in Jerusalem happens after a bit after his appearing, as we think of it commonly in Scripture.
And yet, here's this one who's been rejected.
Has been cast out one who has gathered a people to himself through a time of about 2000 years and. And, uh, even those folks weren't.
Always so admirable to not always appreciate himself as a gathering spot.
And tolerated.
Evil in ways that should not have been tolerated.
And yet that one.
Who has already gathered that church to himself? He is going to come out of heaven again.
Place his feet on this earth again.
Just imagine.
The Lord Jesus Christ who left from the Mount of Olives.
Way back.
It's recorded in the end of the book of Luke and then in the book of Acts.
Those feet.
Will not touch Earth again until this time.
When it comes to the Mount of Olives.
What will it mean to him?
What will go through his mind, his heart?
Will people respond to him as they had 2000 years earlier?
With even respond to him as.
Believers had so lost and half heartedly and cold heartedly responded to him for 2000 years.
And so he comes even then, meek and lowly, riding on an ******* again. Ride into Jerusalem.
And he'll set things right in his own way, with process.
Looking out to his scattered people to gather them all back to himself.
And establish a name in this world.
His name?
It's an amazing tale of grace.
That God has so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Whether it's us in this time, whether it's the people in time to come, they will have to acknowledge Christ as Lord as He sets those blessed feet back on this earth.
They will have to acknowledge him.
And what a joy that will be. It will be a joy to us, as we'll be with Christ. We'll see it all, appreciate it all. It'd be a joy to this war-torn world. And it'll again be a joy to the Father's house, to the Father. Excuse the heart, the Father's heart, to see his Son lifted up in this world.
As a center point for blessing.