Scranton Conference: 2016
Table of Contents
Philippians 1:1-6
Reading
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.
Nsnoise.
Hi.
All right.
Our international.
Day after Allahabad of Allah.
And.
It's good.
To me, I I'd like to see you. I'd like to see it's what is.
And during the marketing, waiting for hearts, waiting for hearts to improve.
912, 910097389.
Our loving God and our Father.
We do pray that Thou would lift up our souls and righteousness and joy before thy face.
They'll give us a portion from My precious word to meet the deep needs of our souls, that we might be instructed to walk in that good way.
To receive of Thee the blessings without us, purpose for us for present enjoyment, to set our hearts upon that which is yet to come, and above all, to occupy us with Thy beloved Son, the one who fills thine own heart.
And so we just pray for the leading Holy Spirit of God.
Proportion from thy word and the ministry of it, as thy Son might be glorified, exalted.
And our hearts might be fed with those good things without us, have for us, if there is needed correction, that it would be ministered to our souls, that we would have hearing ears at Thy precious word, might conform us in the power of the Spirit of God more into the image of thy beloved Son.
00:05:11
And so we look to the our God and Father, from whom all blessings flow.
And to the Lord Jesus, Head of the Body, all through ministry flows from thee and Thy grace to each member here. So we ask this, our God and Father, in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I would suggest Brethren Philippians chapter one if it's the mind of the brethren.
Wonderful a Thistle and.
There's so much for our souls in this first chapter would be the, uh, consent of the brethren to.
At least for this reading, take up chapter one, but if some.
Let's read Philippians chapter one.
Philippians chapter one all and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the Saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and deacons.
Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine, for you all making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing.
That he which had begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even as it is, meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, in as much as both in my bones and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. Ye all are particulars of my grace.
For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in the knowledge and in all judgment that ye may be approved things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense.
Till the day of Christ.
Being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that in my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace.
And in all other places, and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.
What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice? Yeah, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness.
00:10:15
As always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet I shall choose. I want not, for I am in a straight betrayed to having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ.
That whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which he saw in me. And now.
Here to be in the.
It's a wonderful epistle of uh.
Joy and devotedness in the life of the apostle. He was in prison when he wrote this, and we know how the gospel penetrated into Philippi, into Europe.
It really started to in a prayer meeting along the Riverside was much opposition. We know that Paul and Silas were.
Incarcerated.
And.
Prayed and praise the praise of the Lord. And what a marvelous deliverance they, they, uh, received. And no doubt there was a small assembly formed there for perhaps in the House of, uh, Lydia, because they visited her when they were released from the prison. But anyway, the, uh, whole epistle breathes that, uh, spirit of, uh, rejoicing.
And love for his beloved Philippians. And although chained perhaps 24 hours to a guard in the in the house, probably under house arrest, still he was fall was rejoicing in the Lord. Not one sign of any depression or complaining. Far from it. And his heart overflows.
In love to the, uh, the Philippians Who?
Were the only ones that ministered to him. Perhaps Epaphroditus, who was the messenger, was the one who brought this epistle back to the Philippian assembly. So it is an epistle that really lifts our hearts up in the, in the things of Christ and devotedness to him. And, uh.
There's much about the spread of the gospel even in this first chapter. First chapter is.
Christ our life. Second chapter. Christ our example, our pattern. Third chapter Christ our object. 4th chapter. Christ our strength.
So Philippians is the wilderness book, isn't it? It's Christian experience as we're on our way home to heaven.
And he takes up in this epistle not only the joys of the pathway.
00:15:00
But the troubles and the difficulties in the opposition that the enemy brings in to seek to hinder our walk with God, it's a little bit like what you have in the 17th of Exodus where Israel in the wilderness met with Amalek, that powerful enemy. And Amalek is a picture to us of Satan seeking to hinder our walk with God through this wilderness world. And so in this epistle we find that there were hindrances and at the end of this chapter.
Is going to begin to bring out those things that were hindering their joy and hindering their testimony in the gospel if they let them develop.
But it's the joys and the ups and downs of the Christian pathway. In the book of Ephesians, we're already seen seated in heavenly places in Christ, positionally.
In Colossians it's Christ in you, the hope of glory. But here it's where the rubber meets the road, its footstep after footstep. It's getting along with one another. It's telling others how they can become pilgrims on their way to heaven. And it's interesting in that regard how he introduces himself and Timotheus to the Philippian brethren, because in verse one where we read, he doesn't speak of himself as an apostle.
He identifies with Timothy, with Timotheus as a servant of Jesus Christ. Why does he do that? Because it's not so much the experiences of Paul as an apostle here, It's the experiences of Paul as a servant of God along with Timothy in the wilderness pathway. And so he presents himself in this way. It has to do, I say again, with us being here in this world.
Yes, heaven is before us, but we're here in this world, and as John said, we have Christ presented in four ways, and it might be helpful in that regard to just notice 4 scripture, 4 verses, one in each chapter that confirm what John has said to us because it's helpful to get this right from the Word of God. Eric and I were talking at breakfast about the scope and context of Scripture, and both are important and it's good to see things.
In its scope, that is to see how everything fits in scripture. No scriptures of private interpretation, it all fits together. And if someone brings out something that doesn't fit with another portion of scripture conflicts, it's a red light. It's it's a warning to us. And then there's context in the chapter of the portion, the book that we're reading. There's proper context and that helps us to keep on track and to get the meaning and interpretation.
Of Scripture. But just notice, as John said in the first chapter, here we have Christ as the believer's life.
Notice what he says in verse 21. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. For me to live as Christ. You know the athlete says for me to live is sports, the musician says for me to live is is music and so on. Paul's exercise after he was turned around on the Damascus Rd. For me to live is Christ and what a good exercise for every believer. But then as John said in the second chapter, we have Christ as the believers example.
And that's why he says in verse five of chapter 2, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Now the following verses we often read on Lords Day morning.
In connection with the remembrance of the Lord, and rightly so, but again in their proper context.
They're given to us here as an example, the perfect example of the Lord Jesus when he was here in this world.
And glorified God and finished the work that was given him to do. Then in the third chapter, as was mentioned, we have Christ as the believers object.
And that's why he says in verse 14, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul was running a race, the Christian race. And what is the prize in the Christian life? The prize in the Christian life is always Christ. And then in the 4th chapter with mention, Christ is a believer strength. And that's why in the 13th verse he says I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. So it's all Christ, isn't it? And brethren, if that's what's before our souls, if it's Christ, if it's to live Christ, if it's Christ as our example.
Christ as our object, drawing on Christ as our strength and resource, we too are going to have the joy of the Lord, and we are going to have a proper testimony in the gospel.
00:20:07
Philippians is a letter of thanks for a fellowship that the apostle Paul received from the little meeting there in Philippi and.
And we enjoy too, if there's an exercise to.
Have some fellowship with particular need. And there's a reply that comes back to the meeting. Oh, thanks. And there's words of encouragement. What are rich letter of thanks this little epistle is.
But I wouldn't, you know, as we read through this epistle and we get.
The apostle in prison and he's as much as saying to the Philippians, I can't be there, you're gonna have to stand in my place, I'm not there. You're gonna have to fill my shoes. You're gonna have to be like minded in the defense of the gospel. And even higher than that, we have the path of the Lord Jesus himself. The sufferings of the cross and the hours of darkness aren't part of the subject of chapter 2.
It's this pathway that took him all the way to death, willing to give up everything for the blessing of others.
That's a pathway we're called to Those are big shoes to fill.
We know we can't ever fill them.
And we might read this epistle and say, well, I can never live up to what this epistle has, but yeah, this is normal Christianity. This is the Christian path.
He has marked that path out.
Let's never say that's too big for me. I can't walk there. I can't do that. I've got to settle for something less. Would you want to settle for a Christ that would go along with the disciples and refuse to take the children up in his arms? Would you want to settle for Christ who would refuse to talk to that woman at the well because she was a Samaritan? Would you want a Christ that didn't go all the way to the dust of death?
To give everything for your blessing.
You'd say no. Do you not want the path then that he's marked out? It's the normal path for a believer. Settle for nothing less than that path.
Apostle Paul mentions the fellowship that the brethren had with him several times in this epistle. And as you refer to brother Stephen, verse five, it with your for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. And then a little further on in chapter 2 and umm, verse 25, he says, uh, yeah, I suppose it's necessary to send unto you the faproditis, my brother and companion in labor.
And fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. And then a little further on in uh, chapter 4 and uh, verse 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. And now at the last your care of me hath flourished again wherein you are. We're all so careful. But he lacked opportunity. And so Paul, as was mentioned, was under house arrest, and he was not able to.
Go to Philippi, he was restrained and by the Spirit of God we have this letter written as a result so we can enjoy the instruction that was given. And I think we little realize in the day that we live in that we have an enemy that will never give up. He never will give up. He's seeking to destroy the assembly, the testimony of those that are gathered to the Lord's name on the ground of the one body, and the two mar the name of Christ to destroy it.
And so Paul was under house arrest. And so he says in verse 12, perhaps one of the characteristic verses of the Epistles of the Philippians, chapter 2, verse 12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So they were to work out the salvation of the assembly. And so that's why it speaks in the first verse.
He speaks to, and he addresses his comments to all the Saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and deacons or the overseers and those that, uh, were deacons or I think they're servants in practical service for the Lord. So those that are in oversight among the people of God, even in the day that we live in, are responsible for the state of soul, for the state of the assembly and so.
00:25:20
The epistle here was written to those that were responsible, as well as to all of the Saints were individually responsible, to walk with the Lord in devotion to the cause of Christ, in devotion to Christ himself.
But those that are in oversight are particularly responsible. Let's never forget it.
Many epistles have keywords, don't they? They have key verses and they have keywords, and the keyword in Philippians is joy. In fact, it's been pointed out that joy or rejoicing is mentioned 18 times in this little epistle of four chapters. And that's a great secret, isn't it? We might wonder because you remember that at this time Paul was in prison. He was a prisoner of Jesus Christ under the auspices of the Roman Emperor.
But there was a difference and uh, Mr. Willis, when he wrote his little book about Philippians, calls it Sacrifices of Joy, quoting from the Book of Small.
And there's a great secret there, isn't there? It's often been said, as we've heard, that Flippians is the is proper Christian experience.
And, uh, it's proper Christian experience under trial. Uh, we often, uh, pray as we did this morning. And I think sometimes we have to be careful, but we often pray that, uh, we would be delivered from trial. But we have to remember that it, we have to add, as I know a brother did this morning, if it's the Lord's holy will.
I remember, uh, this was brought home to me, uh, so forcefully. I heard, I heard an interview with Chuck Colson that a number of you would remember he, uh, came down with cancer at a certain time in his life. And he said a number of his friends came to him and said, we're going to pray over you and we're going to get you healed. And, uh, some such language. And he said rather, and he said, don't do that. He said, I believe that if the Lord sends a trial like cancer in his case.
The Lord sends cancer to an unbeliever. He also sends it to a believer so the world can see the difference.
That's really the key of Philippians, isn't it? How do we handle trial? Well, proper Christian experience is that we take the trial from the Lord and to the Lord. And does the world see the difference? It certainly will if we're walking in the Lord's presence. So again, the keyword here throughout the book is joy and rejoicing. What a wonderful testimony. That's proper Christian experience.
To see the context of scripture.
But often the context in which God placed the writer when he wrote what he did.
Because I believe that God placed the writers in situations to give weight and import to what they wrote.
And when Paul wrote to the Philippians about as to joy and rejoicing, remember first of all he had been in a prison right in their city, and he had prayed and sung praises, he and Silas at midnight. When he wrote about rejoicing here, it had moral weight because these brethren could remember a time when he rejoiced in a very adverse situation right in the city of Philippi. But not only that, I've often thought of a little contrasting connection with Solomon in the Old Testament.
And Paul in the New Testament, because let's suppose for a moment that Solomon, who didn't withhold himself from any pleasure, worldly speaking, naturally speaking, was at the on the throne of Israel as at its pinnacle in the Old Testament. Let's suppose he had written rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice, you say, of course he had everything that his heart could desire, naturally speaking. But it was Solomon who wrote all his vanity and vexation of spirit.
Now let's suppose for a moment that the apostle Paul in prison had written to the Philippian brethren all his vanity and vexation of spirit. Oh, you'd say, of course he didn't have anything naturally speaking. But isn't it interesting that it's just the opposite? And so often when you contrast the writers, you see that Paul here with nothing of this world, even his freedom taken away from him, for the most part, he could write of joy and rejoicing. And this no doubt had real impact with with these believers.
00:30:00
Because, as we often say, our joy in the Lord doesn't depend on our circumstances.
But it does depend on the appreciation of Christ in our souls, and it does depend on our understanding and appreciation of the grace of God.
And what it has provided for us and all that is ahead. And I suggest that's why in the second verse, as so often is characteristic with the apostle, he speaks first of all of grace. Because, brethren, it's a sense of grace in our souls that is going to lift us above the circumstances of this world and the circumstances of life and the trials and difficulties that you and I come from in our little local assemblies.
Where we meet from week to week, and so grace meets us in our present need. But there's something else he adds here. And peace. This is the same peace that the Lord Jesus had when he passed through the circumstances of this life. And at the end of his pathway, the Lord Jesus could say, My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
In other words, he said to the disciples, and he says to us this morning.
You can walk through this world not with outward circumstances removed. There's not going to be outward peace. But he said, you can walk through this world with the same inward peace and joy that I have had in walking in the path of faith and serving my Father. You can go through the world in that same way. And so Paul says to these Philippians, you've got some troubles in the assembly.
There's opposition from without. There's the ups and downs of the wilderness journey, yes.
You may not see the removal of it all, but you have grace as your present provision.
Grace upon grace. We need more grace. He gives more grace and then he says you can walk through it all with the same peace that the Lord Jesus did.
Might just mention that bishops and deacons are offices which.
Umm, or appointments of the, uh, fossil?
Or his representative.
Their offices, not gifts, but.
We recognize those who have that position administratively in the assembly.
So I triple to see the earnest prayers of the apostle for these Philippians, every remembrance of you.
Uh, always in every prayer of mine, not just, uh, occasionally. But here he was bearing up the Saints continually to the throne of grace and.
We think of the earnest supplications of the apostle, not only for the Philippians, but for all the churches. And here he was, uh, in, in prison for four years, I think at this point.
And yet he was remembering these Saints and bearing them up in prayer, and remembering their fellowship in the Gospel, which was.
A real encouragement to him.
I think it's in Philippians or in Hebrews chapter 13 that he asked the brethren to pray for him and perhaps another passages. But uh, he says, uh, in chapter 13 of Hebrews verse 18, pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience and all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this that I may be restored to you the sooner. And so we know that, uh, the apostle.
Was cared for very diligently, perhaps on the part of these Philippians as much as they could. They cared practically for the apostle Paul. And, uh, so it really brings before us a spiritual application, if I could put it that way, that in the day that we live in, uh, we ought to be dedicating our resources to making sure that Paul's doctrine is propagated in the day that we live in and in defense of the gospel of that he preached now he preached what he says, uh, of.
That is my gospel and we mention this last weekend, but let's look at it in Romans chapter 16 and verse 25.
00:35:09
It's vital for us to know Paul's doctrine if we're going to defend it, and if we're going to appreciate it, we're going to enjoy it.
It says in Romans chapter 16, verse 25. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. So we know that Paul had this, uh, twofold ministry, as it were. He preached my gospel, those things that have to do with our blessings, which are in heavenly places in Christ.
Are standing before the Lord and all those blessings and umm, so really what you might have in the epistle to the Romans, what God has done for man's blessing is brought out in Paul's gospel. What he says my gospel that but then he speaks of the mystery as well and umm of Christ in the church. Those things that were revealed by the apostle Paul by revelation and those things that God has done for his own pleasure for his own glory, his desire to glorify his son.
In those two spheres of heaven and earth. And so Paul spoke those things. The Philippians had an appreciation for the apostle and for his ministry and they supported it. And so here he speaks of, uh, in very thankful spirit for them. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy. They did preach the gospel of the grace of God. And that's another key word, isn't it, in, in Philippians, the gospel.
And we wouldn't minimize the importance of the gospel of the grace of God. It's the foundation, but it's only the beginning of Christianity. We need to go beyond just the gospel of the grace of God and then know our position in this world as those that are heavenly citizens and to walk in the wilderness scene in a path pathway that's consistent with our heavenly calling. And so the Philippians not only had they.
Fellowship with Paul in the gospel of the grace of God, but I believe also in his ministry of upholding the truth of God and disseminating the truth among the Saints in his generation.
So, Robert, let's make this very, very practical then let's go back in our thoughts, first of all, to when things were being revived by the Spirit of God, by the work of the Lord back in England and Europe, what, 170 years ago or so, what did God do? He not only raised up men who searched the Scriptures and Paul's doctrine was again ministered, but he also raised up wealthy individuals.
Who supported the work of the Lord in the printing of good ministry and the collected writings and many of those books that are on our shelves at home? Perhaps we don't read as much as we should, but there they are that bring out Paul's doctrine and the hope of Christianity, and what is our proper standing and hope and so on.
That cost money, that cost a lot of money, and actual trust funds were set up in those days.
And some of that money is still being used to print good, solid written ministry that brings out Paul's doctrine and other portions of the Word of God too. But let's bring it down to our day. I'm thankful for those today who are exercised to take some of that ministry and not to water it down or cheapen it or change it, but to perhaps take it and put it out in a format that's conducive to to today's reader.
And I noticed some of it on the back table as brother Mark has a brother Josh has a little book table there. And there's, there's some of that good, good ministry there that costs money. It costs a lot of money to spend time putting that together to get it printed and put in book form and so on. This is very practical. And this is what Paul was Speaking of. They had been not not only had fellowship with him in the gospel in prayer. That's wonderful.
But prayer doesn't cover the bills. I'm being very, very, very plain. And so Paul rejoiced that the remembrance of these Philippians who reached into their pockets and supported the work of the Lord.
And the propagation of the truth of God in Paul's day in a very, very practical way. And these Philippians were not the wealthiest assembly in Europe at that time, where in the known world at that time, in fact, they were probably one of the poorer assemblies. But they had this joy and exercise in making sure that the apostle Paul was supported and that the ministry could go forth as God had given it.
00:40:27
Fellowship in the gospel can be in different ways.
Uh, uh, we can uphold those who, uh, preach the message in prayer. Uh, as our brother Jim said, we can, uh, also in a practical way, uh.
In the financial sphere, Health.
Visitors can have fellowship in the gospel as he mentions in the 4th chapter. I entreat the also true Yoke fellow help those women which labored with me in the gospel.
So there are different ways of having fellowship in the gospel and uh.
There will be a reward. As David said, those that went down to battle would have a reward. Those who stayed by the stuff, they would share in like manner because they were heart and soul with those who were in the forefront of the battle. So there are different ways to show fellowship in the going forth of the glad tidings. I think of the sisters.
Some brothers too, who in the background prepare, uh, thousands of, uh, laminated texts to be sent all over the world. That's fellowship in the gospel and in, in many other ways as well. It's nice to see here that they were consistent. And it says very clearly in that the end of that fifth verse, the from the first day until now, Now Paul wasn't a very popular guy. He was in prison. He was actually under house arrest. You read that in Acts chapter 28. And I believe he was under house arrest, it says in that chapter for two years.
And later on, in his second imprisoned imprisonment, he wasn't very popular either. And Vanessa Forrest, uh, haunted him down in Rome. And, uh, he's commended for it. But, uh, I just say this, that, uh, in our lives, there's consistency that the Spirit of God desires. And Paul here, umm, valued it in connection with these Philippian Saints. They just didn't, uh, uh, have fellowship with them once.
In connection with the gospel of the grace of God, or in connection with his preaching of what he calls my gospel?
Or in his revelation of those mysteries. But the unpopularity of the apostle Paul didn't, uh, sway their affections not one little bit. And they continued with steadfastness to support him. And so it's a little picture to us. I believe in the day that we live in, Christianity is not popular and it's getting increasingly unpopular. And the religious systems and the political systems of this western world are increasingly rising against in a tide of the.
Dishonor and a tide of opposition to Christianity.
And so we're living in a time when the gospel of the grace of God and Paul's doctrine, what he taught, are going to become more and more unpopular. And let's be resolved, as these Philippians were, to have convictions, not just opinions, but to be convicted of the truth of God and to be established in the truth of God.
The question that I have to ask myself, and I'd like to pass it on to each one, is how much joy and rejoicing do we do or have? We're living in a day of.
Uh, friend of mine says, uh, office of joy, that we start to lack what is joy and rejoicing. I'm glad that we're taking this up because brethren, I have a tendency not to have joy or rejoice as much as I should be. And I do pray that that we may take this too hard, that we may learn the joy of the Lord in the rejoicing.
Has told us here in verse 26 that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ.
We're losing it, brother.
Ohio.
00:45:03
Many years ago.
There was a servant of the Lord and Irene Judson who labored in Burma and it took him quite a while to learn the Burmese language.
But he still was recognized as he walked through the villages.
They would still point to him and say, that's the man with the shining face. So that joy, that inward joy was reflected on his countenance, so that too should be reflected on ours.
Just a little word, praying for the Saints at Philippi the other evening, Invesco. We were taking up Romans one and we noticed there Paul spoke of praying for the Saints at Rome as well. And he speaks of it often in his epistles, showing the importance of not only their prayers for him, but his exercise to pray for them. And it's very interesting that when Paul speaks of praying for the Saints of God.
It is usually at a time when they were going on. Well, I know we mentioned this the other night, but let me repeat what was said because I think sometimes the problem is we begin to pray for someone or an assembly when things are going badly. Maybe we hear of some physical malady with someone. We pray for them, rightly so. We hear of someone who's drifting away and not coming to the meetings, perhaps going on in something in their life.
That is not according to the Word of God. We pray for them, rightly so, but I would suggest, brethren, that we could save ourselves from many things.
If we would use prayer as a preventative measure and if we were praying for the Saints of God.
Name by name and need by need. When they're going on well, perhaps we wouldn't have to pray for them at a later date when things were not going so, so well. Because Paul understood when he wrote to an assembly where there was joy in the gospel, like here, where there was an understanding and appreciation of the truth of of being in Christ, in Ephesians, where their testimony in Romans had gone out throughout the whole known world at the time, he understood very clearly that the enemy would be right there to seek to trip that up.
Because if the enem if there's one thing the enemy wants to do, he wants to spoil our joy in the Lord, and he wants to divide and weary and scatter the Saints of God in that regard. Another key to understanding the book of Philippians is that Paul has one mindedness, 11 mindedness and oneness of spirit in view as well. Because the enemy was coming in with a wedge to divide to allow little things to spoil their joy.
To spoil their going on together as an assembly, to spoil their testimony in the gospel. And so we need to pray for one another. If you hear of a brother or sister, a young person who's going on well for the Lord, that person needs your prayer. You hear of an assembly going on, well, that assembly needs lots of prayer because rest assured, the enemy is going to be right there to seek to bring in something to hinder and to spoil that testimony. So I think it's instructive to see how often Paul uses prayer.
As a preventative measure, as he's praying for them here, that the wedge that the enemy had got, in, which he'll take up later on in the epistle, wouldn't be driven any deeper than it already had, and that it would be removed altogether.
In fact, that's what the apostle means in the second chapter 12 twelfth verse. Wherefore, my beloved, as she has always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. It's really a collective thought. There, uh, no longer was the apostle with them to counsel and advise them and to help them to solve these problems. He was in prison. Now he says you as an assembly have to work this out.
This this problem that has come into the assembly and as Jim says, Satan was right there to divide. You have to work this out and dependence on the Lord, uh, with fear and trembling.
Because the enemy is going to attack and divide. That's his work. Uh, so umm.
00:50:02
This is salvation in the practical sense. Salvation here refers to the problem that that were in the assembly that, uh, the apostle was deeply concerned about that, uh.
Collectively they might be cast on the Lord to for wisdom and direction in this in these matters.
Well, regardless of the enemy's work, the Lord was going to have his way with these Philippians. And Paul recognized the sovereignty of God in that connection. And so he has begun to work. And there was a day where the Philippian jailer, he was quickened by the Spirit of God, and then he was sealed by the Spirit. He was baptized, and he was made a part of that church. And so we know that the there's going to be a future display.
Of every St. of God in that glorious scene above, and it's going to be the day of Jesus Christ, he says in verse 6.
Until the day of Jesus Christ, that's the day of his display in all of his glory before this world. And he speaks of it. I think it's in Second Thessalonians, umm, I can't remember what verse, but he speaks of the day of Christ. It may be, uh, chapter 2.
But he speaks of that day in connection with the Thessalonians as well.
Someone know where it is?
Chapter 2, verse two. Yeah, but it should be day of the Lord there, Rob. OK, so that's the day of the Lord. Yeah, yes, There's two days that are spoken of. Is that true? The day of the Lord really speaks of, uh, uh, his appearing. And it's also, umm, the day of judgment, the day of deliverance for the children of Israel or for the Jewish, uh, remnant. But when it comes to the day of Christ is his display and glory and great honor. And, uh, so we'll have all of the Saints with him.
In that day of glory. And so Paul alludes to this until the day of Jesus Christ.
He's going to finish it, and as M as mighty as the enemy is, as vicious as he is, as unprincipled as he is.
And as much trouble as he causes.
Why the God is going to have his way?
And Christ is going to have the glory and the sovereignty of God, as Mr. Kelly put it. He said that, uh, all would be a total loss in this world apart from the sovereignty of God. And so it's the sovereignty of God if any of us go on for the glory of God in this scene. But it's also our responsibility, isn't it? And so Paul alludes to this, that there is going to be a completion, there is going to be an end. And we need to have a view of the end.
So it's referred to in the end of verse ten of our chapter is the day until the day of Christ.
And as you say, it's going to be the manifestation really of those rewards that are given at the judgment seat of Christ. Because there we find, and I suppose maybe even include the marriage supper of the Lamb, because at the marriage supper of the Lamb you have the display of the results of the judgment seat of Christ. It's the righteousness of Saints. It's the bride having made herself ready. And what is the result? She just reflects Christ.
Reflects the glories of Christ. It's all for him. It's really nothing of of of self.
And So what a day that's going to be. Now, just to carry it a little further, which we don't get here, it does say in the first chapter of Second Thessalonians in verse 10, Speaking of the day of public manifestation, He's coming to be glorified in His Saints and to be had in reverence of all. He's coming to be glorified in His Saints and to be admired in all them that are about Him in that day. What is that day? That's the day of public manifestation. That's Revelation 19, where the heaven opens up.
Heaven looks up, they see Christ coming and the heavenly company with him. And rather than what a day that's going to be when we reflect fully to this world the glories of Christ, wherever the world looks, when they look up in that day, they're going to see a full reflection of Christ. But to think of it in connection with His heart and what it's going to be to be be manifest first of all to Him there in the Father's house when the judgment seat of Christ takes place, the grace of God is magnified and we see.
That it was indeed, as He says in the second chapter of our epistle, God that worked in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And it gives him all the glory and praise, and we cast our crowns back at his feet. That's really the day of Jesus Christ, is it not air?
00:55:07
Scripture speaks of that day, of the day of Christ, isn't it? Or the day of Jesus Christ. It's the day of manifestation. There are a number of days. In fact, we can, we can actually trace much, uh, dispensationally by understanding the days. We live in a day now that sometimes called man's day. And 2nd Corinthians 4, we have a reference to man's day. Paul wasn't gonna put himself under the influence of man's day. That's the world of which Satan is the God and Prince. But we live really not in man's day. That's what the world is under. We live in the day of salvation.
Uh, we've all learned that verse, uh, about, uh, the day, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And, uh, that's Speaking of soul salvation particularly, isn't it? And Scripture also speaks of an evil day. Well, we certainly live in an evil day, don't we? There's no question about that. But the time is going to come when God's going to settle accounts. He's going to bring everything, uh, in perfect display.
And, uh, he's going to take his rightful place in this world.
And that's the day of Christ, isn't it? That's the display, as we've been saying, of our measure of faithfulness or otherwise. But we should live in view of that day. The apostle Paul lived in view of that day and encourages us. Is it, we have in our verses here that we live in view of the day of Christ when it's going to be manifested? Uh, how much we prepared ourselves, how well we learned our lessons in this scene.
And of course, the day of Christ is really, we might say coterminous or takes place at the same time as the day of Christ. The day of the Lord has to do with the Lord judging the, and his enemies. It begins when he appears out of heaven and it goes on throughout the millennial period, doesn't it? And then finally we have at the end of the day of the Lord, we have what's called the day of God and that's the eternal state, isn't it? Peter speaks about that. So we have different days and it's a good study. I'd encourage others to, uh.
Enjoy it as I've tried to in the past.
Just to give some verses that would support that this day of Christ referred to here in verse 10 is the same as what our brethren have been saying. Go back to First Corinthians chapter one.
And verse eight he speaks of almost the very same thing.
Verse seven in the middle of the verse, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, you shall confirm you unto the end.
That you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now he speaks about that again to go on to 1St Corinthians, and the next time the days referred to is in chapter 3, and it brings out exactly what our brethren have been saying.
Chapter 3 and verse 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it that's the day he had been referring to, and that they would be preserved blameless until.
And now he's talking about what happens on that day, and that day he says, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall reveal, shall try every man's work of what sort it is any man's work abides which he hath built thereon he shall receive a reward. And if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved. Yet so is by fire. I just wanted to mention that to, uh, show versus that definitely established what our brethren have been saying. This is the day of manifestation.
Where there will be reward for that which is done for the Lord. That word manifested is actually used in Mr. Darby's translation in Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 10, might be good to read. Verse nine. Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 9. Wherefore we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him, or acceptable accepted of Him. For we must all appear, or must be, must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ.
That everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. And so here we have the manifestation for the purpose of, uh, the review and the reward. And uh, we know that the Lord is going to rejoice with us. It says, then shall every man have praise of God. Those of us that know Christ as Savior will not fear the judgment seat of Christ. We're going to be glad to have those.
01:00:09
The things that we thought were done for the Lord, the motives will be examined and but all that was done for His glory according to the truth of the Word of God, in obedience to the Word of God, and according to his mind will be rewarded, will be reviewed and rewarded. But He's not going to judge us for our sins because our sins have been dealt with at the cross of Calvary. They're done, they're gone, and so they're forgiven. We're forgiven in Christ.
And that's the sense that salvation is used in Philippians, isn't it? Just what you're mentioning. It's not a question of my sins. In fact, the word sin is not even mentioned in this book. Neither is the flesh, interestingly enough, because in the the proper.
Christian experience, the Christian rises above sin and flesh. And so salvation has often been mentioned as in three tenses, individually. And then as we've been mentioning in chapter 2, it's actually collective. And of course, the individual salvation is the basis of collecting salvation, isn't it? We have to be diligent in our own personal lives first. Then they can be a help in the assembly. How important that is. But salvation here is not salvation from sins. It's not soul salvation.
But rather salvation of life have a saved life. And of course the third type of salvation is.
Now, is your salvation nearer than when you believe? That's body salvation, isn't it? So for the individual, again, we first want to become Christians, uh, our soul is saved. Then as Christians and what we have in Philippians, it's a question of our life being saved. Do we walk as a Christian? We're speaking about rewards. Rewards are not on the basis of whether we're a Christian or not. Of course we have to be a Christian, but it's a question of grades for how we did as Christians.
That's what we have in the book of Philippians. That's what's manifested at the day of Christ, isn't it? And then finally, we know someday the Lord will take us home and that our bodies will be saved. So it's good to get those things straight. I I appreciated a comment Mr. Kelly made I was reading recently. He said most times when we read about the word salvation in Scripture, it does not have to do with soul salvation. This is where so much confusion has come in, hasn't it, among dear believers as they think that it's speaking about soul salvation.
And when we read verses like we read in this this book, they say, well, see, you can lose your salvation. But that's not true at all, is it? He's speaking about salvation of our life, salvation of believers. He's writing to believers and how their lives can be saved and honor the Lord. I want to mention too, brethren, it's so important to for us to recognize that in the Millennium we're going to we are heirs of God and Co heirs with Christ.
Now, there's a twofold part to being an heir of God. Of course we have an inheritance. Now that's a spiritual inheritance. We're blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places and we can enjoy that as Christians and we do. But we're looking forward to the day of manifestation when we're going to inherit this world with Christ. I know I, a brother actually told me once. He said, and I don't know why he said this, but because he'd been gathered for many years, but he said, oh, I'm not interested in prophecy.
Doesn't have anything to do with me. And I said, brother, first of all, it has everything to do with Christ. That should touch my heart first of all. But secondly, we're heirs of God and coheirs with Christ. We're going to reign over this world with Christ.
And the degree to which we appreciate that is being formed now, is that right, John?
And so this is what the secret here is, that salvation is if we care about those things, we want to be formed for it. When we go to college, we want to get an education so we can do well at our occupation. If I'm lazy and slothful and going through school, I won't be very well prepared. We don't want that to happen to us, do we? So that's what the apostle is speaking about, being prepared to take our inheritance and then finally, even for eternity.
But that inheritance goes on for 1000 years and where heirs of God and Co heirs of Christ, this world is our inheritance, this world and the heavens too. But we're going to inherit it with Christ as his bride for out for that thousand years. What a wonderful truth that is. And he's preparing us for that right now. We need to be diligent students, don't we?
And this is part of the work in us. We, we most of the time when we speak of the work of Christ, we speak of the work that was accomplished outside of us before we were born on Calvary's cross. And through faith, all the value of that work flows down to us. And we receive a position that is we are washed, we are sanctified, we are justified, and so on. But there's also, as it says in this sixth verse, being confident of this very thing.
01:05:29
That he which have begun a good work in you. And so there's the work of Christ in US and we don't want to discount this or ignore it because he's very committed, if I could put it that way, pledged and committed and engaged in the spiritual growth of every one of us. Sometimes when you visit a really aged person, say in a nursing home or something like that, and they feel like, well, I don't know why the Lord keeps me here and and you know what, what's the point? I just want to go home well.
We can't necessarily see what's going on in that person's life, but there's a purpose, and it's a continuation of that work begun perhaps in that person long ago, but that work in them still continuing. And so by the work of Christ, each believer is sanctified. We have this position that can't be taken away from or added to. But then the apostle writes to the Thessalonians and desires their sanctification. In other words, that they would practically grow.
And learn how to possess their vessels in sanctification and honor. So there are these two aspects. 1 can't be added to or taken from. One is day by day that work in our hearts. Our hearts are like the garden of the Lord and He's very interested in them. And we should be too. Not to be self self occupied, but to dig into the word, to ponder things, to meditate upon things and to process our experiences that He allows in our life.
For our spiritual profit and good with a view to that day.
#25.
Father thy name.
Of.
Children's life while I pray.
Nsnoise.
Commend yourself, Lord Jesus, we pray that we might live in light of another day, the day when you'll be glorified in this world. Thank you for this meeting that we had. We learned so much of the different types of salvation about the coming day of Christ and that we might have in our hearts just the yearning to be with the Lord Jesus and that it affects our lives down here below. We asked all these things, praying for blessing on the rest of this day in the image you as you pray, Amen.
Precious Things
Philippians 1:7-20
Reading
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.
156.
Blessed God and our loving Father, we give thanks again this afternoon. We thank Evad uh, thou has given us yet another opportunity here with thy words open before us and knowing that to the spirit guiding uh, that how as we would desire to ask teach us more of God bless wage and surely we have been reminded how we are to live uh, with the as our life.
And we know thou has been the greatest example for us, and we know too that that has exalted us to, uh, as I would say, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. So we look to the this afternoon, we look to thee for help that that would help us to seek thy mind and that we would desire, uh, to be, uh, like they and walk in a way pleasing to thee. So we look to the aim. We think of many, uh, uh, people here this afternoon. We think of many of the little ones. We think of the young people.
00:05:17
We think of uh, uh, uh, all of us here with various needs and as we're reminded too of trials and tribulations, how we all have different burdens before our heart. So we look to the and we ask that that would fill our needs. And now we commit this meeting into thine hand looking for help once more in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
First seven maybe?
Philippians chapter one beginning at verse 7.
Philippians One, verse 7.
Even as it is need for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart. I'm sorry because.
I have you in my heart in as much as falls in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, yet ye all are particulars of my grace, for God is my record. How greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ, and this I pray that your love may have found yet more and more.
In knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense, till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. But I would ye should understand, brethren.
That the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confidence by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear.
Some indeed preach price even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then, notwithstanding?
Every way, whether in pretense or in truth.
Praise is preached, and I herein do rejoice, yeah, and will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness.
As always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose I watch not, for I am in a straight betrayed too, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ.
Which is far better? Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall be ABI. I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith. That you're rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
00:10:07
Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ.
And whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one's spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation.
And that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which He saw in me, and now here to be in me.
Thinking in relation to the last few comments then.
There's such a thing as a saved soul and a lost life. A saved soul and a lost life, Umm.
It tells us in First Corinthians 3.
That if our work is burned up.
Yet he shall be saved yet so as by fire.
So, umm, we should have in view, uh, judgment seat of Christ. When our lives will be reviewed, all our motives will be manifest, our works, whether they have been in accordance with the the word of God, the mind of God and there will be a reward or there will be lost.
The law is a prime example. He he lived for present advantage.
You live for this world and for, uh, advancement here in this scene.
He nearly lost his life. We're gonna meet Lot in the glory in heaven. He was a righteous man who vexed his soul every day with the filthy conversation of the wicked in Sodom, where he should not have been.
But his works will be burned up and.
This is, uh, not a very happy prospect. So, uh, the apostle.
Wanted the Philippians to live in view of that day.
When, uh, everything would be manifest and.
That their fervor in the gospel was an encouragement to Paul even though he was in prison.
You see a real love for the brethren, don't you, in the Apostle Paul and how his heart longed for them?
And longed for their blessing. We didn't mention it this morning, but it's interesting to note when Paul prays for the Saints, as he, as we have in this epistle and in many of the other epistles, those prayers for the Saints, it's not usually in connection with some circumstance in life, some problem or difficulty or health issue. No doubt Paul prayed for his brethren when there were problems and difficulties and health issues and so on.
00:15:08
But the prayers that are given to us in the various epistles more often than not have to do with the spiritual well-being of the Saints, that they would go on individually for the Lord and for His glory, and that they would go on collectively. Which I believe was perhaps more on his heart in writing to the Philippians, as the enemy had been bringing in this little wedge to seek to divide and weary the Saints that here at Philippi so that they wouldn't go on together.
And give collective testimony. And so Paul had this desire. You know, it's interesting that before Paul was saved as Saul of Tarsus, his whole Benton energy and Paul was a man of energy and focus. But his whole bent and energy and focus was to stamp out the name of Christ, to hinder the gospel from going forth and to persecute and have killed the believers, those who belong to the Lord Jesus.
And after he got turned around on the Damascus Rd. he still had the same energy, he still had focus, but it was completely different. His whole Benton energy after his he was saved was that the gospel would go forth. Souls might be saved, but it didn't end there. As we've already alluded to in these meetings, his desire for those who were saved was that they would go on and that there would be spiritual growth.
In their lives collectively, individually and collectively. And that's what you see here. And you see Paul's heart coming out here in these verses. He longed for them, His bowels yearned for them. He desired their spiritual blessing. And brother, and I believe that's something good for all of us to covet as well. Do we really long for the spiritual blessing of our brethren? You know, sometimes when I come to prayer meeting, and again, don't misunderstand me. This is right and proper in its place. But sometimes.
We pray simply for the problems and difficulties, the physical maladies that we are aware of amongst the people of God, and so on.
And sometimes we pray for those who aren't attending the meetings, those who are, for we feel perhaps they're getting cold in their souls, maybe going on with something that we know will be a detriment in their Christian pathway and so on. But I had a rebuke from a sister one time after a prayer meeting. She said, Jim, why is it that we never, never or rarely hear prayed for those who are going on well and those who are out to meeting?
Again, as we said this morning.
We, if we really had that love for our brethren and to pray for them name by name, not just when they have problems or they, they're not attending the meeting, they're getting cold, but pray for those who are going on well. And so we find this with the Apostle Paul, what a yearning, what a desire he had for this assembly. And I believe, brothers and sisters, everyone of us ought to have that same yearning and desire.
While he was confident in verse six that they would continue on and that they would endure in the path of faith. And it was a pretty bold statement to make and it's written for us. And he had foundation for that statement.
And so he makes his comment in verse seven in connection with his statement, he says, even as it is me for me to think this of you all, because it really should read. Ye have me in your hearts in as much as both in my bonds and in the defense of the con and confirmation of the gospel. Ye all are partakers of my grace. So they had a real affection for Paul and it didn't dim their affection at all in connection with his imprisonment and the restriction in his movements.
Throughout the world at that time. But, and so, you know, we might ask the same question to ourselves. Do we have affection for Paul's doctrine? Do we read the epistles? And do we really have a desire to know what he taught? And then when we know what he taught to, uh, buy the truth, not to sell it. And so here the apostle makes this bold statement. He follows up, he says, I know that you have real affection for me. And they proved it time and again by their fellowship sent to him.
And also in the confirmation, the defense and confirmation of the glad tidings and that they were really partaking of the grace that was specially given to him to endure the opposition during the day that he lived in.
00:20:05
And so, you know, the Lord will give us grace as we walk in obedience to the truth of God and as we seek to uphold the doctrine, Paul's doctrine, and, uh, to, uh, just faithfully uphold the doctrine that is being let go in the day that we live in, the Lord is able to give us grace, special grace that even as we might share it, as it were, the grace that was given to Paul to go on and to endure. And so may the Lord give us grace to endure in the day that we live in.
That there might be confidence, as it were, in the Lord to preserve us, and that we might just, umm, be strengthened to do to go on.
So the neutral thing then that we have here that there was.
Their love to the apostle and his love for them in the 7th and 8th verses and.
The reason for it was that they had him in their hearts, as their brother just said, but also they were going through some of the same difficulties that we have. In verse 29 it says front to you is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. And so they had fellowship with the apostle and what he was going through. And it's this very point that the apostle Paul takes up in the next chapter, isn't it?
He says in verse one, if therefore be any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any vows of mercy, fulfill ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love, one of course being of 1 accord in one mind. That's where the failure was. And that assembly there was an evident love for the apostle and an appreciation and a fellowship and bowels of mercies. Everything was there and it was good and it was right.
It's really divine love and action, isn't it? And so human love needs perhaps something natural to, uh, respond to, but, umm, it's really the reflection of the love of Christ for his own. And so Paul expressed it and he saw the Spirit of Christ in his brethren and he valued it.
Thank God for it. And he wasn't in the position where he could come to them and practically display it. And so he says that God is my record.
What we also need is compassion and understanding. Quite often we lack that in our so-called judgment of others. Sometimes we haven't walked into the shoe of our brother or sister in our meeting and instead of being judgmental we should be a little bit more compassionate and understanding and to.
Uh.
Feel what the other person feels. I I think with compassion and love and understanding go hand in hand.
I was thinking of, I was going to say that we marvel at the energy of the apostle here because.
You know, he had some very high.
Truths he he had revelations that no other apostle had.
He fulfilled the word of God till he brought out the wonderful truth of the church and the heavenly calling of the believer and and so on these precious truths that uh.
He rejoiced in and are the full revelation of the heart of God, but at the same time he had tremendous energy in the gospel.
Uh, you just read the book of the Acts and, uh, see the, uh, every peril and, uh.
00:25:02
What he endured in taking the gospel out in Philippi here, uh.
Not, umm, restricted to divine revelations that he had received, which of course are very important, but he had a, a freshness and energy in the gospel that he's, uh, beautiful to, uh.
As he remarks here in the chapter we're reading, I believe that many of the, uh, many of the guards in Caesar's household, I think that comes out there in the, uh.
22nd verse of the last chapter Salute every St. in Christ Jesus.
Brethren which are with me greet you. All the Saints salute you chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.
For many of those guards and.
Those that were in the prison where he, uh, he was incarcerated or brought to fights, I'm sure that, uh, he saw much fruit, though he was, uh, hindered in his movements.
So we have this little prayer beginning in verse nine again he said, and his prayer is that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that you may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, and so on. And so again, what he desired was that there would be growth, that there would be growth in their love for one another, that that love would deepen and grow. But he immediately says.
In knowledge and in all. Notice Mr. Darby's translation intelligence, because there are many who say, well, all we have to do is show love. Well, that's wonderful. To show love and divine love is a wonderful thing. And we have a nature that loves all the people of God, but it has to be with knowledge and intelligence. That's why in Ephesians he's abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence in the King James. But again, Mr. Darby translated intelligence.
Christianity is marked by intelligence in divine things.
And so there has to be knowledge and then the ability to take that knowledge and to use it intelligently according to God's ways and purposes. And so that again in Second Timothy where he's writing of the last days and so on, he says that we are to follow righteousness, faith, peace, love. Now if I was writing that list, I would have written love and peace and maybe forgot about righteousness and faith. And that's what many.
Want to do today? Just let things go, Let Doctrine slide.
I've heard Christians say doctrine doesn't matter. It, it, it's irrelevant, it's, it's down the list or whatever. But the Apostle Paul says no, yes, we're to love, but it must be on the basis of truth and not it must be on the basis of knowledge and with wisdom and intelligence to go on in the way God intends us to. And so these Philippians, they were to love one another, They were to get along, but it had to be one mind.
In the Lord, not just one mind, we can all agree to disagree and get along, but thus compromise. And compromise is never justified in our Christian life.
Here in Philippians, don't you think that it's perhaps really divine love that is, uh, really the inaction? And as a result, there's, uh, knowledge, not only knowledge, but there's discernment, as you say, intelligence. And so there could be cold, hard knowledge. You could know things, the things of God, you could know Paul's doctrine. But I believe what really endeared, endeared, uh, these Saints to the apostle Paul is the love and affection that they had for one another, the love and affection that they had for him.
As they held the truth and they walked in discernment because of it. And so we need not only to have, uh, the knowledge of the truth, but to hold it with affection for one another. And so really there's going to be fruit for God if we love one another and we see, uh, we really earnestly desire that we go on in the truth.
And we do have the ability to prove the things that are excellent and pure, don't we? Again, as we mentioned in a previous meeting, we have all things that pertain on the life and godliness and, uh, thinking of what Paul says to in Romans chapter 12.
00:30:13
When he exhorts us to present our bodies a living sacrifice in verse one, he says wholly acceptable unto God, which is your intelligence service. We have an intelligent service to render to him. We we don't just grow far away in the dark in Christianity, whether it's our service, whether it's how we meet as believers, whether it's how we encourage one another in the Lord, whether it's going out in the gospel or whatever it is.
We don't just grope our way along and hope we get from point A to point B. We often do that on a dark night or we the lights go out in our house and we grow up our way along and hope we don't trip over something. But no, there's light for our pathway and we can prove what is acceptable. We've been given an intelligent service. And that's what he's telling the Philippians. Yes, the motive is love and it always in Christianity, the motive is always love. But then when that motive is in place.
He says, Now I'll give you light and instruction, I'll give you discernment, I'll give you divine intelligence as to how to act in the motive of love.
I'd like to connect, uh, a passage that we're thinking of here.
Improving the things that are excellent.
Umm, Hebrews 5. I'll read.
This hurting that's for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he's a faith the small meat belonged to him that are of full age, even though they're still by reason of use after extensive exercise to discern both good and evil.
You might say, well.
You don't need too much intelligence.
To see that somebody who is mean is the medieval for somebody who steals or hurts other people's committed evil. So how come it needs it for those who are full age to discern that which is of which is good and evil?
Because there are some things that are harder to approve, things that are excellent, and there are things that the religious mind tends to.
That.
Are evil and that they're not good for you? It doesn't. And then you might need a little discernment if you're considering dietary things. What's good for you and what is it so good for you?
And if you ask the child what's good for you, they'll say a candy bar. If you ask somebody older, they're not likely to say that. Uh, and so the same thing is true in spiritual matters. There is that, which is.
Attractive to the spiritual mind that is not mature.
We look for we look for sandwiches, miraculous sandwiches, sensational, that which sets dates for certain things to happen, a reason aired in death in the past and.
There is that in the spiritual mind that tends to keep him law, and there's that in the spiritual mind that can make us want to punish ourselves rather than enjoy that which God has provided for us.
And there's that in the spiritual mind which wants to organize everything here on earth instead of having that which is outlined in the scripture heavenly. And so there is need for the.
Mature, recognize and to endorse.
Or think well of that which is excellent and be able to.
Draft wreck that which is not so healthy spiritually that we can fall into so.
It says when I say Singapore, all that the heavens would run.
And in carefulness.
Well, because they walked with divine love in the expression of divine love for one another.
00:35:01
And divine love for the apostle Paul, they really did have the ability to, uh, approve those things were that were morally excellent. And so this world, uh, has a changing standard.
In connection with moral values and those things that have to do with God, even in the Christian testimony.
Umm, the appreciation of divine things fluctuates, but the word of God is, uh, sure and it's certain. And, umm, so the Lord, the apostle here inspired of God desires that they would go on consistently knowing what was morally excellent and, uh, without and be that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ. And so that he was really counting upon God's grace and favor.
Mercy.
That they might not have a fall. And as our brother Jim's mentioned before that, uh, sometimes, uh, we don't pray for those that are going on well, as we ought to. I was just say this, that the Apostle Paul never ceased to pray for them. He says that in this epistle and in every prayer of mine, verse four for you all making requests with joy. We know that there were some things that he dresses later on in the epistle.
But umm, he desired that there wouldn't be any fall morally, that there would be no offense to the cross of Christ, No, umm, fall, no trip. And umm, how we ought to rejoice in righteousness and rejoice to, uh, encourage our brethren to walk in the paths of righteousness that there might not be a fall.
He really wanted them to have a full reward, didn't he? He didn't want anything to come in that would would hinder that. And so the apostle Paul at the end of his life said henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. And what is the crown of righteousness a reward for? I believe the crown of righteousness is a reward for living righteously in an unrighteous world. And so if you and I seek by the grace of God to go on and live for his glory.
To not compromise, there's a full reward at the end. There's a crown of righteousness. Paul in his life saw a lot of unrighteousness, the rise of unrighteousness in every level of society and even in the Christian testimony. But he said at the end of it, Timothy, if you live righteously, there's a crown of righteousness laid up for him. For Paul, yes, but not for him only, but all those that loved his appearing. And really, again, it's a very unselfish mode of, isn't it? You think of athletes going out to run a race. Paul was running a race. He speaks of it later on.
But when, when, when 20 athletes go out to run a race, they really run it selfishly because everyone wants to get the reward. Everyone wants to come in first.
But the apostle Paul didn't have that spirit and attitude. His attitude was that whether it was the Philippians, the Thessalonians, whoever it was that they would run so that they would get a full reward. And Paul said to the Thessalonians, that's my crown of rejoicing When I see you get a full reward, that's reward enough for me. Again, I think good for us all to covet that, to see in our bread, to have a desire for our brethren to get a full reward, that we might rejoice at their reward.
In the day of Christ, we have to be reminded of the acrostic for joy, don't we? In this book, so simple, but it's so powerful. And that, of course, is Jesus first, others next, in yourself last. Very simple. But that's the secret here, isn't it? And a mature Christian acts that way. And that's what he's speaking to. He's speaking to those who he desires to see their growth in the Lord and, uh, uh, in the Lord Jesus. And, uh, that's a good desire for all of us, but that's a great test for us, isn't it?
Do we really put the Lord first?
Do we put others next ourselves last? That's a real That's a tough thing a lot of times, isn't it? But that's the secret of joy.
I might mention, I, I've enjoyed a thought. I, I think, uh, it's often been mentioned that, uh, Philippians is a wilderness book and I believe that's correct. But I think it's also helpful to see that there's progression in the wilderness. And, uh, it's been very helpful to me to see where the different epistles fit into the different parts of the wilderness journey. Of course, uh, before the wilderness journey is what we have in the book of Romans.
In the Passover and in the Red Sea, that's salvation. That's our new position that we spoke about, uh, this morning. But now it has to do primarily with state and there's four stages. And I believe Philippians really is in the fourth stage of the wilderness. Umm, there's many other epistles that are in the first stage, For instance, when they first crossed into the wilderness, crossed over the Red Sea, It was grace that was the great lesson of that first stage of the wilderness from the Red Sea to.
00:40:26
Sinai, they had to learn that God was sufficient to meet all their needs. So when they needed water, he gave it to him. He didn't rebuke them. He gave it to him. When they needed, uh, other things, he gave it to him. And so that's perhaps the first lesson a new Christian learns is that God is gracious. His resources are sufficient to satisfy all of our needs. He's in all the way home Savior, as we sometimes hear. And I believe there are certain books that correspond to that, For instance, the book of James.
Uh, something in a way that's for new believers, if Romans is the book of justification by faith, justification before God, James is the book of justification before men. So there's a little different thought there, isn't there? And then the books of first and 2nd Thessalonians, perhaps we can say fit into that. He gives them the fundamentals of Christianity in those two epistles and some warnings in the second epistle. But then the second stage is Sinai.
Sinai to Kadesh Barnea and uh, at Sinai, they were given the law and the Christian is not under law, but we're under the government of God. And I've often mentioned that at a man's table, uh, we might have, uh, children of different ages and the youngest child would be sticks his fingers in the food. We think it's funny, but if a 10 year old child does that, we're not very happy about it. There's responsibility with maturity, isn't there? And that's the government of God whatsoever a man soweth.
That Shelly also reaped that's positive and negative. And so the Christian is under the government of God. We get that, for instance, in first and second Peter. I think that's very helpful to see that first Peter, particularly the government of God in respect of his people. If they do good, who's going to molest them? And second, Peter, uh, the government of God and respect of the wicked, they're going to come under judgment. But then when they got the cadish Borneo, we remember what happened.
There was they despised the pleasant land, as it tells us in Psalms, and as a result they had to wander for 38 years until that whole generation died off. Those are the years of wandering, we might say. Perhaps that's corrective.
Like we have in the book of Galatians and perhaps even in the book of First Corinthians. They anticipate better things, but they're mainly corrective epistles. But that's the third stage. It's been noted that there was no real progress made those 38 years. They wandered till they died. And that's the government of God too, isn't it? Umm, it's a thing that should touch our consciences. Are we wasting our lives and just wasting it until we die?
Or does God have a do have we taken hold of the purpose of blessing that God has for us? But then when we get to the fourth stage of wilderness, and I believe that's where Philippians fits because he already, uh, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you making all, making requests with joy. These weren't the Thessalonians. These weren't new Christians. These weren't wandering Christians like the Galatians in the Corinthians.
But they were in that four stage, which I believe, uh, we can call preparation for entering into the land of Canaan, which was their proper inheritance. That speaks of heavenly things and so Philippians.
Point them to those things that are characteristic of a mature believer. And so that's true with the book of Hebrews. I believe it's true of the book of Second Corinthians. It's a restorative epistle after the corrective epistle of First Corinthians.
And perhaps that's a little bit of a help. Uh, this is the 4th stage of the wilderness. They're being prepared. The new generation now is being prepared to enter into the land of Canaan. And of course we have other epistles that correspond with that Colossians.
Passing through the Jordan and Ephesians, of course, in Canaan and I believe first first Timothy, uh, Titus, no doubt also arcane and epistles in many respects. But I think it's helpful to see that Philippians is really written to mature police people in many respects and Paul speaks to them in a mature way. And again, the great secret of joy is that acrostic Jesus first, others next yourself last. I may have lots of knowledge.
00:45:03
But if I don't walk in the truth of that, I'm really not a mature Christian, am I?
There was no hypocrisy with the Apostle, and he was, uh, sincere, uh.
And there was a little fence over the Day of Christ when there's, uh, transparency with Him.
And that's an important lesson for us that, uh, we don't, uh, put on a exterior of godliness and there's not the reality, but with the apostle, although he was.
Not blameless in all his actions. He was blameless as to his motives and uh, we, uh, we need to judge our motives too that, uh.
We have the the glory of Christ to be for us and.
To be sincere, to walk in reality before the Lord and before our brethren.
Well, if there are any fruits of righteousness, there's any practical righteousness exhibited in our lives, anything for his glory, uh, in our lives, we're going to recognize in the coming day that it was nothing of ourselves. And so he says, being in verse 11, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ under the glory and praise of God. And think I thought of it this way, brethren, when we get to glory and we stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
And He gives rewards for any faithfulness down here. We're going to to recognize, perhaps like never before, the import of the verse in the next chapter, that it was God that worked in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And I sometimes illustrated it this way. If you give a cup of water in the Lord's name, which the Lord said would not lose its reward, when you get to the judgment seat of Christ and He goes to reward you for it, you're going to realize first of all that He provided the cup of water.
Secondly, He provided the opportunity to give it. Thirdly, He put the motive in your heart to give it. Well, brother, no wonder we're going to recognize it was all by Christ Jesus and all for the glory of God. And that's why I believe in the end of Revelation 4, we take those rewards, the four and 20 elders take those rewards that are given for faithfulness, and they cast them back at His feet and they give Him all the praise and all the glory because we're going to realize that whether it was our salvation.
Or whether it was any motive of love, any act of kindness, any, any practical righteousness exhibited in our lives, we're gonna realize that it was nothing of ourselves, that it was all His work, not so much for us, but in us. Is what we have here the work of God in us? The work of Christ in us? But it was, it's all Him and it's all going to be in the end for his praise and glory. You know, when athletes we had Olympics this summer and when athletes get those medals, why? It's for the glory of the athlete and the country they represent.
And they stand on the podium and they get the glory. But that's not the way it's going to be with our reward, is it? No, we're going to recognize it's all for His glory. He's going to get all the glory in the end. And brethren, when we think about it, ought to really motivate our souls if it means more glory to Him in the end. Don't we want to live for Him now? Don't we want to exhibit practical righteousness in our lives now, knowing that in the end it's going to be for His praise and glory?
Yeah, He loves to give us the credit, doesn't He? Well done, thou good and faithful servant. That's the grace of the Lord Jesus. But it is he who put that desire in our hearts, as you mentioned. But he loves to give the credit to us.
Might be good to read it in Mr. Darby's translation. It's a little more accurate there being complete as regards the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ to God's glory and praise.
He wanted them to have a full reward, didn't he? Nothing missing complete.
Only the Lord Jesus could say it is finished.
But uh, there is such a thing as uh, uh, falling short of what we should really bear as far as fruit the Lord Jesus could look in a future day. He speaks prophetically. He says, uh, he shall see of the fruit of the travail of his soul should be satisfied.
But in your life and mine, our responsibility to bear fruit, the fruit is not ours. The fruit is his. And so he wants the reward to be complete and that there would be a full glory, a full display of that glory in that day of manifestation.
00:50:12
Let me read a verse in Second Peter in that regard, because we're not talking about our entrance into heaven. This has nothing to do with our entrance into heaven, nor does it have anything to do with our enjoyment of heaven. And that it.
There's a verse sometimes we've misapplied in first a second Peter chapter one. I'll read verse 10 and then it's really verse 11 I'm thinking of.
Second Peter one verse 10 Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never fail. Now notice this first. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, not into heaven, but into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We're all going to have an abundant entrance into heaven based on the finished work of Christ and faith in him. But.
What Peter is talking about here is the Kingdom. It's the full reward that Robert has spoken of. He wants to be able to say instead of over beat out over 5 cities, he wants to say be thou over 10 cities. He wants to give a full reward. So it's an abundant entrance into the Kingdom. Rewards always have to do with the appearing. It has to do with the Kingdom because we've talked a great deal of the judgment seat of Christ. Another thing the judgment seat of Christ does is establish our place in the righteous reign.
Of the Millennium. And so our faithfulness now, those righteousnesses, those practical things we do for His glory now.
Are establishing our place in the Kingdom and the rewards in that day have to do with our entrance into the Kingdom, not heaven. But he wants us to have an abundant entrance.
It's easy to sometimes confuse about Jimmy and, but if we think of it this way, it might be helpful.
In a certain aspect.
The Kingdom is related to responsibility, but the deal is it's related to our responsibility. What is eternal and what is in the eternal state. Connection with God is in connection fully, excuse me, with Christ.
Responsible, he was the responsible one who has secured salvation and eternal salvation. He is the one that brings us into that eternal glory. And so if we just think of it as help me at least to think of it in connection with responsibility, yes, we know it's Christ working in us, which well, as you mentioned it really it's his work that has been given us reward in the Kingdom times that in eternity.
Is fully his work. It's the work on Calgary's cross which brings each of us into the eternal glory of God.
Well, he changed his gears a little bit in verse 12, doesn't he? Very interesting that he never speaks of his own circumstances till the 12 first. Now if I was writing a letter and I was in a difficult circumstance like Paul was, I would probably have brought this out first and asked for the sympathy and prayers of my brother. But how different When Paul writes by inspiration, his first and foremost concern was for his brethren.
And to pray for them. And they're going on and continuing in love and spiritual growth.
He gets that all off his heart and then he says, well, I'm going to have to tell you a little bit about my circumstances. But again, he doesn't do it right away like perhaps I would, I would have done. But he does go on then to speak in these next few verses of his circumstance because he wanted the brethren to understand really what the Lord had allowed in his life and that there was no bitterness in Paul as to what the Lord had allowed. He understood very clearly that it was for a purpose and for for a purpose, a blessing.
He's going to bring out some of that that purpose. And brethren, if we can get ahold of that in our own soul, I believe it gives us real peace in the circumstances of life. Sometimes we say.
Everything in our lives is allowed for a purpose, but that statement falls a little short of what we really have here. Yes, everything in our lives is for a purpose, but it's more than that. It's for a purpose of blessing. You know, we might have a purpose in the family. I might, as the head of my home, have some purpose. But in the end, it might be just a selfish motive. Maybe it's really just to get something for myself, for some credit for myself.
00:55:20
But God's purposes in our lives are not just for a purpose. The things in our lives are not just for a purpose. They are for a purpose, a blessing. You know, the enemy might have thought, well, I'll get Paul locked up. I'll get him chained in his own hired house. He won't be able to go out preaching the gospel. He won't be able to go around and encourage the Saints of God. So that'll hinder the work of God. You know, the wrath of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain. It says in the 76th Psalm.
In Corinthians it says we can do nothing for the against the truth, but for the truth. What was what was the result of Paul being in prison? Why we have one of these epistles in our hand. So the enemy thought, well, Paul won't be able to orally preach the gospel and encourage the Saints, But the Lord had something far, far more, far greater and far reaching in mind. Some of the epistles that Paul wrote were written while he was in prison by divine inspiration.
Not just for the blessing of the Philippians and others at that time, but for our blessing and our learning. So the enemy might have thought he got a bit of a victory, but God had a far greater purpose. And Paul understood this very clearly.
It's really the Spirit of Christ coming out in his ministry, isn't it? I often think that perhaps Philippians is perhaps the sweetest epistle that we have, that Paul wrote his sweetest ministry. And under those, uh, circumstances in which, uh, the Philippine Saints could look at him and say, well, things may not ever be the same. It could, maybe we'll never see Paul come to the assembly in Philippians in Philippi again, but it really brought out the sweetness and for the furtherance of the gospel, it just point out, and perhaps you've, uh, noticed in Genesis chapter 45, you have the spirit of Christ in connection with the.
Uh, Joseph and he speaks to his brother and he says in verse 5 Now, therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me, hit her for God did send me before to you before you to preserve life.
For these two years has the famine been in the land? And so he had really suffered for 22 years. I don't think Paul really was imprisoned that long. Perhaps, uh, two years and then, uh, two years in his house, uh, his own hired House of perhaps four years in his first imprisonment. But, uh, the word of the Lord was not bound. And so there is a practical application for ourselves and when the Lord hems us in.
And, uh, he stops up our way and he hinders our movements. Perhaps there is, uh, little benefit if we submit to it. And so there's fruit for the Lord in it. He said it was furthering.
The Gospel.
And stirring up the Saints of God too. So these two things you have in verse 12.
13 And 14, Paul recognized that at least part of the purpose of him being imprisoned was for the furtherance to the gospel, as you say. And then the Saints would be stirred up, and they were. And some of them waxed bold because of Paul's, Paul's bonds. And Paul was thankful too. For anyway, the gospel went out. You know, Paul might have said, might have been complaining and saying, well, I love to preach the gospel and I was given a special Commission and so on. And now I can't. What good am I doing here?
No, he says, as long as the truth is going forth. In fact, he even says, whether in truth or pretense, Christ is preached. And I therein do rejoice, Shay, and will rejoice. So on the one hand, the Saints were being genuinely stirred up to be bold with the gospel. They were saying, well, Paul can't get out and preach, but we'll carry the torch. We'll, we'll, we'll take it up and we'll get the gospel out. On the other hand, some were saying we're preaching out of contention because they were hoping that they would make things worse for Paul.
But again, you see the Spirit of Christ in Paul, whether it was for our genuine motive or whether it was to make his situation more miserable. Also, that's OK as long as the Word of God is going out.
I'm content. I can't spread it like I, I was, but that's OK. Again, I, I think I say again, I, I've said it two or three times, brethren, as we go through these verses to see Paul's spirit and attitude and how the spirit and attitude, as Robert has said, of Christ comes out. We ought to really covet that for our own souls. If we can get this out of this chapter in these readings, that practical application for our own soul, that there might be that spirit of Christ in us as it wasn't Paul, then I believe we can leave these meetings with benefits.
01:00:29
It is encouraging to see the purpose behind various things that are recorded in Scripture and one of the portions that I find.
Very.
Precious is reading the 11Th chapter of John's Gospel.
Connection with the death of Lazarus and.
The Lord is rebuilt, so to speak, for not getting there sooner. But in verse 15 he says, And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there to the intent.
Ye may believe, nevertheless, let us go to Him while there was a purpose behind the Lord's delay, wasn't there? And that would be, uh, bringing glory to God the Father.
They they would witness something that they had not witnessed before.
And then there was another purpose too, is that they might feel his sympathy in this situation. It's recorded that Jesus wept. They know oh how he loved them and so.
That perhaps would not have been manifested had the Lord gotten there right away. And.
Did not delay as she had done.
Is it normal for a Christian to suffer?
It's normal, isn't it? You know, the prophetic Scriptures, and Peter refers to it in his epistle. In the first epistle, he says he speaks of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And the, uh, Jews, uh, sought to erase, uh, in their mind, as it were, they couldn't see the sufferings of Christ and that Christ had to suffer. He speaks of that in Luke's Gospel, chapter 24. To those that were on the road to Emmaus, he spoke to them of all the scriptures. He brought all those things out.
The sufferings of Christ 1St and the glory that should follow. Well, is it any different for the disciples?
For you and I.
No, the OP opposition of the enemy is a very real thing now. Paul felt it and the disciples at that time felt it. And we may feel it a little more as, uh, if the Lord tarries yet a few more days and uh, the opposition politically, the climate in this country begins to change and umm, the apostasy, the spirit of apostasy develops. We may feel a little more of what this is. And so instead of it making.
Paul bitter, it made him sweet. And so it was really as we have in the Old Testament, uh, Moses cast that tree into the waters and the waters were made sweet. And so he brings this out in connection with the furtherance of the gospel and he speaks of the positive elements and verse 13. So my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. He said it was a public testimony. And so how a Christian suffers.
Before.
That day of glorification is a testimony to this world, and may we seek grace to suffer in the right way.
When Paul was in, uh, Philippi the first time the Silas, they were cast into prison as malefactors.
And it cast a bad light on what they had been preaching. And so after the earthquake and the salvation of the Philippian jailer and so on.
They had the magistrates of the city realizing they had unjustly treated.
Paul and Silas sent in a quiet way to try and in the hushed way get them out of jail. And Paul. Paul said no, let them come and get us out because he wanted that slight taken away from the gospel.
01:05:03
And so it was. He wouldn't kind of quietly sneak out of the city. It's the same thing again here. Here he was a prisoner. He's been arrested. In the eyes of this world is a malefactor. And that had affected the believers. And how refreshing to him that this care package comes from the Philippian Saints while he's a prisoner. And it shows to him the continuation of the work of God. In their hearts. They had him in their hearts.
And what he stood for the defense of the gospel and they were still standing for it. Paul's gospel and he's encouraged that leads them into prayer that they would grow, that they would learn more of God's purpose and counsel in Christ and that the things that were not in accord with that knowledge of Christ would drop out of their lives. They would approve the things that are excellent and that they would have the whole.
Produce department, so to speak, of righteousness. It's the fruit, singular.
The whole thing would be produced in their lives that they would go on in a path, and it's the only sanctioned path in the scripture. For the child of God is a path that goes on without a slip or a stumble all the way to glory. He doesn't sanction any other path. Thank the Lord that he doesn't, otherwise it would be discouraging. There's one sanctioned path for the believer, and that is to go on without offense till the day of Jesus Christ. And now he explains.
Though there were those that were accusing him of being a malefactor and a wicked man, and that's why he was on bonds. No, he was. It was bonds in Christ. And that was becoming manifest right there in Rome and all the Palestinians, becoming evident that he was a prisoner, not because of some wicked thing that he had done, but for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And there were those who were getting confident about that.
That it wasn't that he was a malefactor. They were getting confident that those bonds were really in Christ, not because of some wicked thing that he had done, and they were going out to step into and fill his shoes in his absence in the defense of the gospel. And so he's now explained that was the same thing that had happened in a certain sense before, but now it was the work of God, not the magistrates coming and pulling him out in that way.
Manifesting that his bonds were indeed in Christ, not the bonds of a malefactor.
231.
Nsnoise.
Our loving God, thank thee for our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee that in a very soon day, blessed Savior, that thou shalt present thy Bride to thyself without spot, without blemish. We marvel that such words could be written.
But we just seek now in the day of our pilgrimage, as we've just sung. We're in this wilderness scene. We don't belong here. And help us to walk by thy grace for thy glory, and that there might be a full.
An abundant fruit for the blessed Savior. And so we pray that for each one here in this audience, our God, we pray among our for our young, our children, our young people. We pray that that would preserve them spirit, soul and body, and that there might be an abundant entrance for each one.
Or our God, we thank Thee that they were able to work for thine own glory in each one of our lives. So we ask thee for this. We commend ourselves to thee. Now ask thee that thy word might have free course be glorified, and that there might be indeed an abundance of fruit in each one of our lives. We ask it and give thanks in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Yet There is Room
Gospel—John 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.
Good evening, shall we open our meeting by singing #15?
O blessed gospel sound, yet there is room.
It tells to all around, yet there is room.
All things are ready. Come Christ, everything hath done.
The work is now complete #15 some brother would start it please.
Umm, yeah, well, we are.
Yes, I remember this is right now. Umm.
Great challenge today. Rah rah, I'm here and we're all done. So I'll stop when it's our planning. Let's let's say, let's pray, let's grace no more.
Loving God and our Father, how thankful we are that we can still proclaim this wondrous message of Thy love and grace to a perishing world, that yet there is room. We pray for blessing on the Word here this evening.
Thou who dost know the hearts of each one.
In this company.
And.
If there is one, a stranger to thy love and grace.
We pray that Thou will work in heart and conscience through Thy word. By Thy Holy Spirit. We think of the grace of God that bringeth salvation to whosoever.
That love of God which is flowing from the glory tonight, A message for whosoever. And we pray for the salvation of souls.
Anyone in this room who is still in his sins?
They may hear thy voice close in what thine offer of mercy while still there is time. We ask it in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. We're going to sing another hymn #37.
00:05:04
The gospel of thy grace.
My stubborn heart has won.
The serpent lifted up good life and healing give #37.
Ron.
ILA Worldwide.
Well, dear friends, again tonight we have the privilege of announcing the most wonderful message that was ever told forth in this Dark World.
The message of God's love.
And grace mercy toward you, perhaps.
You are still in this company here, without Christ and without God.
I cannot look into hearts, I can only look into faces, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
And we want to assure you at the outset.
Now this is a message from the heart of God.
That comes from heaven.
From the Glory tonight.
For you, a Sinner, I'm looking at many who have closed in with this offer of mercy. I know many in the room have the knowledge that their sins are forgiven. They have no doubt or uncertainty about their future. They are sure of eternity. Are you? Are you ready?
For that.
Passing from time into the ocean of eternity.
00:10:04
Will you reach out the hand by faith? Faith is the hand that appropriates what God provides. Reach out the hand by faith and receive Christ and trust His finished work. What a Savior we have to proclaim tonight.
One week ago.
I gave the Gospel to a large, quite a large company of people in Saint John.
I don't know how many of those people had heard the gospel before.
It was a gospel supper, you might say. The invitations went out.
To the street folk and those from the soup kitchens come, there is a free meal for you tonight, a beef supper.
Doesn't cost you anything. Reply if you are coming. Well, the brethren were not sure how many would respond, but 48 came. They asked me to give a word.
And I was very exercised that the word might be simple because these people don't know what a traditional gospel is, you know, But there they were at the tables, sitting there enjoying the meal. And then we proclaimed for about 2025 minutes the good news. And I spoke on those verses that we sang about.
Yet there is room.
Luke 14. Earth in its madness, Then I said a few words of Luke 15. Heaven in its gladness, and then the solemn conclusion held in its sadness. Luke 16.
And no one moved from their place, and they heard the message and received a little gift. Well, we can pray for these souls that they might hear the voice of the Lord and close in with His offer of mercy. So, dear friends, tonight, this is not a new message we have.
It's the old, old story of Jesus and his love reaching out.
To you tonight, wherever you are, wherever you come from.
There's a God who has a deep interest in your eternal blessing and salvation. He's interested.
In your eternal destiny.
Why did the Lord Jesus leave the splendor of the courts of glory?
To enter a world where he would be spit upon.
Scourged and crowned with thorns because of His love for you, that ocean of God's love is pouring forth from His heart tonight. Pull the shutters by and let the warmth of God's love flow into your soul today.
Most of you know that Eleanor is from Brazil.
We were seven weeks in Brazil.
Umm this past summer and we visited from the north to the South. It was an interesting visit and for the first time I visited the Amazon.
I'd heard about the Amazon many times, and as a boy I read about the Amazon, that mighty waterway that is one of the greatest rivers in the world, perhaps one of the longest.
And I never saw it, but we were one week in Manaus, which is a major port on the Amazon, you know?
And we took a trip on the Amazon.
I also had the privilege of speaking to 300 students in the city of Manaus.
But that river impressed me. The force and power of that river is incredible.
In fact, there's so much force to the Amazon that freshwater.
Goes out into the ocean of 100 miles.
00:15:01
And in Manaus.
That's where the the two parts of the Amazon come together and it's remarkable that the River ***** is bright and clear fresh water, and there's another river that is right alongside of it. It's called the River Solomon and it's muddy, Muddy and those two rivers.
Do not meet at Manaus anyway, they are quite distinct. You can see the difference there.
In the in the color of the water.
After a few miles they do mix and.
Proceed on to the ocean.
But you know, you've heard the story probably of this ship that was.
Uh, taking a journey from Europe to, uh, from, yeah, from Europe to South America, and the crew ran out of water.
And they were very concerned there was no water on the ship. Can't use the sea water.
And they didn't know what would happen. They were dying with thirst. So they called out to a ship nearby. Have you got any water?
They said we don't need to give you water, all you need to do is put down your bucket because they were in the outflow of the Amazon 100 miles from the coast and it was fresh water. All they needed to do was put down the bucket and lift up the water.
And satisfy their thirst. You know, the water of life is flowing out today to you. And I wonder, have you drank of that wonderful stream of God's love? Have you ever recognized that you are a Sinner in the presence of a holy God? And maybe you've tasted the waters of this world like the woman of Samaria.
She had drunk deeply at the wells of this world.
The well is deep, she said. It's getting deeper all the time because if you're unsaved, the things of this world cannot satisfy your weary heart.
She had drunk of the waters of this world.
But she was not satisfied. The Lord brought her the water of life.
The last invitation in the Bible is this. Whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely. God could not close His word until He had given one more invitation. That invitation, my friend, is to you tonight. If you're without Christ, that invitation is for you. I know this is a threadbare story, but perhaps it will illustrate.
There was a man in Ottawa.
I don't know his name.
He was a soldier in the last World War.
And he had the uniform on.
And when he went into the service they gave him.
A little.
But you know he never read it.
But he put it into his tunic pocket here, and he went into the battle on the front lines, and that man was hit by a bullet, and that bullet penetrated through his tunic, through the New Testament that he had there, and it stopped at the last chapter of the Bible.
Revelation 22.
And he took that out and he said this has saved my life.
He showed this very testament to our late brother Gordon Hayhole, who is speaking to him. He said there there's the the whole of the bullet. It stopped. Where did he stop at that verse? Whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely. There's a sad ending to that story. However, at that time, that man had not taken the water of life.
I don't know if he did before he passed into eternity, dear friends.
God has a message for you tonight tonight, and He's offering you a full and free salvation. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
00:20:02
But it shall be a well of water springing up perennial enjoyment.
Of Christ, his person, His work. That will be our occupation for all eternity. What a wonderful savior we have. He wants to be your Savior tonight. You're sitting here in this room without Christ. You're in a place of danger. Really, You're in a place, a very serious, solemn condition before God.
Because life is uncertain, it's only like a vapor that appears for a few moments and it vanishes away.
You don't know how long you have.
In this world, God does not promise you to Morrow.
A few years ago in the city of Ottawa.
In this month, September.
There was a bus.
In the South of the city.
Down near Barrhaven, it was on its way to work. It was filled with people. It was a double Decker bus, you know, people on the top and people on the bottom, students I think 8:30 in the morning. So they're on the way to work or to school. The driver, a West Indian man experienced.
But something happened. He did not take the warning.
That was given.
The lights were flashing at that railway crossing. Probably the bells were ringing. But he did not stop.
We'll never know why because he never lived to tell the story.
But he smashed into a passing train.
I saw a picture of the bus. The whole front was ripped off, but six people, including the driver, were ushered into eternity that morning.
They commemorate that event every year. Doesn't bring the people back, those people.
Fully expected to be at work and at school that morning. I don't know who they were. I don't know if they were ready or not, but I know they are in eternity. They're in heaven or they're they're in hell. There's no middle ground.
And that was a voice to the whole city of Ottawa.
The time is short. It is fleeting. The Day of Grace will soon have run its course.
And if you're outside when the Lord gives the shout.
Dear friends, God is beseeching you.
Tonight to close in with His offer of mercy. Yet there is room. Room in the heart of God. No room for the blessed Savior down here. No room in the end. A picture of this world that has its amusements and its entertainments.
And they want to live without God. They're satisfied without God.
Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. But my friend, tonight God loves you.
And he's beseeching you to be reconciled to him. God does not need to be reconciled to you because He was never against you. His heart was full of love and still is. He was never against man, but man is an enemy by wicked works and.
He will not.
Bow the knee to the Savior.
He thinks he's good enough. I'm all right. A few weeks ago I was at the Highland Games in Almont, Ontario. That's about 30 miles from Ottawa. I tried to go there every year. It's quite an impressive site with the.
The, uh, the Bonds in their Scottish national costume, the kilt, and they play quite well.
Umm, so I pay my fare to go into the grounds and I just review tracks for several hours there.
I meet a lot of people and by God's grace I give out a lot of tracks and I meet a lot of young people.
I often give them that track the rest of his time. You might know it about, uh, brother Berwick, Highland's son who was suddenly killed.
I met a man and I offered him a track. What is this? Well, I says this is a gospel track, Sir, that will tell you the way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, he said I don't need that. He says I'm one of the best living people on the planet.
00:25:19
And he began to rehearse to me all the good things he had done. Well, I said, Sir, that's interesting. I'm not calling in question your your truthfulness.
You have done many noble works, uh.
I I agree you have done many good works, but my friend I said you are a lost Sinner without Christ and you need salvation. No, no God will have will recognize what I have done.
What else could I do? I've done the very best I can and I've helped so many people. That's the only God that I know. But I said God is holy and He will not take you to heaven because of all those good works you have done. If you don't bow the knee and repent of those things that you have committed and come to Christ, you won't be in heaven.
No, he didn't want anything more of that message.
Well, we were like that ourselves, weren't we? I want to look briefly at the Book of Job. Just a few verses in the Book of Job 33.
First of all, 33.
Verse 24.
23 if there be a messenger with him.
An interpreter, one among 1000. To show unto man his uprightness.
Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, deliver him from going down into the pit. I have found a ransom. Dear friends, tonight I'm only a messenger, a very poor one too. But I have a message from the Gos, from the heart of God for you.
An interpreter, one among 1000.
And I'm not Speaking of you turning over a new leaf and living a better life, because it'll just get as filthy as the other one. I'm not asking you to reform your life.
But I'm telling you to be upright, to show unto man his uprightness. What is that? To acknowledge that you are a guilty Sinner before God, that you are a helpless, unclean Sinner. That's your uprightness. If you take that place, I will guarantee to you tonight that God will not turn you away. He's waiting to hear you say those words. I have sinned and perverted that which was.
Right, and it profited me not.
That's the message we have tonight. Deliver him from going down into the pit. I have found a ransom. You cannot find that ransom with all your efforts and with all your abilities. You can never find a ransom to pay the price of sin. It's far too much. It's beyond your capacity.
You're bankrupt and lost. Deliver him from going down into the pit.
Into a lost eternity God has found a ransom in the person and work of the Lord Jesus, when He suffered the awful judgment of God and paid the price for my guilty filthy sins that I might be saved.
On June the 8th in Ottawa, something happened that never happened before.
In my experience, I've lived there all my life.
In the middle of the city, not far from parliament.
There was a sudden collapse of the ground.
This is called geological terms, a sinkhole. Without any warning, the ground just gave way and here was this pit. In fact, the van fell into it.
Miraculously, no, no people fell in. The van is still down there.
And it was the talk of the town. The news was filled with it.
Sometimes I distribute tracks just about a block from that place.
It was a pit.
Of course.
They had to fill it up and reroute all the traffic and so on, but that's all you heard in the news for a long time about this pit.
00:30:06
That had suddenly formed in the center of the city. But, dear friends, you're in a pit. In a horrible pit.
And the the the psalmist David said I was brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock and established my goings.
Dear friends, the Lord Jesus, in his wondrous grace, he came down into the pit. You know, if you want to get someone out of the pit, you don't get down into the pit with them. You stand on firm ground and you give them a rope and pull them out. But the Lord, in his marvelous grace, he went right down into the pit.
And down into the place of no standing the bottom of the mountains.
Under the waves and billows of God's wrath and judgment.
Sometimes I visit the Niagara Falls to give out some tracks, my wife Eleanor and I, and I look, look at that majestic mighty cataract pouring down tons of water every minute. And I think of that verse, speak to some of the people all God's waves and billows passed over.
The soul of the Lord Jesus.
The hours of darkness when he bore the judgment for my sin and guilt.
He made my sins his own, and.
He exhausted the judgment of God in the Old Testament.
The sacrifice was consumed by the fire, but when the Lord was on the cross.
He consumed the fire.
He consumed the fire in his own body, the fire of God's judgment.
Well, turn with me back to the 14th chapter of.
Job.
We have a various questions that Jobe uh proposed here.
We might have not have time to look at all of them, but we'll look at a few of them here tonight. Man that is born of a woman is a few days and full of trouble.
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down. He flees also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
You know man is a lot of hard and difficult questions.
Young people sometimes ask the question, why am I here?
Where am I going? You know, the Queen of Sheba came from the land of Ethiopia and she had many hard questions for Solomon, questions that she could not solve.
Man had no answer for them in Ethiopia, but when she came to Solomon.
And he presented these hard and difficult questions.
He gave her all the answers. Dear friends, tonight Christ has the answer to your deep need. As a Sinner, you may have many questions.
And there's no answers from man, he doesn't have any resources.
But uh.
Though the men of this world have wisdom, they can't answer those questions about eternity. The Lord Jesus has the answers for those that dilemma that you are in. And I think of Proverbs chapter 8 where it speaks of the Lord Jesus there before the foundation of the earth. And what does it say in that chapter?
My delights were with the sons of men.
The Creator Himself, in a past eternity, He had you in mind.
And in in due time, God gave his beloved Son, the creator of the universe became a man. I have a little poem that I like. I'm going to read it so that I get it correct. His holy fingers made the bowels that grew the thorns that that crowned his brow.
00:35:01
The nails which pierced his hands were mined in secret places he designed.
He made the forest from which sprung the tree on which his body hung.
They nailed him to a cross of wood, yet he made the hill on which it stood. That's the Creator of the universe. And this first question of Job, dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringeth me into judgment with thee? You are not lost in the crowd. God's eyes are upon you tonight.
He sees into the innermost.
Recesses of your heart all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
And there's an answer to that dilemma. And the answer is.
The Lord Jesus in his work on the cross.
Man is scarred with sin.
You know, there was a man in Ottawa.
Who was a drunkard?
He was a complete drunken thought. He lay down on his belly and sucked the spout of the beer bar.
And.
There seemed to be no hope for him.
He was a complete addict, addict, a slave to drink, but the Lord reached his soul and saved him from his sins. He was happily delivered from that awful habit of drink, and he was gathered to the Lord's name, a happy Christian, joyful in the Lord and what the Lord had done for him.
But he said to the brethren, he said, Brethren.
Of the life that I have lived, the scars were there for the rest of his life. Dear friends, remember that something you do in your youth may leave a scar that will never be effaced. The Lord can forgive sins, but the scars are there.
And dear friends.
Remember that sin is a serious thing in the sight of God. It brought it. It led to this untold sufferings of the cross.
You know, Pilot's wife said to him, Have thou nothing to do with this just man, for I have suffered many things in a dream because of him.
There's millions of people that will say the same thing. Have thou nothing to do with this man? But they cannot avoid the meeting. They cannot cancel that appointment. They must meet God as a savior or a judge. What does it say in our verse? Bring us me into judgment with thee. God will bring every work into judgment.
But let me assure you tonight.
That though your life is blotted with sin and scarred, there's a Savior for you today.
There's a Savior on high in the glory who is able.
To deliver you from that awful judgment.
Christ was the brightest light that the world had ever seen.
And yet man refused the light of the world. Strange that he was looking for the light of the world with lanterns at the end of his life of the Lord looking for the light of the world with lanterns.
There he was, the full expression of the heart of God.
Flowing out the sunshine of God's love, revealed in its fullness as never before. But man was blind, spiritually blind to his need of a Savior. Second question #4 verse four. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
God says you are unclean. We are all as an unclean thing.
And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before him. You cannot change your heart. Can a leopard change his spots?
So you may do good that are accustomed to do evil. You cannot change your heart and listen, God doesn't reverently speaking change decide to change you either.
00:40:11
He gives you, he doesn't.
Renovate your being and.
Change that old nature that you have. He doesn't do that. He gives you a brand new nature, a new creation in Christ. He starts all over again. Feniman, be in Christ. He is a new creature. All things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new, new appetites, new desires, a new life, the life of Christ.
If you don't enjoy being at these meetings where we've been enjoying the word.
If you don't have any appetite for that, I don't, You're not saved at all. You really don't know Christ if these meetings are boring to you and uh.
Remember that God loves you and His reaching out to you.
This very this very day, you know, you tell a for a child, don't touch that stove, it's hot. But if the child doesn't listen to you and he goes on and he touches the hot stove, he may bear those scars for the rest of his life. And so, dear friends, this evening.
We want you to be assured of God's deep interest in you. Coming down to verse 10, the third question.
But Mandiathan wasteth away. Yeah, man, giveth up the ghost. And where is he?
There's another question that Job had a problem with and there's thousands of people that are giving saying this same question here in verse 10. Man dies and wasteth away. A man giveth up the ghost and where is he? Can you answer that question? Apart from the word of God, you have no solution to that question.
Satan in the Garden of Eden, he had this lie. You know it well.
If you eat of this fruit, you won't surely die.
He had that lie and Eve swallowed it.
And she was deceived by the enemy of her soul. But Satan can't use that lie now because there's too many cemeteries around. Everyone knows that people die. But he has another lie, and people are swallowing it hook, line and sinker. And what's that? That after death there is no judgment?
No consciousness after death. Your soul is sleeping. No such a thing as soul sleep in the Bible.
If you know the story well of the rich man in Luke chapter 12, we won't turn to it for the sake of time. There he was a gentleman farmer, we would say a good businessman. He had plans for the future. I'm going to pull down my barns. The crops are overflowing. I'm the barns are crammed to the roof.
I'm going to pull them down.
And Bill Greater and then I'm going to retire. Lots of money. I'm just going to eat, drink and be merry. I believe that he was planning this in his mind on his bed that night.
I think that was, uh, that was the place where he sorted out and, uh, I had the, all the measurements before his mind's eye, but he had a visitor that he did not expect that night. And I would put one word over that scene that the Lord gives there in Luke chapter 12, miscalculation.
He did not bring eternity into the equation. He left eternity out entirely.
He lived for himself and for the things of this world, and he had plans for the future, and God stepped in.
And he disappointed him entirely. And that night his soul was required of him, and he went into eternity, eternity unprepared. Not unloved, not unblessed, but unprepared. And there he was in a lost eternity, and there was no more opportunity.
In the early years of my work in Ottawa, I had a hobby class.
I had it in the West End of the city.
00:45:00
It was a pretty rough neighborhood.
And it started with only a few children.
But this was a French Canadian area, and this is no reflection upon French Canadians, but they were a tough group of children to manage.
I was exhausted at the end of the meeting to get them to pay attention, but I insisted that when I give the gospel now, after you finish the hobby class work, you do not talk when I am giving the gospel. That was a pretty big challenge. There was a little girl that came there. I remember her well. She was from a large family and she was on crutches. She hobbled in to the hobby class every night.
She never missed a night, she had a lovely smiling face, she enjoyed the the hobby class work, and she listened to the gospel.
Very well. I knew where she lived, just around the corner.
I knew the house and her brothers and sisters. Brothers came as well. It was a large family. One night in December, a very cold night, something happened in the kitchen. A pot of oil spilled over and that house went up in flames and everyone was ushered into eternity, including that little girl.
Except 11 got out.
I hope I'll meet that little girl in heaven. Has she heard the gospel many times?
And.
God wants your blessing the same As for her but.
Umm, you, uh, the reference to Luke chapter 16 shows us that man is conscious after death. And here's another verse we'll look at verse, umm.
14 If a man die, shall he live again all the days of my appointed time? Will I wait till my change comes? Well, I think that speaks of resurrection, and you know the every man and woman.
That has lived in this world is going to have to stand before God.
If they're unsaved, they're going to stand before the judge of all the earth that the Great White Throne, and they're going to have a body. What kind of a body? I don't know because Scripture doesn't tell us.
But they're going to be alive. Then they're going to stand before a holy God and give an account of their lives.
There's a resurrection. Why does man have his body cremated? Because he doesn't want. He fears there might be a resurrection.
And so if he has his body cremated and the ashes are thrown to the four winds, maybe he won't live again.
But that's a delusion of the enemy. If a man dies, shall he live again? Yes, most definitely he's going to.
Exist before God.
He's going to stand before his creator and give an account of his life.
And if he's unsaved?
He's going to hear those words depart from me. I never knew you. Into outer darkness forever. Utter darkness.
79 A.
There was a terrible explosion.
At that beautiful seaside city of Pompeii in southern Italy, August the 24th.
AD 79.
Vesuvius was just there in the distance, short distance. They heard rumblings, They saw the smoke coming from the cone there, the volcano. But that had happened for months. They got up and went on with their business.
To the market, to school. We've heard this for a long time. It's what we hear every day. But this time, these warnings were real.
And all of a sudden without any.
Without any delay, the mountain exploded.
And mountains, millions of tons of ash and poisonous gases and pumice floated down. It went up 12 miles, floated down on the city of Pompeii. Some of them were wise and they flee, fled to the harbor and got on ships, and they were saved. But others thought these stone buildings are a good place of refuge.
00:50:21
We'll stay here. This will be over in a short time. But it wasn't. It went on hour after hour, those people that took refuge in their stone buildings.
Soon it became utter darkness when the ash settled down on Pompeii and began to cover the buildings. The buildings were all covered. Not I think one soul was saved in that city.
Was was rescued just one, everyone was ushered into eternity. They did not take the warning and and that was utter darkness. The his historian tells us that people were crying for their families. They were in, uh, agony.
There they were in utter darkness when that ash fell down and filled the whole city, blackened it like a blanket.
What will hell be like be a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth?
And uh, you know, the rich man who ended up there, he didn't ask for companions, but he did ask for his brothers who were still in the world, that they would not come to this place of torment. He was concerned about his brothers. He knew he couldn't get out himself. He didn't even ask for companions.
There's no mercy in a lost eternity. Well, we don't want you to end up in utter darkness where there is no escape. Now the last verse we'll look at is time is going here, verse 16. For now, thou number is my steps. Dost thou not watch over my sin? Well, I think there's a little message there for the believer. I think that.
We can take that to heart.
That, as we've had in our readings, we're 16. The Lord watches over our steps. He's our great high priests.
He's our advocate. Even though we have failed, He's restores in His wondrous mercy, and He will reward everything that is done for him. Every little act of devotedness will receive its recompense in that coming day. I often put it this way, brethren. He has canceled the debit side. Boy, my debit side was very long and he is adding to the credit side.
So every little act, every thought on his name will be rewarded tomorrow morning.
We're going to remember the Lord leads us here. Every thought that you have sisters upon the name of the Lord is will be recorded in the annals of eternity and will be rewarded. May the Lord bless His word tonight and will you, as you are a Sinner, guilty before God.
Turn, renounce this world with all its sinful pleasures, and turn to Christ.
Who is waiting with his arms wide open? Those hands that were nailed to the cross of Calvary are reaching out to you tonight in love unspeakable. Do not turn your back upon that Savior and go on with your sins.
Into a lost eternity. God speaketh once, Yeah, twice. Yet man perceiveth it not. He spoken to you, maybe through an accident, maybe through death in your fam, your family, maybe through sickness. Job takes all those events up in this chapter 33. You could read it. God speaking in his mercy to man.
And using these things to awaken him to his need of salvation.
Sometimes I visit the City of London.
And do a little gospel work in the City of London.
I preached the gospel on the corner. There used to be a brother.
He didn't preach with me.
He loved the Lord and he would come and he'd hold the ropes and I was preaching.
In my feebleness.
The main corner in the city.
00:55:03
But a few years ago there was a man in London.
Who had the world at his foot?
He was one of the best football players that had ever graced that city. His name was Mark Caracola. He traveled around the world. He was the captain of the football team. He had everything before him. He lived in a penthouse. Lots of money. Money was no problem. His father had the best construction company in all of London.
And he was the heir to it.
He was the partner with his father. He's going to take over the business. But Mark.
Felt a deep need in his soul.
He had all that the world could offer, like Solomon, but he came to the same conclusion. All his vanity and vexation of spirit. I don't know the details, but he heard the gospel and he bowed the knee to Christ. Everyone thought he was a fool. He was a fool for Christ's sake. I tried to see Mark.
A few months ago when I was in London and he was busy at the time.
But now he received a call from the Lord.
He said the Lord has told me to go out and preach the gospel on the streets of London. So he carries a sandwich board with verses of Scripture and he goes up and down the streets of London proclaiming the gospel. People look at him and think he's not right in his head, I suppose, but that he's a fool.
But he has the joy of the Lord in his heart.
And Mark is a faithful witness.
For the Savior who delivered him from so great a death. So, dear friends, we close our meeting tonight.
With one more entry for you and one more warning.
You know when the tsunami hit India December 2004.
They only had three hours warning.
They had a warning.
From the, uh, the center there, the Hurricane Center, wherever it was they tried to get through to the people in India, to the officials, they said we don't know who to, who to, to ask for help. We have nothing in place. But the tsunami is coming in three hours. Warn people it's going to hit the coast. And it did with vengeance.
Probably thousands, some say 10,000. I think that's probably a little exaggerated, but hundreds and hundreds of people were.
Were rushed were uh, uh.
Taken out into the ocean and lost their lives right on the coast of India.
The warning was given but they were not prepared to listen and do something about it. So God gives you a warning in love tonight to flee from the wrath to come. You have the opportunity and God is beseeching. Don't be a person that refuses it's wonderful loving message.
Of forgiveness through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Through the precious blood of Christ that was shed, that has affected the very memory of God.
That blood that has cleansed from every stain of sin and given us a flawless title to eternal glory. May the Lord bless His word as we sing in closing.
And him.
The side for Christ #21 shall we stand and sing #21?
01:00:01
Nsnoise.
The heart of God has been fully revealed and unfolded to us, and we pray that Thy Word might be a blessing, especially to any who are strangers to Thy love and grace still in their sins.
Lost and guilty, we pray that the Word might find an entrance into hearts, young or old, that they may.
Come to Christ in true repentance and faith, while still the door of grace is widely open. We commit Thy word to Thee here and wherever the message has gone forth with Thanksgiving for this privilege in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Attraction
Children—Josh Stewart
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.
Where is the pain? Right up and down.
The square $1000 for me. She didn't come back and call me by the tree.
2019 to 1923 in your eyes. 1000 times crazy.
When you're seeing, well, I'm not bad and painful. It's been a lot of dry time getting by. The kids crying. Yeah, I have a lot of inflammation. I can find a guy which came will not.
Save me.
You didn't make it out of the dark. Everyone's not doing anything. She didn't even use that weight. But you're just complaining to me breathing. They are on the 1010% if you need me.
Probably will stay with me. Drop hands 10,000 and 91 dry stuff work that I can get you out of the sun to everywhere in the morning by the Halloween rhythm. It came right? Well, today it may.
He's gone blind by me.
She was from forever and all the tree Yee Yee Fung wings to make me dream.
He also can play with me.
OK, how about another one?
Go ahead #40.
Alright, this is a favorite.
Jesus loves me this time.
Let someone.
Be crying and strong.
You have to give us a lot of things you're up to start with me.
Yeah.
I'm talking not a Bible. Don't make so.
You can't watch me. Goodnight.
He's so much, so very migraine, but I thought when I was a little child for helping him, yeah, he tried to block me.
Yeah, even though it's a lot of people thinking, yeah.
You should come to a pig rock by a little bell meat so.
God bless me so I.
Can't get away to the earth and continue to ride on grace and we're close to gaining hands and honours.
Yeah, today's the day. It's from the rain on.
Yeah, it sounds like a pain.
Yes, you need to bust lots of me.
Yeah, you are probably not. I don't know.
She didn't take the last two months maybe 12 days when I buried every week in heaven now.
Round him shine and wind flames on the fire.
Umm, down with a lot of teaching, right? Or high or high, Yeah.
Did you try to clothing? Yeah, give us a lot of meaning.
Transcribe quick.
Blah blah blah. Who tells me so?
00:05:20
Yeah, we tried to watch it today. Yeah.
You can press one maybe.
Yeah, three times 1/6.
Five one countries so.
OK, before we go any further, let's, uh, close our eyes and ask for the Lord's help.
For Jesus, we come this morning and we're so thankful for the privilege that we have to have all the children come come up to the front and sing these songs and in a few minutes to save some memory verses and to have a little lesson from from thy word for us. And just thank you so much Lord Jesus, for thy love to us that we've been singing of that love which would take thee all the way to the cross.
To die for our sins, to suffer there.
So we just pray for help that there will be a little lesson this morning that could be a help and an encouragement to these, uh, little children. So we just pray this and we give thanks in the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
OK, how about one more and then we'll see if anyone wants to say a memory verse, Go ahead 44.
Into a tank where?
They got me.
Steady.
Nobody ever told me to be.
Proud, but I'll never get up again.
Umm, medicine. Somewhere in your medicine, do you know, All around the world.
Yeah, I'm trying to get back out of the blood cells. They're all in the house and you know all you need to learn, so I'll see you.
She has not broken up so I really can't go.
Out, and I have one way out of here without any Sunstone reaching all around the world.
Yeah, I'm trying to cancel it all the time. Get off the ground then.
Nobody asked her to have qualification for her.
Everything we can talk about last. Where is God in his breath? John Sandy. And there's a family of them. One can't get thundering. So everything.
That I am sure that the same thing for me that I'm living at the end of the run again.
Salvation story reaping, all right.
For, you know, I can't stand all of us. You don't have anything else to Madden, but I'll buy me a river and I'm not supposed to be alone.
OK, so those are some very nice songs and now, umm, there's a a verse on the.
On the messages of God's love that BTP prints, and I know some of you have probably memorized it. So would anyone like to say a verse that they have memorized? I'll tell you the one on the paper. It is First Timothy 115. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But if you have another one you've memorized, you can say that one as well. So do I have anyone that would like to say a verse?
We have some down here. OK, I've learned first.
First Timothy 115 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. First Timothy 115 Very good. OK anyone else?
00:10:11
OK, go ahead.
First Tennessee 115. Very good. It's always good to have someone to help you all right down here.
Christ Jesus came in the world into the world to say as soon as of whom I am chief First Timothy 115 very good. OK any other volunteers for the verse? OK Quincy.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. First time See 115 Very good. Anyone else? Go ahead.
First Timothy 115 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. First Timothy 1:15.
OK First Timothy 115 Christ came to the world to save sinners. First Timothy 115 OK anyone else? OK, right over here.
First Tennessee 115 Christ, you came to the workplace sinners.
It's OK First Timothy 115 Not everyone says the reference twice. That's all right. First Timothy 115 Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinner's first embassy. 115 OK.
First Tennessee 115. Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners. First Timothy 1:15 Yeah, very good. All right, Tom.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. First Timothy 115. Very good. OK, anyone else? Oh, we've got some down here. Great.
First Tennessee 115 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, First Timothy 1:15 First Timothy 115 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, First Timothy 1:15.
OK. Anyone else?
OK, very good. So this verse is a very beautiful verse because it gives us the gospel in a nutshell. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners so.
Every single one of us that's here in this room is a center because we've all sinned. And so the Lord Jesus came from. Where did he come from? Does anyone know?
He came into the world, but where did he come from? You know that's.
Right. It came from heaven and he came into this world and and what did he have to, what did he have to become so that he could come into this world?
Does anyone know?
It happened 2000 years ago approximately.
What did he have to become a man? Very good.
So he came into this world and he became a man. Does anybody know why he had to become a man, or at least one of the reasons why he had to become a man to save sinners?
Very good to save sinners. You know, it tells us in Luke that angels cannot die. So he couldn't become an Angel because in order to save sinners he had to die. He had to give his life, so he had to become a man. And so the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, became a man and he came into this world and he laid down his life.
As a sacrifice for sin, so that sinners could be saved. Very simple.
And So what do we need to do in order to be saved? Can anyone tell me? It's very simple.
Gleevend the Lord Jesus Christ. Very good, very simple, We just need to believe on Him.
OK.
So I have, uh, a lesson this morning for you children and.
Today's Sunday school lesson is going to be on the subject of attraction. OK, so for all the parents out there, I'm gonna keep this age appropriate. We're gonna talk about spiritual attraction. OK. And, uh, So what is attraction? That's, uh, maybe a little bit of a big word for some of you. Does anyone know what it is?
If, if, if two things are attracted, what does that mean? They come together very good, OK.
00:15:00
So I have an example that I'll show you for attraction, OK?
Who would like to help me out? How about right here? Can you hold on to this for me?
You better hold on tight, OK? So if you hold it, I'm gonna I'm gonna bring my piece towards yours, OK? Tell me if you feel something.
Wow, wanna try again?
Better make sure your fingers aren't in the way.
Wow, You feel that? So they pulled together. They're attracted. OK, Thank you.
So.
Attraction is when something is drawn by a force to another object. OK, and I've been reading my personal reading in the Gospel of John and there's a theme that runs, as appears to be all the way through the Gospel of John, having to do with attraction and the person that we are attracted to.
Can anyone guess who that is? Go ahead. That's right, the Lord Jesus, He is the one that we are attracted to. So I wanna just read a couple verses to show you that.
And first of all, just read a verse in John chapter 6. John chapter 6 and verse 44 says no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. So this verse tells us that God the Father is drawing.
Those who are going to be believers.
To the Lord Jesus. So just like this magnet.
Is drawing this other magnet.
Together with a with a force in that same way, God the father is is drawing each one of you children who's put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus to him. And you know what that's a wonderful thing. And I just want to to read this verse to start out because we have to realize that the only way that we can be saved is through Christ Jesus who came into the world.
And that's who God the Father is drawing us to. He's drawing you, each one of you, to the Lord Jesus.
To be saved, you know, and all the way through the Gospel of John, I'm not going to take a lot of time on this, but we find that Jesus, when he came into the world, something new came into the world.
Before the Lord Jesus was here in this world, those who were, you might call them believers, they believed at least in in the Word of God, parts of the Word of God. There was nothing in their hearts, there was nothing for them to be attracted to. They had the Old Testament right, which is about 2/3 of our Bible.
They had the Old Testament to tell them what God wanted them to do, but.
There was nothing that was drawing them.
And when the Lord Jesus came into this world, a great change happened. And for the first time there was a person in this world that the hearts of all those who have been touched by God's grace are being attracted to this one person. And it's a beautiful thing if you, if you want to study it, but I'll just give you an example.
And I won't read it, but in the first chapter of of of John's gospel, does anyone remember the man who was sent from God?
Before Jesus, before Jesus was born, before Jesus became went public with his ministry. Does anyone remember that man's name? Go ahead. John the Baptist. OK, so John the Baptist was was standing there one day and he had two disciples next to him and he saw Jesus.
And he said, because I don't remember what he said, anybody. It starts with behold, he said, behold, the Lamb of God. So John was looking at Jesus and he knew that this man who was he, he was looking at was the man that was going to be the sacrifice, God's sacrificial lamb so that he could take away.
The sin of the whole world. And John saw that, and he said almost to himself.
Behold the Lamb of God and these two disciples that were standing next to him.
They just left John. They've been with John, who knows how long, I don't know, but they left him and they went and they followed Jesus. And I think that's a beautiful example of how the Lord Jesus was just like that magnet and he came into this world and he just started drawing people to follow him, drawing, drawing people after him. In John three we have a man named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus. Was it nighttime or was it daytime? Does anyone remember?
00:20:24
Anyone go ahead night time. That's right. He came to Jesus at night because he was afraid. He didn't want people to know he was coming, but he came anyways. So the Lord Jesus was drawing people to him all the way through when he was here in this world. And umm, there was there's another time in John three. I'll just read it. You don't have to turn there, but.
The disciples of John came to John.
And they had a question.
Because they saw Jesus and he was his disciples were baptizing and he was getting more and more followers, more and more disciples were following Jesus. And the disciples of John said, what's going on here? Why are so many people following the Lord Jesus? And and so they said to him, just wanted to read this verse. It's they said.
Uh, Rabbi or teacher, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. So you see how the disciples of John knew.
That there was something with this man, the Lord Jesus, and just everybody was being attracted to him. And isn't that wonderful? Well, I wanna turn now to John chapter 10 and read a verse or two here and then I have a little illustration I wanna I wanna use.
John, Chapter 10.
And I guess I'll read.
Verse 14 I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine. So who is speaking in this verse? Who is the Good Shepherd? That's right, the Lord Jesus, He's the shepherd and he has sheep and he knows them and they know him. And then down in verse.
16.
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice.
And there shall be one. It should be translated flock and one shepherd. OK, so now I have some questions for you. Does anybody know what a fold is? What a sheepfold is?
Go ahead.
It's not exactly a bunch of sheep.
A bunch of sheep go into this this thing. What is a fold? Does anybody know?
It's like a pen. Exactly. So I have a sheepfold here that I made last night and I will, I will show it to you. It's like a, it's like a, a pen. Probably the walls will be made out of stone, but it took me a lot less time to draw a fence than stone walls. So, so you can see a fence all the way around, right. And the sheep are in this fold.
And so the Lord Jesus says that there is a fold. Does anybody know what this fold is that that the Lord Jesus is talking about? Does anybody know what it is? I'll give you a hint.
These see these wires here that are making up this fence. They have to keep the sheep in. Sometimes the sheep wanna go and they wanna do what they wanna do. But these wires, they have little sharp pointy pieces that stick out. And if the sheep goes too close, Ouch, the sheep will hit it and they'll come back in. Does anybody know what those wires are? What the what the fence is? Go ahead.
That's right, that's where the sheep live, and the fence is what is the job of the fence.
What does, what does the fence do very good. It keeps them in. And so this fence is gonna tell you children what it is. It's it's the Old Testament Scriptures, It's the law. So but before the Lord Jesus came, what his people had was a law and the law said.
Do this and don't do that. And this law was like this fence and it was keeping them in.
OK, and do you think that sheep always like to do what they're told?
No. Can anyone think of a verse that tells us that starts with all?
Anybody think of a verse? It's in Isaiah 53. It says all we like sheep have gone astray, and sheep just wanna go wherever they wanna go. And so I wanna show you that here.
00:25:12
And so I have, I have some things that we wanna show you.
And uh.
What I have here is some steel bulbs. OK.
And these are kind of like sheep, alright, and I'm gonna pour these.
Into the fold and we're going to see what happens. Do any any of your children want to come up so you can see? Go ahead. I really hope this works.
OK. All right, we'll start pouring them.
I think I'm going to take this off OK. It's going to come out slow.
What are they doing? Where are they going?
Going towards the fence, yeah.
We're all going towards the fence.
Why aren't they staying in the middle? Anyone know? That's right. They want to do what they want. Exactly. Finally I got this off. Oops. You lost a few, all right.
It's a lot of sheep and they're all going away from the middle.
They're getting as far away as they can from the middle, OK?
So now everyone stay right here, OK? Try not to touch, OK? I have something else here.
I need a volunteer.
Hold on, I have, I have two jobs. One is going to be hard, one is going to be very easy. Who wants to do the hard job? You have to be really quick.
Hey, how about you? OK, first of all, what are these?
The 10 commandments, right? These are tables of wood, but the real ones were made out of stone. I would like somebody to use these tables, these 10 commandments, try to get all these sheep to come back to the middle. OK, can you, can you go ahead and do that?
All right, let's see.
He says he knows how to do it.
How's it going?
Not that good. OK, yeah.
So. So what happened when we tried to bring him to the middle?
They just kept rolling back to the fence and that's what it is like when we try to.
When when we try to use these 10 commandments to try to make us do what God wants us to do. Because these 10 commandments tell us what God wants to do, but sheep just want to do what they want to do anyways. So can anyone think of a way to get these sheep to come into the middle?
A magnet. Good job.
OK, so who would like to try that method?
Umm, how about this boy over here? OK, you can go ahead and take that magnet and we'll see if you can.
And you can leave it together as one if you'd like. If you keep them together, you might be able to get them all on one.
And now are they rolling back to the fence? Now No.
Why aren't they rolling back to the fence?
Very good. Good job. You got them all to the middle. Very nice. OK, so we can all go and sit back down now in our seats.
So the Lord Jesus said that there was going to be not one, not one fold, but one flock. And what's the difference between a flock and a fold?
Go ahead. Wow. Very good, Very good. So she said it better than I could say it. OK.
So the Lord Jesus, when he came into this world, he became the Good Shepherd.
And so all the sheep now hear his voice and they follow him, just like all those steel balls rolled to the center were attracted to that magnet because they heard his voice, because he was the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. And so this is the very simple lesson that I wanna, I wanna impress on you. And I realize this is not the simplest lesson, but.
You know when we come home from this conference, right? Let me go back home and it's Monday and we get home and we, we wake up, let's say with, with a headache or something like that. We wake up with a bad, a bad attitude and we want to do something that's that's not right. We want to say something that's mean or we want to disobey our parents. We don't want to do our chores they ask us to do.
00:30:16
You know, we need to think about the Bible that God has given us, not as a list of rules.
Because if we do that, it's gonna be like the boy who tried to hurt all the sheep with ease and that didn't work out right. Instead, what we need to do is think about the Lord Jesus, and you can think about Him and remember what He did for you.
Do you remember what the Lord Jesus did for you? He gave up everything. He suffered. He was nailed to that cross, and He suffered for your sins and He laid his. He laid his life down for you. And if you think about Him and appreciate what He did for you, then you know what? You're gonna find that you're gonna want to do the things He tells you to do. You're gonna want to do it just like those.
Sheep went right to the magnet because they they were attracted to the magnet. OK.
So that is the simple lesson that I wanted to present now before we close.
After this meeting, there's gonna be another meeting.
Does anyone know what that meeting is called? Go ahead, what is it?
Yeah, there's two meetings, but what's the second one called right before lunch? Go ahead.
It's not the gospel meeting.
Breaking of bread, very good. And we come to the breaking of bread meeting because we are coming to remember the Lord Jesus, OK?
And I just want to read another verse before I close in John 12 and verse.
32 This is the Lord Jesus speaking, and he said, And I, if I be lifted up, we'll draw all men unto me. And so the Lord Jesus, as the one who was lifted up on the cross, lifted up in death, is become the gathering center, and he is gathering everyone, all who believe on him.
To think about him and to remember him and I realized this verse is not exactly talking about the breaking of bread, but I'm just making that application that we come to remember the Lord Jesus because.
We love him because our hearts, like that magnet, are attracted to him.
And so we come and there are many here that will be breaking bread in the next meeting. And do you think that they're coming because they feel like they have to come or because they want to come? Maybe we should ask some of them. What do you think? So we asked Mr. Ruga, do you think we should ask Mr. Ruga, is he coming because he has to come or because he wants to come? What do you think? Let's ask him.
He wants to come. How about Mr. Highland?
Yeah, I think we could ask everyone here and they would agree that we come because we want to come because we're attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ.
OK, so with that we can close in prayer.
Loving God and our Father, we just thank Thee for the privilege this morning to have Thy word open. So read these few simple verses and to be reminded that our hearts are attracted to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We just pray for each of these children that first of all that they might come to Christ to be saved, to know Him as the Savior of sinners, and then to seek Him and follow after Him.
And stay close to his side all the days of their life. So we just pray this for each one of us. We thank Thee 2 for the privilege of remembering him and his death.
Having him before us, this person and his work, and may we always appreciate and enjoy that wonderful privilege. So we just pray these things and worthy and precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Keeping the Entrusted Deposit
Address—Eric James
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Number 19 in the back of the book.
Read verse number.
4 Yet another morning my spirit may be free.
Is absent from the body at home. O Lord, with thee, O sleep, O rest till precious is guarded by thy care. I'm waiting for thy promise to meet thee in the air. We received a e-mail from our brother Wayne Coleman this morning, as some others did here, announcing he said wonderful news that his father was in the Lord's presence.
We, uh, and he mentioned that, uh, he often read that verse I just read to his father the last couple of weeks. He knew his father was in a great deal of pain and, uh, he knew that soon he'd be home with the Lord. I spoke with Wayne a couple weeks ago or so and he told me how much pain his father was in and, uh, I think Wayne, I said, Wayne, you know?
Uh, we so appreciated your dad. His dad had come and stayed with us in several occasions. He used to like to tell us and others that we were his home away from home.
And, umm, Anita and I got on the phone here a couple months back and we knew that he probably wouldn't live that much longer. And we spoke to Walter and we said, brother, among other things, we said we so appreciate the fact that you're finishing your course with joy. We had just finished the second book of Chronicles in one of our readings. And, uh, it's certainly noticeable, isn't it?
There's so many of the kings of Judas started well, but it didn't last too long and they didn't finish well. It's rare.
To finish well. And we told our brother Walter that we so appreciated the testimony, the encouragement. It is to us that he loved the Lord. He loved the truth, loved the assembly, and he was faithful to the end. And he finished his course with joy. Well, let's sing this. Him that was so dear to our brother Walter at the end of his life. Him #19 in the back of the book.
And help me.
Cortana.
Nsnoise.
And, umm.
I went to.
A lot of things for all of my hands and everything.
'S all good and lean on.
Let's bow our heads.
God our Father, we thank you for the sentiments of this hymn. We thank Thee that it lifts our minds up to heaven. We pray that we might be each one of our prayers that we would abide in that heavenly love. We do thank Thee that our brother Walter is home with thee, safe in court. We thank you for the testimony he bore. We pray that we would follow.
Those same footsteps to let us come to take us home. So we pray for help as we open thy precious Word, our God, our Father.
Who has requested that we would give thy people meet in due season? And we pray for help in that regard. We pray these things now. We give thee thanks in Jesus precious name, Amen.
I'd like to look first of all to some verses in First Timothy and Second Timothy. Return to the 6th chapter of First Timothy. Wanted to read that in the new translation because the language is a little different. I don't do that too often, but feel in this case it's important to do.
First Timothy, chapter 6.
In verse 20. Verse 20.
Keep the entrusted deposit, avoid profane vain babblings and opponents of false name knowledge of which some having made profession have missed the faith. Grace be with thee. What I particularly had in mind was that expression entrusted deposit. So I'd like to speak about this afternoon and then over in the over the over in the next page, the 1St chapter of Second Timothy.
Verse 12.
For which cause? Also again I'm reading from the new translation.
For which cause also I suffer these things, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that day to that day. The deposit I have entrusted to him. Have an outline of sound words, which words thou hast heard of me, and faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus.
00:10:19
Keep by the Holy Spirit, which dwells in US, the good deposit entrusted.
And then if you turn just a couple pages again to the first chapter of first Timothy, verse four expression, I want to read there reading from the middle of the verse there speaking about fables and interminable genealogies, which brings questions rather than notice this expression bringing questions rather than further God's dispensation.
Which is in faith, but the end of what is enjoined is love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience an unfeigned faith.
Little this afternoon. The entrusted deposit. What is it? The deposit that God has entrusted to us in this day? You know, I noticed we first came here. I'd never been here before and looked at some of the literature in the main hall and I appreciated some of the things that were there. I didn't know that this is the place where Mr. Tozier is buried. He was certainly a giant in the beginning of last century, and we appreciate his godliness, I remember.
Reading once about Mr. Tojer that.
He said he had preached themselves at of most of the pulpits of North America because he was a faithful man and people didn't always want to hear what he had to say. But I was reading this here. It says 1908 Montrose Bible Conference was founded by Doctor Ruben, a Tory pastor and evangelist. He saw the purpose of the conference as a place to bring people quote.
Into right relationship with God and to send them back to their work with a larger vision.
Of Christian privilege and service on fire with a love for men. We can add Amen to that, can't we? That's certainly a wonderful purpose and it's gone on for over 100 years now. I was struck too. I wrote down a couple of comments that I've enjoyed and various sources. I was struck by a comment by a man named William McDonald. Maybe you've read his devotional.
It's called one day at a time. It's probably my favorite devotional. If you've had a chance to read it, I would encourage you to, uh, read it. If you haven't, uh, you would enjoy it the day by day devotional. And, uh, I was struck by this comment he made. He said the tragedy of life today is that men fail to appreciate their high calling. And, uh, I wanted to speak about that high calling today.
What is our high calling?
What is the entrusted deposit that God has given to us? Now we know we live in the last days of the church. There's a tendency to give up truth. I know many people have the idea that the church is progressing and progressing and progressing. We have more truth than we've ever had, but it's not true. Speaking of Christendom in general, but what we have today is largely if we read Scripture.
A giving up of much of the recovered truth.
So I'd like to look at some things today. I actually thought of this little talk I had in mind. Today is kind of a multi, a multimedia presentation. I know that may sound a little strange to us in modern thinking because you don't see any screen or any such thing. I don't have an object lesson, but you know, scripture in a sense is multimedia. I want to first turn over to and you might just start.
Working your way over there over to.
Acts Chapter 20.
Favorite passage of mine. But in Scripture we have doctrine, we have types and figures that illustrate that doctrine, and we have examples of people that have walked in the truth of that doctrine. And let's say I think of that sort of as a multimedia type of information. The more we read Scripture, the more we see how that there are many, many parallels.
In scripture many types and figures that.
That illustrate truth that's taught in a doctrinal way. Well, let's start with the doctrine in Acts chapter 20 and then we'll look at some illustrations of that.
Acts chapter 20. This is Paul speaking to the Ephesians elders. He didn't know if he'd ever see them again and these were his parting words to them. Verse 24.
00:15:05
I'll start at the end.
The ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Well, if you would just put a marker there perhaps, and turn over to a type or an illustration.
Of this truth, over to Matthew chapter 13.
Now this Matthew chapter 13 is a chapter that many have referred to.
I have to confess that I personally have kind of wrestled with the message in this chapter. What is it really speaking about? And I think some of the commentators have wrestled with it, too. It's not always as clear, perhaps as it might be. We know that some have had quite different thoughts about it. But I believe in retrospect, what we have in this chapter is what we have a number of times in Scripture, I believe at least three times in Matthew.
Twice in Acts, and that is we have an outline of church history.
And that's a helpful thing for us, isn't it? I know the interpretation goes a little bit beyond the church, not going to, don't have time to get into that too much. But the interpretation goes beyond the parables themselves. This is common, But what we have really is a outline of church history. You notice the first parable in Matthew 13 is the parable of the sower. The sower sowed good seed, and there was a mixture.
It fell on different types of ground.
Uh, some were real. Only one was real that fell on good ground. The others were not real. That's Christian profession includes both those that are real and those that are not real.
And then the second, just to be brief here because I wanna get to the last three, the 2nd is the tears that were sown in the field. And that again speaks of the work of the enemy, how we tried to dilute the testimony. And indeed he did dilute the testimony. And the weeds grew up with the weed as well. And then the third mystery, or the 3rd parable was the grain of mustard seed.
And it became.
A great tree. It's a picture of what happened.
Uh, the, in the, uh, what, 3rd or 4th century when Constantine embraced Christianity and actually made it the, uh, state religion. And as a result, uh, we have what we have what's called in, uh, in Revelation 2, pergamos. Pergamos means a corrupt marriage. And indeed, when the church and the world were married, that's a corrupt marriage.
And so, uh, we have the history moving on.
And it went further in the fourth mystery. We have 11. Notice what it says there in verse 33.
The middle of the verse, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto 11, or yeast as we know.
Which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the hole was leavened. Well, that corresponds with what we have in Thyatira, doesn't it? In Revelation chapter 2? That was the low point in some respects of the church testimony. From that time a remnant began to be separated, as is mentioned there in the second chapter of Revelation. So I'd like to get on then with verse 44.
The 5th parable.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in the field, the which when a man hath found, he hide it, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Well, what is that? After the low point of Thyatira, the high point of Catholicism in this world, what happened? God began to separate a remnant. And we read about that in the Reformation. And I'd encourage you, young.
Especially, and those of us that are a little older too, to read church history, read what your legacy is. Uh, we read that many suffered under the, uh, under Catholicism. And yet there were those that were real and, uh, beginning with men like John Huss and Wickliffe, uh, sometimes called the morning Star, the Reformation. And some years later, Luther, you know, was called the Hussite for many years and he objected to that.
Until we read what John Huss wrote and then he said, and that's what I am, there's no difference, even though I remember about 150 years before and was burned at the stake. But nonetheless, we have the recovery. The the the truth was begun to be recovered. But a treasure, as Mr. Kelly points out, normally is made-up of numerous pieces. And I believe the recovery began with the truth.
00:20:14
That's important for the individual believer. The recovery happened in stages, did it not? And so.
The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in the field. And so if we look back at Acts 20, don't turn there necessarily, but the first stage that we have there and the doctrinal stage that Paul mentions is the gospel of the grace of God. What is the gospel of the grace of God? It's the truth that God became a man.
He came to us in our need, just where we were.
And he wrought salvation at Calvary's cross, the gospel of the grace of God. We heard that last night, didn't we? I often feel that one of the clearest illustrations of the gospel, the grace of God, is the Good Samaritan, is it not? He came to that man just where he was and all his need and.
He wrought salvation for that man, and I don't want to spend too much time on that because we heard that last night and we often heard it, but that's certainly part.
Of the entrusted deposit we have, isn't it? And that truth is being given up. We wanna hold it firm.
That truth has a double aspect to it. Without spending much time on it, just remember what Augustus Toplity said he wrote in that hymn. That famous hymn Rock of Ages cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water in the blood from the ribbon, thy ribbon side which flowed be of sin, the double cure, cleansing from its guilt and power. You know, with many Christians speaking to somebody recently.
They said, you know, I had a good friend who was a Christian, and she said, all I want to know is forgiveness of sins. You know, that's just the beginning of Christianity, isn't it, to know forgiveness of sins. There isn't a lot of depth to that. Some people say, I just want to have my sins forgiven and then live the way I want to live. As long as I've got a fire escape to heaven, that's all I need. But that's not the blessing that God intends for us, is it? And so we know from the book of Romans.
And other books as well. That there's a double cure for sin, not only forgiveness of sins. Notice what it said in that hymn.
Cleansing from its guilt and power were delivered, and when we truly understand what our salvation is, we're delivered not only from the guilt of sin, but from its power as well. That's our standing in Christ. What a wonderful truth that is. Well, we have to pass on, but that's what was recovered. I shouldn't say that was recovered. I believe only the first half was recovered during the Reformation. It was some years later before.
Uh, believers understood the second-half of that, what Mr. Kelly liked to call the full gospel. But there's more to this. I believe as we read in Acts chapter 20, some more individual truth. That's, uh, turn back there real quickly. Keep our finger there. It says there in verse 25 of Acts 20, uh, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God.
Shall see my face no more. What is the Kingdom of God?
Well, when we read in the book of Romans, it tells us the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
It's the moral side of Christianity. When I become a Christian, and this is one of the things that was recovered as well in the Reformation, began to be recovered, at least in the Reformation. They started to realize that if you say you're a Christian, you better live like a Christian. In fact, I was talking to a brother the other day and I said, you know, the Lord knows them that are his. I have a brother who was raised in under the gospel.
But any professes to be a Christian in a certain sense, but.
I said, you know, there's no fruit in his life that we can tell at all, sad to say. And the Scripture says by their fruit you shall know them. So Christianity is not only saying you're a Christian, it's not only being saved, but it goes beyond that. And it's an issue of living like a Christian. And we've been speaking about that and these meetings, haven't we, salvation of this.
This present tends to salvation, which is salvation of life. We can have soul salvation.
But we may have a lost life. That's a serious thing. I hope each one of us takes that to heart. Over the years, we've seen that many times and been tempted to it ourselves. Haven't we that be satisfied with being saved? But what about the life that the Lord is entrusted to us as a believer? Do we walk like a Christian? Are we a light for the Lord Jesus in this world?
00:25:20
Or did we just want to get that fire escape to heaven? We just want to make sure that when we leave this world, we go to heaven.
But then just walk as a worldly person through this world. When I'm saved, I belong to another, no longer myself.
And so that's what we have here. I believe in the truth as we read there in Acts chapter 20, the Kingdom of God, there's a moral side to it, and Scripture is full of it. As we mentioned yesterday, Mr. Kelly thought that when we read the word salvation in the New Testament, it more commonly speaks of this type of salvation.
How we're saved as Christians, not to become Christians, but as we live as Christians that have a life that's honoring to the Lord.
That's what the teaching of the Kingdom of God is, that we live a life that's honoring to the Lord Jesus. Well, there's so much more we could talk about there. Something else I wanted to mention. There's another little book that I've used a number of times. It's called More than a Carpenter. I like it for an evangelical tool. Maybe some of you have read it by Josh McDowell, and in that book he speaks about the person of Christ Josh McDowell was.
Raised in a dysfunctional family.
His father was the town drunk. That was a terrible embarrassment to him. And, uh, the time came where he was an agnostic. He thought of this is the kind of father he had and this is the kind of father that God is. He didn't want anything to do with them. But over the course of time, he realized that there must be more in life. And I think it's interesting in that little book called More than a Carpenter, again, I've given it out as an evangelical tool on a number of.
He begins with a quote from a 13th century philosopher. And that philosopher says something along these lines. He says every soul has a hunger or a thirst for meaning and happiness. Oh, well, that's interesting, isn't it? And that's how Josh McDowell began his search. He knew there was something missing in his life, knew there was something beyond what he could see.
And he had that hunger for happiness. He wasn't happy.
He had that hunger for happiness. He had a hunger for meaning in life. What's the meaning of life? It's a good question. People ask that all the time, don't they? There was a painter named Agon and he, he painted a famous painting, which is rather mysterious until you read the caption underneath it. And the caption underneath it says.
Whence what, Whither, Where did I come from?
What is my purpose in life? Where am I going? He had no idea he was a disciple of Roussel, and he found that there was no true satisfaction in that philosophy or any other philosophy that men have. But nonetheless.
The time came in Josh Mcdowell's life where he felt he had to deal with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, God has given us at least seven testimonies concerning himself. We can't go into that now. That's a whole meeting in itself. But one of those testimonies is the fact that God became a man. He walked into this world. He died in Calvary's cross.
And if he truly is who he said he was. If he truly is who the Bible says he is.
If he truly is who millions have said he is, then I have to deal with that fact before I leave this world. And that's why he wrote the book More Than a Carpenter. Again, I believe that's only one of seven testimonies God gives. We could talk about that another time. But nonetheless, that's a powerful evangelical tool. I might add to that philosopher.
He says men have a thirst for happiness. That's true. A thirst for meaning. What's the purpose of life? What am I doing here?
I might add also from a Christian context that we should have a desire to be fruitful in this world.
At least those three things. And that's important, isn't it? But you know, there's a caveat to all of that. And I want to look at our verse here again in verse 44. These things have to do with the individual truths that began to be recovered at the Reformation that we can be so thankful for that. Notice what it says in verse 44 of Matthew 13.
00:30:03
The treasure was hid in the field. The witch, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath.
And bias that field. Who's that man? Well, we know that was the Lord Jesus Christ, wasn't it? He sold all that he had and bought it. He went to the cross so that he might have a family, a bride for time and for all eternity. That's what the Lord Jesus did. You know, the philosopher again looks at himself and he says we have a thirst for happiness. We have a thirst for meaning. As I said, we might have a.
To be fruitful in this world for some reason. But in one sense that's backwards, isn't it? My desiring happiness by desiring happiness is fine, but by seeking happiness I'll never find it. Isn't that an interesting thing? So what's the secret of happiness? How can we find happiness? Well again, I jotted down a little poem I appreciate.
This is by a man named Simpson. Maybe it was a woman, I don't remember but.
Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord. Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word. Once His gifts I wanted, now the give her home. Once I sought for healing, now himself alone. This is a great secret to this world through which we passed.
That if we make happiness our goal, we won't find it. If we make meaning, our goal will be like the philosophers that twist themselves in pretzel pretzels all day long.
And never get anywhere. But what's the secret to happiness and meaning? It's by putting the Lord Jesus first. That's the true source. We mentioned the acrostic of joy, didn't we? Jesus first, others next, yourself last.
And uh, and uh, Galatians 220, we have that key, don't we? I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not live yet not I.
But Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
Who loved me and gave himself for me. That's the secret, you know. The man of the world makes himself the center of his world.
And many people after they're saved, they make the law the their rule of life is, it's sometimes called, they say, well, I'm saved now, I guess I have to be obedient. So they make the law the rule of life, and they think by some measure they can justify themselves to God by keeping the 10 commandments. And we saw the illustration this morning that the law doesn't do a very good job of that.
But I appreciated what Josh said. There's an attractive center.
And that's the true secret of happiness. That's the true secret of meaning in our lives and our fruit bearing. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Isn't that a great secret? So we seek these things. But again, it's not just the blessings. It's not intelligent to only seek the blessings or the feelings.
The greatest intelligence is we find as we mature that we.
Seek Christ, and then we get those things, we get true happiness. Uh, it's one of the saddest things again to see people who are pursuing happiness day after day. They'll never find it, not permanently, not for very long. Because the only true source of happiness is to put Christ first. Well, let me read another little poem. I'm sorry I'm reading so many, but I've enjoyed them recently. And I, we went over this with our young people not too long ago.
Maybe some of you have heard this poem before, but this again is the secret of true happiness in this world. True meaning, understanding our purpose, true fruitfulness. Oh, the bitter shame and sorrow that a time could ever be when I left the Savior's pity, plead in vain, and proudly answered all of self.
And none of thee yet he found me.
I beheld him bleeding on the accursed tree, heard him pray forgive them, Father, and my wistful heart said faintly, Some of self, and some of thee.
00:35:00
Day by day is tender mercy, healing, helping full and free, sweet and strong and awe. So patient brought me lower while I whispered less of self and more of thee.
Higher than the highest heavens, deeper than the deepest sea. Lord, thy love at last is conquered. Grant me now my supplication. None of self, and all of the.
That's a sweet poem, isn't it? I found that somewhere and my wife said, oh, we used to sing that. So she sang it to me. There's apparently a a music that goes along with that. Well, let's move on. My wife always says don't jam too much in. You try to jam too much in and then you don't finish what you'd like to finish. So let's move on to what we have in Matthew 13 again.
Uh, verse 45. Well, before we do that, let's turn back to the doctrine.
In uh, Acts chapter 20.
We have the individual truths. I believe in the Reformation, the great truth that was recovered was the authority of Scripture. I believe we have the forgiveness of sins and we have to a certain extent, to the truth of right Christian living.
But I believe even later there were those who who valued that even more than those early believers. But what they learned in those times they were willing to give their lives for, even though it was just the beginnings of Christianity, just those individual truths. They didn't know any more than that. Well, later on, the holiness movement came along, and with all its faults, it emphasized the reality of Christian living.
In a way that would be honoring to the Lord, Yes, it was often legally based, I understand that.
But it was in a certain direction that was honoring to the Lord. And when we get to the 18th century, we find men like, uh, uh, Wesley and Whitfield that, uh, started a holiness club. They realized that, uh, they wanted to honor the Lord in their college campus where they were, and they began those clubs and they realized that true blessing would come if they sought to please the Lord. And indeed, that led to, uh, greater light.
Scripture, you know, Mr. Darby, uh, paraphrase a statement that Isaac Newton made. Isaac Newton, of course, the famous, uh, famous scientist made a statement that he stood on the shoulders of giants. He recognized that the things he discovered were the basis for that was laid by others that went before. And Mr. Darby used that same expression. He said, you know, I stand on the shoulders of giants. There's others that have gone.
Four, those reformers that often gave their lives and those in the holiness movement, many who gave their lives. Read about Gerhart as well as some of these others. We mentioned men like that who sacrificed their life, and many actually gave their lives for the cause of Christ, and we honor those men and we're thankful for them well.
What we have next, then an X, is all the Council.
Of God in verse 27 for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Many Christians today are thankful that they're saved. Perhaps they even understand their standing that they're not only saved from the guilt of sin, but the power of sin. And we hear things like focus on the family and it's, uh, certainly has some things that are helpful.
Uh, living like a Christian in this world, That's certainly important, isn't it?
But God has more for us. The entrusted deposit includes those things, but it goes beyond. I think the song we had speaks about those things that are heavenly. This is the true source of blessing God has for us. You know, the Lord Jesus came into this world first of all, to meet our need. That's true. We had these needs and the Lord came to meet these needs. But Peter and I were speaking.
The other day, Peter Blair and I were speaking the other day about the distinction between the gospel of the grace of God and what Scripture calls the gospel of the glory of God. The gospel of the grace of God is God beating us in our desperate need. The gospel of the glory of God is the fact that he's gone back to heaven and he dispenses blessings beyond all we can ask or think. That's all the counsel of God, what we have here. How many Christians stop too soon? Don't get the.
00:40:06
Blessings that God has for us in virtue of the fact the Lord Jesus has gone to heaven as a victor and in virtue of the fact that the Spirit of God has come down to indwell us and to guide us into all truth. So here we have all the counsel of God. What we read earlier about having an outline of sound words, didn't we? And some of the things that were recovered then about 170 years ago, we can be so thankful for it. I believe this is the.
Entrusted deposit, part of it, along with the things we've already mentioned, dispensationalism. That's why I read that verse in first Timothy chapter one, further furthering the dispensation of God. You have to get the new translation to get that language furthering the dispensation of God. God has entrusted us with that privilege and that blessing. What is the dispensation of God?
Dispensationalism is really.
An outline of Scripture. You won't understand Scripture unless you understand at least the rudiments of dispensationalism.
What are those rudiments? Well, in the most basic form, they have to do with Jew, Gentile, and Church of God understanding the origin, the purpose and the hope of those three people groups. Fact. That's the key to many things in Scripture. We understand that as members of the Church of God, we're very different.
And our origin, our purpose and our hope from Israel passed and and future.
And that's very important to understand. And so we have all the counsel of God that's been brought to light. Now God says I have a treasure of blessing that I want you to get a hold of. Let's look at the figure of that in Matthew 13 verse 45. And the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls.
When he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had.
And bought it.
That Pearl of great price, of course, is the church, isn't it? And the church is the key to all the counsel of God.
The Lord Jesus said I love my Master, my wife, my children. I will not go out free.
And now he's gone back to heaven, and these things have been dispensed to us all. The counsel of God, you know.
When these things were recovered, first of all, we had an outline of Scripture. We understand there's the Old Testament in the New Testament, but we understand that God is speaking in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Remember, Brother Norman Berry used to often say that in the New Testament, the Bible is like a textbook. He said in the New Testament, it's like the text, and the Old Testament is like the illustrations that we have that illustrate the text. And that's often true, isn't it? So the Old Testament finally came alive.
You know, we went to, uh, there happens to be a full, uh, size scale of the Tabernacle near Lancaster here in Pennsylvania. We went there a couple days ago. I'd heard about it over the years and wanted to visit at some point. So we went there and it's run by Mennonites really. And, uh, we asked some questions about the types and so on, and mainly we got a blank look because they talk about the Tabernacle.
But they don't really understand that it's a type of things, an illustration of New Testament truth.
In fact, the Tabernacle is one of the greatest types of New Testament truth. I believe there's two great.
Types in the Old Testament that teaches New Testament truth. One is the Tabernacle, the other is the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Again, those are subjects for meetings all by themselves, but believe we have wonderful outlines in both the Tabernacle and the journey from Egypt to Canaan. But nonetheless, uh, she didn't have too much to say about that, didn't seem to understand that. But all of a sudden when those men began to understand the truth of dispensationalism, the distinction.
Between Jew, Gentile, and Church of God, all of a sudden scripture became alive. All of a sudden prophecy opened up. If you don't understand dispensationalism, you cannot understand prophecy. You cannot understand prophecy, you can't understand the scriptures, you can't understand prophecy. All of a sudden prophecy came to light. It's been said about 1/3 of scripture is prophetic. That's a lot to miss.
And so all of a sudden it became alive, and brethren could understand it, and they could pass it on to us.
That's part of the entrusted deposit.
Other brethren, I don't believe that this was really understood until the last 150 or 60 years or so. You know, in the 1St century, the Scriptures weren't all written and there was a big struggle between Judaism and Christianity, between the law and Christianity, and I don't think they really got a hold of a lot of these things. Of course, the apostles understood it and some of the prophets, but by and large, I don't think that truth is understood very well.
00:45:25
After the Apostles passed off the seed, the Apostolic Further, the Fathers lost a great deal of truth if you reference some of the things they've written.
They lost even some of the fundamentals of Christianity. So for many, many years the truth was lost. It's only been in these recent years, these last 100 and 7000 and 50 years that the truth has been recovered. All the counsel of God, that's a privilege and a responsibility. This is the entrusted deposit that God has entrusted to us.
Another thing about dispensationalism when you understand the outline of scripture.
You understand, start to understand prophecy, you can understand those types and pictures in the Old Testament. They come alive and it's a wonderful study. Once we get into it, you find that it's thrills like nothing else. I remember some of you may have a struggle as we often have. We all have at times with getting motivated to read scripture.
Remember, Mr. Lundin used to often say, do you wanna have more interest in Scripture?
Then read it, read it and you'll start to get more interest and interest and interest. The more you understand the broad outline that you can start to understand the principles, start to see the the parallels in Scripture, the progression in Scripture, the parentheses. There's some important parentheses in Scripture. If we don't understand the parentheses, we're gonna miss the counsel of God. There's important parentheses and Scriptures as well as progression and as well as.
Uh, parallelism.
But these things start to come alive as we read Scripture, as we go to the meetings. Why would we want to go to the meetings? I know it's one thing sometimes to come to these conferences. Everybody looks pretty nice in their Sunday clothes. What about when we go back home? Do we make a diligent study of the scriptures? Are we anxious to go and be a help during the midweek meetings as well as during the meeting on large day? Or do we just kind of say, well, I've got my life to live?
I guess I am going to live, I guess I will live AC minus Christian life. You know, I taught for about 10 years in junior college level. At the end of the quarter, you had to give out grades and of course to get there I had to get quite a few grades too. But nonetheless, not very satisfying. Get AC minus. Is that, uh, is that the kind of Christian life we want to live AC minus life.
Well, the Lord wants far more for us, and so he's entrusted this deposit to us.
That was hid from generations in the past. In many respects, throughout the dark years of Christianity, it wasn't understood. We can be thankful with printing that, uh, many of these things began to be understood again. But in our day, I think particularly we have a special privilege because so much is available online. Uh, there's no excuse. I didn't don't have to have a huge library anymore because I can hop online to stemorbiblecenter.org or some of those.
Websites and I can get tremendous a tremendous library.
So all the counsel of God, and that's what we have in this Pearl here, when he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Well, let's get on to the third part. I want to speak.
About verse 47 and Matthew 13 Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down.
And gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. What does that mean? You know, I wrestled with that for a long time. And I think there's something helpful here that's, uh, been an encouragement to me. The truth, the individual truths were begun to be restored with the Reformation and then the holiness movement. I think they started to point us in the direction that if you're a Christian, we need to live like a Christian. And then the whole counsel of God was recovered some years ago.
Well, what does this have to say to us today? Talks about the net. Well that's the gospel net. We're often told I believe that's true the gospel has gone out in recent years in an unprecedented way and we can be thankful for it and then it talks about those that those fish that are brought in the gospel net are gathered gather the good into vessels but cast the bad away Well the vessel is the assembly that's.
00:50:16
Purpose. And so when we read in Colossians chapter one, we have two headships there. We have two reconciliations and we have two ministries. The one ministry is the gospel ministry. That's the net that goes out. The other ministry is the ministry of the mystery, or what we've been speaking about is dispensationalism. But what does this mean then? Well, I believe there's some practical lessons for us.
Let's turn to get some examples, I said.
We wanted to speak about some examples here, as well as figures and as well as doctrine. Turn back to Second Chronicles chapter 30 to begin with.
Why does it bring this out in the last days? Gather the good into vessels? Does God have a purpose? Is it really practical in our day to walk in the light of these things that have been recovered over the last several 100 years? Or are we to go along with those who say, you know, it's all over?
We live in an evil day.
There's such failure. We can't argue with that. That's true. Are we to go like many others and say, well, we'll just give up and we'll just please ourselves? That's really what it comes down to, doesn't it? If I say there's no testimony, no responsibility underneath, I'm really saying I just want to please myself. That's not a very good motive, is it? I think we can judge that pretty quickly. But what does Scripture have to say? Well, let's look at some examples.
As I mentioned, this is part of the multimedia presentation. First we have some doctrine, then we have some types or figures. Now we have some examples that'll be a help to us. In, uh, Second Chronicles chapter 30, I read about King Hezekiah. Don't have time to read much in the few minutes we have left, but let's read what it says there in, uh, chapter 30 verse, uh.
25 Hezekiah was.
One of the later kings of Judah, he lived during the day of Isaiah the prophet.
There was still some 150 years or so before Jerusalem was destroyed, but nonetheless, there was a, a, a great deal of giving up in his day. So what did he do? Did he fold his hands and say, well, I guess it's a sad time we live in, we'll just give up? No, here's what he did. Verse 25 of Second Chronicles 30. And all the congregation of Judah with the priests and the Levites and all the congregation that came out of Israel and the strangers.
Came out of the land of Israel and that dwelt in Judah. Rejoiced. This was when they kept the Passover.
How did they keep that Passover? Verse 26? So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem. Let's turn over a few chapters to chapter 3035. We have another man named Josias. I met Josiah this morning.
We have a king named Josiah. It's one of the very last kings of Israel.
Of the two tribes before Jerusalem was destroyed and in chapter 35 we have in verse 17.
The children of Israel that were present, notice it wasn't all of them. Now 10 tribes have been carried captive by this time, and they had invited some of the other tribes, the 10 tribes that have been carried captive, and some responded. And the children of Israel that were present, verse 17, kept the Passover at that time, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, seven days.
And there was no Passover like that like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. Neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priest, and the Levites, and all Judah.
In Israel that were present and the inhabitants of Jerusalem here it not only goes back in its intelligence to Solomon's day, but we can see it goes all the way back to.
Uh.
What does it say here? All the way back to Samuel the prophet? They had intelligence that had been missed for many, many years. They acted in a practical way on it, and the Lord commends them for it. Turn over to Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 8. They kept the Feast of Tabernacles in Nehemiah's day.
They had kept the Feast of Tabernacles over the years. This wasn't the first time it was kept in Israel's history. But notice what it says here, verse 17 of Nehemiah chapter 8. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity, made booze and sat under the booze for since the days of Joshua the son of nun.
00:55:23
Unto that day had not the children of Israel done so.
And there was very great gladness. There was a day of even greater ruin than that of Hezekiah or Josiah. And yet they're commended for their intelligence and their practical carrying out of the truth that had been entrusted to them so many years before.
Just want to read a couple more things here that I had enjoyed. We live at a time, again I believe, when the Lord would desire us to walk in the truth. It's been recovered. Not only the recovery of individual truths, as important as that is in its place, but the recovery of collective truth.
The whole council of God, the church at the center. And what's the center of the church?
It's Christ, isn't it? People often say, well what do you mean gather to the Lord's name? What does that mean? Well, I my answer often is, what other center would God allow than that of his beloved Son? Isn't that simple? God would not allow any other center. What happened when they wanted to make 3 tabernacles? The Lord said to God, the Father said, this is my beloved son, hear him.
God only has one gathering center. That's the.
Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And we know all around us there's a giving up of that, an ecumenical movement. Let me just read a couple things here. In the few moments we have left. First of all, I believe we have a privilege that in reality is unmatched.
And all the creatures of God's creation.
Would you rather be an Angel?
No, an Angel is not going to be the bride of Christ. Would you rather have been lived in Moses day? How little truth he knew under the law. Would you rather live in David's day, see the Kingdom in its glory? Well that would have been an interesting time, wouldn't it? But they were still under law. How about the Apostle Paul's day? Well that would have been an interesting time, wouldn't it? But again, the whole scriptures hadn't been written in the 1St century.
Not till the end of the 1St century when the apostle John finished the truth there and there seems, uh, printing had not been discovered yet. Uh, the truth was not really that available to many people. How much those early believers really understood of all the counsel of God, I don't know. I don't believe it was very, very deep. Or would you like to live in the dark ages or even in the days of Mr. Darby when the truth was finally the whole counsel of God was being recovered? Well, that would have been a.
Nice time, we might say, but I believe the Lord has entrusted us with truth and, uh, requested that we carry it out in a practical way, as we have in that last of those seven parables. I want to read, uh, just two things here very quickly in closing.
This is a quote I got from Mr. Bellet's little book on Psalms. If you read it, you'll find it there on page 147. I read it some time ago, some years ago, I don't remember when, put in the back of my Bible because it impressed me so much. He was actually quoting from somebody else. That every Christian is treading the ascent of wisdom and goodness. And an era in his course shall arrive when superior, when supernal beings.
Ancient proficiency and virtue, those are those who read about in Hebrews 11, right? And all those who read about it in church history that have been such godly examples to us. So in his course, an era in his course shall arrive when supernal beings, ancient proficiency and virtue, shall count him. That's us.
Their worthy companion and delight in his converse.
Mr. uh, Witherby, in his book on Solomon's Temple, makes a statement that is Israel is the aristocracy of the earth, the Christian is the aristocracy of the universe. That's a tremendous privilege, is it not? But I want to read one final thing here, and then I'll stop. There's a great danger of ecumenicalism in this world today. That's the direction Christianity is gone.
01:00:08
They reject what's often called the ruin of the church, which we find in Thyatira.
The woman who leavened in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened. That means that there was no could be no recovery to the original state anymore and a remnant from that time was separated. Let's read what some others said about ecumenicalism. Mr. McDonald. Again, unfortunately, this ecumenical unity is achieved through abandonment or reinterpret, reinterpreting fundamental Christian doctrine.
And then another person said by one of our times larger ironies, ecumenicalism is triumphant, and it is. That's what will lead to the harlot in the last days.
By one of our times larger ironies, ecumenicalism is triumphant just when there is nothing to be ecumenical about. The various religious bodies are likely to find it easy to join together only because believing little, they correspondingly differ about little.
Malcolm Muggeridge, let's bow our heads. God our Father, we thank thee for this time we've had over thy precious word.
We pray that we would value the high privilege that's been entrusted to us and that we would walk in its light to let us take us home. We do pray for Wayne Coleman and his dear family. We thank thee for the testimony his Father gave to us. We pray that we may follow in those steps as well. We pray these things. We give thee thanks in Jesus precious name, Amen.
Vessels of Mercy
Bring the Gold and Silver Vessels Be Back to God's House
Gospel 2
Gospel—ET Leger
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.
Have been asked to give a short gospel meeting. So before we start, let's just ask the Lord for his help. Father, this afternoon we're thankful for a chance to again to be able to preach the good tidings of the gospel. You pray that the Lord Jesus can be glorified this afternoon and that if any soul here does not know him as Savior, they may turn from darkness to light and accept this free gift of salvation. In the name of Jesus you pray, Amen. I'd like to start off with a verse in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 13.
It's a question that Jesus asks his disciples and it's a question that each one of us have to answer for ourselves here today in 2016, Matthew chapter 16 and verse 13 seeking of Jesus, he asked his disciples saying, whom do men, who do men say that I, the Son of Man AM? And they said some say that were John the Baptist, some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets.
I will just stop there for a second because if you go around here in Scranton, PA or in your hometown and you ask people who is Jesus?
Who is the Son of Man? They might have different answers. Some people will say Jesus was a Goodman, he was a prophet.
He was an Angel, some will say, some said he was a mystical creature created not really real. But here Jesus is asking a specific question to his disciples and people in those days had different ideas of who he was. And even today the same questions even more answers could be given. But in verse 15 he gets more specific. He Speaking of Jesus said unto them, But whom say ye that I am so today?
Who is Jesus Christ for you this weekend? We spent a whole weekend opening the word of God. We've heard about Jesus. We've heard about salvation. We've heard we had a gospel meeting last night. We had a remembrance meeting this morning. We had this whole weekend. We could summarize it. We've been talking about Jesus. And yet my burden tonight is this is that there's someone in this room that could be hearing this conference after conference, year after year, and yet in your own heart.
Jesus is no more than just something maybe your parents have taught you about, or something that you believe in just enough to get your parents off your back, or something that you just believe in theory, but there's never been a reality.
In your heart, you know, there was plenty of kids sitting on the front row this morning and I'm sure how we asked the question who wants to go to heaven? Who likes Jesus? Every single one of them to put their hands up.
And if you ask that question in a room like this, who, who, who is Jesus your friend, is Jesus your savior? Everyone would put their hands up. But as John said last night, we can only read faces. We don't know the heart. And tonight, this afternoon, I want to implore any everyone of you, where do you stand on that question? Who is Jesus Christ for you? Well, right off the bat, I will say Jesus Christ is my personal see if your I know that Jesus Christ died for my sins. And can you say that even the children.
Hey, do you have a love for Jesus? Do you care about him? You might not be able to express it or give a meeting on it, but you do you love just in your heart. That's a good indication that you're on the right path that you have a love for the Savior. Well, we reversed in the book of Acts chapter 4 and verse 12, the name of Jesus is taken in vain a lot. Maybe some of you are at school. You hear that name blasphemed. You hear that with when people speak on the street, they blasphemy this name. But I'll tell you right now, this is a.
Full name. The name of Jesus is a man that will be glorified for our eternity, even though if man right now despise it, I ridicule it and have it in low esteem. God holds that name in great esteem, and we'll see this in verse 12. Neither is there salvation in the other, for there is no other name. Therefore there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be safe. This is the name which we can be saved. But saved from what?
Every one of us have to come to a realization that we need a Savior as was said in the previous gospel meeting, that our righteousness is like filthy rags. God sees us in our sins as being something that is.
Repulsion, something that is not good. I have a water bottle here with water in it if I take a little bit of poison.
A little bit of poison and I put it inside. Would you want to drink it? You'd say no, of course not. It's poisonous. It's it's bad for me. I can't have that. The same with God. If you have any sin inside of you, if you've done any, if you'd have had a bad thought, a bad action, if you've looked with lust, if you've had anger in your heart, the Bible says you are a Sinner. And if you are a Sinner, it says the soul that sins will die. You are condemned. You are like that contaminated water bottle. You are no good.
But the good news is that God didn't just leave us in our sins. He sent his Son and 2000 years ago.
Approximately, Jesus came to earth, and he came to earth, and he gave a way for man. He gave away for man to believe.
00:05:05
Show them a new way of life, how to love your neighbor, how to be reconciled to him. And we see that in John Chapter 11 verse 25, how Jesus is trying to get people to realize they have to believe in him. John 11 and verse 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believeth thou this? We start off the meeting with a question. Who do you say that I am? And here's another question for you this afternoon.
Believeth thou this is something that you believe in your heart. There's something that you have accepted as truth.
That Jesus Christ is your savior. Have you accepted the fact that you are a Sinner and that you need a savior? You know, I'm not in school anymore, but from talking to some of my employees and some of the courses that are being taught, there's, we're taught in a, in a pure realistic way of thinking how there's more than one way of God, the one way to God. There's different ways and you take, you climb that ladder, you climb that mountain and gauze on the top, No matter which way you go, you can still reach God.
But Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life. He claims exclusivity.
And if you're going to come to Jesus, it's not on your own terms. It's not by the way you want to do things.
It's by believing in the person of Jesus and who he is. Jesus said I am.
I am God, He was God, you have to believe that and you also believe his work. But what was his work? Well, Jesus Christ didn't just come and live as a good man. He didn't just leave a good life and go back to heaven. And as we discussed throughout this conference, he just came and he died on the cross. He there was put on a cross by men. But there, as we read also in the another gospel meetings and earlier on, we talked about 3 hours of darkness.
Where God punished His Son for our sins and how Jesus bore on himself all of our sins. He bore your sins.
He's absolutely interested in you today. Do does this affect you? Do you have any appreciation for what he did if you do so he wants you just to accept that gift. You know, it's a prayer of every parent here that their kid and accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. And I remember a time in my life when I was eight years old approximately, and then I knelt down in my laundry room beside the washing machine. I remember that. And I accepted the Lord's just Christ.
Maybe it was before about. That was a time I remember because I put a little mark on the washing machine to say that I had done it, so in case I forgot, I'd go back and take a look.
But I remember that I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and my Savior, and since then, the Lord Jesus Christ has filled my heart with love to share the gospel with people because we all need to hear about it. It's not a question, just people at a conference. You're here at a conference. Everyone here pretty much has been here all weekend. But the amazing thing is that we all have people in our neighborhoods that need to hear about Jesus, people in our schools, people in our workplace, and God has put us in different locations to be able to share that with different people.
But there is power in that name of Jesus. I remember a story that happened to me when I was in Malawi back in 2000.
2013, I was walking in a village with my translator and we're going to preach the gospel somewhere. And as we're walking there was a real loud music coming out of this bar and there was a witch doctor in Africa. They had witch doctors who had these little mat out front with a bunch of different herbs and bottles and curses that they can can buy or sell or I'm not quite sure how they work, but I know that there is some witchcraft and black magic in there. And I felt propelled again. My gospel track and my transfer said no, no, you don't want to talk to that guy. I said well.
The golfer too, so he's gonna get a golf track. So I walked right up to him and the left music was booming, booming, booming. I couldn't. I started talking to him and he said, what is this? He yelled at me over the music. I said it's a gospel talk about Jesus. And as soon as I said Jesus, the music stopped. The music completely stopped and I got the shares in the gospel. And then I moved on a few more feet and the music started up again. And his other friend was there. So I said, look, I'll give him a golf track. No, no, we really have to go now. I said no, no, we gotta go see him.
And so we go back and see him and he said, what is that? And I said, this is a golfer track about Jesus. And read again. The music stopped.
And I got to share the gospel with him. You know, those two men, I don't know if they're still alive today, but they heard the message of the gospel. They received the track. And there is power in that name. And it wasn't me necessarily saying it, but I believe that the Lord allowed it for these two men to hear about who Jesus was and what what he had done for them. Now what what they do with it is responsibility. Today. I'm just here to say that you need to be reconciled to God. This name of Jesus is something that you cannot just forget about. And this person, Jesus forget about, you need to acknowledge.
A savior. And whether you listen to me or listen to another person or whether you decide this is not for you, this is your responsibility.
00:10:02
Your responsibility is to personally be reconciled with Jesus as your Savior.
So you asked the question maybe can I get saved tonight? Can I get saved? How do I get to know this Jesus? Well, I can say yes, tonight you can get saved. There is a hope for you, my friend, you. You need to accept in your heart that you are a Sinner and that you need a Savior and that there is salvation and no other name. Jesus Christ died, He rose from the dead. He shed his precious blood for you, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, and cleanses us from all sins, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but by God's grace, by his blood that was shed.
Yeah, you can have reconciliation with God. You can have peace with God. You know, I do landscaping work and every time, umm, I pay well, the client pays the bill. I write on the bill paid in full and I find my name right, right and write the check number and send it paid. And I when I can, I try to tell the client, you know why I write paid in full. And they say why say well, you pay the bill. But also it reminds me that someone paid for my sin. You paid your bill here, but someone paid a great, great way greater bill 2000 years ago. He paid.
Completely for every sin that I did and I need to see if you're in so to you. And they say, well, that's very good. And they say, well, people in Africa need that. And I said, yeah, but people in North America need it just as much. And so that's one way I'm able to share the gospel of people and be reminded every time I write that hate in full, I'm reminded Jesus Christ paid it all. He paid everything. And all I can do is thank him and desire to preach the gospel and share it with others. I don't deserve him like Mephibosheth. I don't deserve to be able to to just to speak here.
I don't deserve to be saved, but by God's grace I am saved. We are saved through faith. That not of yourselves is a gift of God, not by works.
The city man should boast. Let's read one more verse in Romans chapter 10.
Romans chapter 10, verse 9. This is one way that you can get saved today. If you're wondering how to do it, there's no magic formula.
But one thing I would say is you first of all admit you're a Sinner and accept that you need a Savior. And here in Romans 10 verse nine, it says, if thou shalt confast with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt believe.
In my heart that God hath raised them from the dead. Thou shalt be saved, and my friend today on the authority of the word of God, if you accept.
This message URC but my worry is that there are maybe children here or young people that have heard this message so many times and say, you know what I'm just going to zone out. It's not really for me. My friend, you're making a mistake. A life would live with Jesus is the only life worth living a life worth living, living for Jesus is the only life that is has purpose and full meaning in it. And I really hope that every single one of you.
Acknowledge that your need of a savior and accept Him as your Lord and savior. If you know it's a scary thing to see that maybe people might be in this room.
And listen to the message time after time after time. And are almost saved. It's a contradiction. The word almost all in most doesn't make sense. Would you get a job where you almost got paid? Would you get on a plane that was almost safe? You wouldn't. Would you follow a map that was almost right? You wouldn't. Jesus says no death and no indefinite terms.
Either you believe in me or you don't. If you're on the fence, the devil owns that fence. You're not in Christ.
You either have to accept today who God is, who Jesus is, he is God and accept this message or you're not saved. To be almost saved is to be completely lost. And I'm going to read one more set of verses and warning before closing in Matthew Chapter 7 and these verses. Well, when we go to Africa, we in Malawi, you speak to people and 99% of people are safe. They say you say you're Christian. Yes, I'm a Christian, yes, I'm a Christian. Everyone you speak to is a Christian.
That can't be just because you say you're Christian doesn't mean you're a Christian. And Matthew 7, there's a very strict warning of what people that made a profession without actually having a reality, and we'll see that.
In Matthew Chapter 7 and verse 21, not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
But he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and thy name have cast out devils and thy name than many wonderful works? Then I'll profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work iniquity. It's a warning. It's people that actually professed the name of Christ. You could profess the name of Christ with your mouth, but in your heart it'd be completely far from it.
Not really believing in your heart. And this is a warning that there is a judgment coming and God has appointed a day where He will judge the world.
For what they did to His Son the Lord Jesus.
What side do you stand on?
Is it a profession profession or is it a reality? God knows the heart. And so today I can just be a watchman on the wall just telling you that you need to be reconciled with God. And I hope that every single one of us in this room have made that decision. And if you are a Christian, share it with others. Don't just keep it to yourself. Make Christ known, make him glorified where he's put you last night, let's say commit in prayer. Father, this morn, this afternoon, we're thankful for the time to open up your word one last time and proclaim the glories of Jesus.
00:15:23
Thank you for him. Thank you that he has done all things well. We pray earnestly that anyone in this room that might be on the fence, that might be unsure about where they stand before you, may not leave this room until they get that question settled.
Father, we have such a great future that awaits us. We pray that no one might be left behind to.
Face judgment that everyone of us may be safe in the arms of Jesus. And we thank you for this conference and ask your blessing for the rest of the day and the worthy name of our Savior, Jesus, our amazing Savior, Amen.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—T. Porter, D. DeGraff
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.
#330.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
Uh.
Please please.
On our hands and come on to him to call on the Green Cross.
The Umbrella.
Umbrella shall be.
To Price and God and their Father. We think of how we have been brought into such a place that could never enter the mind of man. But the thought came from the that we who were so unworthy should be associated with I Son and be blessed in and through him. We marvel at that grace and that love that would ever bring us to such a place.
And to give us to enjoy it even here in this world, and to know Him by faith and to live and walk with Him here. We just pray now that is we continue for this hour before us, that Thou would guide and direct in the ministry and and bring out that which out us have for us. And we pray that thou would feed us.
Uh, as thy children, we express our needs.
Before they enhance for thy health and thy blessing, in the name of the Lord Jesus we ask it, Amen.
00:05:09
Time is short.
I know we all believe we should.
Uh, wait on the Lord and uh.
This, uh, open meeting 45 minutes? I think so.
Lord willing, it won't take up more than maybe 1/3 of that. I didn't notice there was water here, so I brought my own.
I heard this question a couple of times during this conference in conversations with different brothers. Uh.
The question I think almost all of us probably asked at one time or another. Why me?
I'm gonna turn to a verse in Romans chapter nine. Was that brother Tim that said that? Oh, Brother Robert, thank you.
So verse 23 says that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory even us.
Whom he hath called.
Thought a lot about this phrase this morning. Vessels of mercy.
More often than not at the Lord's Table One.
Is wanting to offer worship and yet feels that everything he can think to say is going to just, uh, spoil.
Thanks, the Lord is just too good.
But uh.
I think about vessels of mercy, and we had before us that we have an entrusted deposit.
And it made me think of that scripture in the Second Corinthians that said that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. So the Scripture sees us as vessels. And, uh, sometimes we think of vessels as like ships and things that carry things, but.
In this context, the vessel is a container, right?
Even a a glass that we may take, a glass of water would be, uh, a vessel in that case. And God has, uh, in his word.
Called US vessels containers.
Uh, one time uh, brother referred to man as a God bottle, uh.
We're, uh, we're made, we were made for this purpose, to contain that, that treasure.
And I'm thinking about in the Old Testament, what is one of the best, if not the best, uh, examples or types of the vessel of mercy. And probably most would, would guess that that would be Mephibosheth. So I want to turn to, I think it's, uh.
Is it first Samuel 19 Nine, not 19? Because of the time, I don't want to read this passage. I think it's familiar to most. Umm.
I certainly hope it is. I apologize if it isn't. It's, uh, you could read Chapter 9.
Umm. But I'm just gonna summarize it. So David.
Umm, after being rejected, umm.
And after being sought, his life being sought by Saul and then Saul, uh.
And Jonathan are killed in the battle and Joab LED against them. And uh.
In most of Saul's household is wiped out, but David had made in a covenant with Jonathan and he seeks to see if there are any left that he can show mercy to according to that. And uh, they come up with this.
One Mephibosheth, who's lame on both feet.
It's not lame on one foot, he's lame on both feet.
And that means that from the very beginning.
There's no chance that he's going to be able to serve.
We've heard some about Christian service in this conference, and I would not want to give any impression that our service is worthless or that God does not call us to serve. But there is this aspect which every one of you who believes needs to get a grasp on, and that is that you're a vessel of mercy.
00:10:04
From which God requires nothing.
Our brother.
Our brother Tim Rose this morning spoke about the.
The Lord has the burnt offering and in Ephesians, you know, we say the burnt offering is entirely for God. That's true. But notice in Ephesians it says it was for us.
He was the burnt offering for us, which means.
He satisfied God completely, that God would require nothing of us.
And so Mephibosheth is lame on both feet.
And yet, in that condition, he's called and he's raised up and he's seated at David's table.
Now.
Sometime later.
David has a rebellious son, Absalom, who rises up and, uh, David once again is in rejection and, uh, his life is being sought by Absalom.
And.
Mephibosheth.
He tells us later that he wanted to go with David, but his servant Ziba deceived him and Zaiba.
Went to David and slandered Mephibosheth Zaiba wanting to gain write something for himself. I believe Zyba is a picture of our flesh. Have you ever thought of your flesh as your servant?
You know your flesh is your servant.
Anything you want, he's very willing to immediately get it for you.
And he's our servant in another way too, for your spiritual progress.
You may not think of it that way, but your flesh is serving a very youthful purpose, useful purpose.
In your spiritual progress. But we don't have time to go there to expound on that. Perhaps if you think about it in your experience you'll understand that. But Zyba goes and he takes things to David and in the in the picture we have where David raises Mephibosheth up and seats him at his table, we see that David is a.
Type of the Lord in that.
But what's always troubled me, and it may have troubled you too, is when David comes back, is brought back as king after being.
Umm, in rejection.
Mephibosheth comes down to meet him.
And David says, why didn't you go with me?
And right at this point, you begin to wonder. It almost spoils the type. It's like David is not.
He can't be a type of the Lord now because the Lord isn't like that. When the Lord comes back after his rejection, which he's in rejection now, but when he comes back, he's not gonna say to you and to me, why didn't you go with me?
He knows everything.
And uh.
And Mephibosheth tries to explain to David, well, you know, Ziba slandered me. You know, I wanted to go with you. He was supposed to prepare me an *** so that I could go down. But instead he took the *** and he took my things, and he went down there and he made himself look good to you. I'm paraphrasing.
And it made me look like a traitor, because that's what Zybus said.
And uh.
And so David says we should read it. So a little further up.
Is that chapter 19? That's why. Probably why I was thinking chapter 19.
Thank you.
Verse 29.
And the King said unto him, Why speakest thou anymore of thy matters? I have said, Thou and thy but divide the land.
And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yeah, let him take it all, for as much as my Lord the King has come again in peace.
Into his own house. How touching.
00:15:03
But I've always wondered why we have David.
Saying, well, alright, you know, it's almost a compromise. You and Zyba, you divide the land like David maybe half believed what Mephibosheth said. That's not that's not a picture of the board. And So what is it?
I just offer this to you.
Mephibosheth from the beginning.
Lame on both feet, there was no chance that he would ever be a servant.
He was going to be at David's table as nothing more than a vessel of mercy.
Some of us can look back on many years, some of us decades.
Of being a Christian.
And.
Think to ourselves, you know when I get to the judgment seat of Christ.
Well, it's gonna be like David was here.
Because my, uh, service to the Lord has not been very good.
And so I think David here represents not the Lord, but the way we often view the Lord.
The way we often think that he may be thinking about us when we look at ourselves and our service or lack of service and how we've been as Christians over the years.
I don't know about you, I know that this one often thinks that.
The Lord's going to say you and Zyba divide the land.
But isn't it wonderful what? Mephibosheth says he doesn't care.
About a reward.
Do you? Is your hope to walk on gold streets?
Have a crown with jewels in it.
I believe that those who whose hearts have been touched like Mephibosheth.
And understand that they are nothing more than a vessel of mercy.
Have just one single hope that has nothing to do even with heaven.
But with the one who's there?
Everyone of you here.
Who believes?
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is a vessel of mercy.
And I believe that what God is after.
Is not what you can do for him, how you can serve him. He doesn't need your legs.
And he doesn't need your intelligence.
Was reading the other day, Jeremiah tells the people of God.
That Jehovah says that when I called you out of Egypt.
I'm going to paraphrase a little here because I don't remember exactly how much the Scripture reads, but Jeremiah told Jehovah said when I called you out of Egypt.
I didn't say anything about sacrifices. I didn't. I didn't talk about worship the law.
Because what God wanted and what God has always wanted, and what God wants from each of us and from the church collectively is very simple.
He wants an intimate.
Relationship.
Of love.
And Holiness obedience service.
All of it is not an end in itself in an end in and of itself.
It all has the purpose.
That we would have a happy, intimate relationship.
With God, I believe, if we would see ourselves as nothing more than vessels of mercy.
Then our hearts desire would be for nothing except to be with him, to see Him in His rightful place and to be with Him.
00:20:00
That's all. It would satisfy our hearts. We would need nothing more.
You recall when?
When the Lord was talking to, uh, talk, uh, Thomas.
He said into the disciples, He said.
Where I'm going, you know?
Right. And he said, and you know the way.
So there were two things. There was the destination and there was a way to get there.
Now many say the destination is heaven.
But I don't know how that could be because he told the disciples.
Not only did they know the way which was him, but they also knew the destination.
And what he says is.
No one cometh where.
Unto the Father.
But by what? By me?
So clearly the destination is the Father and the way was the Son. And so again, God desires us for Himself, and our desire should be for Him.
And uh.
We go back to the fact that Mephibosheth was lame on both feet.
It's not a bad thing for us to realize I've got nothing to offer.
What can I say? What shall I give unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? What shall I give?
I will take.
I will take a cup of salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord. I'll take the cup of salvation.
You can ask why me?
Mephibosheth Assad.
I'm of no use.
To David.
But there is a purpose. You may not know it.
Years ago I had a conversation with a man who was some kind of pastor.
And we were meeting together because he was also a software engineer and I was pursuing that former career. And, uh, we were having discussions about election, which he denied. He also denied eternal security and, and he sent me a page from a book, the title of which was Elect in the Sun. Don't remember who wrote it.
And in that page from that book, there was the Greek.
And the guy was expounding the Greek and supposedly proving that this Greek here, if you read the Greek and you understand the Greek, it proves that there is no real election as we think of it. It's just that if you're in Christ, if God, if you're in Christ, then you're electing the Son. But you can get yourself out of there.
It all sounds silly to us, but a lot of people believe it because these arguments are well constructed. Well, I had some, uh, formal education in Greek, but I wasn't going to go up against this guy. But, uh, you know, I, I had Mr. Darby hold my shield, so to speak, in that case, because I think, I think you'd be a fool to go up against him. And I'm sure if he, I'm sure he understood the Greek and I'm sure if that's what it said, that, uh, he wouldn't have taught what he taught.
So, uh, I was pretty confident in that, but one thing that troubled me was the man said that, uh, God does not choose arbitrarily.
And I wrote back to the man and I said, you know, I.
I think that's blasphemous.
And he said, what? And I said, well, that God would choose arbitrarily, that when God chooses, it's arbitrary. And, uh, he said, well, yeah, I, I, that's, it's not saying that. That's exactly what it's saying is that he doesn't do that. And I'm said, I, I said, I understand it. He's saying that God doesn't do that, but he's also saying that if God chooses that it's arbitrary.
And that's what's blasphemous, because God has a purpose in everything, and you may not know why God chose you.
And again, understand if you believe in Jesus, you are such a vessel of mercy and you will be seated there.
So to speak, at His table, whether you think you can offer any service, or whether you think you've offered any service, or if you're of any use to the Lord, you will be there if you believe in Him.
00:25:13
And you can ask yourself why. And I don't know if anyone of us would ever be able to answer that.
But we can say from the word of God there is a reason. It was not arbitrary. He had a reason and he had a purpose. And like Mephibosheth, we should just accept it. It's humbling. We should accept it. We are vessels of mercy and nothing more. And whatever we can offer to God, by the way.
There is just one thing we're said to do right.
Present your body.
Present your body.
That's your vessel.
Present it to God and let him decide whether he will do anything with it and what he will do with it. But that's all. That's our most reasonable service. Because what else you're going to offer him? Your intellect, your knowledge, even your love. Can you say you can offer him your love?
Offering him your body, that is a practical. Offering him your love.
So anyway, I I hope this has been helpful to you I.
I believe that we view God differently than he really is, but we do know Him but.
His love for us requires nothing of us. He would just have us at His table enjoying His love for eternity.
Our brother has spoken to us of Vessels of Mercy, and I'd like to briefly read some scriptures on 2/1 from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament. But I'd like to start by reading in the book of Ezra, chapter 5. And I'm going to turn quickly in the interest of time, so you can just listen if you don't want to turn to them all. Ezra 5 and 15.
And he said unto him, Take these vessels, go carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be builded in his place. Chapter 6 and verse 5, Ezra 6, verse five. And also let the golden and silver vessels of the House of God.
Which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the Temple, which is at Jerusalem.
And brought unto Babylon.
Be restored and brought again unto the temple, which is at Jerusalem. Everyone to his place and place them in the House of God. We're saying that beautiful hymn on the Church of God in God's purpose is to have his own around himself in the glory some from every.
Kindred and tribe and people and nation, and the day is soon coming when we will all be gathered home.
To the Father's house. And these vessels were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and they were removed, but they were told to take them and carry them to the temple, and let the House of God be builded in his place. And these vessels were to be restored, and brought again unto the temple everyone to his place, and placed them in the House of God. We know from Second Timothy that we are to be a vessel unto honor. That is God's purpose for us, to be a vessel unto honor.
In the interest of time, I'll just briefly read There are two there. One is a major role, one is a minor role. One was a leader, one was a follower, one was Old Testament, one was New Testament. Every one of us, small, great, old and young, has a place. We are all vessels. Could you turn with me, or at least listen while I read the Philemon chapter, verse 23, the book of Philemon, little letter.
Philemon 23.
We'll start just to make a connection to the end of verse 22. Philemon, the end of verse, the middle of verse 22. I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
There, salute thee, apostres, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. In the book of Ephesians, which has the highest truth, we find twice Paul calls himself a prisoner.
In chapter 3 and verse one of Ephesians, he's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 and verse one, he's a prisoner of the Lord.
There, where the highest truth is revealed, the apostle Paul identifies himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ and a prisoner of the Lord. Well, here's a fellow prisoner. Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4 and verse 12. We've been speaking in Philippians one about a prayer to prove the things that were excellent. Colossians 4 and verse 12.
00:30:24
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ?
Saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Epaphras, who is a fellow prisoner here, he's identified as a servant of Christ, laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. What more could we ask or pray for for anyone in this room, any loved one, anyone dear to us, than to stand perfect and complete and all the will of.
He was a prisoner and he was a servant of Christ. He kept Paul company.
You know, we sometimes think, well, what can I do? I can't do this, I can't do that, I can't do the other thing. It's there's no use. What's the point? Every one of us are a vessel. There are things that God has given, God has entrusted to us, and we can do them. We have a prisoner and we have a prayer and then we have a work in Romans 13, Romans 13, and verse 11.
I think about this in the context of our present day Romans 13 and verse 11 and that knowing.
The time that it is now high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation. We've mentioned that a number of times at this conference, our salvation.
Now, as our salvation nearer than when we believed the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the work of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. What a time we live in, how much we need the armor of light to cast off the work of darkness. Well, I've mentioned someone who's had a minor role, and I'd like to mention someone who had more of a major role, and I'm just going to read a handful of verses.
Phrases from Nehemiah chapter 4 and chapter 6. And I'd like to briefly reflect on the comment our brother Eric made about the recovery that he mentioned of the different kings Hezekiah and Josiah and Nehemiah. In chapter 30 of Second Chronicles, there's a recovery, and if you look back at chapter, you see that they purified the temple of the Lord. In chapter 35, there's a recovery. You look back and you see they recovered the scriptures.
In Nehemiah chapter 8, there's a recovery and you look back.
And they built a wall and they read the scriptures. So we need in our time for there to be a work of revival, even if in our own soul, our own home, our own assembly, our own community, there needs to be a purification of our, we are, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to turn to the scriptures and we need careful separation. And then we need to turn to the scriptures to guide us as to what needs to be done. And Nehemiah, chapter 4.
Or just read parts of a few verses. Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 6.
So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the hath thereof. For the people had a mind to work, for the people had a mind to work. Verse 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, instead of watch against them day and night because of them. And Judah said that strength of the bearers of burden is decayed, and there is much rubbish.
So that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see till we come in the midst among them, and slay them and cause.
The work to cease. Verse 15. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to naughty, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, at the time of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the Spears, and the Shields, and the bows, and the haberdons, and the rulers were behind all the House of Judah.
They which builded on the wall, and they which bear burdens, everyone of those which laid it, Everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with his other hand.
Hell a weapon. Verse 19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall one from another.
In what place, therefore you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort ye thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us. Our God shall fight for us. Chapter 6 of Nehemiah. Now it came to pass, when San Valid and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein, though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates.
00:35:09
That San Ballad and Gershom sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono.
But they thought to do me mischief, and I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am going a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should I leave the work? Cease whilst I leave it and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner. And then further down in the chapter, the end of verse seven. Come now, therefore let us take counsel together. Then I.
Him saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou faintest them out of thine own heart. For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. And then in verse 16.
And it came to pass that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things.
They were much cast down in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God. So we have Epaphras, who was a prisoner.
And he was a companion, and he had a prayer that they would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God, a minor player.
Here's more of a major player. But what did he do? He turned repeatedly again and again, and he spoke specifically to God, asked for help. The work was great. They tried to lure him away. They tried to keep him from doing what God had called him to do. But God wanted every vessel to be put back in the right place. He wanted every protection for the people of God. He wanted them to walk in obedience to the truth revealed divinely.
And the enemy would continually challenge them, berate them, scold them, ridicule them, lure them.
Again and again and again, using just about every tactic known to man. There's a great book on Ezra and Nehemiah by Dennett. It goes through every single point on this. It's really enlightening on this Ezra, Nehemiah. But at the very end, they saw, they were cast down. They perceived that this work was wrought of our God. What you and I do in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities when we travel, it may seem very small, very insignificant. It may seem like a path is just keeping Paul company in jail.
Suggesting a prayer may seem very small, but not to God.
Every one of those vessels was important. It counts them, it numbers them and identifies them. The gold, the silver, all the different things, they were all precious to the heart of God and each one of us, we are precious to the heart of God. Like to close with just reading one more prayer. We read a prayer in the Philippians, one in our reading and Colossians 4IN Ephesians chapter one.
Just read this and sit down a prayer of the apostle Paul, Ephesians one and 15 Wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints.
Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you are in our prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and with the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us, we do believe according to the working of His mighty power.
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And have put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church.
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth. All in all, we all have a place in that body.
May we fulfill that which God has called us to and do that little work and the time remaining until our Lord comes for us.