Scranton Conference: 2011
Table of Contents
John 14:1-6
Reading
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166.
Lord, thou have strong.
Now let us run and never die.
Why Crimes and Shout?
From birthday.
Like so far all.
I start by.
Your son by your hand.
Our spring of life when hearts went around.
I wanted to chill.
Our bread together.
I should.
Always save all of the world.
I change our.
Place.
Here.
Where you are being to make my children.
Our God and our Father, we look to Thee.
Let us know the needs of our our hearts as we tried the Pilgrim path.
And now owned by the Spirit of God, can direct us to that which is.
Going to meet those needs and my purpose a blessing to us.
We think of how Melchizedek of old came forth bearing that bread and wine for Abraham sustenance.
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And we do thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who intercedes on high for us.
To keep us in that Pilgrim path. And Lord Jesus, we thank thee.
Thou art our head in heaven, and it is Thy grace that ministers by every joint of supply.
To achieve that purpose of lying, the perfecting of thy Saints at the ministry.
Might be carried on, and the testimony all that fail, yet the perfecting of thy Saints is ever before thee. And so we pray that the word of God would reach conscience, find its dwelling place in our hearts by faith, and that it might produce those fruits in our life.
That would be for thine own glory.
And we find, like Abraham, a bold that thou art our shield.
And are exceeding great reward. And Lord Jesus, we look forward to thy return.
When we will.
See thee face to face.
When hope shall realize its expectation and faith see its object.
And we will dwell forever with thee, Lord Jesus, in that atmosphere of love in the Father's house.
While we're here, Lord Jesus, we look up to thee. We would lift up.
We trust, holy hands, to receive of Thee that which Thou does have for us.
We give the thanks and ask this our God and Father, and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of the prayer meeting we sang that Him We've often sung tis not far off the hour when Christ will claim his own. And I wonder, brethren, if for these two reading meetings we have scheduled today, it might be profitable to consider a little bit concerning the Lord's coming. I don't suppose there's ever been a day when the Saints of God have desired the Lord's coming more than the day in which we live.
And I was thinking perhaps we could read, at least for this reading, the 1St 6 verses of John 14 as well as the last part of First Thessalonians 4. We may not get all of it in this reading, but.
Wondered if that might be for our profit. Like I say, maybe the.
Verse 6 Verses of John 14 and then in.
Thessalonians.
Four, perhaps from verse 13 to the end.
Read John chapter 14, verse one to six.
Let not your heart be troubled. Be believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whether I go you know and the way you know.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In First Thessalonians chapter 4.
Starting at verse 13, First Thessalonians 4.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Or if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, And the dead in Christ shall rise first, Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.
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To meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Well, just to get the context of what we have in this familiar portion in the 14th chapter of John, we find that the Lord Jesus has gathered the disciples around himself in the upper room to address them really for the last time before He goes to the cross. And as the Lord Jesus looked at these disciples, he looked right into their hearts, and He knew that their hearts were troubled. He knew that they were afraid. And the reason they were troubled and afraid was because.
The Lord Jesus had told them that He was going to go away and leave them. Here were these men that had walked with the Lord Jesus during His public ministry and He had provided everything that was needed, not just in a physical or temporal way. But when their hearts were troubled concerning the death of John the Baptist, they came to the Lord and they poured out their hearts and He listened to them and drew them into the desert place to rest a while. They could come to Him in any situation.
But at the beginning of the 13th chapter where this Upper Room ministry begins, this last discourse of the Lord Jesus with His own, it says the hour was come that He should depart out of the world under the Father, having loved His own, which were in the world. He loved them unto the end. There was a need and a motive that prompted the words that we've read here this morning. The need was He was going to leave them. The motive was His unchanging, unfailing love for them.
And so there are many things that he covers in these chapters, that is chapters 13 to the end of 16. And it just seems like he covers every aspect of what they're going to need and his provision in view of his absence and them being left in this world. But brethren, one of the beautiful things that he brings before them is the hope of his second coming.
The fact that while He was going to leave them for a little time, this was not going to be permanent. And so He gives them for their comfort here, the truth of His coming again and the Father's house. And brethren, if we didn't have that comfort, if we didn't have this truth this morning, there isn't much other comfort in this world today. Think we see things getting worse and worse. We see political and civil unrest.
In so many pockets and corners of the world we see natural disasters which many of us have been made acutely aware of, of recent time, and all these things, and the world really winding down for the judgment of God. What comfort would we have apart from this blessed truth? And so, just to stop this morning and consider this and perhaps connect some scriptures with this that bring before us this hope and confirm it to our souls, I believe it will give us courage to press on amidst the difficulties.
It's important to see in the subject that is before us that there are two aspects of the Lords coming.
That is important to this.
To separate in our understanding.
This is the first revelation.
We have of the Lord's return for his Saints.
Even here the Lord does not develop the truth to a large extent, but He brings this hope before us. This is the Lord's coming for His Saints, and that could take place at any moment. That should be our hope. We should be a watching, a waiting, also a working people.
But there is another aspect of the Lord's coming. It's all the one coming, you might say. But IN22 Characters, the Lord's return is appearing, is also his coming. But that does not take place at the rapture. That is subsequent. That is at least seven years after we are.
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Transported into the glory.
At the shout which Paul develops doctrinally in the First Epistle of the Thessalonians that we will look at.
That has more to do with our responsibility, not so much a question of responsibility here. It's the joy of meeting the Lord and being ushered into the Father's house. But responsibility does come before us in the appearing, which as I say, is subsequent to this event that we are looking at this morning and.
The Lord was going to be the one that they would come to with their problems, their supplications. You believe in God. They were taught to believe in God. Jehovah is the all powerful one. Now the Lord was going to be in the glory and they would have the same confidence in him because of course he is God, but now an exalted man at God's right hand. So I think it's important to see the the two aspects of the Lord's coming.
That we have in Scripture and that Paul brings before us later on in his official.
Just say 2 As a little outline of these verses we've read in John 14, there are really at the beginning of this chapter three things that are given for the comfort of the disciples on this occasion and of course for our comfort this morning as well. The first brother John has already mentioned, and that is the Lord Jesus himself. And what the Lord Jesus is really saying to the disciples is you believed on God whom you've never seen.
Now you're going to have to believe on me in the same way, because the Lord Jesus was number longer going to be with them physically the way he was on earth. Paul later on said, henceforth know we know man after the flesh, though we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more. And that's what the Lord was preparing the disciples for. So Peter himself says in his epistle, whom not having seen ye love, though now you see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The Lord was going to return to the Father. The cloud received him out of their sight, and they saw him no more. But brethren, he's no less real to the eye of faith if he, if we don't see him physically, we haven't, like John, seen him with our eyes and handled him with our hands, but he's no less real to the eye of faith. And so I believe, what is going to comfort and strengthen us for the path of faith.
Is to look up by faith into the open heavens and see the Lord Jesus. We see Jesus, it tells us, in the book of Hebrews. And so the first thing is himself, but not himself as he was when he was with the disciples. It's himself as the exalted man in anticipation here, of course, but for us it's himself as the exalted man at the right hand of God. The second thing in the second verse is the Father's house.
The new home. And the third thing is the promise that he is going to come and escort them and us of course, to that new home. So as we go down these verses, three things for our comfort, Christ as the man in glory, the home that is before us, and the truth that he's going to come again and take us to that home and to himself.
The coming again, that is spoken up here is not death. Many Christians have regarded this as passing through the article of death, but that is not the the thought in this passage. It's the personal appearance of the Lord. But it is it is the rapture, let's say, a secret coming. The world will see nothing of the Lord at this time when we are.
Raptured, taken from this earth in the moment and twinkling of an eye, the world will see nothing happen. They'll be completely.
Unaware of what has taken place, what they'll notice, there is an absence of many people in the world. So it's important that we we see that.
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The the Lord is in the glory, but he is coming again and to see the character of the Upper Room ministry, which is really Christianity, the Lord was.
Was developing here the truth that now we enjoy as our brother Jim said, Christ glorified at the right hand of God. Also brought out in the upper room ministry in chapters 14 to 16 the presence of the Holy Spirit of God here in the world, which is characteristic of Christianity. This was never so in the Old Testament when the rapture takes place.
The Holy Spirit of God will be taken as well. He is now indwelling every believer in this room that was never known in the Old Testament times. So we have a wonderful privilege in Christianity. Although the Lord is absent, we look up and we see him glorified at God's right hand and we have the Holy Spirit of God that unfolds to us all these precious truths that we have in the in the upper room.
Believe that.
God's desire is that we should.
Be at perfect peace. But it's all a result of faith, and faith is taking God at His word tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith believes in the existence of something that it cannot see.
And I've often thought when we look up into the blue sky and we see a airplane traveling across the sky.
But then perhaps it goes into clouds and it disappears.
We can't see the airplane any longer.
Now, do we believe that it doesn't exist? Of course not. It's just that the clouds obscured the airplane. Well, our brother Jim referred to Acts chapter one how that when the disciples were gathered there on Mount Olivet, I believe it was.
Jesus ascended up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Did they believe now that he ceased to exist?
The Lord Jesus had already spoken with them and said you believe in God who you don't see. Well, I want you to believe in me because you're not going to see me with the natural eye. But by faith you can enjoy the fact that I do exist.
And as we read in the Word of God, we find that the Lord Jesus is seated.
At the right hand of God, and this is what we enjoy by faith.
And through the Word of God, apart from the Word of God, we wouldn't know anything about this.
Well, how thankful we can be for faith.
And so.
Lord Jesus speaks here to his disciples. He says, believe in God, believe also in me.
So Stephen later on in the Acts then gives a confirmation, doesn't he, that the Lord Jesus who had been received by the cloud out of their sight was indeed still existing or living. And he with his last breaths and his last look, he looks up and he says, I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. What a confirmation that though he was no longer visible to the physical eye, he was indeed.
Visible to faith.
And I'd just like to say too, in connection with this portion that we find with the Upper Room ministry, that God, as he always has done with his people, whether it was the Old Testament or the New Testament, he always does, has done two things. He's always made present provision for the pathway, and He has always provided an eye to the future. Because Wally mentioned faith, but there's no such thing as blind faith.
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Faith always has an eye to the future. Moses gave up the riches and position of Egypt. He esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt. How could he do such a thing? I've just been in Egypt again this summer, and the treasures of Egypt back at that time were something. Egypt's a base Nation Today, but it was not a base nation in the days of Moses and the Pharaohs. It was a glorious nation and the treasures and wisdom of Egypt.
At that time are something that is remarkable in ancient history. You say, how could he give all that up? Well, it says he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He had an eye to the future. He had an eye of faith. And so faith always gets through the present because it looks to the future. And brethren, if we only look around and back, which was so often the difficulty of the Israelites in the wilderness.
We're going to be discouraged too. We're not going to press on. But as we've often said, the Christian look is upward and onward.
Let me give you a little example from the children of Israel's history. At the beginning of the wilderness journey in the 16th of Exodus, they very quickly look back. You know, they never got back to Egypt. In their hearts they returned to Egypt, but they never got back there, thank God, positionally, and we'll never get back there positionally. But in their hearts they returned into Egypt. They began murmuring and complaining. And if you ever travel the Sinai Peninsula, I'm surprised they didn't murmur and complain more, but they murmured and complained.
And Moses cried to the Lord, he always knew where to turn. But what's instructive is the Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel to turn around. They in other words, he said they're simply looking backwards and at present circumstance. And when they turned around and looked out over the wilderness, what did they see? They saw the glory of the Lord revealed in the cloud. In some way, Jehovah was pleased to reveal himself to them.
And with that vision of the glory of the Lord, they could press on. The problem was, they didn't keep that before them. And time and time and time again they lost sight of that. And time and time again they murmured and complained and grumbled and blamed Moses for their situation, and so on. But as long as they had the glory of the Lord before them, they were encouraged to press on through that hot desert, sandy Sinai Peninsula.
And brethren, we're in a spiritual world. There are difficulties. I have no doubt there are brethren here this morning whose hearts are very troubled.
Very afraid because of circumstances, but let's get a fresh vision of the man in the glory, our present provision and the hope that we have here of his coming. That's what's just around the corner.
This is not also true that on Thursday morning when we come together.
To remember the Lord, the.
Look by face.
The Lord we can see in our midst, but we know He is because His Word tells us.
And he also tells us to look back when the Lord had said this, Do in remembrance of me, shall I come?
But also, we look forward to the day when we won't need that. We don't need the emblems anymore because we'll be in His presence. So to think of the breaking a bridge tomorrow morning, Lord willing, we can see.
The past, the present and the future, and the remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith also forms us because with Christ as our object, a man has to have an object.
And Christ as our object forms us to be more like Him and has an object, and he becomes like whatever is before his soul, whether it's money or whether it's to be famous or have power or to look beautiful or whatever it is, He becomes like. What is the occupation of his heart?
Hope is an expectation, and so faith is God-given to look up.
And believe what he has said. And a practical faith in our life has Christ as its object, and were formed to be like Christ. And then that very word that he has given us faith to believe gives us a hope and expectation. And ever since the fall, man has lived in expectation. And we're not the only ones that hope. But Paul says others have no hope. We read in First Thessalonians 4. It's not that they don't hope.
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But they really don't have a hope. The believer is the only one who truly has a hope. But man hopes. Man lives his life and hope. Just listen to those that you're around and.
Hear them in the world there. I can't wait till Friday. Well, I can't wait till that vacation. Why can't wait till I get the house paid off and I can do this and I can't wait for this and I can't wait for that. And as soon as they get that next thing, then they can't wait for the next thing. And they constantly live in hope.
We're no different, but we have a hope. We have a blessed hope, the apostles tells Titus. And it's a sure hope because God has given it to us, and hope is going to realize its expectation. But man's hopes are going to end and be finally taken away from him in death and in eternal judgment. They have no hope, but they live in hope. That's how we are. That is how God has made us.
But he's given us an expectation that's going to be realized. And so the Lord sets before them this expectation says, here, here's what your hope needs to be in. Here's what you look forward to. And that's what really lifts us above this scene and all the circumstances I was thinking of. As was mentioned, all the difficulties that we see around us in this world is as it were, as God turns up the fire under the pressure cooker.
But you know, there's other things that trouble us too, and trouble the disciples. One of you shall betray me, the Lord said.
And Peter would deny the Lord, and all would forsake him and flee in time. So whether they looked at each other, whether they looked within, there was going to be discouragement because there's going to be failure among his own. And there were going to be those who claimed to be his own who weren't at all.
And so within the Christian circle, so to speak, there's that which can discourage us perhaps even more.
Than the things that have come upon this world.
But having that hope in Christ to see that every believer.
Is going to be in the Father's house. Every believer is going to end his and her path in glory with Christ lifts us above the scene. That's why the Lord sets that before us as a hope every other hope.
Will be disappointed. Do we set our hope in the Christian testimony in this world?
I'm going to be disappointed in one another and ourselves.
Will be disappointed, but there's one place where we won't be disappointed and that's in Christ, and we're going to all be there with Him.
It's the only hope that man has that can be referred to as sure and steadfast. And so the apostle in Hebrews chapter six, he says which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Every other hope, as you say, is when we talk about hope connected with this life of the first man. It's uncertainty at best. We might say, well after these meetings are over, we all hope to return.
To our homes. But wouldn't we be presumptuous if we sat here this morning and said beyond a shadow of a doubt, we all know that when these meetings are over, we're all going to return safely to our homes. We pray to that end and we trust it so. But many things we have hoped to do that have become frustrated and never come to fruition. But we have a hope that sure and steadfast because it's a hope based on two things.
Resurrection and ascension, and those two things have been accomplished. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead. And when Peter writes to the Saints, he writes to them of a living hope, and it's based on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. But it's not just the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it's the ascension of the Lord Jesus. And that portion in Hebrews 6 that I just alluded to brings that out, that our forerunner, the Lord Jesus, has not only risen from the dead.
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But he has been accepted back into heaven to the right hand of God, and as the forerunner. It is the assurance to you and to me that when the right moment comes, we are going to get there. And I want to say this ever so carefully, but I believe it's true, brethren.
That having availed ourselves of the finished work of Christ and having this hope set before us now.
If God were to refuse anyone of us entrance into heaven now.
He would have to banish his son from his presence, and that is absolutely and unequivocally impossible. That's the security in which you and I stand as to the hope of our entering the Father's house when the right moment comes, if you ever doubt your hope in Christ and the fact that you're going to be there amongst the number who fill the Father's house.
Look up by faith and see where the Lord Jesus is as the forerunner. He seated there.
And He is the the confirmation, the guarantee that everyone who comes after him is going to make it. Christ the first fruits.
Afterward they that are Christ, that is coming.
And then be connected with.
I go to prepare a place for you. The cross fitted us for that place, but His presence there as a man in the glory has fitted the place, prepared the place, you might say, for us.
It's not that the Lord's up there building a mansion, he says. There are many abodes there when I go to prepare a place for you. And so as a man, he stepped into the glory, the eternal Son.
As a man in the glory, and he's prepared the place for us of sons and Father's house. That's vital to understand because the reason it was said in the future tense here is because three things had not yet been accomplished. The Lord Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to accomplish the work of atonement. He had not yet risen from the dead, nor had he yet ascended to the Father's house.
But for us now, those three things are accomplished. They're in the past tense. And I believe, Steve, it's very important to understand that the moment the Lord Jesus entered the Father's house with the marks of atonement on his body, that house was prepared.
He's not, as you say, up there getting it prepared, and He hasn't come yet because it's not quite ready. No, the place was prepared the moment the Lord Jesus entered there with the marks of atonement. The only thing that isn't complete yet is the bride. There's still some work for the Spirit of God to do here on earth, having been sent down on the day of Pentecost and the moment that that work of the Spirit of God through the Lord's people is completed.
And the Bride, the Church of God, is finished. The last one is brought in. Then I suggest that he that shall come will come and will not tarry. But the place is fully prepared. It's just that the bride isn't fully prepared yet.
It's his presence in the glory in heaven that makes it so wonderful. It's his person.
And it was pointed out to me that I don't think we ever read in scripture about going to heaven.
What we do find is that references made.
To departing to be with Christ.
Which is far better.
And here in our chapter, the Lord Jesus says.
I will come again and receive you.
Unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also, is a person of Christ. That's so wonderful. And of course.
When the Lord Jesus hung on the cross.
What did he say to the thief?
Who asked that he would be remembered?
When he come into his Kingdom, the Lord Jesus said, today shalt thou be with me?
In paradise. So this is something I think it's very wonderful to.
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Get a hold of is the person of Christ and you know we can enjoy His person right here on earth.
And in a sense, enjoy the days of heaven here on earth as we are attracted.
To the Lord Jesus.
And we're captivated by his beauty.
Well.
It's a wonderful thing to realize that.
Going to go be with Jesus, but in the mean time I believe He has come to be with you and me here on earth. And we have that later on in the chapter. But it's all a matter of the person of Christ enjoying Him and our soul.
Throw a little bit a little bit different.
Perspective on this?
We talked a lot about the hope that we have and and.
The hope of going and being with Him. I wonder if maybe what the Lord Jesus is talking about is the hope that He has. I go. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
His hope, his desire is to have us with him.
The in my father's house are many mansions. It's the way it's translated here. If you look in the margin of some of our Bibles, it says of both. It's kind of a, of a, of a disappointment, you know?
We all like to think there's going to be a big place there that, but the point is that the Lord Jesus emphasizing what's there as far as stuff is concerned, he said. Emphasis is I want you to be with me.
And our emphasis is not on what's there, but on the incredible.
Privilege of just being in his presence. You know, if, if I go somewhere, I'm excited to have somebody at my place. So we go home and get things prepared. We get ready. You know, the fact they probably don't know anything about it and they come in the house with all this hair and it's all like, you know, really nice and we're so glad to be here and all this. But the point is I, we went and, and we worked hard to to make this place ready for you because we want you to be here. We want you to enjoy.
Being here with us, we're looking forward to being and so just the sense of his joy and looking forward to our being with him, it's incredible.
Danny I suppose that's why the Lord Jesus said in the 17th chapter in his high priestly prayer, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. That wasn't the disciples expressing their desire to be with the Lord, but that was His desire. And He's looking forward to that day when we'll be there to be, and as He says, to behold my glory. And so I believe that's really what's going to make heaven.
As has been alluded to by several already, what is it that's going to make heaven? It's to behold the Lord Jesus to be where He is, His joy in having us there, and our joy then in being occupied with Himself. And brethren, I suggest that when we get there and we get one look at His lovely face, it's going to eclipse everything else. And it's often been said that what makes heaven is not, or what makes a home, I should say.
Is not four walls and fine furniture. It's the presence of those that dwell there. In fact, it's interesting. You know, we often read the last couple of chapters of Revelation and we take it a little bit out of its context. Now, brethren, I don't want to take away from what anybody's conception of heaven is. And I know in some of our hymns we sing of the Street of Gold and the Gates of Pearl and what will it be to be there? And I will join heartily in the singing of those hymns.
But if you notice carefully, what you have there at the end of Revelation is not a description of heaven.
It is a description of the Church in her millennial administrative glory.
Reigning with Christ having a part in the millennial reign. And the church in figurative language is described as a city coming down out of heaven over the earth, and she's described as a city because cities in Scripture denote administration. We think of Washington or Ottawa or London. We think of the administration of the country. It's the capital of the country. It is not a description of heaven there. We are actually told very, very little about what heaven is like.
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But one thing we know is heaven is where the Lord Jesus is in the midst of his own, because that is what is going to make heaven. And I say when we get one look at his face and those glory so fill our soul, We're going to be occupied with him. Yes, I have no doubt they'll be discourse one with another, and yes, we'll have a part in the Kingdom and so on. But everything we see and do and say.
Is going to be Christ centered in that day.
Just a little example in in the book of Numbers, that which we've been speaking about in Numbers chapter 10, I enjoyed this thought. You referred to Jim a little earlier to the murmuring in the 16th chapter. We have it later on in the 11Th chapter, but I just enjoyed this little thought in the 33rd verse of Numbers, chapter 10.
And they departed from the mount of the Lord 3 days journey. Then we have that which would speak of the presence of the Lord and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days journey. And I just enjoyed this to search out a resting place and what was it for a resting place for them. I just rather enjoy that that it was always in the heart of God that dwell amongst his people to find out in the book of Exodus, the 25th chapter, He says let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. And here we find this little picture of the ark going ahead that three days journey.
To prepare a resting place for them. Well, that's what the Lord says. I go to prepare a place for you.
And it's important to see that it wasn't a question of a lot of knowledge.
Or.
Prophetic understanding. If you turn to 1St Thessalonians chapter one, there were new converts who had just been saved from even dumb.
Gentile darkness through the preaching of the apostle Paul and his.
Workers and they had before them.
You might say they were very young in their group, but if you look at First Thessalonians one verse 9 where they themselves show of us what commander of entering in we have unto you and how you turned to God from idols. Notice not from idols to God, but to God from idols. They had an object before them that that delivered them from all the idols that had did.
Attracted them before and to serve the living and true God in 20 verse 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. The wrath to come here is basically the tribulation period, but here were young converts just saved out of even darkness put before them.
The coming of the Lord.
Now the coming of the Lord, as we have mentioned, is.
Not the question of responsibility. When the Lord returns with His people at the end of the tribulation, the appearing then will be manifested. How we have walked and lived down here. Because between the rapture, which we are speaking about this morning, and the appearing, there is the judgment seat of Christ. Now every believer, not only those who are devoted, will be taken from this world.
Hudson Taylor, godly man as he was.
In a marvelous servant of the Lord failed in that he taught that only those who were devoted and were in a.
A good spiritual state would be raptured, but that's not according to scripture. As Jim has pointed out, they that are Christ at his coming will be, will participate in this, this deliverance from the world, this rapture. But may we ever.
Realize that our lives too are going to be manifest. Our walk is going to come up. Not our sins, thank God, but our walk, Our conduct will be manifested after this wonderful event. We are speaking up.
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So he's coming himself for a season date. I will come again. In the Old Testament, God often sent messengers. He sent angels on various message, various missions. Sometimes we know the Lord appeared to various of his own in different ways in the Old Testament too. But angels were his messengers. We find 2 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. When he died, he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
We find that when it comes to the rapture, what we refer to as the rapture or the second coming of Christ for His Saints, the Lord Jesus is going to come Himself. He went away. I go to prepare a place for you. As Steve and others have mentioned, the place is now prepared and he's waiting for that moment when he himself is going to come again and receive us. And so as we are going to develop when we go on to the next portion in Thessalonians.
He's going to descend and he himself is going to usher us into the father's house. You know, the greats of this world, they might send out invitations to invite people to their Manor homes and palaces, and often they may send a messenger. A person may fly into London, invited to Buckingham Palace, and the royal limousine may pick them up at the airport and usher them through the gates of Buckingham Palace.
But wouldn't it be more if Prince Philip or Queen Elizabeth came to the door of the plane at the tarmac and escorted them themselves? You'd say, well, that would be a little unusual. That would be must, must be somebody very, very special that is being invited to spend time at Buckingham Palace. Brethren, we're going to the Father's house and the Son himself is going to come forth and usher us there. Now, brethren, if that doesn't make our hearts leap and encourage our hearts.
To honor the Son and live for His glory. Now I don't know what goes on within our hearts. And so he says to the disciples, I'm going away. I'm not going to send a messenger for you. I will come again and receive you to heaven. It's true, it will be heaven. Receive you to glory. It's true, it will be glory. I'm going to come again and take you to the Father's house. We know from this portion it is the Father's house, but that's not what He says. I will come again and receive you unto myself.
And so his brother Danny has said it's his desire to have us not just in the father's house, not just in those many abodes, but with himself. You know, again, you someone might be invited to Buckingham Palace and they might have tea with the Queen and dinner with Prince Philip. But probably the rest of the time they've got some servant or valet that's going to show them around and make sure that their needs are met in the little corner of the Buckingham Palace where they're given a suite of rooms or something.
But the Lord's not going to be satisfied with that. Brethren, when we get to the Father's house, it's true, there's going to be many abodes that that is, there's going to be room enough for all, and we're going to dwell there. We're going to abide there. It's not temporary. But brethren, every one of us, thus does the multitude is going to be every one of us for eternity are going to enjoy a special.
Place of nearness and relationship to himself. You're not going to be off in some little apartment down the hall.
You're not going to be trying to get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus over the crowd. You say, how could it be? Well, it's going to be a spear so foreign to anything on earth that we are used to with the physical limitations of our bodies and the conditions that they are now that we can't describe it or understand it. But brethren, on the authority of the few scriptures that were given as to as to the Father's house in heaven, we can be rest assured that we're going to be with himself.
In a place of nearness and relationship. And his heart will be satisfied with nothing less.
Psalm 16 verse 11 Says, Thou will show me the path of life, and Thy presence is the fullness of joy, that thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. And in Psalm 17 verse 15 says, As for me, I will behold my face and righteousness, I shall be satisfied with my awake with thy legacy. 2 old.
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Verses when there was perhaps not much light concerning these things, that David was in the enjoyment of what was coming.
Within the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
I've enjoyed.
The thought that in Luke 15, with the return of the prodigal, we get in language that we can take in with our present limitations, a little picture of the father's house. There aren't many descriptions of it because, as you say, it's beyond our grasp. But we're given in language that we can lay hold of for the satisfaction of our own hearts, a house that's full of light and love and song, as we sometimes sing. Is that a brother's house? One time, and we were reading, interestingly enough, in Revelation.
And.
His little daughter said to her father. He said that she said, Dad, what's heaven like?
And we went back over, I think we're in chapters four and five, maybe there in Revelation. And he kind of went back over the scene there with its thunderings and lightnings and all around the throne and the worship and so on. And she just sat there kind of quiet. And you realize that her heart wasn't too satisfied with that answer. And another brother was there. And he said to her, Katie, when you've been away from home a long time and you've been on a long trip, where is your where do you want to be? She says, I just want to be home.
And he said, well, that's what heaven's like. He said that's where everything is, just how we want it to be because we have a renewed heart that cannot be satisfied with anything less than what has been brought before us. And you know what peace is? Peace is a nature at rest and satisfied. And we're going to know it there in a wonderful way in that house, in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And not only the presence of the Lord Jesus, it's the Father's house.
And he wants to fill heaven with children, and he's going to fill that house with those who are just like Christ through his own heart satisfaction in that day.
Yeah, I was just saying when you, when it's like the queen herself came to the airplane, it would have to be someone very special. And we are special because of his precious blood and because we consider the preciousness of the shed blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, how precious we are at the sight. It's no, it's no wonder he's coming himself. And I was thinking too.
I go to prepare a place for you too.
We're going to be the bride of Christ.
Anticipation, I think, is a pretty feeble word. We consider the feelings of Lord Jesus Christ when He finally receives his bride to himself.
We shouldn't forget the practical application here in the same chapter that we are looking at in verse 23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our a bowl with him. Now this is a present enjoyment of the Lord in our souls.
We haven't seen the Lord's coming yet. That should be our fault day by day, but even now?
God wants to.
To make our a bold with Him in our souls. We can enjoy the company of the man of Calvary if we are walking in obedience and keeping His word. We enter into these things even now. Perhaps we do it feebly because there are hindrances in our lives. Sometimes there's unjust.
Sin in our lives and it hinders communion, but it does bring before us the privilege of enjoying the Lord's presence in our pathway down here amidst all the trials and tribulations to enjoy His presence now before we actually enter the glory.
So the disciples found it hard to look beyond something that was physical and tangible. You know, under the Jewish order of things, everything was physical and tangible. There was a physical place where the Lord dwelt in the wilderness. There was His presence, denoted by the.
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The Ark of the Covenant, when they got into the land, there was the temple built, the permanent dwelling place, so to speak, and everything in connection with Jewish worship had to do with the census. And Thomas and Philip found this very difficult to grasp what the Lord was Speaking of, because what the Lord was really preparing them for in these first few verses was to be occupied with Himself, whom they were not going to see with the physical eye.
And he was bringing before them a place that they couldn't see physically at the time. And so we find here that Phillip he finds or Thomas, he finds it hard to get beyond a physical place. He says in verse five, we know not whether thou goest. And how can we know the way? He was thinking of something physical or tangible. And so the Lord Jesus then says to Philip, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And So what he's really saying is I am the way he was, the way to the father.
He was the truth. He was the truth concerning the Father and he's the was the life. He was the life that enjoys the Father. And I would just say in that regard that when we get to the Father's house, it's true. We're not going to see the father with the physically like we're going to see the Lord Jesus. But can we be in the Father's house and not be aware of the Father's presence? And then we find that Philip, we didn't read it, but.
Phillips says, Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. He said, have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hast seen me has seen the Father. And so when we get to the Father's house and we see the Lord Jesus, we're going to see that perfect reflection of the Father. And so we're going to be in the Father's house. I believe we'll have a sense of the Father's presence, and we will see the Father fully reflected in the sun, who was the express image of his person.
And So what a wonderful thing. And brethren, to think that as God's children, we're finally going to be home. You know, as you say, Steve, there's probably one of the sweetest words in the English language is home. Doesn't matter whether it's a Hut or a palace, if it's home, that's where the heart is. Brethren, is that really where our hearts are? The Lord Jesus has been pointed out is longing to have us there.
As the man of patience, he's waiting for that moment when he'll have us there. Do our hearts this morning go out so to the person of Christ that we long for nothing less than to be physically unhinderedly in his presence in the Father's house. Yes, has been pointed out. We we ought to have a sense of his presence. Now we enjoy it. I trust individually, collectively in the assembly. There's the abiding presence of the Spirit of God and so on.
But do our hearts, so are they so attracted to the person of Christ that we long we desire for nothing less than to be fully, unhinderedly in His presence, to enjoy His company for all eternity, and to praise Him the way we should.
I've enjoyed looking at the disciples and how we hear from them at different times. Some we hear more than more than others. We hear from Peter quite a bit. Some of them we don't hear anything at all other than a little line that says and likewise said they all. But Thomas is one that we usually hear from when the disciples were despondent often. And often at times when we're despondent we don't say anything at all. And that was perhaps like many of the disciples. But when when the disciples were despondent, when they are down perhaps a little bit.
It's usually Thomas that speaks up and aren't really thankful for Thomas's question here.
When he says how come we know the way, how many times have we repeated what the Lord Jesus responds to here? Well, what a marvelous portion to have and to think of that time as you bring it up before before us, Jim. I just enjoy that when that moment comes and the Lord Jesus indeed takes us home to be with himself, He'll have us all to himself at that point. Now, you know, he has us and our minds are such that they are distracted and they go this way and that way, but in that at that moment, he'll have us all to himself.
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What a what a beautiful thing that is.
Thomas, like us, might have come short in his apprehension, but boy, he had a better occupation than Judas. He was occupied with Christ in the way, and better that than the occupation that was before Judas soul.
Couple of chapters earlier, Thomas speaks up again and the disciples were thinking, oh, let's not go to Jerusalem. They spoke of taking away the Lord's life and Thomas just says let's go there and we'll buy one. Just beautiful. That spirit that we see often with Thomas. We often tie in on building Thomas and the thoughts that are brought out there. But what a beautiful thing to think of these earlier portions of Thomas's life where he's such a blessing. And I think perhaps his last recorded words in the gospel are my Lord and my God.
That beautiful? Yeah, That's worship, yes.
You see #296.
Haste the day of thine appearing with thy ransom Saints to reign. Then shall end all days of mourning. We shall sing with triumph then thou art worthy. Come, Lord Jesus, come, Amen #295.
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77 in the appendix.
My wife of my baby world now.
I stand up on my face.
01:15:00
I.
Know no space.
Nobody.
'S my father.
First Corinthians, chapter 2.
Verse 9.
As it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard.
Neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
And then in the Book of Revelation chapter 22, just the first part of verse 4.
And they shall see his face. Commend ourselves.
A loving God and our Father. How thankful we have been to be able to sit and just reflect.
On the Lord Jesus and the great work that he accomplished, and the fact that he has gone the glory and is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.
And we have heard this promised wreck of how he has said that if I go away, I will come again. And we thank the Lord Jesus that very soon, perhaps even before we leave this conference or before the end of this day, that will come and receive us on to thyself. We thank Thee for the love that this represents, Lord, not only as thou hast, thou died for us.
That Thou are coming to take us be Thy treasure for all eternity. We thank Thee for the thoughts we have had.
Of the bride in this hymn, and of the desire that Thou does have, Lord Jesus, to throw thy arms around us for all eternity, to shower us with Thy love. And our God, we think of the things that thou hast prepared for those of us who love thy Son. And we thank Thee that first of all we will see thy face, Lord Jesus, and be forever taken with Thy love for us. And so, as we are here together, we pray for encouragement.
That we would encourage one another with thoughts of thyself.
We thank Thee for Thy mercies in bringing us here, We pray for those that have had trials of late, and we thank thee for thy mercies to us, Lord Jesus, and give thanks for our dear brethren that have desired to have these meetings. Thou has given them this purpose, that Thou hast given them the strength to have these meetings too. We thank Thee for the facility, for the government of this country, for the peace and security we enjoy.
We pray that it may be preserved to us.
Come for us, which may be today we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The World
Address—Jim Hyland
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Like to begin the meeting this afternoon with 234. We're not of this world which fadeth away. We're not of the night, but children of day. The chains that once bound us by Jesus are riven where strangers on earth our home is in heaven. I'd like to sing just verse one and verse 5 of 234 if someone could please start it.
Not of the world.
Will fail by.
The show.
Sin shall we enter?
Our own.
I don't get strike from.
Glory.
Shall stand.
Our son can fall asleep and fall asleep forever.
Ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are this afternoon for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank Thee for that mighty work of Calvary that has separated us from this world. We thank Thee that we indeed belong to another world, and that we anticipate very soon being safe home in the Father's house with and like our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, but now in the meantime, as we have opportunity to open Thy Word and to read it and meditate on it.
God, we pray that Thou teach us this afternoon. We think of this meeting being specially for those who are younger. We pray that there might be a message that would be relevant and that would be helpful in edifying for those who are just starting out on the path of faith and service. We pray that there might be something for each one of us as well, and that we might be refreshed and encouraged in our souls as we read Thy word together. 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 on my heart this afternoon, I'd like to begin with a portion in Hebrews chapter one, and we'll begin reading at verse one. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time passed under the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. And then this is the expression I want to notice particularly.
By whom also he made the world's. I have it on my heart this afternoon to take up the subject of the world, and I want to take it up under 3 headings. I want to take it up under the subject of the heading of the planet, the people, and the program. Because I believe as you go through the word of God, you find that the expression, the world is taken up in those three different contexts. We're going to find that sometimes when the subject of the world is taken up.
It has to do with this physical planet on which we live. And that's where we started here. Sometimes we find it's in connection with the people that inhabit this planet. And then what is particularly on my heart is a program or a system of things set up by Satan in independence of God. And so we're going to look at it in this, this way, and I begin here because we want to establish at the very beginning.
That as we take up the subject of the world under the heading the planet, that there is a create. There was a creator, and that creator was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. But it says here by whom also He made the world. We know that all things were made by Him, and without him was not anything made that was made. And not only is he the creator of the world and the universe, but he's the sustainer of it as well.
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If we were to take the time and go to the book of Colossians, we would find that there it tells us by him all things subsist. That is, everything works together. I know in the King James it says consist, but another translation translates it subsist, and the thought is really that everything works together under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ. He upholds all things by the word of His power.
You know, when the Lord Jesus was here in this world, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe in the Manger. He was upholding all things by the word of His power. Here was the Creator, not only of this planet we call Earth, but the Creator of the universe.
Lying in a Manger as a helpless babe, accepting limitations in that way, well, his hands were stretched on a cross of wood. He was again a sustaining the universe and upholding all things by the word of his power. And so by him all things were made, and so he made the world's. And I know sometimes you young people, you hear other theories and things at school that would get you to doubt, to seek to put a doubt in your mind.
As to the fact that the Lord Jesus is the Creator, that God is the Creator, but oh go back to the word of God. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, but in connection with this subheading the planet, I'd like to back up a little in time.
And to do that I'd like to read 3 port, 3 portions, 3 further portions. The first one is in first Peter chapter one.
First, Peter, chapter one and verse 18. For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
And then in Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians chapter one and verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. And one more portion in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25 and verse 34. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye, blessed of the Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Well, as we mentioned, there was a moment in time when the Lord Jesus came into this world again. We're speaking about the physical planet, this globe, that on which we live.
And it says Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, that is, he came in incarnation as a man to this world. But you know, the Lord Jesus was the eternal Son of God, and he was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world.
And as that mighty sacrifice, God always had it in view, even before the foundation of the world was laid, even before he called into being this creation, there was one in the thoughts of God, one who was with him before the world was. And in the thoughts and plan of God he was verily foreordained. And when the fullness of time came, then God sent forth his Son, born of a woman.
I say that because again, the enemy will come along and plant seeds of doubt in our minds as to the eternity of the person of the Lord Jesus. This is perhaps just a little aside from our talk, but, you know, it says prophetically of the Lord Jesus in the book of Isaiah. It says unto you, a child is born. That's his incarnation. That's the moment in time when the Lord Jesus came into this world.
00:10:13
As a man. But then it says unto you, a son is given, that's the eternity of his person. And you know it never speaks of the Lord Jesus. As the Son being born. It always speaks of him either have been as being sent or given, because it shows that he was always with the Father. He never came into existence, He always was. I don't have any sons, but if I had a son, I could send a son maybe to help you in some difficulty.
And God had a Son, and when the right moment came, he sent that Son. The Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world. And so I believe it's helpful to see that. And when someone comes along, young people, and tries to tell you that the Lord Jesus became the Son when he came into this world in incarnation, go back to those scriptures that show that God could not have sent or given something he didn't already have.
He had the Son, and it says prophetically of him, that I was there with him as one brought up with brought up by him. And I was daily his delight. And so he was always the delight and the joy of the Father. He was always there in the in the Father's bosom. And then as we read, he was fairly foreordained, and he was sent into this world by the Father at that right moment. And then we find that the blessing for you and for me.
Was before the foundation of the world too. Now young people, I believe that it's very important to notice the difference between what we read in Ephesians and what we read in the book of Matthew. Because I'm going to comment on the the verse I read in the book of Matthew first. Because there we find that he's talking about the future Kingdom for Israel, the future blessing of Israel when the Lord Jesus.
Jesus will establish his Kingdom and as it says again prophetically, there'll be the shout of a king amongst them a king shall reign in righteousness and Princess shall rule in judgment. And he speaks there of the blessing for Israel being from very important to see that word from from the foundation of the world, because their blessings are connected with this earth, their blessings are connected with this world.
They were given the land of Canaan, an earthly inheritance. Through their folly and sin, they they lost that that for a time. But God is going to establish them in their earthly inheritance in a way that they've never been established before. Jerusalem is going to be the capital, the center of the world. All the nations are going to recognize Israel and Jerusalem as such.
But remember, their blessings are from the foundation of the world, because their blessings are connected with this world, with this earth. But you'll notice in contrast that we were in we were chosen in Christ not from the foundation of the world, but before the foundation of the world. And I suggest what the Spirit of God is very careful to guard in the New Testament is the fact that our hopes.
Our aspirations and goals and our blessings are in no way connected with this world, and we're going to see this as we go on to some further scriptures in a little while. But to understand that you and I do not have blessings connected with this earth. In fact, the only thing that really connects us with this earth is the fact that we are still physically here on this planet. We are. We're still here.
We spoke about the Lord's coming this morning in the Reading meeting, but it hasn't happened yet. The moments going to come when we're going to be snatched away from this planet and taken to another world, to a sphere of things that is beyond our comprehension, but that hasn't happened yet. We're still here physically in this world, but that is the only thing really, brethren, that connects us with this world. The Cross of Christ separates me.
From this world. And that's why the Apostle Paul said, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto this under the world you and I have not only been.
00:15:07
Delivered from the just penalty of our sins. But positionally we have been delivered from a world that's under judgment. Because young people, this planet is under judgment. The Lord Jesus feeling the imminence of judgment hanging over this world. As he looked around at those who rejected him in his day, he said now is the judgment of this world and we read that God has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.
By that man whom he hath ordained. This world is under judgment. It's going to pass away. It tells us in Second Peter that the elements are going to melt with fervent heat. And that's why, again, we ought not to have our aspirations and goals in this world. We need to get through this world, but we ought not to have our goals and aspirations in this world. Because you and I have something eternal. We were chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world.
And we were chosen in Christ for heavenly blessing. The temporal mercies that we enjoy here in this world, on this earth, are only that. They're only temporal, and they're transient and passing at best. But what we have in Christ, that was ordained before the foundation of the world to be our possession, those things we are going to enjoy for all eternity, those things are eternal, and no one, even the devil himself, can take them from us.
And so we first of all have the world in this context, the planet on which we dwell. But now I'd like to read a familiar verse that brings before us the world in a little different context. It's in John's Gospel, chapter 3.
John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16. 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. Well, this is not the context of the planet. This is the context of the people. Again, I just want to say when you go through scripture and young people, I know we stress this so often, but it was helpful as a young person.
For me to get a hold of this concept and that is that you must always take things up in its context.
And don't assume that when you read something in one place that that word or that phrase is always going to mean or illustrate that in every place you have to take it up in its context. And so when we read the expression, the world, it isn't always the same. And when you come to that expression, as you read through the scriptures, seek to discern from the context what he's really speaking about. Is he speaking about the physical planet as we've just spoken of it.
Or is he speaking about something else? And here we find that God so loved the world. Now I think we see very quickly that God didn't love a planet. He didn't love this globe as such. The physical globe. It's the inhabitants of the globe. It's the people that live on this planet. You know, this planet is just a marble. It's just a speck in God's great creation and as men send their probes further and further out into space.
And as they realize the greatness of the universe, they're realizing how small this planet really is, this planet to which the Creator came in incarnation. But think of the inhabitants of this little marble in God's creation. He looks down. The Lord Jesus looks down this afternoon. God looks down this afternoon, and he loves the people that inhabit this planet. He doesn't love their sin and waywardness, of course.
But he loves the people, and he loved the people so much that God sent his only begotten Son into this world. And as I say, Christ Jesus came into this world. He came because he loved the people in this world, and God loved you and me so much that he sent his Son. And aren't you thankful? I am that God loved me that much that he sent his Son, And not only so, but having been chosen before the foundations of the world of this planet.
He set his love upon me, and when the moment right moment came, he drew me to himself. And you know, one reason we're still here on this planet, one reason that the Lord hasn't come up until now, is because the love of God for the people that inhabit this planet is so great.
00:20:09
That he desires that the gospel would go out a little bit for more, a little longer, that his son might be presented as the savior of sinners. And I just want to say this to my own heart, and perhaps to exercise your heart as well, if God loves the people on this planet that much.
How much do we really have a desire for their blessing? Those that we go to school with, those that we work with, those that we rub shoulders with on a day-to-day basis, do we really have a love, that same love that God has for the Sinner, a love that desires their blessing? And in some way, we then live and present Christ to them. And so we've taken up the subject of the world as the planet, the physical globe, and the people.
That inhabit it, But as I say, what is particularly on my heart now is to take it up in connection with the program.
I chose these three words to describe these different contexts because sometimes if we have words that all start with the same letter, it helps us to remember a little better what we have taken up and the body of the subject matter. And so again, we have the planet, the.
People, But now we're going to talk about the program. Let's go to John's Gospel, Chapter 17.
John's Gospel, chapter 17 and verse 14. I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou should have take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Now again when we speak of the world in this context.
It's a system of things, as we're going to see from some other scriptures set up by man in independence of God, of which Satan is, is the head. It's illustrated to us. If we were to go back to the beginning of Genesis, we would find that after Cain had brought that sacrifice that was not acceptable to God, the fruit of a cursed earth and godly monstrated with him and gave him opportunity to repent. And he refused it. It says he went out from the presence of the Lord.
And he built a city. And we often speak about Cain's world and the things that characterize Cain's world, because so often a city in Scripture speaks of man in in independence of God. We spoke of a city this morning in connection with administration, but so often it's man in his confusion, having built a great system of things where God is completely left out.
And isn't that what man has done? Later on, Nebuchadnezzar looked around in his pride.
At the city that he had built. And he said, is not this great Babylon that I have built? And here we find the Lord Jesus. He's about to leave this world. He's going to go to the cross, rise from the dead, give confirmation to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead, and then he's going to leave this world and his, as we mentioned this morning, that moment came when his feet left this physical planet, the Mount of Olives.
And the cloud received him out of their sight, and here he prays for his own.
I just want you to go to take a little challenge and sometime go through this 17th of John what is often referred to as the Lords High Priestly Prayer. And notice the many times that the word world is used. And you will find the Word world used in all of the three contexts that we're Speaking of this afternoon. But here the Lord Jesus in praying for his own, he says that the world is going to hate them.
You know, again, he's not talking about a physical planet. He's talking about the people the people in this world hate will hate their Christian. Why? Because they belong to a world system of things that is opposed to God and to Christ. And so you and I are in this world, we often say, but we're not of it. And that's why we want to be careful young people that as we pass through this world.
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We don't get intertwined with that system of things. I realize that we have to survive in the world. I realize we have to go to school. I realize we have to get an education to some degree. If we're going to get through this world, we must have employment. We're to provide things honest in the sight of all men. And we're going to notice later on that there's a way to use what is in the world in a proper way and in the proper order. But we want to remember again that we do not belong to this world.
That is, we are not to be part of that world system that goes on with no thought of God and in independence of himself. And so twice he says here they are not of this world earlier on the Lord Jesus in speaking to the unbeliever in John's Gospel.
Told them they were of this world, but he was not of this world. The Lord Jesus came into this world, but he was not of this world. He was the heavenly man walking in this world in complete separation, not isolation, because we're not to be isolationists. You and I are here to be a testimony in the world. You know, I just say in passing, we are the light of the world. You know, when the Lord Jesus was walk, was here walking in this world.
He walked through this world in a way that he could say I am the light of the world. But you know, he said to his own before he left this world, ye are the light of the world. The Lord Jesus is not the light of the world today. He was when he was here. But you and I are the light of this world. And isn't it a serious thing to realize that all that this world is going to see of Christ today is what is manifest in the believers life, especially in a day when they've closed the pages of God's word?
They've rejected the light of God's word. What light is this world going to see? What testimony is this world going to see? We are, we're epistles, known and read of all men. Ye are the light of this, of the world. But the Lord Jesus was not of this world. He was the the man that came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent me. And we need to realize that we are not of this world. Yes, we're here in this world.
But not to get entangled with its programs. You know, there are many Christians who are very entangled with the betterment of this world. You know, young people were not a moral force to change the world. We're here to represent Christ. We're here to tell people how they can get saved and no longer be part of this world. That's under judgment. But we are not here as a moral force to change the world.
Simply to represent Christ. And if we try to get entangled with the programs of this world, whether it's political or whatever it may be, we're going to be disappointed. In fact, I've talked to a lot of Christians and they're very discouraged and disappointed because through Miss Teaching, they've been taught that we're here to get involved in the programs of this world. And they have, and they're realizing that it's not doing a bit of good.
This world is not getting better. It's ripening and ripening fast for the judgment of God. And as we said, this world is indeed under under judgment. And so as we go on to some other scriptures, now let's remember we're not of the world, even as the Lord Jesus was not of the world. We are connected, as we said this morning with a man at the right hand of God. Now I'd like to connect.
Four further Scriptures. The first one is in Luke's Gospel chapter 4.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 4 and verse 5. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will give it. And then in John's Gospel, chapter 14.
John's Gospel, chapter 14.
And verse 30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me. And then in Second Corinthians chapter 4, Second Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.
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Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. And then a verse in first John, First Epistle of John, chapter 5.
First, John chapter 5 and verse 19. And we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Or if you notice another translation, the wicked one. Well, what I want to point out by reading these scriptures is first of all that Satan is the God and the Prince of this world. You know, the world, perhaps in in regard to these scriptures can be taken up in three different aspects.
We spoke of three different contexts of the world, but now we're going to speak for a moment of three different aspects, because we find that Satan is the Prince of the the God, the Prince of this world politically. He's the God of this world religiously. And there's another side to the world, that which we might call the social side of the world. And in that regard, he's the wicked one. You see, as I said, it's a system of things set up by man.
In independence of God.
Of which Satan is the head. And so we find that Satan takes the Lord Jesus in the temptation.
And he shows him the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time. You know, young people, that's what the kingdoms of this world are.
They're a moment of time. I know that the glamour of this world seems great.
I know that especially when we're young, everything seems at our doorstep. And I know that when you go to college and university, it's presented to you in that way. Everything is at your disposal. Now again, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying we we don't. We shouldn't work hard at school and whatsoever our hand do find it to do or to do with all our might, and we're to do all for the glory of God. And there are certainly examples in scripture.
Of men and women who were, who were raised by God to places of prominence in different ways, we think of Nehemiah. He was the King's cup bearer. That was a very responsible position.
Under all the kings in Daniel's day, he was promoted and given a very responsible job. Esther became queen to the to the king and so on. And so I'm not saying that God can't use individuals in various spheres of life. In fact, we're thankful that back in the 1800s God raised up men and women of position and rank and means so that the truth could be propagated.
And their homes and their resources were used for that very purpose, and we're thankful for it. But the question is, what do we set our hearts on? Are your? Is your heart and mind set on the things of this world, the things that are only for a moment of time? Are we seeking to be to better ourselves in this world as our goal and our aspiration? If we are, then our hearts are not right.
Then we are seeking that which is not going to satisfy and that which we're going to see burned up and destroyed in the end. Now, it's true that every person who knows the Lord Jesus as their Savior in the end is going to be snatched away at the rapture. We've often used, Have we not the illustration of Lot in the Old Testament? And I think that it's very apropos because we find that Lot was a true believer.
You know, Lot was one who was never restored to the Lord this side of heaven. But he was a true believer because it tells us in the New Testament that he was a righteous man and that he vexed his righteous soul from day-to-day. But sad to say, Lot chose simply what was for present advantage. It's interesting that when Lot lifted up his eyes, he only lifted them up as high as the horizons of this world.
Is that how high you and I are lifting up our eyes this afternoon? Just as far as the horizons of this world. If we do that, like Lot, we're going to choose that which is simply for present advantage. He chose the well watered plain of Jordan. And what did it remind him of here? It reminded him of Egypt. You know, I just want to say a word to those who of us who are older for a moment, because it has really exercised my own soul.
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To realize that lot got a taste of the world.
Got a taste of Egypt because his uncle Abraham took him down there. Not solemn to think of. Now Lot was responsible for the choices that he made. But I just want to say to those of us who are a little further along in the path of faith and service, let's be careful that we don't give those who are younger a taste of the world. Abraham gave Lot a taste of Egypt and it led to a very sad decision.
In Lot's life later on, let's be careful. Those of us who are older, that we don't, in one way or another, put the world before the eyes and hearts of those that are younger. We may not see the results of it immediately, but it's going to have a detrimental effect in in the end and Lot. Sad to say, he took up with Sodom and Gomorrah and we know the sad end. He saw all his hopes.
All his aspirations, as well as many things that he allowed in his life, that he ought not to have allowed in his life, that were not for the glory of the Lord.
And though he was saved in the end, yet he lost his testimony, his testimony even to his own family. This is just a little aside, but you know, Egypt is such an apartment type of the world in the Old Testament and.
You know, one of the first times I went to Egypt, some of the brothers were sitting around between meetings at conference. And I said to the brothers, I said, you know, there's a question I'd like to ask you because, you know, you don't want to be in Egypt and be talking about the Egypt being a type of the world and putting their country down. I said, brothers, when you hear the Brethren or in the writings talk about Egypt as a type of the world, does it bother you? They all kind of looked at each other and smiled and they said, no, Jim.
They said it is so clear in scripture as to what it is a type of that we understand it very clearly. I thought that was very interesting. And so Egypt is an app type of the world, and Lot didn't choose Egypt itself, but that which reminded him of Egypt. And so the devil showed the Lord the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time. And then we find that in John 14 he's referred to as the Prince of this world again in keeping.
With what we have noticed as to the kingdoms of this world, because there is a vast system, political system in this world that leaves God out. Man is seeking to arrange things on the world stage according to his own schemes and by peace pacts and summits and negotiations and revolutions and government. And I'm thankful for government. You know, just again I've just come from Egypt and I have been have said to some, you know, bad government is worse than no government.
It's anarchy in a country like Egypt today because there's really nobody in charge, and bad government is worse than no government. But let's be careful that we don't try to get into the political arena, young people, and straighten out this world again. This world and its program is under judgment. And I've talked to Christians who have been in the political arena in one way or another, who have gone in with a genuine desire to clean up a city or a state or a country.
But they have learned very quickly that they cannot do it, that it's just not going to work, that things are deteriorating and deteriorating fast. And it's interesting in John's Gospel that Satan is referred to as the Prince of this world three times.
And we find that the Roman government who was in control at that time, that system of things, took the Lord Jesus and nailed him to the cross. I say that because while the Jews are held very responsible and it was they who cried away with him crucify him, they said we will not have this man to reign over us, we have no king but Caesar and so on. Yet it was actually Roman, so Gentile soldiers who took the Lord Jesus and led him away.
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To crucify him. And so this world and its political schemes are under the judgment of God. But then we have the Satan in another aspect, not just as the Prince of this world politically, but he's the God of this world religiously. Because you know, today there's plenty of religion without Christ. You know, again in the days of the Lord Jesus, there was religion. You know, the Jews had religion and they had their forms and their ceremonies.
And the Lord Jesus warned them so often about those forms and ceremonies and how they kept the outside of the cup and the platter clean and so on. But they had religion without Christ because, again, they they they cried for His crucifixion. They're very religion was what they was used to reject the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, to reject the Prince of life and glory.
And so we find that God, Satan, is the God of this world, and he's the God of this world, seeking to blind the hearts of men and keep them from coming to the true knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan has a vast religious system of things to keep man insensitive to his ruin. Very solemn isn't it? Man is a religious being he got. Man is a God conscious being and he needs to have religion. He needs to have worship of some sort and the enemy is there with all kinds of things to interject to keep him, as I say, insensitive to his ruin and insensitive to true Christianity.
But then we find in first John, where we read, we find that the whole world lies in the wicked one. And I just want to apply this in connection with another aspect of the world, as I mentioned, and that is the social side of the world. You know, again, Satan is so clever to come in with with amusement and entertainment, and I'm not here to condemn things and to say that our young people and children don't need diversion and so on.
But let's be very, very careful. And I want to just make this comment. And again, I want to make it young people, very, very carefully and cautiously. But I do believe that one of the great works of Satan, one of the great subtleties of Satan in the day in which we live, is to take that which is evil in itself, that which has to do with the social side of the world apart from Christ, and attack the banner of Christianity on it.
And there are many things that are Christian, such and such. And you know what? Exactly what I'm talking about all be careful.
Be very careful. Satan is so subtle. I've sometimes said Satan is the greatest dealer in antiques there ever was. You know, he goes to the antique store and he buys that old piece of furniture that's tattered and worn and he brings it into the shop and he puts a new piece of upholstery on it and a little different color of veneer on it. And he presents it in a little different way, in a way that looks perhaps very acceptable even to to believers.
But be careful. Underneath it's the same old piece of rotten furniture. And so the whole world lies in the wicked one. And if our hearts are truly centered on Christ and what is ahead, as we spoke of the Lord's coming in the Father's house this morning, we're not going to have such an appetite for the things of this world. You know, I suppose there's never been a day when the word amuse is as prevalent as the day in which we live.
There's amusement on every hand, and it's interesting that the word muse is the Latin word that means to think, and you put a in front of a Latin word, it gives it the negative meaning. It gives it the opposite connotation. The word amuse literally means not to think. And isn't that the attempt of Satan today? Everybody's got something plugged in. Nobody can even take a walk in the woods without something plugged into their ears.
Something to amuse them, something to occupy the mind. And it's Satan's attempt to keep the unbeliever insensitive to his ruin.
But it is also to keep the believer from really enjoying his portion in Christ and to get the believer to become so earthly minded that they forget that they are a heavenly people just passing through this this world. And so I want to say before again, before we pass on, don't become so over occupied with the amusements and pleasures of this world that you lose sight of the fact that we are not of this world.
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Even as he is not of the world, we are looking at these verses very quickly. But I do want to cover a number of verses before our time is gone. Let's go to Revelation Chapter 11.
Revelation Chapter 11 and verse 15. And the 7th Angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. I read this verse at this juncture because maybe there's someone here and you say, well Jim, it's all right for you to talk like this, but you know we need to be an influence in some way and how are things going to improve?
And get better if we're not out there lobbying and.
Hoisting our colors, and so on.
Well, here we have the answer to what we've spoken of. You know, there is a day, young people, when the Lord Jesus is going to take the reins of government in this world. Now, perhaps I better say too that as far as the present time, make no mistake about it, God is in control. You know the Most High rule within the kingdoms of men and setteth up the basest of men in the kingdoms of men. And so things may seem out of hand in the world today.
But they're never out of God's hand. He's in full control. He's letting Satan have his way to a great extent.
He's letting man run his course. This is man's day as we get in the book of First Corinthians, but God is behind everything that is happening. Just read the book of Esther and you'll see that illustrated.
You know God is not mentioned by name in the book of Esther, and things seemed out of control. Seemed like the people of God were going to be completely annihilated.
But by the end of the book, you realize there's somebody that's in control. There's somebody greater than the king who was in control, and that was God himself. And God is working all things according to the counsel of his own will. And there's a day when the Lord Jesus is going to take the kingdoms of this world. Satan offered them to him, the kingdoms of this world, in a moment of time. But there's a day coming, and it throws my heart to think about it when he's going to rain, not for a moment of time.
But he's going to reign forever and ever because when he takes control of the kingdoms of this world, he's going to bring about righteousness and equity and justice. He's going to bring about peace and what is established in the thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus. I realized that the eternal state is not so much a Kingdom, but it's what is established in the Millennium is going to go on into the eternal state. I like the way an older brother put it years ago.
He said the Millennium are the Kingdom is the front porch to the eternal state. It really is what introduces to us the character of the eternal state. It's not perfect as the eternal state will be, but nevertheless it introduces to us that character of things. And so the Lord Jesus could refuse the kingdoms of this world at the time. Why? Because he knew there was a day coming when the kingdoms of this world would be given to him, not by Satan.
But by God that those kingdoms would be turned over to him and that at that time he would reign forever and ever. And young people, when that happens, we're going to reign with him. We're going to reign with the Lord Jesus. He's going to say according to our faithfulness in following him in a Christ rejecting world. Now he's going to say be thou over 5 cities, be thou over 10 cities. Do you want to rain before the time or do you want to wait till the king is really raining?
You know the Corinthians, It tells us they were trying to reign before the time, because as far as the Lord reigning now he's the it's the parable of the the man who took his journey into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return. The Lord Jesus has not returned yet. The Lord Jesus has his rightful place in heaven this afternoon. But I trust there's no thought even in corners of our hearts.
As to this being the reigning time now, the Lord Jesus does not have his rightful place in this world now.
We see not yet all things put under him. He does want that place in our hearts, as we often sing rain thou within our hearts alone. But are you and I content to wait till the reigning time when he will come and he will set things right? Not regards to what we think should be right, or how things should be established, but regards to how he thinks it should be established. And that's going to be the very best for this world.
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Let's go to Matthews Gospel Chapter 10.
I'm sorry, Mark's Gospel.
Mark's Gospel, chapter 10, Mark's Gospel, chapter 10 and verse 28. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, in the Gospels, but he shall receive in hundredfold. Now in this time houses and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with persecutions.
And in the world to come, eternal life. Well, here we have the expression the world to come, because there is a world to come. John Wesley, I've often told the story, was passing one of the great Manor houses in England years ago. And he noticed as he was passing that Manor house that one of the groundskeepers was working around the front gate of that beautiful home. And he stopped to talk to this man, and the gardener offered to show him through the grounds of that beautiful manner house.
And after they had had a little tour and he came back to the gate of the grounds to take his leave, John Wesley said to this man, he said, I too have a liking for these things. But there is another world, you see. John Wesley was living in view of eternity. And here we have Peter coming to the Lord Jesus. And Peter might have felt more than all the other disciples, that he'd given up more to follow the Lord than the rest. Why? Well, Peter is the only one of the disciples that we read from scripture.
Who had a family, You know, he had a wife. We read that his mother-in-law was sick and Peter might have felt that he'd given up maybe more than some of the other disciples to follow the Lord.
But the Lord showed Peter, if you've given up anything for me, you'll get a lot more, not only in this life, but in in the life to come. In fact, he said, you'll receive 100 fold. Do you realize that that's 10,000% that that's quite a return on your investment. An investor would like 10,000% return on their investment, wouldn't they? But, you know, if you're willing to live in view of eternity and to walk in separation from this world.
For the glory of the Lord Jesus and the glory of Christ and the blessing of his people, He says, I'll give you a return of 10,000%. You'll reap a hundredfold in that future day. And young people, when we stand before the Lord Jesus in a coming day, what's going to matter most how well we planned our lives and got along down here. You know, I often see that little motto. You've seen it too in people's homes. I like it. Only one life to assume be passed, only what's done for Christ.
Will last. I want to very quickly go to the book of James now.
James chapter One and verse 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father. Is this to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world? You know, we spoke about Satan being the God of this world religiously, but you know there is a type of religion that's very acceptable to God and we have it in this verse. And not only to visit the fatherless and the widows and their affliction and so on. Do you ever do that, young people?
You ever just stop in and see somebody maybe that can't get out to meeting someone that's going through a difficult trial that's pure religion and undefiled, and then it says and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Oh, it's so easy to become tarnished from the world. I've often told about a young lady who approached a guide that was taking people down into a coal mine and she had a white dress on and the guy looked at her rather askance and she said, well, is there anything to keep me?
From wearing a white dress down into the coal mine, he said. No, but there's everything to keep you from coming out with a white dress. And so if we seek to rub shoulders with the world in that way, we're going to become spotted by the world. Now I'd like to go to Titus.
Titus chapter 2 and verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. What is it that's going to keep us from worldliness, young people? It's the grace of God. And I believe in the measure in which you have a sense of the grace of God in your soul. You will be taught to live in the way that we have here.
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Because it's grace that teaches us. Grace is a teacher, and it teaches us to deny those things that are not according to the nature of God, and then to live soberly, righteously, godly in this present world. And when I see a a young person who denies unworldly and ungodly, not lusts whose living soberly, righteously godly in this present world or present age, I say there's a young person, there's a Christian.
Appreciates and understands the grace of God. But I want to close by reading two further portions of the Word of God. The first one is in First Corinthians Chapter 7.
First Corinthians Chapter 7 and verse 31. And they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away. And then I want to read one more portion in first John chapter two, First John chapter 2 and verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes. And the pride of life is not, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. I read this verse in First Corinthians because there is a way that we can use the things that are at our disposal in a natural way for God's glory. It's referred to in another way by the Lord Jesus as the unrighteous mammon. And there's a way to use it in a proper way. For instance, the Internet can be abused.
Cell phones can be abused. Any of man's inventions can be abused. But you know there is a way that they can be used for the furtherance of the truth and the glory of God as well. Many of us who have opportunity to travel to other countries and do work in other countries, we couldn't do what we do without utilizing the technology that God has allowed man to develop. You can use the world without abusing it.
And so I want to encourage you in that regard because again, I'm not here to condemn those things, but they must be kept in their proper context and used in their in their proper way. And remember that we're not to love the world.
And at the end of this meeting, I want to ask our hearts, each one what is our heart set on? Is it set on simply the things of this world and bettering ourselves down here, or is it set on Christ? If things are set on Christ, then they're going to be set on that other world as well. And I trust that we're living in view of that other world that we're going to share with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. I would like, in closing, to sing one verse.
Of 16 in the appendix.
16 in the appendix and we'll sing just verse 5 if someone can start it.
I swear, sorry, I found that in the world again.
Whatever, I saw the place where it had been passed in heaven.
Let my Lord.
Show my hands on chains.
Let's ask God's blessing our God and Father. We pray for blessing on my word to each of our hearts this afternoon in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Reading
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Blessed God and our loving Father, we.
Give thanks this afternoon for thy love. We give thanks for reminding us.
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Once again of our heavenly character.
And surely we know it is only but a little while. We shall be with thee.
We know too, that the little while that we're left in this scene.
How much we need to be?
In full dependence on these, we are reminded.
How the world?
How Satan, the world and the flesh.
Often work against us, but we do know that he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.
So we look to Thee for help. We pray that that would continue to give us the faith that is required to walk in this for this little while and help us.
To be ever mindful of thy soon return, we think of how thou could say surely.
I come quickly.
And may I respond, Yes, thy word is recorded.
Even so, come Lord Jesus, in the meantime, we look to the.
And we will commit this meeting into thine hand would ask for help once more.
Through Thy Spirit that will give us a portion to encourage our hearts. So we give thanks and we look to Thee now and ask for Thy help once more in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
I'm gonna ask whether Tim that you read again.
First Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 to the end. And then when you're done that you won't get to it all, but just to round out the picture, if you would read the last part of First Corinthians 15 verse 51 to the end.
First Thessalonians chapter 4, beginning at verse 13.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so then which also sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel.
And with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1St Corinthians 15, verse 51.
Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this incorruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So in this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, this mortal shall have put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written.
Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Well, we noticed this morning that the Lord Jesus, for the comfort of the disciples, spoke of His coming again and the Father's house and receiving them to Himself and so on. But He doesn't develop that it there in John 14. He just gives it simply as a fact for their comfort at that time before He left them and returned to the Father. And you really have to go to Paul's ministry to get the development of this truth.
Will never really understand the truth of the Lord's coming without going to Paul's epistles.
It's given to Paul to develop it in a very remarkable way. And so we find these Thessalonians, they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven. But his brother John said this morning, there really are two parts to the second coming of Christ. There's the Lord's coming for his Saints and the Lord's coming with his Saints. And when the Thessalonians were saved, this hadn't been developed yet.
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And they had turned to they had turned to God, and they were waiting for the Lord Jesus to come back from heaven.
And really, they were waiting for the Lord Jesus to come back and establish his Kingdom. But what happened was some of their number had died while they're waiting. Some of the Saints in Thessalonica had died. And now they're concerned, well, what's going to happen to these ones? We, we're waiting for the Lord to come back. And now some of our number have died. And have they missed out on things? And so the Spirit of God uses the apostle Paul to write to them.
And explain very carefully to them that know their loved ones who had died in faith had not missed out in any way. They, like the Thessalonians, were waiting too, just in a different waiting room. They were waiting as we get in Corinthians, absent from the body and present, or in Philippians, I should say, absent from the body and present with the Lord. And so those who have died in faith up until this point, they're really waiting for the same thing we are.
They are not in the, they are not in the Father's house with glorified bodies, yet they're absent from the body and present with the Lord, but they are waiting in a much happier waiting place for this event that we have read here in second in First Thessalonians 4. Now just to confirm what I said, notice on the same page here the last verse of the third chapter to the end. He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father.
At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, notice this with all his Saints. And so how is it going to happen that he's going to come with all his Saints if some are are passed away and some are still living? Well, the event that we're going to notice in this meeting is going to reunite the Saints of God, those who died in faith, those who are alive at the rapture. It's going to reunite them and unite them with the Lord Jesus so that when he comes back with his Saints, every St. of God is going to be with them.
Important to see that asleep here refers to the body. There's only the body that sleeps, and that word is never used in relation to the unsaved. They are dead, dead in their sins.
The believer who passes through the article of death, Mr. Kelly translates it put to sleep by Jesus. But it's only in relation to the body. It's not the soul. There's no such a thing as soul sleep. The moment the breath leaves the body, the soul and the spirit are consciously in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord without any hindrance.
What the body is in the grave and it may go back to dust, but the apostle is showing us here that when the Lord comes back, that's the second aspect of the return of the Lord. The coming of Christ is appearing, which we noted this morning is different from his, the rapture, but he's going to bring with him. So this solved the problem for the Thessalonians Saints. He's going to bring with them.
As we read here.
If we believe that.
Jesus died and rose again. Even so them also would sleep in Jesus will God bring with him that is the Lord is going to bring our departed brethren.
With him.
When he appears to this world. But how is that possible? Because many of them had passed.
Through the article of death had passed away in Thessalonica.
And so the apostle says they're going to be raised with a glorified body, We will have a changed body, and we will meet together in the clouds and wherever, be with the Lord and then return with him. So it's important to note that.
00:15:09
Sleep here.
That part of our beings that.
That is still connected with the old creation. We are still connected with this world by means of our bodies. And it's a body of humiliation is a correct translation because it is a body that is continually humbling us. Sicknesses, weaknesses, infirmities, pain, suffering. As you get older, not only your heart cries out for the Lord, but your flesh too, because.
You feel the limitations of the body of the apostle says you're going to have a glorified body like Christ and those that have passed through death, they're going to be joined with you. You're going to meet them again and together come with the Lord at his appearing.
So sleep is a temporary state of things, and that's why those who who died in faith, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, are referred to in that way. When we lay a loved one in the grave who knows Christ, who knew Christ, it's only a temporary separation.
Tonight, in the normal course of things, we're all going to lie down and go to sleep. But in the normal course of things, we expect it only to be temporary. It's only going to be a few hours. And tomorrow morning, at some point, we're going to rise up from our beds and come back to this place if things workout the way we anticipate. And so that's why the body is referred to as sleeping. But I think before we pass on, we want to notice too, that when a loved one dies, it's not that we don't sorrow, brother.
But we saw it doesn't say we sorrow not, but we sorrow not as others who have no hope. You talked this morning, Brother Steve, about having hope. There's nothing worse than hopelessness, Probably one of the most disparaging words in the English language, hopelessness. You go to the doctor and he tells you your case is hopeless. You get into a financial situation and the consultant says it's pretty hopeless situation. That's, that's an awful thing to, for, for a person to hear.
But we don't we. It's not that we don't sorrow. In fact, I believe that the Christian sorrows deeper than the unbeliever, because our affections have already been awakened in a very real way. And so when we when a loved one dies, we sorrow. And we may sorrow even deeper than the unbeliever who builds up a callus to things and grits their teeth and grins and bears it. But while we sorrow deeper, we don't sorrow with despair.
And so the Thessalonian brethren, they didn't understand what was going to happen. And so, lest they sorrow with hopelessness, he explains very clearly what is going to take place. I say that because I think, and I have met Christians who feel it's wrong to shed a tear or to show emotion when a loved one dies. It's not. We do show emotion, and rightly so. We feel it and we feel it keenly, but we remember that the sleep of the body is only a temporary state of things.
The things mentioned here that we're talking about are being very quickly.
Let loose by Christendom as we know it. So it's a pretty.
Pertinent subject.
I'm not sure of all the reasons why it's happening that way.
But I'm going to relate a comment that I overheard. It was in another room. It wasn't a private company, but a person said, yeah, I believe in in the rapture, but I don't hold it dogmatically. Well, that's quite a compromise.
Well, he did. He said that, I suppose, because he didn't want to offend others in the room who probably either had no clue about the rapture or just flat out didn't believe it.
But it's it's.
Very important issue in understanding what Christianity is, we, we really are not people that belong this world. We are going to be related and associated with Christ in the Kingdom time, but we're not going to usher in the Kingdom in that way because that is one of the thoughts. It's a drop of dispensationalism. It's a drop in considering our heavenly calling. It's it's dropping the specialness of what the church is.
00:20:14
It is bringing Christianity down to this world. And if Christianity does not have a role in bringing in the Kingdom, then what the world are we doing here? And that's some of the concept. And so a lot of Christian organizations, be they churches and schools and, and the various Christian colleges and whatever these things are being just flat out dropped and in some cases actually ridiculed. So be aware.
It's out there, but it is a pretty fundamental thought in keeping our our eyes upward, considering that we really do not belong to this world, that Christ has called us out from this world, and that we are a heavenly people associated with a risen Christ. And those things are all tied in together. And you drop the rapture, you have to drop those other teachings as well.
That's very helpful. And you find a little comment that Paul makes in the 15th verse of this chapter that shows that the hope of the Lord's coming for his Saints has always been the proper hope of the believer and it has always been the present hope of the believer. Because the apostle Paul says here we which are alive and remain. Who was he referring to? He was referring to himself and the Thessalonian believers. Now I realize that Paul later on in his ministry.
Realized that he was going to, as a special vessel, lay down his life for the Lord. But when he wrote this early epistle to the Thessalonians, he was looking for the Lord Jesus to come at any moment. And so he says, we which are alive and remain. And if, brethren, if Paul could say to the Thessalonians, we which are alive and remain, how much more we which are alive and remain today? Because one thing is for sure and certain.
The Lord Jesus hasn't come yet, but we're closer to the Lord's coming than we've ever been before.
If Paul could feel the imminence of it, how much more you and me. There's never been anything in the history of the church to hinder the Lord from coming for us or to keep it back as a present hope of the of the believer. Now, certainly as we get near the end of the age, we see things develop that are setting the stage for after the Lord comes.
For what we John has referred to as the appearing in the Kingdom and so on, but there has never been a sign connected with the Lord's coming for us. The signs are always in connection with the Lord's coming with us, with the with the appearing. And so that's why the Thessalonians could have it as a present hope. That's why the early brethren had it as a present hope. That's why my father had it as a present hope.
But certainly, brethren, as I say, as we get down close to the end, can't we see that we're almost there? We've got to be right on the eve of this momentous event, and that ought to thrill our hearts.
I believe that.
The Apostle Paul.
Speaks of the coming of Christ.
In everyone of his epistles except perhaps 3.
Doesn't speak of it. I don't believe writing to the Galatians. You know, the Galatians had gotten so far from the truth of the gospel they're mixing up grace with the law.
And so it's through a law that we can be justified before God. Well, that was making.
Christ of none effect and so it was such serious error he has to recall them to the basic truth of the gospel that one is justified by faith alone, so it didn't seem appropriate to.
Bring in the thought of the coming of Christ. And of course in Ephesians we're already seated as seen as seated in the heavenly places. We're all we're up there already so.
But every other epistle except the three, I believe that he does bring out some with regard to the community here in First Thessalonians he refers to it in every chapter.
00:25:09
And I believe also in the second epistle he speaks of it.
References made to every chapter so we see the importance of.
The coming of Christ, the second Coming.
And I think it's instructive that.
Need to be aware that is being given up.
I picked up hymn books.
And I've looked through the hymn books.
And these are Christian hymn books, and there's hardly any hymns about the rapture.
But in our hymn book instead of one that we sing out of the little flock. Many, many hymns with respect to his coming and we've been singing them in this conference. It's very wonderful. Actors of Grace hymn book, the same thing. So many hymns that have as their theme the coming of the Lord Jesus for his own. I think it's important to note that it's only in the ministry of the apostle.
Appalled that we have this truth revealed and developed, no other apostle brings before us this revelation. This was a revelation to the Apostle Paul. The Lord, reverently speaking, did not develop the the manner of His coming. He referred to it in John 14, but it's all that had a special revelation among others.
Such as the.
The Church is the body of Christ, our heavenly calling. The Lord suffered to continue. These are all peculiar to Pauls ministry and not developed in other Apostolic writings. Perhaps they learned it from the Apostle Paul, but it's not part of revelation in the Old Testament. There's no reference in the Old Testament scriptures. This event that we are Speaking of, rapture. There's many references.
Numerous to the Lord establishing his Kingdom, returning for the blessing of the nation of Israel and the blessing of the Gentiles through them, but nothing of this mystery. This is a mystery in the New Testament is not something mysterious, but it's something that was not revealed at that time, not revealed formally, but we need to regard.
Realize that Paul's ministry is for the church today.
And it has largely been given up by evangelicalism. We can thank God that by his grace we have some, we have knowledge of this wonderful, these wonderful truths that were revealed to the apostle and embodied in his epistles to us in the New Testament.
We spoke a great deal this morning about the Father's house and the time when we're going to be with the Lord Jesus and his desire to have us there. But when we are ushered into the Father's house, we're going to be ushered in altogether as a heavenly company. And that's what the apostle Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians with here. So he says that those of us who are alive aren't going to get there first. Those who have died in faith, they're not going to get there first.
And then he gives us very clearly the series of events that's going to take place.
The Lord Jesus is going to come, and He's not going to come back to earth to call to get us. He's going to come on the cloud. He's going to give a shout, and the dead in Christ are going to rise 1St. And then we, which are alive and remain, are going to be caught up together with them. That is, they're not going to get there first. We're not going to get there first. We're going to be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.
And when we meet together, the Lord in the air, then he's going to usher the completed redeemed company, heavenly company into the Father's house. And isn't that beautiful to think of, brethren? No ones going to have a special place in that, in that way and at that time. Such is his favor to all his children, that when God's family enters the Father's house, they're not going to order or enter in any pecking order or any special order.
00:30:02
We're all going to enter together and sit down in his presence with Christ in the mids.
It was a true loss to the Church for many hundreds of years.
Given up quite quickly after the apostles passed off the scene, and John 14 that we read earlier was often applied to a believer on his deathbed that the Lord was coming for him.
Or one close to death might say, the Lord's coming for me and applying John 14 in that way. And you know, it's striking when you think about it, because where does that put the believers hope then?
His hope is in death.
Not in life. My hope is to die and go to be with the Lord.
But our hope isn't in death. Our hope is in the Lord's coming for us.
And our hope is not to be, as is just commonly thought among men and women in this world, that we're going to be spirits kind of flitting from cloud to cloud in heaven with little Halos over our heads and so on. And men perhaps get that thought from the Lord, saying they're neither marrying or given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven or some of those expressions.
And so they draw thoughts from that. But you know, the Lord was raised as the apostle says here.
He was raised.
Spirit, soul, and body from that grave. And God has made you and I spirit, soul, and body. And we would not be satisfied until, as our brother read in the meeting before, I shall be satisfied when I awaken Thy likeness. What is his likeness? He's a man and a glory. Spirit, soul and body. We would not be satisfied having been created from the hand of God.
A whole being that consists of spirit, soul and body to be there and eternity just as a spirit and soul.
We won't be satisfied until we're there, complete, so to speak.
Spirit, soul and body just as He is, and that's how He's made us. We would not be comfortable, so to speak, at at rest unless we were as He's created us, but glorified.
Let's read that in the end of Philippians 3 because I think it helps to see this very clearly. We'll notice it in first Corinthians 15 two, but just to get it again in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20. Our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, our body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like under his glorious body or body of glory according to the working whereby.
He is able even to subdue all things unto himself. You know, when Paul was caught up temporarily to the eternal dwelling place of God, referred to in 2nd Corinthians 12 as the 3rd heaven, he really wasn't comfortable there. In fact, he had to say in relating it, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth, because for the apostle Paul it was a temporary state of things.
He was caught up to see Christ in glory and he came back to earth. It was temporary, but when you and I are caught up at the rapture, it's going to be a permanent state of things. That's why it says at the end of our chapter. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
And we're going to be Steve, as you say, perfectly comfortable in his presence because we're going to have bodies that are changed and suitable to that sphere of things. And when you and I sit down in heaven, it's going to be, as we said this morning, the Father's house. It's going to be home because we're going to be perfectly comfortable in traveling a great deal. I find I'm very comfortable in many of the homes of the people of God. And they come out and they do everything they can to try to make you comfortable.
But you're never as comfortable as in your own home. I saw a little motto in a bedroom, a guest room I was using in a brother's home. One day it said, it's not home sweet home. Adjust. And that's what we do down here, don't we? We adjust. But brother, it's going to be no adjustments When we get to the Father's house. We're going to have bodies of glory like unto his body of glory. We're going to never have anything again to annoy us, nothing from within.
00:35:22
Nothing about our surroundings. I don't care how many houses you build, how many times you move the furniture, how many new things you buy for your home. There's always something you wish was just a little bit different, something that isn't quite as comfortable or conducive to your lifestyle as you'd like, but rather nothing like that in the Father's house. And so we're going to undergo that, that change. John does mention it in his epistle, just very briefly.
And I think it's beautiful to see because in John's gospel he records, I will come again and receive you to myself. No development. John says that not only are we going to be with him, but we're going to be like him. We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And this really then bridges us to the portion we read in First Corinthians 15, because in First Thessalonians 4 he doesn't take up so much the change.
Just the series of events that are going to take place to bring us to meet the Lord in the air. In fact, in First Corinthian air, in First Thessalonians 4, he doesn't even really take us into the Father's house. We meet the Lord in the air. And wherever with the Lord, when he's in heaven, we're with Him. When he comes back to reign, we're with him. We never leave his sight again.
But then Paul, in the epistle to the Corinthians, he developed this change, this mystery, which as John said, is not something that's hard to be delved into or looked, looked into, but it's something that wasn't known previously, now revealed.
Just to add to your thought to from First Corinthians 15 and.
Looking at.
Verse 43, the end of the verse. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.
So not only comfortable, but a body, a body change to be able to contain and to to to walk in that sphere of things. When the angelic being appeared to to Daniel, he had to reach down and and pick him up and stand him on his feet and kind of hold him up there. John saw the Lord he fell at his feet is dead. And these bodies that we have of weakness, we could never be in that place.
And bear it not for a minute. And so it was only by a power outside of them that they were sustained, for the visions even that they saw. We could never in these bodies of weakness be in that place. They have to be raised in power.
All the Old Testament believers will be raised at the same the same juncture. Juncture. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shelter voice of triumph and power. Suppose it has a military connotation, a shout of victory, and the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God. Time to March, marching orders.
We're waiting for those and the dead in Christ shall rise first. What a tremendous power will be put forth many of the Saints of God.
Have been burnt at the stake.
Their ashes have been scattered.
Far and wide God is going to bring that the remnants of that body together. Just think of of the power that will be put forth. We have it in Ephesians, the end of Ephesians one, do we not a reference to it.
Verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us? Words who believe.
According to the working of His mighty power, which He brought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, and so on, that power was put forth in the resurrection of Christ. First fruits we follow. The same power is going to raise us.
Often change us into.
Conformity to Christ and where it speaks in first John three with our brother Jim referred to it. It's really morally there. It's now we will be physically like the Lord, of course, but first John three, I think there's more the moral sense.
00:40:10
We love it. We are now. Are we, the sons of God? It does not yet appear that what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him. We shall see Him as he is.
That's wonderful to contemplate that we're going to be like Christ sometimes we're unlike him in our.
Behavior down here, but up there we're going to be morally like Christ as well as having bodies of glory. I don't like to use the term brethren. I don't know if I'm going too far here, but I don't like to use the term new body. I know that is used sometimes. It's not really a different body. It's the same body transformed into a body of glory. That same body that we have. We're going to recognize one another in the glory.
I'm going to recognize Wally Dear and and others they'll be.
A resemblance. The apostle Paul is going to recognize the Thessalonians Saints. They were his glory and joy. Well, if he couldn't see them, how could he be? How could they be His glory and joy? So there's going to be recognition in the glory.
But the relationships of life, such as marriage, will no longer.
Apply in the in the glory.
To suggest that.
There will be no bodies.
In other words, we're going to have replacements.
Deny the truth of the resurrection, would it not?
But we know that the bodies are going to be resurrected.
Not replaced, but resurrected and changed. And this is the power of God and resurrection.
It's awesome to think about.
So the Lord and resurrection had the same body that He had as a man when He walked here in this world. It was the same body that was laid in the tomb. But when He came forth from the dead, He showed them that He had a body and resurrection that wasn't subject to physical hindrances. He could come and stand in the midst with the door shut and so on. And the Lord Jesus now at the right hand of God, has a glorified body, but it's the same body as you say that He had.
When he came in incarnation, and I think it's helpful, what Wally said is that if we're going to tenaciously hold to the truth of resurrection, we cannot say that it's a new body. And so it it's, he says in First Corinthians 15 where we read, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Now we talk about the rapture taking place quickly, and it will that the very word itself in the original denotes that.
But it is interesting that it's the change of the body that is specifically mentioned as being in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Because first of all, those of our loved ones and all those who've died in faith, they're buried somewhere, at least for the most part. And so there are those whose graves are long forgotten and maybe cities built over those, those graveyards, freeways or whatever. There's many who are buried at sea and so on.
And there's many in graveyards that are buried 6 feet below the the earth, but when the Lord Jesus gives the shout, they are going to be raised with a body that is not subject to physical hindrances. You know, it's interesting that you never read of the graves being opened at the rapture.
Why? Because they won't have to be now. When Lazarus was raised from the dead they had to rule away the stone. He was raised with the same body that he went into the grave with. When there were those at at the Lords death that were raised the great it says the graves were open and many of the bodies of the Saints which slept arose. Why did they had to be opened? Because they were raised with those same physical bodies that were subject to physical hindrances.
And subsequent to their resurrection, at some point they re entered the tomb. But when the Lord gives the shout, those bodies are whatever. If it's six, six feet of earth, if it's sixty fathoms of water, if it's a freeway or a city or whatever, it's not going to be a physical hindrance. Now what about those of us who are alive and remain? Suppose the Lord came before this meeting was over this afternoon. There's something between US and the cloud that is hindering these bodies in the state they are in now.
00:45:17
From rising to meet the Lord in the air, there's a ceiling and a roof and metal and so on. But we're going to get an instantaneous change in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, so that that roof above us is not going to be a physical hindrance. We're going to, we can rise right through that roof or wherever we are, if we're on the 6th floor or in the basement, we can rise immediately to meet the Lord.
In the air, and I think this is important to understand because many have questioned, well, how is it going to take place? How can people in the tomb are buried underwater at sea or how can people in buildings? What's going to happen? Remember, we're going to have bodies of glory like unto his body of glory. That same body that the Lord Jesus came and stood in the midst with closed doors and four walls is the same body that we are going to receive chained. These bodies change.
To be like His body of glory so that we can rise no matter where we are.
He was crucified in weakness and so the cross wasn't a display of power, but the resurrection is the greatest power that this world will ever see is displayed in in the power of God and resurrection. And as you say, some might who question it might raise hindrances, but you know, no matter how broken down the body of a believer becomes left in the ground or wherever it is.
And spread around, that power is able to gather.
It back up and Balaam says in this prophecy, and I've enjoyed it, who can count the dust of Jacob? Well, though these bodies go to dust and be scattered the world around, there's one who can count the dust of Jacob and gather it back up. And that power is beyond any other display of power. I believe that even in the creation and the formation of the world's far beyond that.
Is the resurrection.
Enjoyed to that little word together their brother brought out the order of things.
That the dead raised first, you know, even if it be just for a twinkling of an eye, they're going to enjoy the same thing the Lord did. He stood triumphant.
On this earth.
Victor over death.
On this earth, and they're going to stand, even if it is but for a moment that we can't even measure. They who have gone through what the Lord went through in the sense that they've died and been buried, are going to have the privilege of enjoying and knowing and feel the power of resurrection. And they're going to stand triumphant on this earth. And then we're going to be caught up together. And I remember.
Brother little when he took when we would read this portion, just love that word together and I'm sure he often thought of his dear row it when he would bring it out. He says it's together. You know, he was a very even by nature social brother, so to speak, and that thought of being together.
With the Saints is a precious thought, never to be alone again. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. And so we know, no matter how alone we might be from others, the Lord is always with us. But that word together is a precious word.
It's really nice how the apostle Paulie comforts the hearts of the Thessalonians with respect to those that had died. You know, that was their concern that they're going to miss out on something. But.
When you think about it.
I don't know that she.
Make a big point about this, but really it's the dead in Christ that are going to be impacted first.
That's what it tells us here, when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, while it's the dead in Christ. Isn't it that here's that first?
But of course, as you point out, we which are alive and remain, we're going to be caught up together with them and arrive at the same time in the presence of the Lord. What a comfort this must have been to the Thessalonians.
00:50:05
And it's for our comfort.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Can't think of a greater comfort?
President kind present distress realize that to coming the Lord.
It could take place today.
First in second Timothy one verse 10 brings the same thought I believe first second Timothy 110 just to get the connection.
Christ Jesus before the world began but is now made. Maybe you should read the ninth verse. Who has saved us and called us with an holy calling?
Not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death.
An old death and has brought life, and that should be incorruptibility.
Life for the soul, incorruptibility for the body to light through the gospel. As we mentioned, it was through the apostles.
Teaching and.
Doctrine that this was brought out, that we would have a body incorruptible. We have now a corruptible body. If you pass through the article of death and your body will go back to God, it'll be it'll see corruption. The Lord never could see corruption because there was no sin in his body.
But now this is a much deeper revelation than the Old Testament Saints would understand anything about. They knew there would be a resurrection, but they had no idea what kind of a body they would be in.
They do. It did believe in their resurrection. But here Paul tells us we're going to have a body that will partake of incorruptibility. And this has been all brought to light through the gospel, through the revelation that Paul LED received from the Lord in glory.
So there will never be a breakdown again. No, some of us are starting to feel a little bit the breakdown of the body here and what we like to refer to as the aging process. But it, it's encouraging, isn't it, brethren, to realize that there's a change coming. And I said to somebody the other day, the change is looking better all the time as we get a little older and but there's a change coming that is going to transport us into a state of things that will never change again.
You know, we might reverse certain processes here in this life and you know, they advertise certain soaps and that will reverse the aging process of the skin and certain vitamins and nutrients that will reverse their slow the aging process here. But we won't need any of that when we get to the Father's house because this change is going to be something that will be permanent. And I know it's a little different thought, but you know when you go to Revelation.
The end of Revelation and you find the bride, about 1000 years after she's been with Christ, she still referred to as a bride in all her freshness and loveliness. There's no breakdown, there's no deterioration there. I suppose any of us who've been married for any length of time, if we were to bring our wedding albums here and pass them around, everybody would have to admit that a change comes in.
26 years in our life together has brought a change in that's very note, very noticeable. I enjoyed Brother John Kaiser last Lords Day morning. He had the Sunday school at the Kentucky Conference and he was talking about change versus things that last for eternity and so on.
And he had a photograph and the children were all sitting on the front row. And he passed this photograph up and down the front row. And he asked the children if they knew who this person was was. And all the children shook their head no, they, they had no idea who this person was. Well, it was a picture of John himself when he was a boy. And the point he was making is that time now brings its changes. But the bride 1000 years after she's been with Christ, 10,000 years.
An eternity, if you can measure such a thing. No, there'll be no, she'll still be all there in her freshness and loveliness as the bride and all the heavenly company too. But I think it's beautiful to realize, and I know there are brethren here this afternoon who are feeling the weight of years far more than some of us are, but, and some of us are considered young by them. But just think there's a change coming at any moment where you're going to leave all that behind. And all the spare parts, the replacements, the knees and the hips and the other replacements, they're all going to be left behind.
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And a change is going to take place that will never change again.
Brethren, we consider first John chapter 3 and verse 2.
Now are we the sons of God, and does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see him as he is, and every man that half this holding him purify himself even as he is pure. So we can encounter the purifying effect by having the Lord's coming before us now.
That should hasten or step towards that goal.
Living from the Lord while we're here.
Dale in that regard, I'd like to read a portion in Second Thessalonians because I think it really brings out what you say. And I think it's an important that time is getting going along. And I think it's important to realize that, you know, it's not enough just to come to meetings like this and talk about the Lord's coming and enumerated as one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.
As Bruce said, it is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. And brethren, we wanted tenaciously hold on to this precious truth and the order in which it's given in in the New Testament. But it's more than that. The reality of this in our souls, as Dale has pointed out, is going to have a practical purifying effect on our lives. In fact, in the measure in which I'm looking, or you're looking for the Lord to come this afternoon in that measure.
It will separate us from the world and give us to live in the proper way as strangers and pilgrims here. And Paul points this out to the Thessalonians in his second epistle. Just going to read the last two verses of chapter 2. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation, there's that comfort we spoke of and Good Hope through grace. And brethren, it is a Good Hope.
And it's only on the basis of grace. But then notice this. Comfort your hearts.
But He doesn't stop there and establish you in every good word and work. Now again, I want to say this very circumspectly, but I suggest that in the measure in which we understand the truth of the Lord's coming and we appreciate it and enjoy it in our souls as a living reality, it is what gives us ballast and stability in our walk and our work for the Lord. And you talk to Christians who through miss teaching.
Do not understand the truth of the Lord's coming. They are confused as to the rapture and the appearing and our present position and ushering in the Kingdom and all those kinds of things. Talk to them. And yes, many of them are put me to shame as far as personal piety and so on. But talk to them a while and you find there's often instability in many aspects of their Christian life. What is it that's going to give us real stability?
And what is it that's going to establish our proper work for the Lord in the context of eternity? It's understanding these, this truth that we've been Speaking of in these two reading meetings today. And that's why it's important. And it's interesting that we won't take time to turn to it. But when he refers to it as a sure and steadfast hope in the end of Hebrews 6, he says which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
You know, the only other time you have an anchor mentioned in Scripture is in connection with the shipwreck in Pauls day in Acts 27 and 28. And there we find that when they got rid of the anchor out of the ship, there was disaster. Brethren, when we get rid of the anchor, it's the truth of the Lord's coming that anchors us. It's the truth of the Lord's coming. When we're anchored to that, then we we work around. That is the pivotal point.
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In our lives and everything we do and all our service for Christ is going to be with the Lord's coming as the pivotal point. It's going to anchor us in the proper way. And the Lords coming in, in the New Testament is the pivotal point of everything. Everything in Christianity is in view or in respect to the Lord's coming. But if we Cut the Rope and lose that anchor, we're going to be like a ship without a rudder. We're going to turn into the wind and drip.
That's what is brought before us, Jim at the end of the chapter that he suggested there First Corinthians 15, the apostle has been Speaking of these marvelous truths of.
Glorified body that we would have death being overcome, grave conquered, and so on. He takes us up into the glory, but He brings us back down to earth at the end of the chapter. And we need to, we need to be reminded.
We're not in the glory yet, brethren. We are here in a scene of conflict and we have the privilege of holding forth the word of life and preaching the gospel. We can't do that in the glory. And so he says.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, whether it be among the Saints or in reaching the lost. Remember, when we give out the gospel, it's in view of the Lord's coming, because when he comes.
The door for the unsaved will be forever shut. They'll never have another opportunity in these favored Christian lands in which we live to hear the glad tidings. So when we preach the gospel, it should always be in view. The Lord is coming. At any moment the door of grace will be closed on the Sinner. And we thank God that He waited until we had believed. So. It's always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain, in the Lord steadfast.
Unmovable as to the truth of God, but always abounding. I sometimes say it's like a compass. Every boy and girl knows what a compass is. There's one there's one arm of the compass which must be firm and solid, and the other arm goes out as far as you want in in drawing the circle so well, maybe the thought is a little bit different, but we need to be steadfast and firm and yet all we abounding.
We should have our foot in the assembly.
But we have the world as our pirate.
That steadfast and unmovable is very important.
As you go into school, into the job, and you start to speak with other Christians, you're going to find that they don't believe.
Many of them don't believe of the OR look forward to the imminent coming of Christ for us today. And they have a lot of scriptures. There's a whole system of teaching that denies the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back at any time.
And they're preparing the world for Christ and they think it's their job, their job and their duty to vote, get in the political system and vote to change this world and to join the army or the the armed forces and to set this world right and to get the world ready for Christ to return and be. That's because their hope is in the Kingdom, but yet our hope isn't in the Kingdom. Our hope is to be with Christ.
And if you look over in Revelation.
You'll find that the Lord has a special blessing, a special place, a special position for the church. And in Revelation chapter 21, we we have in this chapter we have both the eternal state and we have the millennial scene. The 1St 8 verses are the millennial state, but you'll find here.
Read verse one and I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
For the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away. There was number more sea. And I, John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. This is the bride of Christ. This is the assembly.
Of the New Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and so the Tabernacle of God comes down.
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To the earth, the new earth, and he's and God is with men.
And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them.
And be their God.
But we see here that the Church, New Jerusalem, God is in.
The Tabernacle of God, he's in the New Jerusalem and he's down on earth, in the new earth, but he's in has a distinct place. There's not going to be a ruling party. There's not going to be a government like there was in the Millennium with with Israel ruling over the world.
But there's going to be a distinct place for the church. We're all be together, but there's going to be a distinct place for the church in the heart of God. Just like you have your wife sitting next to you in all this group of people, she is distinct to you. And in the eternal state, the church will be distinct to God. And so if we think we're going to be part of that millennial blessings and be part of God's earthly people, it takes away that eternal state.
That we're looking forward to.
So in the meantime, there is a work to be done about always abounding in the work of the Lord. We've taken up many things in these readings concerning what is future, but as long as we're left here and the Spirit is here, there's a work still to do. In fact, the very fact that we're still here shows that there is that work to do. Because it says in the end of Revelation and the Spirit and the Bride say, come, He doesn't go until we do. And He's working through his own, through the Lord's own. He delights to use us.
In those these days, he used Paul, the Corinthians, the Thessalonians, but today the Spirit is still working through you and through me. He has a work for each one of us. This isn't for a select company here. This was for every one of the Corinthians, always abounding in the work of the Lord. This is for every one of us here this afternoon. If we know the Lord Jesus and we're looking for the Lord Jesus to come, what are we to be doing in the meantime?
Well, you know, they talk about WWW. And I know what it stands for in connection with the computer world. But I like to think of it this way. Waiting, watching and working. That is the proper attitude of a believer. Now we need to be waiting for the Lords coming.
We need to be watching for the Lord's coming, and as we are doing that, we need to be working. But I'd like to, before we close, turn over again to revelation, to the last couple of verses of the book, because I think, brethren, it really caps what we've had and it shows what our proper attitude and spirit ought to be in view of the Lord's return. I know this is familiar, but notice how the Word of God closes.
He which testifieth these things sayeth, Surely I come quickly. Now brethren, do you realize these are the last recorded words of the Lord Jesus in Scripture? The last recorded words, and you have it three times on the last page of Scripture. But the last recorded words of the Lord Jesus in the Bible are Surely I come quickly. Just in case we missed it, He confirms it again. Surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus, those are the last recorded words of the Saints of God.
And he closes the book. Well, not quite. There's something else Now I'm going to sum it up in a little different way.
Surely I come quickly. That's the last promise of Scripture.
Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus, that's the last prayer of Scripture. But there's something else.
There's the last provision of Scripture, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. In other words, brethren, if we're left here a little bit longer waiting for the Lord Jesus, His grace is sufficient. It's able to meet every need as we wait for the Lord's coming. The 84th Psalm says the Lord will give grace that meets us in our present need and glory. That's what comes at the end of the pathway. And brethren, we have those two things.
Grace and glory. So the last prayer, surely I cut the last promise, surely I come quickly. The last prayer, Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, and the last, the last provision, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
01:10:12
183.
Say your can't I say?
Honest for me.
Seeing also 18 in the back.
So.
God said.
There is Life in a Look
Gospel—John Kemp
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Shall we open our gospel meeting?
#26 there is a there's life and a look.
Have the crucified One. There's life at this moment for thee #26 Then look, Sinner, look unto him, and be saved unto him who was nailed to the tree.
Look, look, look and live.
There's life in a look at the crucified one. Shall we stand and sing #26?
And brother would start it.
There is life in life.
And coordinating and worsen.
Here like this day, unto him who I said.
Train.
There's life in the Lord and thorough cruise if I want. There is one that is so many.
Life in love. I love privacy like one. There is life at this moment for him.
May I give my disgrace what thou art in the world, and to hear survive.
There is life at this moment for you.
And thou thought thine will come, since God has declared.
Everything that no more to become.
That one champion.
Of the world.
And complete the world.
There is.
One there is one that is small and for me.
But I have to take great rejoice in front Jesus at once.
00:05:25
Right. Just as man.
Shall we pray? Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for the words of the hymn that we have sung together this evening, that there is life in a look at the Crucified One. We thank the Our God for that unspeakable gift, Heaven's beloved One, the One who left the glory so that we could be saved from our many sins.
The one who walked to this earth in love and compassion toward the lost is now exalted at God's right hand, a Prince and a Savior. We seek thy help tonight.
We ask thee to bless thee going forth of the glad tidings once more, perhaps for the last time, this message will be delivered in this hall in this world and we know God, our God is long-suffering. We thank thee for this wondrous message of grace. We ask thy direction and guidance in the meeting that if there's any soul.
That is still without Christ, without God, without hope.
That they may.
Take that look of faith to the crucified, 1 to the one who is lifted up.
Between heaven and earth, to die that awful death to save us.
From our sins, from the eternal judgment hanging over our heads.
If we're unsaved, so we commit the meeting to thee and ask Thy blessing and guidance. In the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Witnessing another hymn.
Uh, in our on our hymn sheet #20 Behold the Savior at the door and gently knocks, is knocked before he has waited long, is waiting still you use no other friend so ill #20.
So.
Wonderful to know, dear friends, that the Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory, wants to have fellowship with you.
He looks down on this company tonight with compassion.
And infinite love. He looks into the heart of every individual, young and old in this room tonight. He longs to have you as His companion in the glory, not for a few years, but for all eternity. But the purpose of the meeting tonight is a gospel meeting to bring before you, first of all, your need of a Savior.
If you do not already realize that, and secondly, to discover the heart of God that has been revealed to us in the person of His Son. Man has wrong thoughts about God.
And in order that man might understand what is in the heart of God.
He came down.
Of course, God the Father did not come in His person to the world, but He sent his beloved Son, not an Angel, not a prophet, but His own Son, to reveal to us what is in His heart toward man.
We had the verse today. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
He could not give anything more, and he would not give anything less. Heaven's beloved one, He sent from the glory the unimaginable heights of glory into a world where he would be received. No, no room for him in the.
Borrowed cradle and a borrowed grave was all the world had for the Son of God, the Creator of the universe. He came.
And the angels celebrated his birth with praises and glory to his name, as they look down from heaven's glory upon that babe in the Manger of Bethlehem. But let, my friend, we want to make this individual and personal for you.
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Because the purpose of the meeting is to bring before you first of all, again, I repeat your need of Christ. We hope that you feel that that you feel.
If not already that you are a Sinner, and a guilty Sinner and a lost and ruined person. In the sight of a holy God, you may be well respected in your community and looked up to with honor and reputation. But in the sight of God, regardless of your background, you are a Sinner.
In need of a Savior? The purpose of the meeting is to bring before you that blessed One.
Who came to reveal the heart of God for God to show you what is in His heart. He sent His only begotten Son, the one who could put His hand upon the treasures of the universe. He was rich in the glory. He wasn't rich down here, but He was rich in the glory, in love, in possessions, in glory, and He laid it aside.
He veiled that glory that was His from a past eternity in the bosom of the Father. He veiled it to enter a world where men, wicked men, our hearts represent it, would crucify the Lord of glory, would put Him to the most shameful death possible on the cross. There they hanged Him and spit upon Him, and crowned Him with thorns.
And ridicule the Son of God. He did not retaliate.
He bore it patiently, even praying for his enemies.
Dear friends, this is the one we want to lift up before your eyes tonight.
We're not here to try to.
Change your religion.
Because that would be useless.
A man may go into a dark room.
And he knows where his coat is, so he can take off one coat and he can put on another. He's in the dark all the time.
And man can change his religion. While we had today a man is a religious character, that's true.
The Pharisees were very religious, and later on we're going to speak a little about one of the most.
Religious persons that ever walked to this planet.
Saw will speak about him a little later. He was a very religious man at the very top of the ladder of human righteousness.
And yet he said, I'm the chief of sinners, a religious man, filled with fire and zeal against the Son of God, religious man.
A man that everyone would look up to, but a lost man and you tonight without pointing the finger at you because God is the one that tells us we are sinners. You may be religious and have a a profession, Most people do and still be without Christ, without God, without hope in this world. Oh dear friends, we want to.
Point your gaze to the man of Calvary. There is life in a look at the crucified One. There is life at this moment for thee. One look of faith to the man of Calvary is enough to save your souls from your soul, from a lost eternity from hell and the judgment of God. One look of faith to the Son of God bearing the awful judgment for my filthy sins, and yours too.
If you will have him is enough to save you for eternity. Have you taken that look?
Have you made that decision for Christ? Because at a gospel meeting, Satan is always active. He's a strong man. He's a master entertainer with all sorts of distractions and attractions and what have you to turn you away from the Lord. Pleasures of sin, wealth of this world, education.
00:20:21
What have you.
No, there's a young lady. Her name was Amelia Hall. Maybe I've told this story before, I can't remember. She lived in England, the 1800s. She was a young lady of distinction. She was from a wealthy family. Her father was Captain Hall. Looked up to and respected in the military community.
But an unbeliever.
His young daughter who was fashionable, she had a different dress every day. She had everything that heart could wish the best food, a beautiful home, because her father was a man of means and and wealth. And so she had everything a young lady would desire in this world. But she didn't have peace with God. And she went to a little gospel meeting in the hall there in the South of England.
She heard the message.
And she was convicted. She was exercised. Though I have everything that my heart wants, I don't have Christ. And I know that I'm not ready for eternity. She went back home. She told this to her father. He flew into a rage. My girl, don't you go back to that place again. Do you understand? If you're going to stay in this home, you do not go to such a meeting as this.
Well, there was the the ultimatum. But after a few weeks, Amelia felt her need so deeply that she had to go again and hear the glad tidings of God's grace. And she heard it, and it melted her young heart, and she saw the Lord dying in her place, and she received him as Savior. But you have to go home.
So she went home.
There was her father to meet her at the door. Where have you been? Well, she had to relate. What? Where she had been, what she had done. Well, of course he was uncontrollable. Now listen, my dear girl, if you do not give up this nonsense, you see that horse whip on the table in the library there?
I'm going to use that on you tomorrow morning if you don't.
Give up this belief, this.
This nonsense, this religion that you have got into your head, well, there was these. It wasn't an idle threat. He was going to do it. So she went up to her room that night with a burdened heart.
Really a burden for her dear Father who was opposed to the gospel. She didn't sleep much that night, but she took out her pen.
And she wrote to him.
There is life in a look at the crucified one. There's life at this moment for thee. She wrote those stanzas that we sang at the beginning of the meeting.
Next morning came.
Her father was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.
There was the library and the horse whip, and she presented that message to her father like this.
And he picked up the paper and he read that same hymn that we sang tonight.
There is life in a look at the crucified once there is life at this moment for thee. He fell back in his chair, convicted of his sin, and that very night he believed that glorious message of the Gospel, and he was saved, gloriously saved, though he was a man of.
Of reputation and.
The possessions of this world he had, but he didn't have peace with God, and there he received Christ and lived many years to show the genuineness of his conversion. Captain Hall was one of the early brethren gathered for many years in the South of England. Well, we want you, dear friends, to realize that the same Savior.
00:25:10
That saved Amelia, saved her father is waiting in long-suffering mercy.
To save you tonight. His arms are outstretched.
And He is inviting you in this, the day of His matchless grace, the day of His long-suffering mercy, that you might come in your need and look to the Savior and believe in His love that has been demonstrated.
At such infinite cost.
By his death on the cross, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.
And hath given unto us the ministry of reconciliation.
The Lord was down here as a man.
Healing the sick, cleansing the leper.
Dispensing mercy and goodness on every hand. Did it change the heart of man? It really didn't because we read in John's Gospel they hated me without a cause. At the end of his wondrous life of sacrifice and love, he was crucified. The life of Christ did not reconcile man, so the Lord had to go to the cross and bear the judgment that that enmity between.
You and between me and God might be removed. That's what reconciliation is. It's removing that hatred that by nature is in our hearts toward God and.
That's exactly what Christ did.
He died to reconcile us to God. God did not need to be reconciled to us, but we needed to be reconciled to God. Let us turn to Acts Chapter 9 for a few moments.
We're going to find in this chapter, well, it's a familiar story to all of us, I think.
The conversion of.
This character.
I suppose we could say.
He was probably the most religious man that ever walked.
So, but at the same time he was denying.
Overtly, outrightly, that Jesus was the Son of God on earth.
Because the Jews regarded Christ as an impostor, and Saul was one of their.
Greatest champions. And we read here of the historical account of the conversion of Saul. And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men.
Or women he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
You will remember that.
Previous to this, there was a man by the name of Stephen.
Who?
Presented a wonderful testimony.
The Jews had rejected Christ by crucifying Him, but now they were rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit that was given through.
Steven the first martyr, And he presented the truth to the Jews, and they gnashed upon him with their teeth, and they stoned him outside the city of Jerusalem.
They sent a man after Christ saying we will not have this man to reign over us. The doom of the nation was sealed and from then on Christ is not seen standing at the right hand of God, but sitting dispensationally. This was the final.
Offer of salvation to the nation, and Saul saw the martyr Steven suffering in his face as the face of an Angel, as they hurl the stones at him.
00:30:08
You know, they wanted to have their arms free so they could throw the stones, so they put down their clothes at the feet of Saul doesn't tell us that he actually cast the stones himself, but he consented to it by being there and looking on. He said that man deserves it because he says he's seen Christ, the Son of God. That's not possible.
Well, the Lord had his eye on Saul. Now the Lord has his eye upon you here tonight. He looks down into your heart. He he had.
A work for this man to do. If you're unsaved, God's eye is upon you. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. And he wants to save you and use you in His service. Saul.
Means destroyer. And he put all his energy into blotting out the name of Christ, stamping out the gospel. And in his fiery hatred and zeal he not only ravaged the Saints in Jerusalem, but he says, Give me letters because I want to go outside Jerusalem.
Give me letters to go to Damascus, which is some miles to the north, and I'll bring them.
Bound hand and foot down to Jerusalem and put them into prison, he tells us. He even compelled them.
To blasphemy. You know, that's the reason why Paul called himself the chief of sinners, you might say. But you said he was at the very top of the ladder of human righteousness. Yes, you read that in Philippians 3 as touching the righteousness which is in the law. Blameless. Not many of us could say that, but Paul, us all could. At the same time, he was the most bitter enemy and opponent of Christ that ever graced the earth.
But God had his eye upon him, and that's why he called himself the chief of sinners, because he persecuted.
Christ in the person of his Son.
You say he wasn't persecuting Christ, He was in the glory. That's true. But let's look at our chapter here. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined around about him, a light from heaven. Where did that light come from? Was it the sun? I've been in these oriental lands many times and boy, at at at noon hour, the sun is in its Meridian splendor. You wouldn't want to look at it.
It's hot and it's extremely bright, but it says here that this light that shine from heaven, in fact, it tells us in another passage that it was stronger than the sun. Where did that light come from? It came from the face of a glorified man in heaven.
We've spoken today about Christ exalted in the glory.
Many of us can look forward to being with him. He's an exalted man. He was crucified by wicked hands. God highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. But Saul was doing everything possible to eradicate the name of Christ.
And he put forth all his energy for that purpose. But God had his eye upon him, and the light that shone from heaven struck him to the earth. He heard the voice of the Son of God. Dear friend, tonight we want you to hear the voice of the Son of God. May the speaker be hid behind the cross of Christ, and you hear what the Lord has to say to you.
The day is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.
God is speaking to you from heaven tonight.
Through perhaps the lips of a very failing servant. But there's a message for you from the heart of God tonight.
00:35:04
Are you listening to what God has to say? Saul listened here, struck to the earth. He fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
How was he persecuting Christ? Christ was in heaven, in the person, in the lives of the believers. In fact, that brings before us, brethren, the wonderful truth that we are one with Christ. And Saul, carrying out these awful acts of of hatred and persecution against the Saints was really persecuting Christ, because the Saints on earth and Christ are one.
And.
So the Lord spoke to him from the glory. He said, Who art thou, Lord? The Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the ******. Perhaps he had some.
Conviction.
Trouble in his conscience we don't know because he was on the road to to Damascus to imprison the Saints of God we but anyway.
He had no doubt now who it was that was speaking to him, no doubt whatever. And we trust tonight, dear friend, that you will hear the voice of the Son of God as he speaks to you individually. He has a desire for your blessing. I think of Bartimaeus, who called out Jesus. Thou son of David, have mercy upon me, a blind beggar. Many times my wife Eleanor and I have been in India.
And seen the beggars, the blind beggars going through the railway cars. Usually a little girl or boy is leading them through. They have a little tin here that they're looking for, a few pice. That's a few pennies in India. You have compassion on them there. They are hopeless individuals. God can save them, however. And the Lord stopped at the voice of Bartimaeus.
Lord, that I might receive my sight and.
That was the voice of the Son of God.
And we trust that tonight you will hear His voice speaking to you, that you will not harden your heart today if you will hear His voice harden not your heart. I'm afraid that people become so hardened to the gospel that it goes in one ear and comes out the other without making any effect. But God can break down the hardest heart in this room. He saved a Sinner like me. He can save you too.
I often think of that story in.
That was told by Mr. Cutting.
In the South of Wales, I have been there. It's a beautiful part of the British Isles. There is a, there's a lot of coal mining done there, there's a lot of steel manufacture and there's a factory there.
It's called Naismith. Day and night those big hammers come down. Thundering blows day and night. This businessman, no use to me staying at this place because I can't get a wink of sleep.
With those big Naismith hammers pounding the steel day and night, but all the.
Inhabitants of that town slept through it all, didn't bother them at all. One day there was a mechanical failure in the machinery and the hammer stopped. Everyone woke up.
They wanted the Hammers to start again.
They could sleep when the hammers were going. I sometimes think of that in relation to the gospel people, and I think that everyone in the company here has heard this wondrous gospel many times. Maybe you're getting hardened like that. You hear it and it doesn't have much effect upon you. But the hammer is not my word. Like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces.
And someday the hammer is going to stop, and God is going to call the laborers home. The day of grace will have run its course as we had this afternoon.
The door of grace and mercy will be closed upon these favored lands of Christendom, and never again will the gospel hammer come down.
00:40:05
Never again will anyone offer you attract because the laborers will be in the glory.
And if you're left behind, the Lord comes tonight. We spoke about the Lord coming this weekend, and he may do so. He may wait a little longer, but this may be your last opportunity to hear the message of pardon and to close in with God's offer of mercy before it is forever too late. Well, coming back to Seoul, let us read here. He fell to the earth, verse 4.
And heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said.
Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Verse six. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And.
The Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Well, as we have already said, this light shone from the face of the Son of God.
It tells us in 2nd Corinthians 4 that the gospel.
The light on better turn to its second.
Corinthians, chapter 4.
We perhaps know the verse.
It says there in whom?
Verse six. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, have shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That was the face that Saul looked into that day. The one whom he was fighting against was there speaking to him.
He had been the servant of Satan. Dear friend, you may be offended by this, but if you're not saved, you're in the service of Satan. Many of us, in fact all of us, were in his service, and He had good servants. Now we have the best.
Master of all, he was an awful master, but we were good servants. Now we have the best master, but I'm afraid off times we are poor servants.
Well, May God bless his word. We have been turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Yes, it was the voice.
Of the eternal God, not just a man, True, it was a living man that looked down upon Paul. Us all there. A living man. Let us never forget.
That we have an exalted, glorified Savior at God's right hand.
One who is coming again, One who was exalted there because he finished the work of redemption on the cross and shed his blood, and because God was fully satisfied and glorified by the work of His Son, He could not, reverently speaking, leave him in the grave. He broke the bars of the grave and he tore open the gates of death.
And he rolls triumphant. And is this very night an exalted Saviour, a Prince and a saviour. Have you been arrested?
I've been arrested a few times for giving out the gospel. Thank God it didn't develop into anything, but it's not nice to be arrested. But Paul was arrested on his murderous course that we that we have read about here.
He realized his terrible guilt. I'm fighting against Christ, against God. I've done everything possible to blot out his name. But.
He received at that moment a new life. We see here he trembling an astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? The Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do, dear friends, tonight.
00:45:04
I don't think you will have a miraculous revelation like Saul had. None of us have. But nevertheless, you must come to the point of realizing your guilt. You say, are you comparing me with salt? No, but we are all deceived by the God of this world. God of this world has blinded the minds of those that believe not.
As I was reminded when I was a boy, unless you had that verse that told us that God blinded the minds of the unsaved, you could not.
Understand how they would believe the foolishness.
And the the deception of the enemy. We go to India, we see them there worshipping these dumb idols, bowing down to them and offering sacrifices to them and so on. What spiritual darkness and despair?
Man is a religious creature, but without Christ. He's in spiritual darkness, as we have in the case of Saul here. But he met the Son of God, and we trust that you will meet the Son of God.
Tonight you must have help from above.
It's not by your own efforts that you can please God. It's not by turning over a new leaf and trying to reform your life that you'll get to heaven. You've tried that before, and the other sheet just gets as filthy. It's not reformation, it's regeneration. You need you need to have a personal.
Meeting with the Son of God, you need help from above, and the Lord is waiting to reach down with his arm of love and lift you out of that horrible pit. Our brother Wally gave a very good gospel last weekend at Saint John. He spoke about being lifted out of a horrible pit, and I saw myself in that pit and the strong arm of the Lord reaching down. Is the Lord's arm shortened that it cannot save? No.
He's able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by Him.
I live in Ottawa. I guess most people know that's the capital of Canada.
We have a unique.
Waterway in Ottawa. It's called the Rideau Canal. It was built in 1832.
For military purposes.
To bypass part of the Rideau River which was not navigable.
But.
In fact, some of you young people, when you come to Ottawa, we can take you.
Onto the longest skating rink in the world, 7 miles. You can skate right through the center of Ottawa to the Parliament buildings. Well, we don't want to occupy you with that, but there was a man the government, you know, in the springtime, the Rideau River system is begins to, it freezes, of course, and when the thawing comes and the ice has to be broken up or it'll jam and it will flood and so on.
So they send a man out to put dynamite into the into the ice and blow it up so that it will move. Well, this government worker was out there placing the dynamite and in his rush to get away before it ignited, he fell into the water and the water was very cold. He had a boat there, but the boat capsized and he fell into the water and here he was struggling, but he was able to get a hold of the boat.
But at that time of year, in the spring, the current is pretty strong in the Rideau River.
It goes right through Ottawa and it comes to a falls and there the water goes over and it goes into the Ottawa River and I know where that falls is. Well, this man started to float down the river.
And.
People on the shore were alerted to his danger and they called the fire department.
And.
The men came out with ropes and so on, and when they go down that river there's a bridge, and there's several bridges, but there's one right near the falls, and they put a rope down and of course he could see.
00:50:07
He was rushing down, he could see the rope and they showed it.
Grab the rope, grab the rope and we'll pull you up.
But to their horror and everyone standing by, he didn't grab the rope and thrill. Under the bridge she went and over the falls lost his life.
And as he was going over, he said.
I can't. My hands are frozen to the boat.
Oh, someone said on the shore or on the bridge, if only a man had come down and picked him out of there, if a man had been lured down to grab him and pull him up. But that's not what happened. But I want to tell you, dear friends, a man has come down, a man from the glory, to lift you up from your place of danger and to save you from your sins.
That man is the man of Calvary. He didn't just look down and see us in our terrible.
Peril and need, but he came down from the glory as a babe in Bethlehem's Manger, then in Gethsemane's garden, sweating, as it were, great drops of blood, Then nailed to the cross and ridiculed, and a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. That's the man that came down to lift you up and put you on his shoulders of strength, we often say to the boys and girls.
Not on one shoulder. You might fall off.
The Lord holds the whole world on one shoulder.
It tells us in the book of Isaiah. But a poor lost sheep like you and me, He will lift up in his strong arms, and He will place you on his shoulders of strength. Won't let you go until He has you in the glory. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Well, in the case of Saul.
He had a wonderful mission.
You know what the word Paul means builder. Saul means destroyer, Paul means builder. And of all the Saints of God who have lived, I don't think anyone.
Could compare with the.
The indefatigable, tireless laborers of the Apostle Paul.
Outside of the Blessed Lord, he was the greatest preacher. He wrote 14 epistles.
If you read 2nd Corinthians 12 you'll see what he suffered I sometimes.
I'm ashamed when I read that chapter. He was beaten with rods. He was stoned.
I think he was beaten 5 * 39 stripes. He suffered every peril, shipwreck, hunger, tiredness. That was the life of the apostle Paul, to get the gospel out to sinners and to minister to the Lord's people. What a, what a life.
We have in the apostle Paul, someone has said he never forgave himself. What he did to the Saints of God, God forgave him. The apostle Paul is in the glory, enjoying his reward and will for all eternity. But he'll say if you speak to him up there, Paul, how did you get here? You were a, you were a Sinner. You said you were the chief of sinners only by the matchless grace of God. He reached down and he lifted me up.
And he saved me, and he numbered me among the people of God.
And dear friends, tonight we want you to be numbered among the people of God.
You know, Paul had deep exercise of soul or soul for three days. He did not eat or drink. I don't think he slept very much in three days.
And what was he doing? He was praying. He was in deep exercise of soul. He was a hellbound Sinner.
But now he became a glory bound St.
And, you know, we see so little conviction of sin these days. Sin is made fun of, you know.
As if it was a joke. But dear friends, sin is no joke with God. His thoughts about sin have not changed one iota.
00:55:03
From the time the Lord was here, God hates sin. People have.
Perverted thoughts about about God, they think, Oh yes, he's a God of love. That is very true, infinite love, as we have said. But he's a God of holiness. He's a God that will not pass over sin. He must punish it. And if you die in your sins, you'll be buried in your sins, you'll be raised in your sins, and you will stand at the great white throne in your sins.
This afternoon we spoke about the glorious future ahead of the child of God, when we will have bodies of glory. How wonderful to look forward to. The unsaved will have a body too, because they're going to stand before the Lord Jesus at the great white throne, Look into his eyes, every eye shall see him. They also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. They're going to see Him at the great white throne. No salvation.
Too late, dear friend, tonight as we close our gospel meeting.
Have you made that decision for the Lord Jesus? Can you say?
He is my savior, my Redeemer. Should he come tonight, I'm ready. I close out the little story. Years ago there was a man who had a dream.
And in his dream, he saw Satan sitting on his throne and all his.
Demons were around him, his angels, you know, And he made this, He asked this question. Who will go forth to ruin the souls of men?
One of the demons got up and said I will go and what will you say? Oh, I'll tell them.
There is no God. Oh, Satan says that will not work, because though they might deny him, really in their conscience they know there is a God. And in times of sickness and death they realize that they have to meet God. No, that will not work. Another stood up and said, I will go forth and deceive the souls of men. What will you say? Oh, I will tell them there is a God. But.
That they are too bad to come to him.
All Satan says that will not work either, because as long as there's Bibles around, they can read about the Lord inviting sinners to come and be saved, and they read of his mercy. And no, no, that that's not going to work. A third demon stood up. I will go forth to deceive the souls of men, and what will you say?
Well, I will let them hear the gospel.
As much as they want, I will tell them about the love of God, and even about the death of Christ, and that salvation is offered by faith in Him. What? But how in the world are you going to deceive the souls of men that way? I'll also tell them I'll let them hear the gospel as many times as they want. What? But I'll tell them there's time enough. Satan and all his friends there in the.
The caverns of Hell and Despair.
They shouted.
Agreement, they agreed, and applause this plan that the demon had suggested. And you know, dear friends, Satan has used that.
Very effectively. Perhaps there are more souls in a lost eternity because of procrastination. That's a big word. It means putting off till tomorrow. What you should do today and what you should do today is close in with God's wonderful offer of mercy, while the Spirit of God speaks to you this evening and shows you.
The Lord Jesus standing with his arms outstretched, those arms of love to lift you up, to deliver you from your sins.
From the eternal judgment that is hanging over your head to bring you to a place of safety and peace with God for time and for eternity.
Singer short hymn in closing.
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#22 Perhaps you won't sing the whole hymns. Time is going here. Some brother would start verse 1 #22.
Be too late, flee thou to mercies, open gate and join Christ's waiting band. Let us pray. Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for the glorious message of the Gospel which can be sounded forth still in this world, that is under judgment that has rejected the Son of God, and yet.
War Jesus, in thy matchless love and compassion, thou art waiting.
In long-suffering mercy perhaps on some boy or girl or young person or even older person in the meeting here tonight to reach out the hand by faith and appropriate what Christ has accomplished by faith on the cross for us. We thank You for that precious blood, the only title to glory. Bless Thy word here and wherever it has gone forth. We thank Thee for Thy help this day. We ask it in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
God Has Given Us a Roadmap for Life
Children—Tim Roach
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.
This is a Sunday school, so any children, if you'd like to come sit up in the front, you're most welcome.
Does anybody have a hymn you'd like to start with this morning?
We have two, yes.
25.
We'll sing the 1St and the last verse of #25 life at best.
Like the?
Time.
That I will send me past and I can't lie because.
Voice of Jesus.
Time If it's in you, on your way, you can find the world again.
And you're crying just today.
Million times.
There is no warning for respect. The Lord your hide, your voice and the Lord and I'll have the love results.
In time.
Darkness into life from the West in the Broad.
And we started tonight.
In time.
Being in time, beginning time.
Always of Jesus told you being in time.
You're on your way. You can find the water again.
And you're proud to be just to learn you can come.
The last verse of this song says come from darkness into light, from the way that seemeth right. Sometimes we take the wrong way. When I was a kid growing up in a fishing village in Nova Scotia, one day my family, we went on a hike through back in the woods, went over the hills, around some lakes and down some hunting trails. And after we wandered around for a while.
We were good and lost, and so we found a Hunter's cabin. We were able to pick our way into the cabin and we found a map on the wall and after getting our bearings we headed in the right direction and we found our way home. But we were late for supper.
Does someone else have a song you'd like to sing?
Yes.
Number.
Try another number. There's no 68 on here.
Like #40.
22, OK.
OK, we'll sing verse one and verse 3.
The heavenly.
Heart.
Headed home. I was in the city. I was headed back home. I got on the highway and was driving along and I seemed to be getting further and further away from home. I was going the wrong direction and my son carefully explained to me that if I would buy myself AGPS.
00:05:14
I would never get lost again.
Someone else have a song they'd like to sing?
OK, let's sing #4.
The first and last verse.
Christ is this.
Christ is the Savior for me.
Sharing his life for my grandson.
This is a sacred party.
Change.
I shall tell What is Princess? This is a standard for being.
Savior, Sin, Grace. Sacred series like me.
One day we were driving to a job I had to clean a friend's carpets and as we were driving down the road, he had given us a map and good directions how to get there. But we forgot the map at home.
And but thankfully we had gotten a GPS and so we were able to put his address into the into this little.
GPS and we're going along the road and we're doing a good job finding his house. Well, the GPS said go straight ahead, but straight ahead there was a chain link fence and the airport runway.
And we but we could see the road on the other side of the airport and we needed to get over there.
We got lost with a GPS.
Let's pray before we continue.
Our God and Father, we give thanks for your mercies. We give thanks for your word. We give thanks that it directs us in the way that we should go. We just ask for help this morning that if anyone is lost, that we'd come to know that they would come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, that the Lord Jesus that you would find them. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Maybe sing one more.
Yes #46.
Glad T.
And he comes and he comes out and he wants all the students to see how he's the best Speaking of him and.
How much subway?
I am sure all of you know what this is.
What is this?
Yes, yeah, it's a map. It's a book of maps. It has every state in the United States on here. It has Canada in here, and it helps us get to where we're going. And whenever I go somewhere, if I don't forget, especially if I've never been there before, I like to have a map with me. I like to have AGPS too. But sometimes the GPS doesn't know some things, and it's always good to refer back to the map in case you get lost.
Coming here a couple days ago, driving down the highway, we found out that Hwy. 17 was closed, so we tried to find another way. I had to call the state troopers and ask them where to go. Well, they told me some, but they didn't know everything, so they said call the county.
00:10:04
So I called the county and I had called a bunch of different people. Finally I found a route that I could find on the map to get all the way around back down here to Montrose to get around the flooding and the roads.
God has given us a road map for life too. That's the Bible. This Bible has instructions for us so we know what to do in certain situations. And let's go to Luke chapter 19.
Luke, chapter 19 and verse 10.
And this verse says the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
I have a very clear memory of a trip I took once. We were at a homeschool convention and at the end of the day we were in another city. At the end of the day we went to a friend's house. They had invited us for supper and we had been there before, so we didn't need a map. My wife had been there before too, so we were all set, and so we're driving along with the roads we knew and then.
I'm going to turn here. No, that's not the way.
And so I guess it is, let's turn. So we go this way and we find that we don't know where we are. And you see we both had different ideas of how to get where we were going.
But neither of us knew exactly how to get there.
We had some visitors in the car with us and that kind of added to the shame of being lost, but our visitors were in a better position than we were because they knew we were lost.
We were driving along but we did not know that we were lost.
We like to figure things out ourselves. We like to try to find our way without consulting a map or consulting someone else on the side of the road. But we did not know that we were lost, boys and girls.
You are born as a Sinner. You are separated from God because of your sin.
You are lost because of your sin. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
I ask you boys and girls, do you know?
If you are lost.
You need to be lost before you can be saved.
But Jesus did not come to call the good people.
The Lord Jesus calls sinners to repentance, so you need to know that you are lost in your sins. Let's go to First Timothy chapter one.
If you are lost today, Jesus is looking for you. He's here today looking for you, searching you out because he wants to save you and first Timothy, one verse 15, it says.
Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Are you lost in sin?
Are you lost? Well, we continued on our journey to our friend's house.
We should have brought the map with us because our confusion continued. And as we drove around, you say, oh, I recognize this place. Oh, I recognize it too. We were here 10 minutes ago.
You know, we were lost. We wanted to be with our friends, but we were separated from our friends because we were lost.
We had to come to the point where we knew we were lost.
We had to admit that we were lost.
We made a phone call to our friend.
See.
Hello.
Yeah. Rodney, this is Tim. Oh, hi Tim. How are you? Well.
I I'm, I'm, I'm lost.
Children, you need to admit that you are lost.
You come to the meetings with your mom and your dad. You sit next to them. You feel safe next to your mom and your dad.
00:15:02
But if you have not asked the Lord Jesus to save you, if you have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ sitting next to your mom and dad, you are still lost in sin.
You need to call on God. You need to admit that you are lost and ask the Lord Jesus. Say Lord Jesus, I believe.
I believe on the Lord Jesus, Lord save me. Well, my friend, he gave me directions to go to his house.
We followed our good directions that he had told us on the phone.
And we found our way to his house, and it was a good supper. She was a good cook. But the next time we went to visit these people, they had moved to another house.
We had to look to Rodney to find our way to his house because he knew the way. And if you want to find the way to to heaven, if you want to find the way to the Lord Jesus.
You need to go to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus says I am the way.
It's only the Lord Jesus that through whom you can find salvation.
We need the word of God. Sometimes we know what to do without looking.
We remember what we did before we tried to get to my friend's house because we knew the way, but it didn't work. And in life, you may know what you're doing. You may you may have had a a similar problem in your life before and you just go on autopilot and you think you can solve your problems because you've done it before. But you always need to refer back to the road map of life. It is good to go back to the Bible to remind us.
To make those right choices, because as a believer when you are saved, you have the Spirit of God in you and you are led by the Spirit of God.
After we're saved.
We need to use the Bible as a road map for our life because we are facing a lot of choices, a lot of decisions, a lot of problems in our life, and we need the road map for our life. And because sometimes we just don't know which way to turn. And God's Word has directions for our life, and I want to look at some of those directions that God gives us for our life.
Let's go to Psalm.
119.
We just have a few examples from God's Road map for our life. And there are questions in life that children have. There's questions in life that older people have.
The first question.
Should I learn a memory verse for Sunday school?
What does God say? Your Sunday school teacher, your mom and dad says OK, you have to learn the Sunday school verse, and sometimes you learn it, sometimes you don't learn it very well. But does God really want us to learn the word of God? Memorize these verses well in Psalm 119 and verse 11.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. There's an answer from the word of God. Should you memorize the word of God? You need to know the word of God. You need to have it hidden in your heart, so when you have a question in life.
You can go to the word of God, and the Spirit of God can bring that verse to your memory to help you.
In your problem in life, to answer your question. So it is a good thing.
For you to memorize your verses from Sunday School. Do any of you children know the Sunday school verse for this week?
Have have you memorized any verses that you remember?
Wow, nobody knows any verses.
Well, I I'm sure you do. Probably a little shy to say them, but it's good to have God's Word hidden in your heart. Memorize the word of God.
Another question.
00:20:01
Maybe your mom tells you, go clean up your room, pick up all your clothes, get your room nice and neat.
And then when you're done that, take out the trash.
And you say to your mother, well, where in the Bible does it say I have to take out the trash?
Where is the Bible that have to clean up my room?
Is there a verse that says that?
Are you sure? Let's look in Colossians chapter 3.
And verse 20.
Your mom tells you clean up your room, take out the trash, this verse says.
Verse 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, all things. You know what that means. That means you got to clean up your room. That means you got to take out the trash or anything else your mom or your dad asks you to do. Children, obey your parents in all things because it is well pleasing unto the Lord. You want to please the Lord. You can obey your parents.
And that's the beginning, children. That's the beginning of learning how to follow God.
Is to obey your parents. Because if you can't obey your parents, if you refuse to obey your parents, you're going to refuse to obey your boss at work. You're going to find ways around the rules.
And it starts as a child.
To obey your parents.
Another question that we have.
Do I have to do my homework? Anybody. Does you kids ever have homework from school? You know, I wasn't very good at homework. I didn't like school. I figured that if I was going to be in school for 8 hours a day and they couldn't teach me everything they needed to teach me, why should I have to do homework at home? And so I failed in this question.
Do I have to do my homework? But in Titus chapter three we find an answer for that question.
You see, the Bible has answers for every question of life.
Titus, Chapter 3.
And verse one.
It says put them in mind to be subject or obedient to principalities and powers to obey magistrates, to be ready to do every good work.
It says be subject to principalities, that word principalities. The first part of that word is principle. How many of you kids have a principal at school?
I think if you go to school, you all have a principal at the school. The principal is the the head authority over that in in that school and the teachers are under his authority. And the teachers tell you to do your homework. They have authority. They are part of the principalities and the authorities of this world, God says.
Or to submit yourselves to all the ordinances of man.
As long as they don't go against the word of God, we need to obey the principalities. And so God has given the teacher authority to tell you to do your homework. The principal is above that teacher. The government, the state government, or the the government is above the principle. And so they tell him what he needs to do, and he tells the teachers what they need to do, and they tell you what you need to do.
And they say do your homework.
And so there's another answer in the Bible for our questions of life, another question we sometimes have.
Is it OK for me to text my friends in meeting and let's go to Psalms?
Some 89.
Sometimes we can have good texts in meeting, or we can have texts that are are distracting. I think they're all distracting. I remember one young man, he was.
In a meeting and the girl in front of him wasn't, she didn't want to wear a head covering and so he was trying to find the the verse in the Bible that told about women wearing head covering so she could show her and he couldn't find where it was. So in the middle of prayer meeting he was texting his friend who was in another prayer meeting trying to find the answer to what verse this was so he could show this girl that she should be wearing a head covering in the meeting.
00:25:17
Now.
Is that right or is that not right?
I am not going to answer whether it's right or wrong, but let's see what a verse 7 says of Psalm 89 and you can judge for yourself what what is acceptable during the meeting.
Psalm 89 verse seven God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints.
And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
God is greatly to be feared.
We need to respect the Lord Jesus at all times.
In society today, respect for others is it's lost. It's a lost art. People don't know how to respect one another.
And respect for Jesus Christ in the assembly meetings? Sometimes that's being lost too.
We create distractions for others. When there's talking, whispering, or if you're texting your friends, it is a distraction. And this verse tells us that God is to be respected when we come into the assembly of the Saints.
Another question that we sometimes have.
Especially at A at a facility like this, maybe there's a curfew and we maybe have the question, if I go to a Christian Bible conference or a Christian camp, should I obey the rules or the curfew?
And there's a lot of verses that answer that when you look at maybe one in Romans chapter 2.
Some of these verses may have other meanings, but.
The spirit of God can use different verses to convict different ones.
But Romans 2, verse 8. Unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath. And there's other verses that would would reflect on that. Romans 616 Colossians 322 Hebrews 1317 Joel 211. If you want to look those up later you can come and ask ask me, but let's go to Acts chapter.
16.
The Bible gives us very clear instructions for different aspects of life, but he also gives us very clear directions as to how you can be saved.
That's why we have the Bible. That's why we have the Sunday School. That's why we have the Gospel Meeting. So you can learn how to be saved. But before you can be saved, you need to know.
That you are lost.
If you're not lost, there's no need for you to be saved, and so you need to know that you are a Sinner.
You must see your sin. Sometimes we like to think that what I do, it's not so bad.
And we can make excuses for it, and we and we can justify the things that we do. But if you do not see your sin.
You cannot be saved.
You are separated from God because of your sin. It doesn't matter how little it is.
It doesn't matter how insignificant you think your sin is, that sin separates you from God.
And you cannot have any communion or fellowship with God unless that sin is taken away.
And it begins by admitting that you are lost. It begins by admitting that you are a Sinner.
And if you can admit that, you are lost.
And you admit that you need to be saved, then I can help you. Then I can tell you how you can be saved.
00:30:01
Acts 1631.
Here in this chapter there's a story about a jailer. He was a keeper of the prison, and Paul and Silas. Paul and Silas were preaching the word of God.
And the the authorities arrested them, and they beat them, and they threw them into the prison. The jailer, the prison keeper himself, took them and whipped them and threw them into the innermost prison and put their feet in their hands, in the stalks. And there they were. During the night Paul and Silas began singing praises and hymns to the Lord Jesus. Well, the jail prison keeper, he heard those hymns.
He was convicted in his heart. He knew that he was a Sinner. He knew that he needed to be saved. He was afraid. He was afraid. He came in trembling because he was afraid. He needed to be saved. And he says to Paul and Silas, what must I do to be saved? Oh, that was a wonderful question for Paul and Silas to hear. What must I do to be saved? And he could answer them, believe, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thou shalt be saved. Do you want to be saved? Do you admit that you are a Sinner?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Sometimes we ask people. We tell. I hear people telling others how to be saved.
Especially in Malawi, we ask them how do you get saved? Well, you need to be baptized.
Baptism doesn't save your soul.
Others will tell you you need to make a decision to keep the commandments, A decision to turn around, change your life. You can't change your life. We had that in meeting yesterday. You need to have a new life.
Some people say, oh just tell Jesus you are a Sinner and ask him to save you.
That doesn't tell the whole story.
Some people say ask Jesus to come into your heart.
But can Jesus come into a heart that is full of sin? I don't think so. So how can you be saved? Our verse says believe on the Lord Jesus.
And you?
Shall be saved.
Does anybody here today do you want to be saved?
Believe What are you to believe?
Believe that Jesus died. He took the punishment for your sins when he was hanging there on the cross.
God knows your sins and God if you are saved, God has taken your sins and put them on Jesus.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Believe that Jesus shed his blood to wash your sins away? Believe that Jesus rose from the dead.
After three days and believe that Jesus is alive and he is in heaven today, and he's saying, come, come unto me and I will give you rest.
If you are lost in your sins, Jesus is the only way to be saved. When you are saved, Jesus gives you an eternal life.
What is eternal life? Some people say it's a life that has no ending.
And that's true. But that's not what eternal life is.
Eternal life also has no beginning.
It has no ending, but eternal life is the life of Jesus Christ, and he wants to give you his life.
Eternal life is a life that cannot sin. The Lord Jesus when he lived here in this world.
He became a man. He walked through this world. He was tempted.
Just like you are tempted.
But he did not sin. He did not succumb to those temptations.
The Lord Jesus, we are told in him is no sin. Jesus Christ could not sin.
Jesus wants to give you that same life that has no sin, that cannot sin.
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If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have that life.
That will not sin.
John 316 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God says, when you're if you believe, then you have that everlasting life.
The Word of God.
Is much more accurate than a GPS.
Which one would you rather have, the Bible or the GPS?
The GPS costs more.
A lot more technology.
But the word of God has so much more than a GPS.
This is the words of the very creator who gave the intelligence for the GPS.
This book is written by the by the by the inspiration of God himself.
You might get lost with a GPS, but when you have everlasting life, you will never be lost again.
The Lord Jesus saves you and he will never lose you. You will never perish. Maybe you have time to sing another song or two.
Anybody have a song?
Yes #30.
Someone else start that please?
We think we'll not save me. Oh my face. We're getting cheers.
After my my dinner's good love. What's the same love you.
Think we're not saying.
Here is a spread and thy body.
Gives us suffering on the tree, giving us ways to make me free.
I'm not saying.
That I can get. Oh, yes.
For my soul by you working will not say.
See me?
In my.
Way.
It's a surprise on Doctrine.
To make me crazy.
And say me.
They'll say.
00:40:08
Let's pray our God and Father. We give thanks for the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks, Lord Jesus for giving us your word. We just give thanks that we can use it as a road map for our life. We give thanks that it has in it the words of salvation. We just ask that if anyone does not yet know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior that they would come in faith. Faith in Christ will save. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Lessons From Life of King Asa
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.
Let's begin our meeting this afternoon with #274.
274.
Oh Lord, thy rich, thy boundless love no thought can reach, no tongue declare. We'll give our hearts its death to prove and reign without arrival there from thee, O Lord, we all receive thine, holy thine, alone we live. 1St 3 mid conflict be thy love.
Our peace in weakness be thy love, our strength.
And when the storms of life shall cease, and thou to meet us at length, oh Jesus, then these hearts shall be forever satisfied with thee #274.
Oh, Lord, thy rich, thy.
And praying without.
So we look to the Lord for His help in prayer.
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee this afternoon that we can be gathered here in Thy presence.
And we sing about thy love, and we're in a scene of conflict. But may thy love in the midst of this conflict be our peace. We thank you for Thy love that is provided for us in every way. We thank You that Thy perfect love is that which casts out fear. And when we feel our weakness, we thank thee for thy love that is our.
Strength and so we ask that tonight, this afternoon as we continue in this meeting.
00:05:06
That thou will have thy way, and that our hearts would be encouraged to go on in a pathway of faith.
And obedience to thy word. And we just know that.
It's a happy path, and we ask that if there's one here still outside of Christ, that they might come to thee, Lord Jesus, and accept thee as Savior and Lord.
And we thank thee for salvation. We know it's a free gift, but we ask those of us who are dying that we might be followers, we might be disciples. And so we ask this now as we commit this hour to thee, seeking thy help and thy blessing and thy worthy name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Here we are.
With the Word of God in our hands, and we thank God for it, what would we do without the Bible, without the Word of God?
I read one time of a man, he woke up in a cold sweat.
Because he had a dream and in his dream.
He reached for his Bible.
And when he opened it?
There was number writing in the Bible. It was just blank pages.
And so he went to the shelf.
And he looked for books about the Bible commentaries.
And he found there were commentaries. But when he opened up these books.
Wherever there was a verse of Scripture, it was blank.
He went to the walls.
To see.
The texts on the walls where there had been verses.
And it was just a blank.
Well, that man, he was glad to wake up.
And find out that God was indeed speaking to him.
Through the Bible, He opened up the Bible and there was the writing, the word of God. Now I ask you here this afternoon, what does the Bible mean to you?
Would you be in a cold sweat if.
God would no longer communicate with you.
You know, as I look around this room today.
I know there are.
Many, and I would say most, and I would like to say all, are here because they want to hear what their Creator has to say to them.
You want the word of God.
Because, you know, it's the word of life.
And apart from the Bible.
There's no salvation.
Oh, how thankful we can be for the Word of God.
I believe it was David.
To the Lord, be not silent to me, lest if thou be silent to me, I become like those that go down into the pit.
Nobody here today wants to go into the pit.
Nobody wants to perish.
You want life?
You want joy? Happiness.
Well.
God has made it possible.
For you and I to enjoy these things. But it's only by way of the Bible, His Word, the word of God.
It's living as powerful.
And it lives and abides forever. So it can be so thankful to open up our Bibles and finding this blessed book. God communicating with you and me. Now we live in a difficult day.
00:10:07
And we were singing about conflict in this hymn.
And I know many here have gone back to school.
And perhaps some have gone back to work after a summer holiday.
And you know, it's not easy often to go back to school, go back to work and find there those that do not appreciate.
God or His Word?
And they don't appreciate Christians.
But you know God.
I believe has fitted you and me to meet this conflict.
And I think of a couple in the Old Testament. I'd like to turn to these ones.
And see how it is that they confronted the enemy.
That came up against them.
An enemy that seemed to be overwhelming.
And yet.
Did not overwhelm.
The Lord.
Did not overwhelm God.
And you know, Paul could see if God before us, who can be against us.
One plus God makes a majority.
And so.
I believe in the Old Testament we find much there.
To encourage our hearts in the pathway of faith. It tells us that the things that were written aforetime were written for our learning.
That we, through patience and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope. The Old Testament is brimming with encouragement for the believer.
Let's turn over to.
2nd.
Chronicles.
Chapter 14.
Second Chronicles, chapter 14.
I like to read about this man ASA.
And then I'm going to read about his son.
Jehoshaphat.
And these were kings of Judah.
We could start from verse one of chapter 14, Second Chronicles.
So Obai just slept with his father's and they buried him in the city of David, and ASA his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet 10 years. And ASA did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. Now notice.
It says he did that, which was good and right.
In the eyes of the Lord his God.
ASA.
Had his faith in God.
And he enjoyed a personal relationship with God.
Of course not in the same way that you and I today would enjoy a relationship because God had not revealed Himself.
As God the Father, as he has to the Christian.
So we really, I believe today as Christians, enjoy.
A relationship that's more intimate.
With God, we're so privileged to be in the family of God.
But nevertheless, ASA believed God. God was his God.
There are the gods that he could turn to, but no, he wanted Jehovah.
Jehovah.
The Lord was his God.
It's a wonderful thing to enjoy a relationship with God.
You know, Paul, you could say, my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, all your need.
00:15:09
That little word all how precious. It speaks peace to my own soul to realize that God has written in his word in such a way there's no loopholes.
Because if it hadn't put all in that verse.
We might think, well you know, my need is just so great that God is only taking part.
Of it, In other words, he's only helping out.
90% and I got to provide the rest. No, Paul said. My God shall supply all your need.
According to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, Paul knew God.
He knew God was for him and that God would indeed meet his every need. Now, is there anybody here this afternoon that questions whether God would be so good as to meet all your need? Is there somebody here like that today? You know, that's the work of Satan. And I speak to myself as much as to anyone here today.
I believe Satan's work is to.
Put.
Little suspicion in our minds as to.
Whether God is so good that he would supply all our need, It's Satans work. He's a great deceiver and he comes in and he troubles the soul.
But how wonderful to take God at His Word.
By faith.
And faith.
You know, it does come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
So it's a matter of faith.
We all heard the little.
Story about how.
One day, fear came and knocked on the door.
Faith went to answer the knock, open the door, and no one was there.
Faith.
Well, I believe ASO is one who had faith.
In his God and we see that this faith.
Was put into action.
If there's true faith, there's going to be action.
Look at Hebrews Chapter 11.
There you see.
Many examples of faith in action.
It says here in verse three, chapter 14.
For he took away the altars of the strange gods.
He didn't want these other strange gods. He had one God. It was his God, and it was Jehovah.
So he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places.
And breakdown the images, then cut down the Groves and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers.
And to do the law and the commandment.
He took away out of all the cities of Judah, the high places and the images, and the Kingdom was quiet.
Before him.
We read about the Thessalonians and how they turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. They wanted the true God. They didn't want the idols. Idols.
Idols I believe.
Can come into my life. They can come into your life.
You say, well I don't have any images or statutes of Buddha or.
Any other?
Heathen deity. I don't have anything of that nature in my house, but the fact is anything that comes between.
The Lord and myself.
00:20:00
It's an idol.
It takes my attention off the Lord.
And so the apostle John, you could say, little children, keep yourselves from idols.
And I have to search my heart.
Because there are things that the enemy puts before us that we can become so engrossed in.
Yeah, we lose sight of the Lord.
And.
It's not good because.
When that happens, we find that our happiness.
Evaporates.
Or we might be happy for a time, engrossed with this particular activity.
Or this particular object. But the pleasures in sin are only for a season.
And.
Of course, a season can be a very short time.
And somebody once said that sin in prospect.
Is so attractive.
But sin, in retrospect, is hideous.
So the pleasures of sin are not that which satisfy.
And, you know, covetousness.
The Apostle Paul.
In his unconverted days he really had a good opinion of himself. He thought he was an upright.
Law abiding.
Jew.
But as he went down the list of the commandments, he came to the one where it says, Thou shalt not covet.
And you know that commandment smote him, he had to acknowledge.
That covetousness characterized his life. Covetousness. It's an eager desire.
To have something that God has not seen fit to give to me.
And covetousness is idolatry. That's what Paul said.
Sometimes we get focused on that which somebody else has.
And.
It destroys our happiness.
And really?
What we're saying, what I'm saying, if that be the case.
Is that object?
That I'm focused on is more satisfying. There's more to offer.
Than the Lord himself.
It's like putting the Lord in the shade.
Well, the Lord wants to have first place in our lives and He wants us to be thoroughly happy. There's no question about it.
The Lord loves you and I speak to myself. If I'm not happy, it's not the Lord's fault. It's not God's fault. You know, it tells us whoso puts his trust in the Lord, happy is he, happy is she, and so.
If I find that happiness has disappeared out of my life.
I can't point the finger at God, I have to point to myself.
Well.
Faith in action, I believe, is what we see here with ASA.
And so.
It tells us here as we go on and we don't have time to read.
All these verses but in verse eight it says in ASA had an army of men.
That bear targets and Spears out of Judah 300,000.
Now to Benjamin that bear Shields and drew bows 204, score 1000.
All these were mighty men of valor. So if you do the math.
I think we're talking about.
500.
And 80,000.
Now verse nine and there came out against them Zebra the Ethiopian within host of 1000 thousand.
And 300 Chariots and came unto Marisha.
Now here we have the enemy presenting himself.
00:25:04
With this.
Huge army.
Twice as large as what? ASA?
Had now what happens next verse 10 then ASA went out against him and they set the battle in array in the valley of.
Zephytha at Marisha.
And ASA cried unto the Lord his God, and said Lord.
It is nothing with thee to help, rather with many or with them that have no power.
Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. Oh Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee. This was the prayer of ASA was a kingly prayer. I think it was the 2nd kingly prayer we have in this book. Solomon also prayed at the dedication of the temple.
But what a lovely prayer we have here from the lips of ASA, showing his dependence on the Lord.
He recognized that he had no power in himself.
But he was looking outside himself to God.
And that's good. That's what we all need to do.
We tend to want to have a little bit of self-confidence.
But that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says trust in the Lord.
With all your heart.
And lean not unto your own understanding. There it is again, no loophole.
You mean to say I can't introduce a little of my own?
Thinking and my own strength. No, it tells us that we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart.
I quoted that one time to a lady.
Behind the counter.
And she scoffed.
She said.
That's the philosophy of those who can't cope with themselves.
Well, that might be.
What she thinks but the word of God.
Tells us different.
The word of God indicates.
That to trust in ourselves.
Is really.
To depreciate the Lord. The Lord wants to have all the praise in all the glory.
For anything that we do.
That's the way it should be.
The world has its philosophy.
They say.
God helps those that help themselves.
You know where that's found.
Public opinion, Chapter one, verse one.
You're not going to find it in this book.
The world has the idea that.
You do your best and God will take care of the rest.
You don't find that in the Bible.
In all things he must have the preeminence.
And we live in a day when man seeks to exalt himself.
Make something of himself, whether it be in the political arena.
Or the social arena.
In the religious world.
But the flesh has no place in the things of God. No place.
The apostle Paul, he went so far as to say these words, and they're true. I know that in me, that is, in my flesh dwells no good thing.
We need to look outside of ourselves to the Lord, and that's what ASA did.
And he was in earnest, and he cried unto the Lord. Notice it tells us he is God, his God. I think that's beautiful. It was like a personal God.
00:30:04
For ASA.
And so here was this multitude that came up against.
ASA.
Verse 12 So the Lord smote The Ethiopians before ASA.
And before Judah and The Ethiopians fled.
You see how the Lord came in?
In a wonderful way.
Psalm 50 and 15.
We read there what the Lord has to say. He says, call upon me.
In a day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Now.
We're all confronted sooner or later with difficult situations in life.
Very.
Trying circumstances.
And sometimes we really.
Feel we want to.
Strike out on our own and take care of the issues.
We need to let God.
Let God.
I read one time about a young man.
He was a believer and he was faced with.
A decision.
And it was difficult.
And somebody said to him, let God do the work, you know, in other words.
Trust the Lord.
So.
He cut out.
From Bristol Board.
The letters.
And.
Put them together.
And it was 2 words. Let God.
And he put these up on the wall of his room there.
Let God.
You know those words didn't speak peace to his soul.
In fact, they made him kind of angry.
He was upset.
And I understand.
He stormed out of the room.
Slam the door.
He said I can't do that.
I can't let God.
Take care of this.
Can't do it.
Sometime later, he went back into the room.
He looked on the wall in one of the letters had fallen off.
The letter D.
Was on the floor.
Let go.
It was like an arrow to his conscience.
He felt the Lord was speaking to him. He got down on his knees. He said, OK Lord, I will. I'll let you take over.
But you know, that's not easy to do. We want to often do things on our own.
When we should be letting go and letting God?
Years ago, there was a man that.
He seemed to have some interest in the gospel and he had a conscience anyway, and he asked me to come to his house.
We went down into his basement, had a talk.
And I know he.
It was involved some things that were.
We're not good.
But I sought to give him the gospel.
Made no profession of faith.
And so I spoke of the gospel of Christ.
And how that?
John, 316.
It says whosoever believeth on him, that is, on the Son of God, should not perish, but have everlasting life. You know what he told me?
He said. For some reason, I just fight that with tooth and nail.
00:35:03
To my knowledge, this poor man, he never came to Christ.
He continued in his own way, persevering in his own stubborn way.
And one day.
He swam across Spednick Lake.
From the stateside over to the Canadian side.
And after he had swum, he gets up.
And stands there on the shore.
All of a sudden he fell over dead.
I thought of this man and what he told me.
Is so solemn to think there are 1,000,000 in the world this afternoon that.
Are not accepting God's way of salvation. They got their own way.
And there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
I trust that here this afternoon, there's nobody in that category. Our earnest prayer is that each and everyone.
Might go God's way.
Let go and let God take care of your salvation.
Because you can't handle it on your own.
Not even 1%.
And if you try to introduce your own.
Effort into what God has already done. It's an insult to God.
And it's poison. It's poison.
Well, how wonderful to be able to call on a Lord and to find deliverance.
And that's what ASA found.
We found Deliverance.
Now you know, sometimes the Lord doesn't give instant deliverance in our circumstances.
I think it gives instant salvation. You know whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. With respect to our salvation from sin, that comes instantly. We don't wait for that.
But there are times, I think, when the Lord allows us to continue in a trial, but He will come in and give deliverance.
You know David, he said in Psalm 40I waited patiently for the Lord.
And he inclined unto me, heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit.
Out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock.
Establish my goings, and he put a new song in my mouth. Even praise unto our God.
That's what the Lord did for David.
And that's what he has done for many in this room today.
As far as the salvation of our soul, we know we are secure.
In Christ. But there are circumstances of life that confront us, and it seems here in the United States it's been a year of disasters.
I don't know of any year.
In the history of this country, when there's been so many natural disasters.
And the year is not over yet.
Well, I'm sure God is speaking through these circumstances.
It's not that God wants to judge.
And some have the thought that God is bringing down judgment. But of course, we live in a day of grace. At the present time, God is showing favor to those that don't deserve any of it.
And he makes his son in his reign.
Two.
Affect the whole world.
The evil.
And the good, the just and the unjust.
Experience the goodness of God.
But these circumstances certainly do indicate that things down in this world are not permanent.
And I think God wants to.
Send us a message in that respect.
He wants us to be looking at the things that are not seen.
Things that are eternal because the things that are seen can be here today and go on tomorrow.
Fire. Flood.
Tornado.
Not to speak of economic.
00:40:01
Downturn and so on, inflation, all these things.
That really give an uncertainty to material possession.
In this world, but we are exhorted to set our affection on things above, and to lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven.
Where thief doesn't breakthrough and steal, Moth is not corrupt.
And where our treasure is, the Lord could say, there's where your hearts going to be.
Where's your treasure? Where's mine? That's where our heart's going to be.
So we read about ASA.
And you know, ASA, he made a good start.
And.
He did things that were certainly exemplary.
In verse 16 of chapter 15 it says and also concerning Mayaka, the mother of ASA Margin in my Bible, says the grandmother.
Of a, said the king. He removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a Grove.
And ASA cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook.
Khedron.
Now here we see that ASA was willing.
To put God above family.
And I know that's not easy to do. Not easy to do.
But.
He could see that this woman.
Was not for God and certainly had an evil influence.
On his people.
And she was removed.
Verse 17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of ASA was perfect all his days.
I don't think that means that ASA never did something wrong, but he had a good attitude. I think he had a desire to honor the Lord. But you know, things changed in the life of ASA. And when we go to chapter 16, we find here.
That the king.
Of Israel, which was Basha chapter 16 verse one.
Came up against Judah, built Raima.
To the intent that he might let none go out or come into ASA king of Judah. Now we find Israel coming against Judah.
And what does ASA do?
It tells us here he takes silver and gold out of the treasures of the House of the Lord and sends these treasures to Ben Haydad, King of Syria.
With the desire that he would break league with Basha.
And.
Take sides with ASA.
Against Israel.
So that's what happened in verse four it says Ben Hayden hearken unto King ASA, sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smote I John and Dan Abel ma'am, and all the store cities of Nafla and came to pass when Basia heard it that he left off building of Rhema and let his work cease.
And so on.
Was that a good thing to do? No.
It's never a good thing to unite with the enemies of God's people.
Never.
And.
Certainly Syria was in that category.
To unite with the world.
You know Paul, in writing to the Corinthians he said, Be not ye unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
But you know, Asus seemed to enjoy some success because.
We find that Basia left off building Raima.
But then we find out what.
The Lord's estimate of the whole thing is. And the Lord didn't take pleasure in what?
ASA had done.
And in verse seven it says at that time.
00:45:00
Hannah and I are the seer came to ASA king of Judah said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria.
And not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
We're not The Ethiopians in the Lubims, a huge host, and we read about those back in Chapter 14.
With very many Chariots and horsemen. Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.
Now notice verse 9. This is a good verse. They're all good, of course, but this verse here.
It seems to stick out to me, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.
Again, to have a perfect heart is not to say.
That.
We always do everything just right.
But I think the thought is it's a heart that beats for God.
It beats for Christ with a desire to honor Him in our lives.
And it tells us here the Lord shows himself strong on behalf of those.
Herein thou hast done foolishly. Therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
And you know, instead of taking this rebuke.
We find that ASA he was offended, he was resentful.
And sometimes that happens.
It's not good.
But we all have the flesh within and sometimes when our fault is pointed out.
Rather than acknowledging that fault.
And forsaking it.
We just persevered in our own way. It doesn't end up well.
Tells us here with ASA.
That he oppressed some of the people.
And in fact, in verse 10 he was wroth with the seer.
Or the profit?
Put him in prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this thing.
This is quite sobering to think that somebody that started out so well.
Could end up with this kind of an attitude.
And then as we read on verse 11, and behold the acts of Ace, of first and last, so they are written in a book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And ASA, in the 30 and 9th year of his reign, was diseased in his feet.
Until his disease was exceeding great, yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord.
But to the physicians?
And Asus slept with his fathers and died in the one and 40th year of his reign.
He didn't seek the great physician's help. He sought the physicians of men.
Said to think about.
And so he dies with his disease in his feet, and then his son.
Takes the throne.
And you know the story of Joshua Fett, it's a very wonderful story. But Jehoshaphat had his faults too.
But it does tell us in chapter 17 that the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked.
In the first ways of his father David, I noticed in the margin of my Bible.
It says he walked.
In the first ways of his father and of David.
And sought not unto Balaam, but sought to the Lord God of his Father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel, and so on. So Jehoshaphat, he was certainly a man of God, but we find in chapter 18.
That he joined affinity with Ahab. So here again we have a problem he's.
Linking up.
With an enemy.
Of God, God's people, an idolater. That was Ahab. He was a wicked man.
But now he links up with Ahab because Ahab appeals to him for help against.
00:50:09
The enemy.
So we don't have time to go through this whole chapter.
But in doing what he did, Jehoshaphat almost lost his life.
In a battle, but God spared him. In verse 31 it says and it came to passes chapter 18 when the captains of the Chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said it is the king of Israel.
You see, Jehoshaphat had actually disguised himself in the chariot as the king of Israel. Israel had taken off his, I should say, Ayab, taken off his royal garment, whatever he wore in battle, and disguised himself as just a regular soldier.
So in verse 31.
It says it came to pass when the captains of the Chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said it is the king of Israel, therefore they compassed about him to fight.
But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. You know, that's a great encouragement.
Because sometimes we get into situations.
That aren't good the result of our own failure.
Maybe our own pride, but you know the Lord is there to help.
As he was with Jehoshaphat to help us out, and it says the Lord helped him and God moved them to depart from him.
And the result is that Ahab, he was killed, and Jehoshaphat, his life was spared.
Just a few minutes. Jehoshaphat now is confronted with another big trial. Here now in chapter 20, we find that Moab Ammon.
And others beside the Ammonites. They come up against Jehoshaphat to battle.
And it's a great multitude.
And it says in verse 3, Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord.
And proclaim the fast throughout all Judah. Now we have Jehoshaphat looking to the Lord, and he proclaims it fast. You know, I think fasting is.
The body, the physical body, is showing sympathy with what is going through the soul.
And I think it has to do with self denial.
And the Lord Jesus said that if any man comes after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
No, if we're going to make any progress.
For God, spiritual progress, it's at the expense of the flesh, and Peter said he.
That is, suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. But if we're just going to pamper the flesh.
We're going to find that.
Were weak.
You know Jehoshaphat? He proclaimed.
A fast.
And we don't have time to read all that he had to say, but he prayed.
It tells us in verse five he stood in the congregation.
And he prayed.
And in verse 12 he says, O our God.
Wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this company that cometh up against us neither nor we what to do.
But our eyes are upon D.
Now Jehoshaphat, he's looking outside himself. His eyes are on the Lord.
And that's good, you know.
I'm sure.
There are situations.
That seem impossible, insurmountable.
It seemed that way, perhaps, to Jehoshaphat, as he saw the multitude, the host.
Of the enemy.
But he says.
Our eyes are upon thee. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? You know there's then.
Further.
Account of what took place and it's a great encourage to my own soul.
00:55:03
This one.
Jahaziel.
He stands up, and he gives a word of encouragement.
And we don't have time to read all that he said, but in 15 middle of the verse. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Verse 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves.
Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you.
Oh, Judah and Jerusalem, fear not, nor be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them.
For the Lord will be with you. Sounds like the language of Moses at the Red Sea.
When they were faced with what seemed like an impossible situation.
And so as we read on.
We find out what takes place.
It says in verse 20 And they rose early in the morning, went forth into the wilderness of the Goa, and as they went forward to Harsha, Fat stood and said, Hear me, oh Jordan, yeh habits of Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established. Believe his prophets, so shall you prosper. Again the importance of faith to drive out fear. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness.
As they went out before the army and and to say praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever.
When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord, set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, Mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly to display and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seer, everyone helped to destroy.
Another.
Well, verse 29 and the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet.
For his God gave him rest Roundabout. May we just find comfort and encouragement.
In knowing that God is for us.
And all day the enemy seems to be overwhelming. Look to the Lord, stand still and see the salvation.
Of your God.
And it's wonderful.
How God comes in in a miraculous way and gives victory.
And you know, we quoted from Psalm 40.
David said.
The Lord put a song in his mouth, even praise unto his God, and many would see it in fear.
And there's an overarching thought that I'm going to just read and then I'm going to be done. And that is in Psalm 40.
Psalm 40.
And verse 4, Psalm 40 and four, blessed or happy is that man.
Or that woman that maketh the Lord his or her trust.
And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
I was wondering if we could just sing in closing a little bit of #200.
And.
34.
#234.
We are not of the world which fadeth away, we're not of the night, but children of day, the change that once bound us by Jesus, our ribbon.
We're strangers on Earth.
Our home is in heaven.
Could we sink from verse 4, verses 4:00 and 5:00?
My dear soul.
Sins run, we can run the same sense on the trends on the trend from the end of the world.
01:00:40
Shall be.
Of glory and blessing Lord, chainsaws to begin.
We pray.
Our God and our Father, we thank you this afternoon that we are more than conquerors.
Through him who loves us and we thank Thee, Lord Jesus.
That thou hast won the fight, we thank you. That through death thou has destroyed him who has the power of death, The devil.
Thou hast delivered them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime.
Subject to ******* we thank that we belong to thee. Lord Jesus, we thank thee for thy love.
That supplies our every need. That indeed is our peace.
In the midst of the conflict.
And the confusion of this world may I love become more precious to our hearts.
As we await thy soon return, we thank you for this blessed hope.
I was set before us of thy coming again.
And again, we thank you for these days of meetings and been such an encouragement to our souls. And may we just as we go to our.
Various places, our homes, our places of work, to school.
May we be strong in the Lord.
And the power of his might. And we ask this as we give thee our thanks, Father, in the most precious and the worthy name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Behind Closed Doors
The Valley Gate
Gospel 2
Gospel—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.
While we come to the close of this conference, we're just going to have a look very brief gospel message this afternoon.
It's been very evident to me during the course of these meetings that we've made much of the Lord Jesus Christ and we've answered his request of remembering Him in his death this morning.
And it's evident to me too, that.
This summer burden. Perhaps many are burdened here.
There may still be someone.
Who has not yet taken that step of faith? They haven't.
Believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They haven't taken Him as His home, as their own, as their own personal Savior.
And dear ones, dear one, if you're in such a position this afternoon.
All of us just beg and plead with you that you will turn your eyes to Jesus.
And accept him as your own personal.
Savior let his precious blood that's been shed lacrosse Calvary.
Wash everyone of your sins away.
You don't.
There's probably two classes of people here.
One class is bound.
Be in heaven.
With the Lord in glory, and perhaps very soon.
And the other.
Who have neglected or rejected the Savior's offer.
Of salvation.
Their final destination is the Lake of Fire.
And you could probably divide that class of people.
That are bound for the lake of fire into two subclasses. Those who have neglected their salvation, they've just been putting it off, and those have been outwardly rejecting it.
Or though or and.
It's very evident that you do not want the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior to others, and there could be others that are pretending.
To be the Lords and in actual fact they are not. Oh yes, they can probably know the scriptures thing and and and by their language perhaps and and their demeanor, you would think they're they're Lords they truly earns.
Now I know we don't have our hem sheets here there, but there's.
Two hymns I only want to read a small portion of from our hymn sheets. I'm thinking, particularly now, of those who are putting off their salvation.
The first one is hymn #1.
Almost persuaded now to believe.
Almost persuaded Christ to receive.
Seems now some soul to say.
Ghost spirit, go thy wing some more convenient day on the.
I'll call.
Is that you, dear friend?
Is it not convenient?
To you to turn to the Lord Jesus now.
For whatever reason.
And there's another hymn I just want to read a small portion of.
#15.
Last stanza.
God's house is filling fast, yet there is room.
There was no room in this world for the Lord Jesus. There wasn't even room in the inform.
Is there a room in your heart?
Some guests will be the last yet there is room.
Someday soon, it's going to be the shout.
And if you have accepted Him as your personal savior, it will be forever too late for you.
Yes, soon salvation is day from you will pass away, then grace no more will say yet.
00:05:14
There's just a couple of verses. I know there isn't much time. There's just a couple of verses I'd like to turn to.
It's.
In Titus chapter one verse 2.
I was thinking particularly the latter part of the verse, but I'll read the whole verse. Chinese chapter one.
Verse 2.
Hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promise before the world began.
Friends.
It is incapable, for our God, our Father shall eat. It's absolutely impossible to for him to lie. Every word of this precious book is pure and it's truth, every word of it.
There's someone else.
If you neglect your salvation.
Don't turn alert Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. There's another verse I have to read.
And that's in John chapter 8, verse 44. John chapter 8, verse 44.
If you're not the Lord's.
This verse applies to you.
You are you are of your father, the devil. The lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and a father of a The devil is a father of lies. Who are you going to believe this afternoon if you haven't turned?
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you going to turn to the Lord? Accept Him as your own precious Savior, one who cannot lie.
Or are you going to linger in your sins?
Be the father of the devil.
The father of lies.
Father lies.
Dear friend.
There's not much time left.
That shout we've been speaking about could happen anytime. It could even happen before we finish this 15 minute gospel meeting. It could happen.
And if the seats are gone, you're still here, dear friend.
It's eternal judge for you in the lake of fire, eternal judgment.
You know.
You just think of it.
Eternal judgment for you.
For the sins you've committed.
And our brother talked about the three hours of darkness.
Lord Jesus Christ endured the cross of Calvary. Do you ever think about?
That three hours Can you imagine having?
This the judgment of your sins. It would take you all eternity to be compressed in three hours.
And then multiply it by all of those who have accepted him as their personal savior. It just boggles my mind.
The intensity of the judgment.
There are precious Savior and Jared across Calvary put away our sins.
Oh, I was just pleased with you. If you haven't done so already, she will put your faith in him.
Florence forever too late.
Times running out here. There's just one more verse I'd like to read.
And that's.
In Revelation chapter 22.
00:10:04
Revelation chapter 22.
At first 15.
Here I'm going to be applying this to one who's not the Lords, but outwardly appears to be appears to be.
For without our dogs and sorcerers and ************ and murderers and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh align, whosoever love us and make of the lies what I was thinking of in particular.
I had some of you here probably. Remember I took the Sunday school here last year and I brought in a photograph of myself that was making a lie. I used that as an illustration and making a lie. And dear friend, if you're pretending to be the Lords but truly aren't, you're making a lie.
They're making five.
And I trust.
You will see the folly in it, that you will turn to the Lord Jesus and read His precious book.
Just every word is pure and it's truth.
Our brother Tim gave us a little illustration of the folly of of the wisdom of men with this GPS.
I had a similar experience myself in New York State. I can't remember exactly where it was but we were at a junction and we had to turn left on the street but we couldn't turn left because there was a Blvd. in Wayne.
That's just an example of the folly of the wisdom of men.
And I trust.
You will turn to the Lord, accept Him as your own personal savior, and just eat, literally eat this book to learn more of Him.
So words are sweet.
And if you turn to him?
And accept Him as your own personal savior. You're saved.
That's only the beginning, France. That's only the beginning, as you learn more and more and more of him.
For the words of this precious book.
And then you're, as our brother brought out, is in the end of the song. He has done this.
Then consider what He's asked us to do that know Him as Savior. This do remembrance of me. That's a blessed privilege.
And I if.
You haven't done so, or if you've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, I urge you.
To make it a real matter of prayer and talk to your brother and about it and.
You feel so LED of the Lord that you'll ask for your place at His table. There isn't much time left.
It would be.
A wonderful thing.
To be at the Lord's table.
And have that privilege to remember him before that shone.
You know God.
Yearns.
For fellowship with us, he yearns for it.
Apart from sin, of course.
And you know the Tabernacle was built.
So that the Lord could have a dwelling place and be nearest people. And I suppose brother could correct me afterwards. We have a a similar thought I think.
Where you we are gathered, where the Lord has placed his name, and He's in the midst. Oh how He desires to have fellowship with His people.
And I pray you take the first step. If you haven't done so already, turn to Him.
And accept Him as your own person savior.
I realized I forgot to pray at the beginning of this meeting.
00:15:04
We will look to him now.
Prayer.
Father, we just thank thee.
For the provision that thou is mean.
And giving thine only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior.
And we thank thee, Lord Jesus.
For what thou is accomplished on the cross of Calvary?
And we trust that everything that has been said has been according to thy mind and to thy glory, Lord Jesus.
And we just look to the Lord Jesus without.
Work in the heart of any here that haven't put their faith and trust in Thee.
We just thank thee, Lord Jesus, for what thou hast done on the cross. Calvary, we thank thee, thy worthy and precious thee, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Open Mtg. 7
Open—B. Imbeau, J. Kemp
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.
Bring one of my day.
Lovely all the way all the way.
Great.
Sins.
Great God and our Father will thank thee.
For the words of this hymn we have sung together.
Thank you for the provision that has been made for us in the pathway of faith.
Early our longing spirits cry, And this dry and thirsty land thou hast refreshed us these few days that we have been together.
From the living fountain of Thy word, and now for this meeting that lies before us, we ask Thee for guidance and help for the ones who take part. They may be a mouthpiece, and that we might be built up on our most holy faith.
Edified exhortation, Comfort. We have all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
So we do ask thy help these this final meeting, and the gospel to that will go forth.
We thank thee for the happy time we have had and the encouragement.
For our souls in the pathway of faith, this land of drought and dearth. So we thank the blessed Savior for Thy work at Calvary, the foundation of all our blessing. For the desire Thou hast put in our hearts to be here.
To hear Thy voice and to learn more of that blessed One with whom we shall spend eternity, and of the provision for the pathway that has been given to us in Thy precious Word, we commit all to Thee. Seek Thy blessing. Give thanks in the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
00:05:16
I'd like to just talk a little bit about behind closed doors.
Subject that just came.
Recently to me and trust the Lord has something in it.
We read about an arc.
I'm with Noah.
And God told him to make a door in the side of the ark.
And when they got into it, into the ark.
Says God shut him in.
Doesn't say he shut the door necessarily, but that's the obvious.
Implication.
And so here was Noah and his family.
Inside the arc and outside is a storm.
And this often seems to be the thought with being behind closed doors.
There's a storm of some sort outside.
You know, the angels pulled Lot into his house and says and they shut the door.
And outside was this raging crowd.
Inside were the angels.
And.
A benefit to Lot, unfortunately. It would have been nice if the whole situation would have been benefit to Lot's wife as well, but.
And we find it really wasn't.
There's a situation in Second Kings, you know, where there's a lady.
Who had run out of money?
And she needed to protect her two sons and.
The Prophet told her to go into her house and shut the doors.
Lord Jesus came to his disciples at the end of or after his resurrection.
And the doors being shut.
For fear of the Jews, Christ came and stood. Jesus came and stood.
In the midst of them.
And perhaps the most dramatic of all, shut doors.
Scripture.
Was the darkness of Calvary.
Let's go back for a minute to the case of the Ark.
You know the Lord Jesus Christ, he said. I am the door.
I am the door.
And I don't know if it's.
Pushing things too far, but I've appreciated that.
You know, here's this arc and it's all solid all the way around the parts that are going to receive the beating of the.
Of the waves and the storm that was going to come with the flood.
There's that one vulnerable spot.
You've got to put a door someplace.
Well, the Lord says he's the door.
He's the one that can take thee.
Pounding of the waves and did the judgment.
On behalf of his people.
But.
I've also wondered about that door. It says, you know, basically, and it probably a boat that was shaped like that. There's no such thing as as anything but sides, you know, but.
Specifically says in the side.
And the Lord Jesus truly to protect his people.
You know, a soldier with a spear.
Thrust that spear into his side.
And forthwith came throughout blood and water.
What did the Lord endure?
00:10:02
On our behalf and.
Especially in the case of Noah, it's really an earthly family. We might remember, we might think of the.
Of Israel of a day to come.
And God will bring them through the storms of the tribulation and Noah representing.
Christ in that way bringing forth a new family to populate a new world.
Of the Millennial day.
That is dependent on the work of Christ, or will be dependent on the work of Christ, just like our salvation is dependent on the work of Christ, the salvation of Judah Israel.
And any of the nations that come into blessing in that day will be dependent on.
The work of Christ.
I'd like to turn to 2nd Kings 4.
Because.
There's a word.
There in the first part of the chapter.
That really.
Put these thoughts into my mind.
And that is?
Verse 7.
And she came and told the man of God that is what had happened. She'd got the oil, filled those vessels with oil, and we'll go back just for a few minutes and talk about that. But it says, and she told the man of God all of this and he said, go sell the oil and pay by debt and live thou and thy children of the rest.
You know, I like to look at words and see what they mean and quite frankly, it was a in my mind, it was a bit of a fluke.
That I looked up the word pay because I mean, pay is not exactly a difficult word. We kind of get the idea.
But it's not the word pay.
I was a little taken aback.
It's the word to make a covenant of peace. It comes from the word Shalom.
Peace.
This woman had a husband can read the first verse. One of the sons of the prophets.
Man had set forth to be an instructor, the people of God, and to serve God in some way.
They had gotten themselves into trouble.
Not so unfamiliar known day they got into debt.
And when he passed away, she was stuck.
And the creditor was going to come and going to take the sons as payment.
And what was she going to do?
Verse 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid, hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil?
All I have in the kitchen is.
Some Wesson oil. That's it.
Well, she was a wealthy lady.
She just didn't know it.
They got stuck there in the corner of her cupboard.
This oil.
And we know this story. Go gather vessels. Bring them in.
But shut the doors of the house.
And there in secret.
The power of the Spirit of God Spirit of God is often represented by oil in the Bible.
Has an effect, has a work to do, has the power to bring a benefit and a blessing.
And they obeyed.
And my mind went forward to a future day, a future day even to us.
When Israel, who's found itself in debt?
Dug itself a whole.
00:15:01
Cannot seem to get out. They'll be surrounded by their enemies. They behold up apparently in the city of Jerusalem. Christ will have returned in part then, but will have come to his people.
And there's going to be a work that will go on with his people.
There will be an outpouring of the Spirit of God.
For blessing behind those closed doors, behind those city walls of Jerusalem, in the closed gates, while enemies, probably the Assyrian will be rampaging outside, just like the waters of the flood, pounding against the ark. But there's someone who stands on their behalf.
And the work of the Spirit of God would be in power to bring them into blessing, to bring them to repentance. They'll go into that city as the people of Israel, and they'll come out of that city as the nation of Israel.
They'll be formed.
Through the power of the Spirit of God into.
Unit.
That has gone through repentance and have borne the fruit, the value, the blessing of repentance.
And will emerge.
As the nation that belongs to God, that will then bring blessing to the rest of the world.
And that's the thing.
Go and take of the oil and sell and then pay.
There's a covenant of peace. Shalom.
For them.
And for the world around them.
And Christ, of course, himself will come out of those gates.
Speaking peace to his people.
Mike.
More to Ki of a day gone by.
And like a Melchizedek.
King of peace, King of righteousness.
Never underestimate the power of the Spirit of God in your life.
Do we ever feel like the waves # around us?
Whoever feel like we don't have an escape.
Frustration. Despair.
God has his way.
He's the one who makes a way through the seas, paths in the seas, he calls it. He's the one who opened up the Red Sea and brought people into blessing, or at least preserve them, and ultimately brought them into blessing to the good land and he wanted to bring them into.
God can make those ways out.
It'll be behind closed doors though.
That God will bring that to pass. Let's turn to John.
Chapter 20.
John chapter 20 and verse 19.
In the same day, at evening being the first day of the week when the disciples were, excuse me, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus.
And stood in the midst, and said unto them.
Peace be unto you.
Pay.
The covenant of peace shallow.
And when he had so said, he showed them his hands and his side.
Evidences of the waves of judgment that had come upon the Lord Jesus Christ three days earlier.
00:20:00
And he could minister peace to his people behind closed doors where they were there for fear of the Jews. The storm raged outside, but Christ was with them on the inside.
And as you might imagine.
Verse 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said in them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
The oil.
Ready to be poured out.
In Blessing.
Turn back to Isaiah.
Isaiah 53.
And verse 5.
Isaiah 53 and verse five. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace.
Was upon him, and with his stripes.
We are healed.
You know.
We had some very nice thoughts this morning at the Lord's death and especially the part of the three hours of darkness and what happened there, the transaction between the Lord Jesus Christ and God and the satisfaction of God with respect to sin that Christ took that punishment against of a holy God against sins.
Bored in his person. And he has paid the price. He has established the covenant of peace through his own sacrifice. His payment.
It struck me this morning that just yesterday we had made a comment about the rapture that it seems in so many ways to be now kind of a little unknown thing to a lot of Christendom.
But you know, there's something else that was an unknown thing to Christendom before they seemed to drop the rapture, and that is the three hours of darkness.
That might sound surprising.
But in the main, the believers.
That live around us, our friends, the ones we associate and appreciate and encourage, and their encouragement to us.
There's no understanding of what the three hours of darkness is all about.
I consider it a privilege to have been taught very clearly Speaking of Noah's flood.
Been taught very clearly as a child.
That in that time was when God had closed the door to anybodies observation because of the seriousness and the incomprehensibility.
Of what happened in those three hours.
Now interestingly.
I wonder why this suddenly came to me, because this wasn't necessarily my mind, but you might notice that.
We may have a flood.
You might notice in various depictions both.
And things that that are, that are said and so forth that that for some reason the.
Christian profession has added something to the crucifixion of Christ which is not in Scripture and that is rain storm comes and that's a pretty frequent.
Suggestion.
And it's an add-on, though it's as far as we know from scripture. There was number rainstorm.
But I wonder if somehow or another.
That they know they're leaving something out when they don't have an idea of what's going on in the three hours of darkness and have put in a symbol of judgment in there.
Something that comes from the heavens.
00:25:02
I just don't know.
But.
There was a transaction behind closed doors that is shut off from the eyes of man is between God and Christ.
And without that time we do not have.
Salvation.
If there was #3 hours of darkness, there would not be a saved soul in this whole world. There would not be redemption for.
Judah and Jerusalem in a time to come and all of Israel. There would not be blessing to the nations. As a matter of fact, you would have to roll back time and there would not have been the verse in the Bible that says God created the heavens and the earth because if there was not going to be the story of redemption.
And the bringing in blessing from this creation God would not have created.
It is paramount to our understanding of the mind and the heart and the.
Program of God.
That there were those three hours.
When the Lord Jesus Christ.
From the hand of God, not from man, took judgment.
There would have been no Isaiah 53.
And verse 8.
He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people. Was he stricken?
He was cut off like the goat. Way back at the time of the people of Israel, when they had the great Day of Atonement, there were the two goats, you know.
But there's one that was called the scapegoat took the sins of the people.
And this actually the same word is used there in that passage in Leviticus 16.
That, really, that goat was cut off. Had to be.
Had to be.
That is the only payment.
For sins.
Now we get the idea back with the scapegoat that it was let go out in the wilderness and.
But it's pretty clear that it never it didn't survive.
Death came in there.
And the death of Christ.
We can never understand. It is fresh in our minds whenever it comes up through the week, certainly on the Lords day morning, when we pause, remember the Lord and his death, there's always, always a fresh.
Hopefully an appreciation, but certainly a fresh emotion.
Concerning the death of Christ, and well it should be.
Because of the infinite character of that.
The eternal God.
Laid on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is called the Eternal Son.
An eternity of punishment.
For the sins that we committed and would have had to have borne an eternity of hell.
To ever take it away.
And that's what happened in three hours.
It's not something that we understand, but God darkened it out.
He sent the judgment.
From above on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so now.
We have peace.
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Those doors were closed.
For all eternity, we will never understand what happened at Calvary's cross.
We'll get more and more appreciation of it, but you know, we're going to be in heaven forever, for eternity.
There's at no point that will ever come to the end of the understanding of those three hours of darkness.
Or appreciation either.
That's how big it was.
So let's think again.
These things.
The flood.
The ark took that punishment just like the Lord Jesus did. He was the door. He took the thrashing of the waves. We have the woman with the oil and it was good for a payment that made peace.
Lord Jesus Christ came to his own people behind closed doors. He says peace be unto thee, unto you. And of course, the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who made peace. He is our peace there. Calvary's cross in those three hours of darkness, totally behind closed doors.
I know the time is very brief here and I don't.
Want to prolong the meeting at all but I just have a thought brother has been speaking on.
Closed doors, which we have enjoyed.
I've been.
Encouraged by reading about the doors in Nehemiah 3. And I would commend this passage to every one of us. There's much teaching in the gates, the doors that are.
Given to us in Nehemiah 3, um.
Various gates. Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, Old Gate, Dung Gate, Fountain Gate.
Valley Gate and so on. There's much teaching for our souls in these various gates.
Just want to draw your attention to One Gate this afternoon.
Chapter 3 of Nehemiah.
Verse 13. The valley gate repaired Hannon and the inhabitants of Zenoa. They built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and 1000 cubits on the wall unto the Dung Gate. Now turn with me to 1St Kings, chapter 20.
We have an account here of the Syrians attacking Israel.
And the victory that Israel obtained on the hills. But notice in the 20th chapter in verse 28.
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the King of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, because the Syrians have said, the Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys. Therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Well, brethren, we often are in the valley.
Well, we've been on the hills, perhaps this these last few days. We've been encouraged. We've been built up, exhorted, edified, comforted.
But we cannot live on past experiences.
I have said before that we're never more vulnerable than after a conference.
We're going back into the world. There's going to be trials. There's going to be frustrations in the world. You shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. The Lord didn't promise us.
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Smooth path, a bed of roses.
There are.
Difficulties to meet. We're going to go back to situations in our assemblies, perhaps in our business, in our work that have not changed.
But the Lord is the God of the valleys. It may be bereavement, it may be sickness, maybe disappointments. We're going to meet them.
That's for sure. You young people may.
Not realize as much as some of us who are older that the pathway of faith sometimes is a stormy pathway. But the Lord is there. He's the God of the valleys. And remember that we can confide in Him and find that He is sufficient for every circumstance.
In our lives, is there any circumstance that may arise in your life or mine?
That you would say, well, it's too difficult for the Lord to solve this one myself. We worry, we fret, where do it doesn't get us anywhere instead of.
In everything, by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God. The peace of God, as her brother has spoken about, shall Garrison our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That's the peace of God, not there, the peace with God. We do have peace with God through the finished work of Christ.
The peace of God is a little different. It means when these difficulties arise.
Do we take them to the Lord in prayer? That's the peace of heart and mind and soul that we have when we come to Christ with the difficulties. We came to the Lord with our sins, and we found Him able to meet our deepest need when we were lost and guilty on the road to hell. Now when we have these difficulties.
Are we willing to bring them to the Lord?
In faith.
Confidence.
They may be very beyond the reach of our fellow man. We can't even unburden our hearts to our nearest friend, but we can to the Lord. You know we sometimes we often seem to go to the Lord in emergencies. Yes, when the.
Problems are really very serious. Then we turn to the Lord.
Sometimes we turn to the Lord in prayer as a last resort, you know. Well, we've tried everything else doesn't work. Now let's pray about it. But that's what we should have done the 1St at the first. How often we get into difficulties because we try to solve these problems in our own wisdom and strength and we are disappointed. Well, God is the God of valleys. Brethren, let us remember that as we go back to our.
Our assemblies.
May we be encouraged.
By the truth that we have learned, it certainly lifts us up, refreshes us, but we need daily dependence upon the Lord in our assemblies, month after month, that little company, that little group, maybe not a lot of gift. And what the Lord is in the midst. And remember the joy of the Lord.
Is your strength. Most of us regard that as our joy. I have, and I don't object to that. But really, there it is, the joy that the Lord has, His joy in seeing you present at the meetings.
When there is much weakness, not like a conference here in Montrose, but where there's weakness day after week after week, but the Lord's joy in seeing you there.
Encourages us. The reward will be certain. Let us remember that God.
Is a God of the valleys, and we have that resource until we no longer need the priestly work of Christ. We won't need it in glory, but we need it now, and we have it in the person of our Lord Jesus at the right hand of God.