Scranton Conference: 2018
Table of Contents
John 17
Reading
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Lord, thou had drawn after him, I'll let him cry.
My grandmother's come from the beginning, but I fell by her whole thighs falling in his eyes, and I left her. Yes.
All right.
Make you feel like a while I'm a wonderful day in the business you know everything depends on.
Everything.
I think it's like a.
And.
I've been to any hearts in the world.
I can learn her to spill her extremely.
And, well, it's about the same on every great fire.
Reach on 17 together.
John's Gospel.
Chapter 17.
These words speak Jesus. And lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorified thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, that thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many.
Hast thou hast given Him, and this is life eternal, that they might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thy own self, with the glory.
Which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy name unto the man which Thou gave us me out of the world thine they were, and Thou gave us them to me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are of Thee. For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest me.
And they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send me. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou has given me. For they are thine, and all minds are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now.
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I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to the Holy Father. Keep through thy own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are, one as we are.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gave us me I have kept, and none of them is lost.
But the song of perdition, such a scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to Thee. And these things I speak in the world, that I might have my joy fulfilled in them, in themselves. I have given them Thy word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world. Even if I am not of the world, I pray not that Thou should take them out of the world.
But that Thou should keep them from the evil, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth. And as Thou hast sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world. And for that, for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
But for them also which shall be leave on me to the world, that they all may be one, as Thy Father are in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in US, that the world might believe that our standing and the glory which thou giveth me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one.
I in them endow in me, that they may be made perfect in one.
And not the world we know Thou hast sent me and have loved them as Thou has loved me. Father, I will that they also whom Thou has given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which Thou hast given me. For Thou loveth me before the foundation of the world. All righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee.
We have known that thou has sent me, and I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love will win. Thou hast loved. Thee may be in them, and I in them.
When a marvellous unfolding.
Of the heart result we have here. And uh, it has been said, I preach the prayer of the Lord just on the threshold of his return to the glory and, uh, bringing before us, uh, his intercession for us.
In all our weakness down here.
The provision that he has made, the object that we have in a glorified stripes.
A divine light, a very light of the Lord Jesus. The Lord said, as I said, the intersection of the Lord for us, our oneness with him.
In testimony.
Communion, glory, all of these things.
Unfolded in such a marvelous way in this day.
Prayer of the Lord.
So I have a a question. This, umm, glorifying the sun that the sun might glorify the Father is in connection with verse two and the giving of eternal life. It's not the work of the cross glorifying the Father on the cross, but glorifying him.
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In the sun, giving eternal life.
That's how I take it. So would we draw from this?
That eternal life was not something given or known until after.
The sun was glorified.
I suppose we could say it was not known by us or by man in.
First John. John's first epistle in the first chapter may be one of the earliest, uh, references to eternal life.
In verse 2 The life was manifested and we have seen it.
And bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, manifested unto us.
So.
When we read John's gospel, we read early on, and him was life, and in the character of eternal life it was in him exclusively. All others were not in possession of it until the work of Calvary was accomplished and then what joy to.
The father and to the son to have that life now able to be communicated.
And the epistle, John's first epistle, takes up the manifestation of that life in you and me.
Where it says which things are true of him and of you.
And and lo and behold, when that life is manifested in you and me, what does it look like?
Looks like that one that walked here and was always the delight of his father.
So people are confused about.
Life as it was possessed by Old Testament Saints.
They had faith and therefore they had life. But until the incarnation of God's beloved Son and the work he accomplished on Calvary's cross, I'm not sure we could ever say that a man or woman from Adam's seed possessed eternal life.
Now you and I will put our trust in Him, a fellowship with the Father and with the Son, and we enjoy eternal life.
I was just going to look at the same verse. I'm glad you mentioned that, Bruce, that life was with the Father.
So what has happened now is that?
As Paul tells us, life and immortality have come to light in the gospel, so light is shed on that eternal light that was with the Father from the beginning.
I was noticing in that, John.
Chapter 10.
And 1St.
10 down, 1010.
The Lord Jesus, He says to thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I am calm that they might have life and that they might have it.
Abundantly, I see Mr. Darby leaves out the word more.
So we see apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no life.
You could say I am the life. He that hath his Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. It's so simple. So apart from Christ there's no life. And he was manifested.
And he is delight. And how wonderful that we're talking here about not simply a quantity of life. You know, we think of eternal life perhaps as being dead.
Which goes on and on and on.
It's forever.
With respect to quantity, but here we have quality because it tells us here in verse three, what is this eternal life? It is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.
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Who he has said now wonderful that you and I would have the privilege.
Two.
No, God, I had a man asked me one time.
It was at the town dump and I helped him put his trash into the bin and he said to me, do you know God?
I said I know God and he looked at me and thought, do you know what you're talking about?
Well, you know, you and I by grace have been brought to know the only true God and.
The wonder and the beauty of it, it just goes on and on and on forever.
To become better acquainted with God. And it's through the Word of God Bible that we come to know God and Jesus Christ who he has sent. So the Lord Jesus Christ is, I believe, God in human form.
The perfect expression of the fog.
The Lord Jesus could say that I've been given a commandment what to say and what to speak. He didn't speak from himself, but He spoke what was giving Him to say the message.
From Father he brought it here to earth, and not only the message, but the very words to convey the message, word for word.
He spoke the words that were given him of the Father. We have the perfect expression of the Father.
In his son, the Lord Jesus.
And maybe if we are delight, I'm better acquainted with the Father and with the Son. There's an encouraging verse in Jeremiah. Chapter 9 doesn't go to the same full extent that we have here in John 17, but verse 24 of Jeremiah says, But let him that glorious glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me.
That I am the Lord. And then it goes on further. It tells us something about Him. It says which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
I believe this chapter in in the Lord's Prayer, they are in the expound more to us. We put redemption truly is sometimes we look at redemption work as in a one phase of our salvation. I I'm just going to point out the highlights. I know others can expand on this better. We find there are perhaps seven different things in regard to our redemptive work that the Lord has mentioned in this book here. So we find in the, uh, third verse there, it seeks of our salvation. So we just finished talking about the eternal life.
In regard to our salvation.
That we find in verse six there there is a little thing called manifestation and a manifest thy name unto the man. That's part of redemption work, isn't it? That he manifests our name unto the world. Then we'll find the third thing. It speaks of redemption. We see that in verse nine. He pray not for the world, but for them that the Lord that God has given me and for the design. Now it's interesting too. You see the word.
We were live in the world, given and uh, uh, the word.
Words in past and present tense and you can look at the words more carefully. And the 4th, So I mentioned one was salvation, the second was manifestation.
Earnest retention. The 4th we find in the 11Th verse is identification, that He can say we are one with Him, we can be identified with Him, and he want us.
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To be with Him as He is. And then we find that we know that we are here. Part of the redemption work is in verse 12. That's the fifth thing that we know that He prays for us. That's the preservation, isn't it? That He prayed that we will be kept, kept by this word. And then the 6th would be further down in verse 17. Verse 17 to 19, we find that.
He speaks of sanctification. We have been set aside to incentivize and then towards a lot of part of the chapter from verse 24 on this glorification.
So I can sum it up. I know sometimes people accuse us for saying things so quickly that it will get what all these things are. So the first one is salvation, the second one is manifestation, the third is redemption.
The 4th is identification to be one with him, the 5th is preservation, the 5th specification, and the 7th is glorification.
So we don't have a lot of time if we just are gonna have this reading on John 17. So it's jumping ahead, but another question.
Oftentimes in connection with.
The truth of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
John 17 has been referred to that the Lord prayed that they all might be one, and yet I don't think John really takes up church truth. So in what way is oneness taken up in this chapter?
And how is it different than how Paul takes it up in the truth of the church as one body, many members united to Christ in heaven?
The simplest answer to that is.
And of course this prayer of Jesus was answered. You often hear people, uh, saying, oh, if only Jesus prayer was answered, that we all might be one leave Paul and Paul and John and John, as you're saying, uh, this prayer has been answered. Jesus asked that that spirit by which he did everything that he did on earth might be the intimate possession of every member of his body.
And until there was a man in the glory, the Spirit could not be given to come down to earth to indwell his body. The moment there was a man in the glory and Jesus request was heard, I will ask the Father and he shall give you that spirit. That spirit came and that united head in heaven, body on earth, so that when the head thinks they thought you get it, you get it. I get it if I'm listening.
So.
We are intimately connected to Jesus and we are one. There is one body. That's Paul's ministry. But there is a connection here, and I'm glad you're bringing this up.
Perhaps I can use up for the illustration. I'm thinking the younger ones here and perhaps they can appreciate this. I don't know if you remember there were times that you've done something terrible and your parents say to you go to your room and perhaps you might even go to the extreme that no suffer so at the.
Dinner table, not one who stay in the room is not present at the table to be part of the family, to be put away, as it were, set aside to his room. And we know that they are part of the family. In fact, as parents, I'm sure that afterward we still go up there and say to that wayward child that we love him and that he is part of the family and the discipline is part of the process, isn't it? So we are one. There is the one body.
One truth that one of the one of the many truths that the apostle Paul.
Run out. As part of this doctrine, there is one body with no denial of it. Would every member of the body walk the same way? Perhaps not, but it doesn't change the fact that there is one body guided by the one Spirit.
And serving 1 Lord.
Paul teaches that the Spirit of God-given by the ascended Christ unites the children of God together into one.
We're not united merely because we have faith. Old Testament Saints had faith, but they weren't united in the way you and I are.
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The Spirit of God-given to us when we believe the gospel of our salvation is individuals, we're sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise and we're united together into one body of which Christ is the is the head. That's Paul's doctrine. But in John it's more of the display of what has come down from God himself and displayed here in this world. And so similarly the life that we possess now and the oneness in answer to your question, I think.
Is that we possess the life and nature of his son. And so the oneness there is like the oneness I see looking across the little hallway here. I see some oneness there because there's family connection. You're you're one and we've been brought into God's family and we share that nature. Peter says we've been made partakers of the divine nature. And John communicates that that corn of wheat having now fall into the ground, it doesn't abide alone anymore.
It's bringing forth much fruit. You and I are part of that fruit, and the fruit reproduces according to its kind, and the kind that is reproduced in you and me is Christ.
That eternal life shown now in myriads of men and women and boys and girls all over this earth, different languages, cultures, countries. And this is for God's glory, the proof of the value of his finished work. One of the proofs, as I'm digressing just a little bit, if the Lord leave us here tomorrow morning, we have the privilege to remember him. And often we use the phrase we'll go to meetings. Well, it's more than that, isn't it? We go to remember the Lord.
But that's also the expression. We know where to show his death. But then on that table there was one loaf.
Expression of the one body is the testimony that we believe there is one body. But you say, well, there are certain Christians that we we're not in fellowship with. Well, the expression is there, isn't it? That is still represented there. We believe there is one body. So some we may not be able to show the fellowship with. But then there's the other aspect too. Who's watching it? It's not a public world display to show them to brag about what we believe and know. It's a quiet testimony.
But yet in the meantime, someone else is watching too. The Lord is watching. It's a Thanksgiving. We have to return back to God. What do we come and do it? Because by doing so, we have a special blessing. You know, it's a Thanksgiving from our heart. That's why we ought to be there. But most of this one body, someone else is watching. Why do the sisters have head coverings on? Well, we know if that's because of the angels, do you think they too are watching? Yes, they are.
Which angels are watching? The good, the bad, the fallen? Oh, I believe they're all watching. That's a testimony to the power of darkness as well that we believe is 1 by.
We just had two to say. As far as the question that you asked Steve about this being used in connection with, umm, the truth that there is one body, well, the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name.
I think it's been brought out pretty well that this isn't the UMM.
Speaking of the body of Christ here, but the family of God instead, and it's very parallel in that regard and can be used.
The diverse that's here in verse 23, we're really starting verse 22 and the glory which thou gave us, me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one, I and them and thou and me, that they may be made perfect in one that the world they know.
Thou had sent me, and this loves them, and Thou has loved me. Now if that's Speaking of family oneness, it's, it's been brought before us and I believe it is.
Certainly that was the intent, wasn't it?
There was to be a testimony that arose from that, that this family would appear before the world as one, and in that family oneness it would be a testimony that the Lord Jesus came from the Father would be a demonstration of the power of Christianity.
And there's no question that in the coming day, the world will see this.
And I think there's no question that in the early days of the church they did see it. But by and large in church history, the world has not seen this. At least I don't believe this has been apparent in the world. Those who take upon them in the name of Christ have not looked very much like one family times we have. But there's been much failure in this. And no doubt Satan went to work to attack this as quickly as he could so that this outward visible unity would not.
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Remain among believers and so the practical implications of it are very important for every one of us. How do we act towards one another?
While perhaps that family unity has been broken up and the church testimony has been ruined, maybe looking more at the body side, the outward appearance of the family side is life wise. Not as the Lord had prayed here, not as He desired. And.
We can't do anything about that corporately, but we can do something about it individually and the exercise about it. And so I do think it's a valid point to take up.
In uh, John chapter 13.
A read verse uh 31 and 32. Therefore when he was gone out, Jesus said, now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him? If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
Part of the fruit.
Of the work that the Lord Jesus has done to glorify God will be seen in a future time, not only in heaven, but on earth. And the Old Testament prophets spoke about this and in Psalm 110 comes to mind. Sit down with my right hand.
Done the work, sit down my right hand until I make thine enemies the footstool of my feet.
Until we read in Hebrews, we see not yet all things put under, but we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor. And so we're in this interlude, you and I living in this.
Piece of time between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that you follow. But is the Lord Jesus just? Is it just total suspension of activity? No, He's on high and he's now glorifying God. God has glorified him. In response, He's going to glorify God. How is he doing it?
Received the Spirit and given him down to man and we've received the Holy Spirit of God has different ramifications in our life practically and in reality. We're members of one body. We're part of God's family. That life is being reproduced in you and me hour by hour.
Sometimes hidden underneath a lot of other stuff and that's what's happening.
And so it's good to be mindful of this, that there's this ongoing work, this quiet work of fruit for Christ's glory. You know, it's you just think back the Spirit of Christ in in, in Psalms and the prophets. I've spent my strength for not I've labored in vain.
Their hands are nailed.
Call to your God, see if they'll help you.
And he did cry, and the heavens were his brass. Oh my God, I cry. And now answer is not. God is answering today. He's not answering with the manifestation of power in this world like he will in the coming day when every eye shall see him, the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. His name shall be great among all the nations because of Christ's work for God's glory. But in the meantime, he's on high and he's reproducing.
Out of a remnant, out of Israel and out of the nations.
A people for his name, that lo and behold, share his life and nature.
It it's this is a wonderful thing that's going on now. And yes, we have failed in our responsibility and testimony.
But we shouldn't fail in the manifestation of that life that we have. That's individual and can be collective too.
The brother may go somewhere that I don't go, and I go somewhere he doesn't go on the Lord's Day.
But, uh, it's the it's the guy down the hall sees him and knows he's a Christian and knows he's a Christian, and he sees a certain sameness in our attitude and character and the way we deal with others.
That's a testimony that we're part of the same family, the family of God, hopefully displaying that for his glory.
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While we're on the way home.
Like the base? Just a couple of general comments on verses 4:00 and 5:00.
Sometimes hear the expression, expression views, uh, acquired glory and essential glory. And I think that we have both of these pictured in these two verses. In verse five, we have the essential glory of the Lord Jesus.
And it says, And now our Father, glorify thou me.
Uh, with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world. And in connection with Joseph in Genesis chapter 37, we see Joseph's father providing him a coat of many colors that would speak of the very glorious and I believe the essential glories of the Lord Jesus. But if we go back to verse 4.
When the Lord Jesus says I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do, I believe that that would bring in the other aspect the acquired glories of the Lord Jesus and we have that answer to and Joseph and Genesis chapter.
UH-45 when Joseph gives instructions to his brother.
He says in verse 13, And ye shall tell my Father of all my glory in Egypt. So I believe that answers to the acquired glories of the Lord Jesus.
And wonder of wonders in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
Sometimes young people say I'm saved. I know I'm saved, but now what? I just kind of.
Live my life. I'm peaceful. I have happiness to some extent. What, what, what, what now?
2nd Thessalonians 2, verse 13.
We are bound, Paul writes to the Thessalonians, newly converted. I believe we are bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel. To what end? To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren. And then there's some exhortation. Think of it.
He hasn't just saved us to deliver us from misery and stress and confusion here, but our destiny.
Is is to he's sharing the glories that he won as a victorious man. Those acquired glories he shares with us.
Perhaps you just a little quick note, this chapter is not what the Lord telling us, but we ought to do or what things are. This is him talking to the Father.
His prayer, that high priestly prayer as we mentioned, so we look at it from that perspective, we may see a little bit different results from that and talking to the Father concerning His own us.
Sometimes we insert ourselves too much, don't we David?
You know, we're like the family album comes out and the little child, he's looking at all the pictures. Is that me? Is that me? Is that me who wants to see himself? And we do that too much. In the Scriptures in Genesis 22, it says that Abraham left the servant and they went both of them together.
There's an aspect in all of this in Calgary in particular, where?
It's the Father and the Son. It's God and the man Christ Jesus, nobody else. I know there were other people there and we read of their response, but there's a certain part of it that we can just blur out of our vision at times and just see those two.
The one glorifying the other, the other. How do I respond to this?
The father looks down and sees all that his son has done.
And what does he say? He's raised them out from the among the dead by the glory of the Father, causes him to ascend, and puts him as man on his own throne.
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And you know, it's interesting, in John's Gospel, there are these things woven together where the sun and the majesty of his person has the right and authority to do certain things.
And that theme is you can trace that through John's gospel. I have power to lay my life down, and I have power to take it again. But then what is it? This commandment have I received from my Father.
And so we see him here and those things are woven together and even in these passages here as as Bruce has brought out so nicely. Verse five. And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Didn't he have a right to just take that glory back, to pick it up again as he laid it down, as he veiled it? Really.
He leaves that to the Father. He the Son glorifies, not himself, we read in Hebrews, but he just presents himself, and God does it.
Beautiful. Perhaps with that in my case, with that view in mind, I'd like to restate this chapter again. We mentioned that his prayer to the Father for the chapter in a sense, if we divide it up into five different sections, may help us understand it a little bit easier because it it is a rather long chapter and some of the words seems to be repeated. But once we understand each section or the subsection is easier. So we just finished perhaps going through the 1St 5 verses. That's the first subcategory as if it were he talked about.
It's finished work, finished work that we have finished or about to finish. So that's what what he's mentioning to his father. And then from verse six to verse 10, we find that the Father's name is mentioned. So that's another topic by itself, the Father's name and the Father's gift. So we find that if we divide that, it makes us understand it a bit more. And then from verse 11 to verse 16.
You'll find that now He's thinking about us, He's praying to the Father concerning us, saying that we're not of the world, but we're to be kept while we are in this world. Or how precious that even before the suffering, these are just hours before His passion, that He still have us in mind. And then the fourth section would be from verse 17 to verse 21. You'll find that.
He sanctifies Himself so that He can sanctify us, and then from verse 22 to the end of the chapter that he mentioned about the glorification process.
It was helpful to me years ago, Brother said.
And Paul's ministry.
We're one body with Christ, united to Christ in heaven. But in John's ministry where one plant with the Lord, to me, that was just a little key that unfolded the difference between John and Paul's ministry. And so as members of the body of Christ, every one of us is unique and different. Everyone has a different gift. Everyone has a different function to supply to the whole.
That the body might be a display of Christ, our head in heaven here on this earth.
But in John's ministry was already referred to the Lord Jesus is seen as that corn of wheat falling into the ground to die, but springing up and bearing fruit. And what is on that stock of wheat?
Rows of wheat corns or kernels that are identical to the one that went into the ground. They each have life, but they only have life because they're attached to the stock. They grew up on it. They have the same life.
As the corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died and they look exactly like, and I know I'm touching on things already mentioned, exactly like the one that went in. And so in John's ministry and the one that's presented there is that we're all the same.
But Paul, we're all different.
But John, we're all the same.
All should be and we have the life to be exactly like the one who died and rose again. And so we come to 1St Corinthians chapter 12 and the gifts. And they say as we come to that gift called help, we can all be a help. No, you can't all be a help in Paul's ministry. That's a specific gift. Not everyone has it.
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We can all be helpful. That's right, that's John's ministry. We should all have that display of the life of Christ. We should all be helpful. You see the difference? That helped me a lot to see the distinction between Paul and John. One body with Christ have remembered different John, one plant with the Lord, everyone the same.
Now I have a question. I wanna go back to your questions please. Is this chapter the Oneness referring to the Church of?
The Lord's people and by distinguishing that may help us because we see him mention how he says the one that has been given to him, he prays that they may be one. So I believe that we're given these of those that he was working with at that time. And then we'll find toward the end, uh, of the chapter, umm, uh, in verse 20. I pray for, not for, I pray for these alone, but.
For them also, which shall believe on me through their work. So my question is the one, is it the Church?
I don't think so, although those that are contemplated certainly form the church and so this in that way there's an overlap, but that's not the intent of this chapter to take Paul's ministry up for that subject. So the first one that we get.
Is uh in verse 11.
Where he says, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those that thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.
Who is he speaking about? He's speaking about the men that have been given to him out of the world. He's Speaking of the apostles specifically.
He was going to depart and they were going to be here and they were going to have to be one in their thoughts and their aims and their purpose, just as God the Father and God the Son were one. If there was going to be a testimony for Christ in this world, they and remarkably look at the apostles.
Outside of the the occasion where we read of Paul having to rebuke Peter because he was kind of getting off and he received it in Galatians, they remained one and their thoughts and their aim and their purpose and their devotedness to the Lord raped to death every single one of them. They never diverged from one another.
And so we turn over to 1St John in connection with that and the first chapter.
This is already referred to as well. Verse 2. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard, we the apostles have seen and heard. Declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, the apostle, and truly our fellowship.
Is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. That takes us to the next unity that you mentioned, Brother Dave, in verse 21 of our chapter. Those who would believe on the Lord through the word of the apostles.
That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee.
That they also may be one in US that.
The world may believe that thou has sent me, so there's the purpose of united testimony. But what is the oneness here?
There is a oneness between the father and the son because they have common appreciation and interest in one another. There is a appreciation and fellowship and and I know my words just fall so short.
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Of that life eternal, that is from a past eternity in the Godhead of mutual appreciation and love and delight in one another. And now the apostles are brought into it through their word. It spreads out. We are brought into it. We're brought into the enjoyment of life eternal, this fellowship and communion in the Godhead that always was. And so they are one in each other and their appreciation.
For each other and that love of the Father and the Son. And so he wants us to be one, He says in us. He wants us to delight in him. He wants us to enjoy his love for his Son. And the Son wants us to enjoy his love for the Father. And he brings us into this circle of love and fellowship through believing what the apostles preach. How important then the apostles doctrine.
John says if you go beyond this, you spoil it all.
Ruin it all and then the last Unity looks on to the future.
Verse 23.
I and them, and Thou and me, that they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that Thou hast sent me and hast loved them as Thou hast loved me. The first one was.
A testimony that's going out now, but this is the future glory.
This is oneness and the perfection of coming glory and display before this world. God's going to bring us out. And I know it's a misapplication of Scripture, but behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.
So oneness in intelligence and Communion, oneness in testimony.
It's beautiful and and for you know, we have this saying in American slang that we'd be on the same wavelength. I don't wanna speak irreverently about these things, but God the father and the son they wanted to expand it that we might be quote on the same wavelength. We can appreciate the things that they appreciate. We at our measure they in fullness. We see something, we see some action.
We see some word. We see some alleged piece of wisdom.
We look at it and we think about it and we respond to it just the way they would. God desires that and in order that we can participate that way, sins put away, life communicated that we could be partakers of that life and enjoy those things that pertain to that life. In John's Gospel, it's it's striking that the sun is alone so often with people think of it.
John one, he, he's there. He he says. I knew you when you were under that tree.
He caught him when he was alone. He he communicated at a.
I know what you're thinking about. And then he's alone with Nicodemus. He's alone with a woman at the well.
The infinite man on and on he's alone. And so in in John's ministry and in John's Gospel as the start of it, we see it's the sun with individuals. There is the word we in the Epistle of John and in John Gospel, but it's Christ with individuals. Paul is the one to whom a dispensation was given. And to unfold the mystery of the church in its collective aspect as one body, but John is John.
Paul is Paul and if you're a a reader.
And you have, uh, J&D's, uh, letters start at the back if you haven't read them before. And there's some letters that he wrote in response, very end of his life.
And someone asked him, Brother Darby, what are you thinking about at the end of your life? And he said some very sweet things and you can read them. But one of the things he said almost as an appendix was, Oh yes, one other thing. I should not like to see the brethren lose hold of John in their zeal for Paul. He said, if I can remember it more or less well enough to, to paraphrase it, the one.
Gives uh, I can't recall it at the moment, but Paul basically takes man up and shows how he can be accepted by God and glorified. The other, that which is displayed God comes down and displaying it in the life of the sun. But you can read it for yourself. You know, this is kind of a digression, but first Chronicles chapter 12. I want to.
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Promise it will be short First Chronicles.
Young brothers, you're starting to study the word of God. That's wonderful. Young sisters, too. All of us, young and old, should be students of this precious book. First Chronicles 12. Now these are they that came to David, to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul, the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war. They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left.
In hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a boat, brothers and sisters, we should not be specialists. Somebody sent me an e-mail about a month ago on that very topic that we should read the whole word of God and not.
Uh, and not encourage ourselves to be specialists in just certain lines of truth, but we eat and individually to gravitate to certain things. You know, when you're young, if you're playing ball or you're playing soccer, or they want you to use your right hand and your left, you can only use one foot. You know, you can be shut, shut right down, right. Then we're right foot, left foot, right hand, left hand. And you know, God doesn't want us to just everything pull or everything, John.
Steven and I were young together in the same gathering and we, as John 17 would be taken up and we we listened to 50 minutes of Paul's doctrine.
From John 17 and we used to kind of chuckle about it. We don't want to be that way. We want to use the right hand and the left. Appreciate the beauty that's in John's gospel, John's ministry. I'd like to make just a couple of general comments that I've enjoyed in connection with some of the earlier verses of this chapter we have brought before us in the second verse. Wasn't too much said about it.
But thou hast given him power over all flesh. I believe that that also takes in dominion. And that's part of the glory too, isn't it? We see in the second chapter of Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar was given dominion over the field. He was given over dominion over the fowls of the air, but not of the fish of the sea. Well, we see in John's gospel the Lord Jesus.
Telling the disciples where to throw their net because he had dominion over the sea. He had that full dominion. He had that full, that complete power. So that I believe is connected with what we have in this chapter as well. Another thing that I have enjoyed and I've linked it with eternal security and that's the few words that we have.
In verse 6 and thou gave us them me. Well, when were we given to the Lord? I believe it's when we believe and we use the expression God is not an ****** *****.
God didn't give us to the Lord Jesus and take us back, did He?
This, I believe, also reinforces internal security. I may be wrong on that fact, but I like to look at it in that way.
Just like to make another comment connection with Paul and John's ministry.
Paul's last words, thinking of what was mentioned about Mr. Darby at the close of his life, and Second Timothy, one verse one all, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. You know, we come to the end of his life. And he saw the ruin of the testimony that was coming in. And this verse in a certain sense, dovetails John's.
And Paul's ministry.
As if he sang, you know, in this day of ruin the hour testimony of the Church of God. If there's anything real, if there's anything that matters, if there's anything that's pleasing in a sight, it's when he looks down and sees the manifestation of the life of his son in his own in this world.
Look at the last verse of our chapter.
Now I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it. That's the love wherewith thou hast loved me.
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May be in them, and I am. Paul builds the house. He's a wise master builder and he gives us the structure, the foundation, the the building of the church.
Just like a house.
You know, there was a house in the 15th of Luke, and when one approached it, it was a House of love and light and song, as we have in that little hymn.
Paul gives us the structure, it's the house, but John gives us the life that shines out of the windows of that house.
He gives us the life that should fill the atmosphere of that house, and if it doesn't, it's a cold, dark display that shines out those windows. It's an empty shell.
So we need them both. We need the structure, we need the house, but we need the warmth of the light of the love of God active in the hearts of his own to shine out the windows of that house.
We have to remember too, that not only have we won, the Lord himself is one. We're being guided by 1 spirit. So the hand that Paul put down and put up on paper or parchment and John footage, they both are really guided by 1 Spirit. So they may have something to present differently, but it's saying author as if it were let let me express this at the end of our chapter, we talk about being glorified with him. You have his prayer, but what did Paul say? Let let's turn to Ephesians, uh, uh, Ephesians chapter, uh.
One, you know these verses very well. It it in Ephesians one in 10 it talks about the expansion of the bonus of times. We often refer to that as the key to the Bible. But I want to go down a little bit further. Verse 12 how he tells us about what what is this glory verse 12 That we should be to the phrase of his glory who trusted in Christ.
So he mentioned that not that the glory, but that we should be the praise of His glory. But hold, hold on a minute, it says we now this is what we have to distinguish things a little bit.
When the Apostle Paul and his epistle put the word we, I believe he referred to him as a Jew, and he's referring to the we as his steward rhetoric now and then.
Verse 13 tells us not a little bit more clearly, in whom ye have trusted. Did he trust it before we were saved? No. For his Jewish brethren, He said they are going to be the praise of his glory.
But what about us? Let's go down to verse.
Uh, further down in verse 13 in Phu also after ye believe, well, I believe that's us when you use the word ye because after we believe as a Gentile, it says you were a CEO of the Holy Spirit, a promise, uh, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase procession. Alifra's time is short, but the end result is.
Unto the praise of its globe, so to the Jewish.
It will be to the price of his glory. What about us? And we too to be appraised of his glory. Actually, Bruce, approximately when you said about the end, we sometimes follow things systematically and then we diverge from it. Sometimes it's nice to look at the beginning and the end first. With the end in view, then it's easier to understand the path that leaders. So at the end of it all, we won't be to the praise of Mr. Morris.
You're being.
Very good with respect to eternal security. I'm noticing in this chapter that over and over the Lord Jesus speaks about those who the Father had given to him. We see it in verse two. We see it in verse six, those which thou gave us thee and so on. And two times in verse six, dying. They were in thousand avis them me verse 9.
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given the verse 11.
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Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me. Verse 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gave us I have kept, and none of them is lost. Verse 24 Father, I will that they also whom thou has given me. So it's wonderful to contemplate the fact that you and I, we are a love gift.
Of the Father to the Son.
And the Sun placed his utmost importance on this gift because.
The sun, the lights to honor his Father and you could say I do always those things that please the Father. And so I believe as part of this love gift to the Father, we are in the most secure position. And the Lord Jesus said those that the Father gave me, I have lost none.
Lost not but the son of Petition.
Well, isn't it wonderful that you and I, we have this secure position in Christ?
We really have nothing to worry about with respect to eternal security, and to suggest that the sun might lose something of this gift, I believe, is a terrible insult to the glory of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you gonna say Bruce?
I was going to say.
That you, that you and me, being like Christ, glorified in heaven, is going to be an ongoing and eternal testimony to the value of the work of Christ and to the love of God.
We live in the South and the South that people are getting very ambivalent about these memorials that they have in the town square, you know, some Confederate soldier or something like that. And so they're all rethinking all of this, uh, history in the middle of the night. They go sometimes, you know, with a crew and a crane and they yank them out of there and throw them undercover somewhere and see controversy about looking at the past and the memorials of it. But God is going to have a memorial to the work, the fruit of his son's work throughout all eternity.
We're gonna be with him, like him, displaying his glory. He shall be admired in all them that believe.
330 and 330. What raised the wondrous thoughts, or who did it suggest that we the Church to glory broad should with the sun, unless in 330.
Three.
The Leading of the Spirit
Address—Tim Ruga
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Good afternoon. Could we start the meeting this afternoon by singing hymn #268 in our Little Flock hymn books?
#268 And reading from verse 2, Lord, by thy word and spirit lead we shall not in the desert stray.
Or light for our direction need or lose if dark and rear our way. Still kept from danger and from fierce and sigh. Almighty love is near 268.
Salvation.
Captain.
If I shine a long dream of a pilot, it grows a little configuration on.
August 25 grade all my throat.
I saw her and where I went.
So we pray, our God and our Father, we thank you so much for this privilege and opportunity we have this afternoon to open Thy word and consider together a portion we cross which will be from myself. We just look to Thee for that. Let us know our God, Thee weakness of the vessel presenting.
And also the need of the hearers. We pray.
That was me both. We just pray that each one of us would be encouraged is consist as we consider again what that was said. We pray especially that we would come to know more and be drawn closer to our precious Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ and whose name we ask Amen.
This afternoon the subject in my heart is the leading of the Spirit, and some who are here have heard me speak on this before.
I trust with the Lord's help I'll bring it out freshly, but this is a subject that as I talk to different ones, I find that it's well known among us what the leading of the Spirit is.
But what is not so well known sometimes is what the Scripture has to say about it, and why it is that we practice what we call the leading of the Spirit. And for that reason I.
Feel it on my heart to take up the subject I was vividly.
I vividly had this brought to my attention when we went to Africa and while there was observing some of the brothers before a meeting and I had seen them do this before, but I got close and I saw exactly what was happening there. That was two or three brothers all together and they were deciding who is going to.
Give out what hymns, who is going to read what passages and who was going to pray. And that's what they did. And so it was very clear and it was orderly. No problem with that.
Looking at that, saying this isn't right, and we all would look at that and say this isn't right. But the question is why do we say this isn't right? You can't go there and say, well, that's not what we do because this is what they do, but what they did, and many of them still do. The question is, what does God say about it? And that brings up an important point.
That I want to make here at the beginning of the meeting today. You know, when we look at any subject from the Word of God, or really anything at all in our Christian life, it's very easy and very natural to say, well, what is it that we do? And it's easy to take up a Christian practice from the standpoint of tradition rather than thus saith the Lord.
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And so we often get into this dilemma sometimes in the assembly where.
We basically know what is done and we can get lazy and not go back to find out what the word says about that. And This is why we have in the Word of God that part that we call doctrine and that part that we call practical. And the doctrine we find in more than half the epistles comes in the first part of the epistle. Afterwards we get the practical.
The doctrine is very important.
We need to take it up. There's a tendency, I'm afraid sometimes to skip over the doctrine and and just say, just tell me what I need to do. That is to say, I don't really want to know the reason. I just want to know what I have to do. It's really nothing more than a form of law to take up with spiritual things that way. We need the teaching. The doctrine is that foundational part on which the practical is based. And if we give up the doctrine.
We may hold on to practice for a while.
But after a while that practice will slip, and eventually it might be lost altogether. So we really want to look into the Word of God for any of these things. A great many subjects, really every subject should be taken up that way. What does the Word of God have to teach about that? And then what is my responsibility? And so to start on this subject, let's go to the Gospel of Matthew.
And chapter 3.
And I just want to at the beginning here trace out.
This subject from the beginning.
As it's presented in the New Testament.
It's really, I believe, the beginning of how the Spirit of God presents the subject. Matthew chapter 3 and John the Baptist is speaking in verse 11. He says, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He's so baptized you with the Holy Ghost.
And with fire. And so John the Baptist is speaking about.
The one who is coming after him, who is far greater than himself, clearly he's speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ, and he says that when he comes, he's going to do 2 Things. He's going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and he's going to baptize you with fire.
Now many who take the last part of that and teach well that is speaking about the spirit as well and they like to go to Acts chapter 2 and and show that the Holy Ghost when he comes down, he appeared on them with tongues like that's a fire. And they say it's the same thing, but it's not.
That's not what John the Baptist is referring to when he says that the Lord Jesus would baptize him with fire. He's talking about something else entirely. And that's explained in the next verse, says in verse 12, whose fan is in his hand. And he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. And so this is what the Lord Jesus.
Has come to do in this time. There are really two groups of people.
Those who receive him and those who don't, and for those who don't, there will be judgment. That's what the fire is speaking about. And for those who do trust in the Lord Jesus Christ in this period of time, there would be a different baptism altogether and we'll see that. But he says here that that fascism would be with the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. And so that's really the opening of our subject and I'd like to trace it going onwards and turn over to John chapter.
4.
In John four we have this account of the Lord Jesus meeting with a woman.
That's a well and he asked her to give him a drink of water, and then he offers her water of a different sort. And that's what we want to look at in verse 13. The Lord Jesus answered and said unto her.
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drank the drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And so the Lord Jesus is speaking about something that is entirely different from the water that He asked from her, entirely different from physical water. And here he's talking about water that he would give, and that water would come up out of the person, and it would, as he says here, spring up unto everlasting.
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Life. Incidentally, I just mentioned that He says that He will give us and it will happen. That woman did not receive that water yet at that time. It was yet a promised thing, as we had in the meeting before. Later on, after the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, she would have that eternal life, but He still speaks of this.
And when he speaks about it, he speaks about a spring of this water.
That was going to be inside the person and it was not going to be an exhaustible supply. It was going to go on and on and on and then the Lord.
Brings it up in connection with another subject in this chapter and we're not going to take the time to go through that. But if you read on down a little farther you'd find that he takes up the subject of worship to the Father and we find out that this well of water springing up is not just to.
Eternal life, but it also brings with it that which produces the true worship that God the Father desires. And so the Lord mentions it here. It's the Holy Spirit that He's talking about, and He mentions it here in connection with worship. Now you might say, how do we know it's talking about the Holy Spirit? Well, the Lord is going to go on and make that very clear. And let's see that in John Chapter 7, because He says something.
Not quite striking there.
Has very much to do with our subject.
John 7 and verse 37 says, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
Very similar now, isn't it? But he's not talking about physical water.
Verse 38 he that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. So now the Lord is talking about water that he would give. And this time it's not the water that springs up to eternal life and goes on welling up to worship to God the Father, but now it's rivers of living water. And the Lord says that the Scriptures have said because in the Old Testament.
We find a number of passages that talk about the Spirit of God going out and flowing out into the desert places of this world, like those refreshing springs. And that's what he's talking about here. He speaks of rivers, of living water. And now it's not just eternal life in view, but it's the going beyond all of that.
In testimony and we have the Spirit of God giving testimony.
Through those who drink of this water. And so there's worship and there's testimony that the Lord brings thee forth. And as I said before, speaking about the Holy Spirit. And this time we're told so plainly. The next verse 39.
The 50 spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost, was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
Hi, You see, we're giving some details about that, that those who would receive this water and it would spring up in them to eternal life, and it would go out then and worship to the Father in the power of testimony.
That was a promise. It was going to come. It wasn't there yet. Why? Because the Lord Jesus wasn't yet glorified. He was still here as a man going about in his ministry on earth, and the time was yet to come when He was going to be.
Crucified on the cross, and then he was going to die and be raised again from the dead, and then he was going to ascend up into heaven and be glorified as a man there in heaven. And the Spirit of God himself gives this explanation verse in verse 39.
That these ones would receive the Holy Spirit in the future, but they had to wait until when? Until the Until the Lord Jesus was glorified.
00:15:03
It's a very important, uh, mark this time as to our subject, and I'm going through this, uh, and just to lay down some fundamental foundational principles.
I just want to say why for a moment. When you talk to a lot of Christians, you find that many other places, they don't even consider the possibility of the leading of the Spirit. And the basic reason is that they don't see fundamentally what the Word of God has to say about him. And so that's what I'm trying to bring out in these verses. What is the Holy Spirit's present ministry on earth?
And these are the first verses that reveal that. Let's go over to John chapter 14.
John 14.
In John chapter 13.
The Lord Jesus has said to them, verse 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you, You shall seek me, as I said unto the Jews, whether I go, you cannot come. So now I say to you.
He told them this it troubled their hearts the Lord was going to go away made them very sad. He says in chapter 14 verse one not let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. He speaks now of himself is that object of faith and then he speaks about the fact that he's going to go away but.
He says.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I'd go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And so he comforts them by saying, I'm going to go away, but I'm going to come back again.
In the meantime, what? And that's really what has to do with our subject. The Lord has something planned for them.
And that is the Holy Spirit which we still have today. This is verse brought out in verses.
16 and 17 he says, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth. And if you skip down to verse 26, it's with the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things.
And so on.
And so here the Lord introduces in a very definite way that He was going to pray to the Father, and the Father was going to give another comforter. And what was this comforter going to do? Well, he's going to abide with them forever. And so this is what happened. But I had to wait in John 7 until the Lord Jesus was glorified. Now when that occurred.
Well, we can just go and read that. That's when it's found in the beginning of Acts, and let's just look at that for a moment.
Acts chapter one.
Speaks in the beginning of the chapter about how the Lord Jesus was with them.
And for 40 days, he was there.
And then he says at the end, verse four, and being assembled together with them, he commanded that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he. You have heard of me. We just read that John 14.
Verse 5 here, Acts one, verse 5 for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Now he's going right back to the beginning of what we had in our meeting to what John the Baptist had said in Matthew chapter 3, when he said, there's coming one after me, the last year of Hushu I'm not worthy to unloose. And he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Lord refers to that here and He says you're going to be baptized now with the Holy Spirit and it's not going to be many days from now. And in fact it was about 10 days later. Acts chapter 2, verse one, it says when the day of Pentecost is fully come. They were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
00:20:05
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like eyes of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, and so forth. And so this traces forth, or traces through then all the way to the fact of the Lord Jesus.
Having told them that the Spirit of God was going to come, and then if we had continued to read in Acts One, I should probably should have we find that the Lord Jesus who succeeds up into heaven out of their sight.
And he was glorified there, and shortly after he received that promise of the Father, and he pours out the Holy Spirit, and they're baptized with the Holy Spirit on this day. Now we further know that because Peter makes the point very, very clear a little bit later in this chapter. So let's just go down Acts chapter 2.
And verse 32 Peter is speaking here, he says, This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, by being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this which you now see and hear.
And so, on this day, that promise was fulfilled.
And the Spirit of God was given the Spirit of God. Now that became that power of divine life and power of testimony. And if we were to go on and trace this further in First Corinthians chapter 12, we see there in verse 13 that it's by that same one spirit that we have all been baptized into one body.
And that one body, of course, is the body of Christ brought out in many scriptures. But.
The end of Ephesians chapter one, we are told that there He is exalted in heaven, given to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all. And so since that day all believers have been formed into that one body of Christ. And as the Lord Jesus said in John 14, as we just read.
That every that the Spirit of God is given to us, that He might abide with us forever. The Spirit of God. Then as we consider these verses and as we've traced through what the Word of God teaches us about his coming, we're not up to His ministry yet, but that is coming, we find that he had been promised. He was to come when the Lord Jesus was glorified.
And then he was given.
He baptized believers into one body, and he's still with us here today. Now, to say it another way, I want to put it this way.
There was a time when a divine person was on earth, and he was on earth in a way that was unique.
That, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. We know about His first coming, His incarnation, when he was born as a man into this world. Had he ever been here in this world before? Certainly he was.
They were what we call theophanies in the Old Testament, where the Lord Jesus came and he appeared and he appeared to different ones, Abraham and so on. He had been here. And of course there's Almighty God himself. The Lord Jesus Christ is that one who is omnipresent.
He couldn't help but to be here, but He had never been here as a divine person personally himself on earth until He was born into this world. And He was here until that time when He spoke of when He would go away. And now He is gone in that sense, and He will come back again for us in the same sense that the disciples knew Him at that time.
But in the meantime, he says, there's going to be someone else who is going to come.
Another divine person who's going to come in that capacity and he's going to be with you. And it's of all importance to get a hold of that because most of every true believer understands that the Holy Spirit is God just like the Lord Jesus is God. And therefore as an attribute of God there the Spirit of God is present everywhere with or can I go from my spirit? Psalmist says there's no where that you can go to get away from.
Of God, he's everywhere, but that is not what we have today in Christianity we have the Holy Spirit of God here in our presence among believers in a way that is unique, a way he had not been here before. And it's important. It's important to the teaching of the word of God and the application too as to what his ministry is to understand that fact before all else because that presence of the.
00:25:29
Spirit in a divine personal way among the Lord's people today is, if not flat out denied by many Christians, it is practically denied. And we're going to deny it too, unless we get a clear sense of the doctrine of Scripture in this regard and then the practical side of it as well. And so I want to go back and I want to trace out the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ with I'm sorry.
Holy Spirit in connection with our subject.
There are many other parts that we could take up as well. We already talked about the Spirit of God as being that divine spring of worship to the Father and of being in that source of rivers of living water going out. And in testimony And this morning, we're talking about the Spirit of God, at least briefly, as being the one who's the source of divine life that he has been in all time.
For all time, for all, whoever are born from God, it's the Spirit of God who gives that life.
This is all his ministry, and there's many other parts to his ministry too that are wonderful to consider. But what I have in my heart is really this part of it. And that is the leading of the Spirit in our lives as believers, individually and as collectively. And so let's go back and just look over some of the same ground again, and we'll start again at the.
Time of the Lord's Upper Room ministry or actual code just before that.
Back to Luke chapter 22.
Luke, chapter 22.
Passage, I think, well known to all of us.
Verse seven And then came the Day of Unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed. And he that's the Lord Jesus sent Peter and John saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when you are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water.
Follow him into the house where he entereth in.
And you shall say unto the good men of the house, the Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples, And he shall show you a large upper room furnished. There make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them, and they made ready the Passover.
Now.
It's very instructive. I believe here that when they came to the Lord Jesus, he didn't tell them where to go. He was just about to leave this world, about to go to the cross and be crucified and then ascend back up into heaven. And we've already seen what?
He has said to them shortly after this, but here's the way he introduced the subject. He says you go into the city and there is going to.
A man is going to meet you. There shall a man meet you.
And he says.
You follow him.
That's a important object lesson that the Lord gave to them, not telling them where to go, not telling them who this man's name was. He really didn't tell them anything else about the man except for one characteristic, and that was that he was going to be bearing a picture of water. And I would say that's very clear to us as well if we look into the Scripture. I'm not going to take it the time to do it now, but many places such as.
Ephesians chapter 5 we find that the water.
Is referred to as the Word of God and the Spirit of God and the Word of God we find running together in Scripture. And so this man no doubt was given as the Lord by the Lord as an object lesson to the disciples as to what he was going to do. He was going to be leaving and it was going to be someone else.
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That they would have to follow and.
That one was going to be inseparably connected with the Word of God. No doubt they didn't understand all of that at this time. And so the Lord doesn't say more than that. He simply gives them this instruction. They went, it says, and they found that He had said unto them. When they got there, the Lord Jesus himself came there, and we find then that He instituted the supper.
And after supper.
He sat down, He watched the disciples feet. He begins there with his work as the advocate of working to cleanse away that defilement. He ends as we had in the meeting this morning. It's the great High Priest. And in between he tells them some very important things they need to know.
And of course, one of them is the subject that we have before. So let's go and just take off that part of it again.
In chapter 14, John 14.
We've already read these verses.
But I want to just consider some detail on them. John 14 and verse 16. He says, I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth.
Spirit of Truth.
Of course, the truth is the word of God, isn't it? Sanctify them through Thy truth. We just had in John 17. We didn't discuss that, but we read it. Thy Word is truth. And so we have the Spirit here presented as a spirit of truth. Now the Lord Jesus going to explain something to them about this.
Divine person into whose hands he is going to commit them, and he says here.
I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter. That word comforter explains a lot and no doubt it means comfort. Their hearts were troubled and the Lord Jesus is saying, oh, if it's going to be one who's going to give you comfort? He says I'm going to give you comfort. Now with this one that I will send that will be poured out on that day. He's going to be a comforter.
But you know, this word doesn't just mean comfort.
The word that is used in Greek is just like most of our English words. It has synonyms and it has a certain breadth of meaning and comforters. Really only one part of the meaning of this word. It's really paracletos, as I understand it. It's a Greek word and what it means is one who takes care of all the affairs of another.
And comfort would be a very big part of that, and very directly related to what the Lord had just been explaining to them.
But it's more than that. It's one who actually will come in and take care of the affairs. I think, uh, Mr. Darby says in a footnote to the new translation that perhaps the closest word in the English is solicitor. But that doesn't do it justice either. You think of the solicitor. It isn't exactly the thought of comfort, but it's, uh, somewhat a broad definition of meaning. And this thought is at the center of it. It's one who takes care of your affairs.
And to me, that is most significant in our subject because the Lord Jesus always is the one who took care of their affairs. He, He was the one to whom they would turn and go to for direction if they needed to know what to do. He was the one who guided them as to what to do. In fact, that's what just had happened, wasn't it? They wanted to know where to prepare the Passover.
And they did as they always did. They went to him and then he.
Gave that object lesson that we just considered.
Now he says there's going to be another one. He wasn't going to be there to do that for them, but there was going to be another one to take care of their affairs. And as far as I'm concerned, if we get a hold of that thought by itself, it answers much of the question. There are other scriptures that we'll consider that give teaching directly.
About the present ministry of the Holy Spirit in this regard. But here it's laid out in its kernel form, and the thought is that the Holy Spirit is a divine person here on earth today to give guidance and direction. And if you go down a little bit farther here, well, actually we'll look at it in a moment in chapter, in chapter 16.
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We'll find that very directly said about what some of that guiding is.
But before we go on to that, I just want to consider, uh, one other part of this because you might say, well, if the word is a broad definition of meaning, is it possible that the Spirit of God is a comforter of a different sort?
In some ways I believe that Word of God teaches us that there are some differences, but as to a different sort, the answer is no. And that really is laid out in the 16th verse. He says He shall give you another comforter. He doesn't say he will give you a comforter. He says He will give you another comforter.
And I understand that that word, another really is stronger than we have in our Bibles. I'm told that the Greek word for that is Alice. That means another of the same kind. And if you were to go to, uh, in Galatians chapter one, you find that the apostle Paul is talking to the Galatians about how he marveled how soon they had been removed from that gospel that they had.
And what does he say there? He says into another.
Gospel. Now that is not the same word.
That another is the word I understand heteros, which means another of a different sort. And the apostle says you've been removed into another heterose of a different sort, another gospel, which is not another aloe. It's not another of the same kind, stronger in the Greek composed than what we have in our King James.
So what we have here is the Lord Jesus saying that I'm going to give you another comforter, another of the same kind.
This one like himself, that was going to be given to them. And so in this thought about where they should go and what they should do.
And the Lord says there will be one that I'm going to send and He's going to be given to answer that for you. Let's just go down to chapter 16.
John 16.
And.
In verse seven he says, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And there are other verses that give the same line of things.
But we just go down to verse 12. The Lord Jesus says, I have yet many things to say unto you.
But you cannot bear them now. The Lord Jesus wasn't finished speaking. When he was a man here on earth, He had much more than he had to bring before the disciples, than he had to convey to all of us who would follow them. We are those who would believe.
On their word, as we had considered in John 17 and the Lord said, I'm going to speak about those things.
But what does He say here? She says You cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all the truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come, and He shall glorify me, for He shall receive of Mine.
And shall show it unto you all things that the Father hath our mind. Therefore said I, that he shall take of mine.
And shall show it unto you.
Now this is the very first thing that the Spirit of God would guide in or lead in, and that is the word of God. And the Lord Jesus, of course, did go on to speak many things after he ascended, helping to glory. We have that in the book of Hebrews. God in this these last days has spoken unto us and the person of his Son. And then later on, I believe it's in chapter 12, it says, see that you're free. You refuse, not him.
Who now speaketh from heaven? And so the Lord Jesus ascended up, continued.
To speak those things which were from Himself, but He did it through the Holy Spirit and that is given to us complete and the revealed Word of God. We have the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ given by the Spirit of God in these pages. And today, now we have this ministry spoken of here that He will guide into all the truth.
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And so the number one thing when it comes to this subject of the leading of the Spirit.
After we understand that he is even here to leave is that He desires us to leave to lead us into the truth of God, and not just the truth of God generally, but the Lord Jesus says he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine. That which concerns the Lord Jesus Christ is the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, and He wants to take this precious word of God.
And from it, take all those things that are written about Christ and bring them home to each one of us so that we may know more of Him. That is the beginning of the leading of the Spirit of God. And we get a hold of that. Then it's really going to set the tone for everything else. What else is there of the leading of the Spirit of God? Whether it's in my life.
Individually or it's among the Lord's people collectively?
What else may there be? Well, there's no doubt plenty else.
But it will be of no value to me unless I have a concern to know what it is that the Spirit of God wants to lead me into in connection with the glory of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we can't go beyond, but we can't go past that point where we consider the leading of the Spirit of God in our life. Really, He begins with Christ and everything else that comes after that. It comes as a secondary thing, although very important. Now I want to go and look at some of the direct scriptures that tell us some of these things in the different parts of our lives.
First of all, we can look at individual.
Umm, and then we can go on to the collective, like where do we have in the Word of God anything about the Spirit of God leading in the meeting that I referred to in Malawi? It's here. Word of God teaches us about that, but it's of no use to look at those things until we get the fundamentals first. And that's why we went through all that we have. But let's just go to Romans chapter 8.
Look at the individual first.
Romans 8, verse 14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. If you say that the other way around, we're told in Galatians chapter 3, you're all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It's the only way to be a son of God by faith in Jesus Christ. And so you can't take this verse in the wrong way and say, well, if you're going to follow the leading of the Spirit of God, then you're a son of God, no.
Scripture doesn't teach that and this first doesn't mean that with the verse is saying is as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
In other words, everyone is a child of God or a son of God is they have it here is led by the Spirit of God. You say, well, I don't know. I don't necessarily feel the leading of the Spirit in my life. Does that mean I'm not a son of God? No, that has nothing to do with what's being said here. This verse is an absolute statement of truth. Every single one.
Who is the Son of God is led by the Spirit of God, without exception.
That's what the Spirit of God does. We just have that. That's His ministry here on earth. He leaves. Whether or not we follow is a whole other matter. It's a different question, but here we find that He leaves and.
Because He leads, we therefore know that in our lives there is such a thing as a leading of the Spirit. This first tells us so in very clear terms.
And that does lead to the other question, will I follow? Now there's another question many other people ask, and that is how do I know about the leading of the spirit? How do I know what he's saying? And these are my purpose to go into the all the practical applications. This can take a whole another meeting on that. But I just want to share something that a brother who is here today.
Shared with us just a couple of weeks ago that I thought was very helpful. There's many helpful points on this, but he referred us back to.
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First Samuel chapter 3 and how Samuel didn't know the voice of the Lord at first.
And I, I was glad he mentioned that it was very helpful because this is, uh, subject in the word of God that really is experimental. How does God speak to us by his spirit? The word of God doesn't say exactly how he does it. It gives a lot of examples. It speaks about a still small voice in First Kings. It speaks about, uh, guiding with his eye.
A voice behind all kinds of ways are presented in Scripture. But you remember Samuel? He didn't know.
The voice of the Lord at first. And so he asked Eli, what is this? And Eli perceived what it was. He says, when you hear that again, he says, you go and say speak Lord, but I serve and heareth. Well, Samuel wasn't sure a background, so he was he just said what he was sure of, which is a good idea. We can take off with God where we are. He just says, speak with thy servant, heareth.
And the Lord spoke to him, and before long Samuel knew exactly the voice of the Lord.
And he learned what it was to hear that voice, and he knew what that was in his life, but he learned it directly and by experiment, or might say by experience from the Lord Himself. And I believe that when we go and we walk with the Lord, the number one thing is to do what we already have presented to us. We follow the leading of the Spirit as to the truth of God. He wants to take the precious truth of God and show us Christ. And in doing that.
We will walk in communion with the Lord and He will make Himself known to us. And don't doubt it. The number one thing with any part of Scripture is to take it up by faith and those who doubt the fact that the Spirit of God is the divine person on earth.
It typically is connected with this very point that it's connected to faith. We don't see him, He's not here. I don't hear him speaking to me. Who is different from when the Lord Jesus was on earth? The disciples.
See him and hear him. He could tell them exactly what to do. But it's different, isn't it? We don't see the Spirit of God here telling us exactly what to do. I didn't see him tell a brother to get up and pray or give out of him. And so how do I know that? I know it one way, That is by the Scripture. And that's why we take up the doctrine. We need to see it here.
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. So you lay hold of that by faith, and you say the word of God tells me that God has said it.
And therefore so and I'll wait on him to find out what he's going to say to me and how he's going to lead me.
And then I will know what about in the assembly. Well, what about gifts and take off that part because we have that's that's also individual. Before we even get to the assembly. We have that which the Lord has given us a gift and we find in the word of God very directly presented that the Spirit of God is the one who leads in the exercise of that as well. The Lord Jesus ascended up into heaven as the one who gave them that we.
Ephesians chapter four, he gives those gifts, but we have the Spirit of God who is the one who ministers them and let's just look over and 1St Corinthians chapter 12.
1St Corinthians 12.
Verse one Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. I was going to say something about this and notice before we go on that gift is in italics. It really doesn't belong there. It's spiritual. You might say manifestations think spiritual is how.
Maybe it's the closest, but that doesn't make a lot of sense in English. So spiritual things.
Is perhaps the best thought here. He's going to talk about spiritual things. He says. I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols. Note what it says next, even as you were led. Interesting, isn't it? Before we were saved we were led to, and that was led by dumb idols. It's not the only thing idols that can leave an unbeliever.
Or, sadly, a believer. When we're away from the Lord, that can be, of course. We can be LED astray of our own thoughts, our own flesh, and even worse. But he's directly drawing a contrast here between what he's going to tell them about spiritual things and the way they had been LED before, which is by dumb idols. Idols that could not speak.
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And he goes on. He speaks then about these gifts that have been given.
And he then goes through a number of these different gifts. And I just want to notice what it says after he comes to the end of that, the end of verse 10.
Really the beginning of verse 11 he says, but all these worketh that one and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. Now he says when it comes to guests that have been given us the Spirit of God now who exercises them not only in the.
An abundance of them, but the exercise of them, everything about them. It's the Spirit of God who's directing and that gift is the gift of an evangelist. The Spirit of God directs in that gift. The evangelist doesn't go out on his own and just say, well, take the word of God and just do my best. No, he waits on the Spirit of God to help, to guide, to direct.
In his footsteps, is it one who's a teacher or a prophet or any of the other gifts that are mentioned?
They all wait on the Spirit of God and as we're told in first Peter, as each of you have received a gift to let a minister, every single one of us has to has received a gift. And it's the Spirit of God that leads in that. And so whether it's our personal life as we had in Romans 8, or whether it's a gift that we've been given from God himself.
We find very directly that it's the Spirit of God who leads.
And the activity of that guest, the youth and the carrying out of it. And we get this very directly to in Chapter 14 of just go there for a moment for some examples worked out in practice here. And I just want to look at 1:00 because I think it's sufficient, uh, for the time that we have it says about the profits.
And it says in verse 29 that the prophets speak two or three.
And let the others judge if anything be revealed to another that sitteth by. That's the first hold his peace. Well, who's going to reveal that? Is there somebody walking around the meeting to say, OK, now I'm giving you something to speak about here?
No, we don't have that. If we understood anything of the doctrine, we know that there is a pair of plitos, a comforter, the Spirit of God Himself, who is given to have that role.
In the meeting to come and do this. And so it's a very vivid example. We could go and find many more examples too in the exercise. If you go right through the book of Acts, you find the Spirit of God directing where Paul should go and what he should do and speaking directly by various means to give that guidance and the exercise of his gift. So no question about this ministry of the Holy Spirit when it comes to.
The exercise of gifts. And here we have it in a collective way, isn't it?
It's not just individual exercise at all here because this is one who administer as a prophet in the assembly and the Holy Spirit is shown here to be, uh, acting in the assembly. And so it's very clear that this is the ministry, the present ministry and operation of the Holy Spirit of God and earth when it comes to leading. What about worship?
Well, that's clear as well. Have we gone on a little bit further and and John chapter four, we find that the Lord Jesus speaks about the.
Worship in spirit and in truth. And while he doesn't dare say it's the Spirit, he's speaking about spiritual worship. I don't doubt that maybe the primary thought there is it's by our spirit. But the spiritual thing, no question that our spirit is working together. And I take it with the Holy Spirit because that's who was introduced in that chapter. He is the spring of worship.
But to see the point made very directly, let's go to Philippians Chapter 3.
Philippians 3 and verse three it says we have a circumcision which worship God in the spirit.
And so on. Really that should be, you can look it up in the J&D translation says worship by the Spirit of God. And so it's by the Spirit of God that we worship in our spirits and everything that we do.
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In spiritual things, because that's really the full meaning of what we had in First Corinthians 12. It's the Spirit of God who leads in that, and we get our leading and our guidance from Him.
Now I just want to go on and mention two other things briefly. We won't turn to them because our time is gone, but the Word of God brings in two negative things with the leading of the Spirit as well, and we really need to consider that.
Now the first one that I would refer to is in Ephesians chapter 4 says and grieve not the Holy Spirit.
It says we're not to grieve him. You know you grieve the Holy Spirit when you do something that he doesn't want you to do.
First Thessalonians chapter 5 gives the corresponding passage. And that is quench, not the Spirit. That is, the Spirit wants to use us. He wants to use us to do something. He's leading, He's guiding, He's directing, and he wants to use you or myself in a certain way. And I say no, I'm not doing it. And what have I done?
I've quenched the Spirit of God. So what? We don't do what He wants us to do.
We quench him when we do what he doesn't want us to do. We grieve him. And each of these things are possible in our lives well.
Perhaps I'll stop with that, go on about many examples in scripture of how this actually works out in practice, but that's of no use unless we get the doctrine, unless we see that the scripture teaches.
That the Spirit of God is indeed here as a divine person on earth today, and He does have this ministry of leading believers in both an individual and a collective way. And then to have the faith, understanding that to trust that God can make himself known, that He can lead me in my personal life and that He can lead me as to the exercise of gift that he.
Believe me as to maybe speaking in a meeting or any other aspect that may come in in my Christian life.
Then we can wait on Him and allow Him to workout all that part of it. And yes, we can get good examples in Scripture in that as well, but it's sufficient at least to see the principle and then wait on the Lord for the rest. So let's just close in prayer. Our God and our loving Father, we just thank Thee so much for.
Thy precious word, we thank Thee for that gift that has been given of the Holy Spirit.
Poured out that One who has been given to abide with us forever. We thank Thee so much that He is here to guide each one of us in Thy truth and to lead us in every part of our lives. We thank Thee that He is taking of Thy word and writing in our hearts day by day.
That precious truth regarding the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that each day He writes Him, and He transforms us as we see His glory, and He transforms us even more from glory into glory into His image. We thank Thee for that ministry, and we pray that Thou would help us to realize more of it, that it would have its place in our lives, and that we would live.
In the power of thy spirit.
And following His leading each and every day, we commit this meeting to Thee. We pray that if there are have been those things which were not for myself, that they would fall to the ground. And that which is from Thee, we pray that it would go into each one of our hearts. We ask it in the name and for the glory of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Epistle of Jude
Reading
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So we sing #228.
Umm.
Do you do you have a while at the beginning whenever I went to.
I wonder if, uh, it's a inexhaustible chapter.
I wonder if we've got what the Spirit of God has for us from that chapter for this weekend.
If we shouldn't look at something.
Health and and perhaps he does want us to continue on that shift.
I had been thinking earlier, brethren, and.
It's top to mind that the Spirit could go on with this and in view of the day in which we are living, whether we could either part of the meeting or most of the meeting just take up the Epistle of Jude.
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But if anyone had some additional remarks to make on our 17th chapter of John's Gospel, that's fine too.
Look up Jude.
Jude.
A third end of Jesus Christ, and brother of James to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exalt you.
That you should earnestly contend for the thing which was once delivered unto the Saints. But there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God.
And our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this. How does the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroys them that believe not. And the angels which kept nod their first estate, but left their own habitation, he had reserved in everlasting change under.
Darkness.
Unto the judgment of the great day, even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flush, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire likewise also.
These healthy dreamers defile the flesh.
Despise dominion and speak evil of dignitaries. Yes, Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, does not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuked thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally.
At brute beast in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the era of Balaam for reward, and perish in the gainsaying of Corey. These are spots in your feast of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Clouds they are without water.
Carried about of wind.
Trees whose fruit wherewith without fruit try dead, plumped up by the roots, Raging waves of the sea forming out their own shame, wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
And Enoch also the 7th from Adam, prophesized of these things, say saying, Behold the Lord cometh.
With 10 thousands of His things to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that our ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their heart speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against them, These are murmurs complainers walking.
About after their own last.
And their mouths speak at great swelling words, having man's persons in admiration because of advantage. But beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you there should be markers in the last time who should walk after the own ungodly lessons? These be they who separate themselves.
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Sensual, having not the Spirit.
But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ until eternal life. And of some have compassion making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you falsely before the presence of His glory and exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, for now and ever. Amen.
I believe that this short book is made-up of about 5 divisions. Of course we have the introduction in the first few verses and then the occasion for the epistle, and that is apostasy which has set in and then we have.
Another subdivision that deals with historical instances of apostrophe and then we have a description of the apostate teachers and then finally.
Uh, we have the last division beginning at verse 20.
I was thinking primarily to concentrate.
Uh, if it's the mind of the brethren on the 1St 4 verses and then from versus 20 to 25.
Hope you gained by introduction of food rider is due in other uh uh, the service of Jesus Christ, the brother of James. We may go.
Some attention to that because June really is a brother of our Lord Jesus Christ or a half brother. What we find here that he didn't take that presentation to say he himself too is the brother of Jesus, the mother. He said he's the brother of James. So that could be some value in application for us too, isn't there? But we took a humble place that he is simply a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stop.
What's also interesting is we find that the the brethren of our Lord Jesus.
Before the cross, we find that they didn't really know him.
They didn't really testify when it worked state, and we find that afterwards that they became great servants. So we find James, he was one of the prominent figures after the world won home, uh, in glory. So perhaps, umm, I want to draw an application to it. Perhaps sometimes we may not be for testimony for our Lord Jesus, but sometimes certain events in life happens and then the Lord draw us. The Lord bring our hearts to it. So we see perhaps one that we despise or one ocean they despise, we look down at and then we find afterwards.
They could become a great servant to our Lord.
Isn't it nice that it's starting out such a?
An epistle where there's so much said about the attacks against the truth and as we have in this one that it begins in first one to say to them that are sanctified by God. I think the translation has the cold ones, the love and God the Father and preserve in Jesus Christ.
That.
Although there may be this awful state of things that we find ourselves confronted with as presented in this epistle, and we're not kept by our own means.
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And it's really lovely to see how he presents that at the very beginning. First of all, God the Father loves us.
No, He hasn't just left us here without any resource, and this is preserved in Jesus Christ. What a lovely thing to think of that you and I is things of God. We are kept by Him in His power. Whatever may be the trouble around, there's responsibility and that's brought out here, but He's the one who keeps us.
The word in that we don't use often and Antonio verse one there he's addressing to those that are sanctified.
Do we recognize the fact that we have been set apart, we have been sanctified. The three words in the preserved preserved in what in Jesus Christ and we are called. So I think someone ready Roman today there to remind us how we were called and there he could tell us grace and mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. We had a very special position sanctified not just for given.
It doesn't mention the fact here there are other words like justify. That's one of the apostle Paul's special ministry to us is all believers has been justified in all things, but he is sanctified, set apart and preserved. So sometimes we're saying that him preserved thy flock most graciously within thy shelter foes. So reserve here reminds us reserve in Jesus Christ and you have been called by him.
And there it go on into the, you know, why, why is he writing to us? And he used the word here, uh, that he, he was needful for me to fighting here. So if someone would say to me, they're writing me a letter and say it's needful that they were to write to me, I, I would get very nervous about that. But here it's telling us that we're going to take special teams because of all these wickedness abound. We in the world that have problems and difficulties, not just because it just happened.
Some of them have been around that. That fight we have is not just what we see in our flash, but also, as mentioned throughout, even with the angels who left the habitation, and so on, and from men of old. Umm, but here he's calling us that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Christ. Now the question would be, how do you contend for something, and how?
And 1St, So what? What does that say? That was once delivered onto the Saints. So we need to know what that is first before we can contend for it.
Faith is used a couple of different ways, at least in the scriptures.
The way we most commonly think of it is having a belief in someone, particularly belief in the Lord Jesus Christ that, uh, for example, we are saved by believing in him. We have faith in the Lord Jesus. But here I believe where it's expressed like this, the faith, the thought really is a set of facts that we know and understand and believe that have been given to us from God. So it's important to see that, uh, in connection with what Dave was saying, we need to understand what that is if we're going to contend for it.
So as our brother Tim was saying this afternoon, for example, if you're gonna think about what the liberty of the Spirit means to lead in a meeting like this.
Do we understand the scriptural basis for it? Because you can make that claim, but until you understand the verses behind it, you can't really contend for it.
This also indicates that the phase is known.
There are those who would speak that to the word of God. Colossians 1. Paul says it was given to him to fill it up and to try in any way to add to that faith which was delivered to the Saints is a terrible thing to do. It's actually stronger than that, isn't it? Thinking the other translations, the face which was once for all delivered unto the Saints. And so we don't take up with new things, new ideas.
Everything that we do is to come back.
To this book to find out what's here and then we contend for that.
I can think of the 11Th chapter of Hebrews. We turn to that often. There's a long list of many faithful men.
00:20:12
OK, at least mentioned three, if that's OK. Uh, I don't think I'm digressing too far from the chat. Let's turn to Hebrews Chapter 11. We we won't read too many of those verses because many of us know these quite well. I want to look at the saves of all, just perhaps the first 2-3 people mentioned in this long list of faith. So we find in Hebrews Chapter 11, the 1St man mentioned the first thing that if it were in verse 4 by faith Abel.
Abel offers unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. So the first man was was able we know the story.
The second person that mentioned here is in verse 5 by faith Enoch, which incidentally Enoch is mentioned in the book of humans and we'll come back to that in a minute. And then verse seven is the third person mentioned by faith Noah. Not just like to use these three as an example. Here's some fundamental truth from the word of God that we should learn perhaps from these three people of faith. How will enable faithful.
Abel offered us a sacrifice that was acceptable to God. This is the principle from the word of God that not every sacrifice is accepted by God. So we see in the case of his brother Cain, God didn't accept that sacrifice. So there's a picture that a perfect acceptable sacrifice that God is looking for. In fact, in the process of able offering the sacrifice.
Who was killed?
A picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the principle in the Word of God, that our Lord Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptable to God. There's no other way if we don't contend his faith believing that there is no other sacrifice. That's why in the book of Hebrews Chapter 9 and 10, it's not about sacrifices. In fact, for a long time I couldn't lick. Why 11 As if they talked about something new. No, it's not.
Because Abel so it connects able with a sacrifice. So in the 10th chapter you can say sacrifice and offerings in burnt offerings and offering for things I would not. Ah, the body that was prepared. So Abel by faith speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm gonna be grieved. And then we find the next person, Enoch. That's another fundamental truth that we as Christians have to learn. Enoch is a picture of the church.
Because Enoch was translated because of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the church may not seem go to the article of death. Isn't it wonderful to see that the second person was a picture of the church us that we could be taken to glory without going to the article of death? But then in our chapter we read the Enoch not only was the righteous, but he was a preacher of righteousness.
He warned the world how the Lord's gonna come in judgment. He's gonna bring 10 thousands of his things to warn the world against the ungodly deeds and the and the ungodly speeches and so on. And the Lord took him. He will translate it. And then the next person, Noah. Noah, I believe the picture of the Jewish remnant there. No one brought you that water judgment. Go to the remnant of the Jewish nation. Go to.
The tribulation and some for the same. So those are the fundamental we have in the word of God and we have pro dearly on if you don't hold on to some basic principles then any wind of doctrine will come. So some would say well the church in Israel and the church are the same. No, we just finished very distinct characters between the church and Israel is always the people of God and that the church is not part of the scene. We will be taken out. We are having the citizens by birth so.
Perhaps not all the faith, but some example of the faith of the same as a whole.
Well, to get back to the context of our of our book here, the very sobering, uh, view we have here.
Of what we, as mostly Gentiles, have been responsible for with what we've been given.
00:25:02
Romans 910 and 11. The apostle Paul, in a parenthetical fashion, explains for the conscience.
Of the of the Jew, the believing Jew, or or just a Jew that was aware of the gospel, and any Gentile who might have been aware of God's special ways with the Jew.
And why God would Is He? Is he abandoning his promises?
That he has made over the centuries through profits that he raised up. And so the apostle, that's an important question. And the apostle takes that question up and answers it. No, God is not abandoning his earthly people. And he explains how in God's ways he has, because of the unbelief of the Jew, they have been temporarily set aside from that privileged place of being the people of God on earth.
In one place references the olive tree.
And the Gentiles have been grafted in, and that's you and me. But when he takes up the Gentiles, it's not purely or just exclusively the church, the believers, it's the whole Christian profession that we're part of. And there's now a mixture, a great mixture of believers and unbelievers in what the apostle Paul calls a great house. And so we were warned by the Lord Jesus before he went to the cross in his teaching.
In the parables of the Kingdom, this very unusual fact that this good seed and this good divine effort with men on the earth would result at best in mixed fruit bearing and at worst tears sown and the rest and, and, and so on. And then from the very beginning, the apostles that were, uh, eyewitnesses and, and lived to see and to walk with the Lord Jesus warned us, as did the apostle Paul from the very start.
Of how there would be failure and outward testimony.
And so it's, it's as we, we're speaking, uh, a week or so ago, it behooves all of us as believers.
To walk softly.
In in light of what we're part of, I remember as a very young believer sitting in a conference in arms to the late Brother Armstead Barry.
Uh, sitting there and he just made a comment in passing and he said the Lord has been wounded all over again in the House of his friends, referring to the passage of Zechariah.
Where the profit prophecies of how the Messiah would be presented to his people and he would be rejected.
When he's restored and when he when he restores them and presents himself to them again, you say, well, what are those wounds in your hands?
And so it's very sobering how much we've been given and much is required of us. And so Paul implies in Romans Chapter 11 That that God has provoked the Jew to jealousy by this mercy shown to the Gentile. But he says there, if you turn back just to read a verse or two in Romans 11.
Uh, well.
Verse 19 Thou will say then speaking to the Gentile, the branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Oh, this is good for you and me. Most all of us in here are Gentiles. Well because of unbelief they were broken off. And now stand us by faith. Be not high minded, but fear we're if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Behold, therefore the goodness and severity of God, and them which fell severity but toward the goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shall be cut off, and so on.
What Paul implies really in Romans 11 That this is indeed is what's going to happen. When we read in the Book of Revelation the end of the Christian, so-called Christian testimony, we see that God is going to judge severely.
Those that had so much given to them and didn't properly respond to it #1 by believing. And so a horrible judgment is going to come. It's prefigured on on professing Christendom.
And so I asked myself, who, where do I fit? I, I, I examine myself in a certain state and said, well, I, I really do trust in the Lord Jesus. I know I'm saved. I know I'm, uh, I belong to him. Well, I, I, I, I'm part of this whole thing. So how do I conduct myself? Be not high minded, but fear continue on in his goodness. And so in this, in this, uh, if you go to Niagara Falls and you see this river and it looks sort of peaceful and powerful.
00:30:11
But, you know, downstream it's going over the falls and.
That's what's going to happen with this great profession. It's going over the falls, and you and I are not going to be going over those falls if we put our trust in Christ. Because before that time comes, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. He's going to take us out of this place and deliver us before that judgment falls. But again, I I just want to impress upon us that we ought to share in the mutual responsibility for this aspect.
Of failure, but not just wring our hands constantly. And this is where Jude takes it up and I enjoy it. To them that are sanctified by God the Father called by God the Father that you and me preserved in Jesus Christ. We trust that we are preserved and will be preserved. Mercy. It's of mercy extended to the Gentiles and mercy that we've enjoyed. Peace and love be multiplied. And so it's I, I, I believe I, I, I submit that it's good for us to be mindful of where things are going.
That we might walk humbly and softly, but at the same time the fundamentals of what we enjoy in Christ like we had in the last meeting, peace and the ABC's of the Christian life. To display that life in our everyday Monday life. That it is for many of us day by day love to one another, practical godliness, practical holiness, and all of these just putting 1 foot in front of another day by day that we might seek to please Him.
We don't have to wring our hands. Matter of fact, the Spirit of God would tell us, let's stop the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet. Why? Because there are others that are weaker than you. There are others that are, that are spooked, you might say, and, and, and, and thrown off balance by this, this, that's all around, uh, and, and, and the failure in the Church of God can, can, can strike at the heart of a young believer more than anything that he or she might see in the world.
So we have, we are encouraged, uh, at, at at all times to rejoice in the Lord. We'll say, well, you don't know what we're going through here. Rejoice in the and again I say, rejoice in the Lord.
And so this is a wonderful way to start. I'm sorry for the long comment, but it's wonderful. It's a mercy, peace, love, be multiplied. That's the introduction. And then he goes on with this positive exhortation to us that's just as appropriate for you and me today as it was for these Saints that Jude was writing to so long ago.
And we're to the church at Philadelphia.
Was hold fast that which thou hast, and I believe the enemy of our souls is seeking to rob us that the enjoyment of the truth that God has revealed to us by his Holy Spirit and through his precious word. And it seems to me it has to do here with defending and it brings to mind.
Situation in the Old Testament.
In David's time, Second Samuel, chapter 23. And this is with regard to one of David's mighty men.
It says in verse 11, Second Samuel 23 and verse 11.
And after him was Yama, the son of Aegis. The terrorists and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where it was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from Philistine. But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and flew the Philistines, and the Lord brought a great.
Victory.
Well, here was this.
Piece of ground, and it tells us it was full of lentils.
It was that which was good for food, that which would build one up, that which would make one healthy. The Philistines were seeking to take that field. But here's one of these mighty men willing to stand.
00:35:04
This ground and it felt it stood in the midst of the ground, didn't stand on the edge. You stand in the midst because he didn't want somebody taken from that side.
Well, he was depending on this side, so I think he wanted.
To defend the whole piece of ground. And it tells us that it was the Lord that brought a great victory. So she am I really asking for the Lord and see how the Lord came in on his behalf. And sometimes we think of the enemy as being overwhelming and we think of what we are up against.
Well, it's true. In our human strength, we are no mess for Satan.
No match for the enemy.
But let's realize that we belong to one who is greater than Satan, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ, and he can give us victory over the enemy. He has won the victory at the cross. That tells us that through death He destroyed him. Who has the power of death? That is the devil. Or he has made his power weak. He's in all this power.
And he has delivered them through fear of death for all their lifetime. Subject to find herself. Satan is a defeated fool.
But if we're going to try to meet Satan in our own strength, we might well fear.
But let's be strong in the Lord and the power of his mind. And that's what Judah is asking us to do here, to earnestly contend for the faith.
And we can't be wishy washy about this.
You know, a fish that's dead.
It just goes with the flow down the river.
But a fish that's alive and well has spins and scales. He can go against the flow.
And may the Lord help us.
Like Barnabas, the exhorted the Saints that he might cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart. Purpose of heart and here is earnestly continued for the faith. I don't think it's the idea of launching a crusade to try to eradicate evil from the world and set the world right, but just to go on in the truth of God's word, holding fast that which we have.
Keeping his word and not denying his name.
Here we find those that denied themselves in verse four, the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and I think we have those that are doing this very thing under the guise of Christianity Today.
Very sober? Think about.
We live in a dark day and Satan is the master of deception.
The first chapter of the book of Judges we read of a King Adonai Bizac and mentions 3 score and 10 people that sat at this table.
And all of them were missing a thumb and they were missing their great toe.
Without the thumb they can't grasp, and we think of the excitations that we have in the Word of God, the whole fast without a great toe.
They lose their balance, don't they? So they can't stand fast. You mentioned Shama standing fast in the midst of that field. And I like to make a connection here too with Jude, with the book of Nehemiah. I think there's a correspondence there in the 4th chapter of Nehemiah we read of those that.
Were gathered together, uh.
Says in verse 16 of the 4th chapter. And they came to. And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the Spears and Shields and bows, and so forth. They which build it on the wall, and they which bear burdens with those abated. Everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
Uh, and the builders, everyone is sword girded by a side and so.
Build. And so the hands are mentioned here too, again, aren't they? One hand with a trowel, so to speak, the other hand with a sword. And I believe that we have both of those aspects here in Jude earnestly contending and then at the end of the chapter, building up yourselves on your most holy faith.
00:40:22
There are three things in the fourth verse that would identify if I can use the picture while I brought this for us.
Scenes in this, uh, particular verse, Wally mentioned two of them denying are the only Lord God and the second one the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted to just talk briefly about the first one, and that is turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness. And I believe we see that a lot where people will say, well, let's just have some grace. Let's reinterpret this verse to allow this particular sin. It's becoming socially acceptable. So let's just make it something that we allow in the Christian community.
And those are indications that there are men that come in like the Philistines that are trying to take away the food from the people of God, take the land of the people of God, and those are things that we need to contend for.
When you're fighting a battle, you need to know where your enemy comes from.
Here tells us these main crafted and unaware and often that's the problem with our power of darkness that we don't understand and the word of God really never told us to fight about it. We are to stand onward and we are the armor is for defenses. It's not for offenses. We're not out there trying to win a battle because it's a battle. So we are given in the focus efficiency.
Truly armors but also if you turn to other PA couple places and talk about the armor of righteousness.
There's an interesting armor, isn't it? Not something that might be a powerful, but an armor that you can show other people and your protection is righteousness. And then I believe it also mentioned there's another armor, the armor of life. So we have a very different battle that we fight. So the following verses, it began by talking about the danger. What do we know about these angels that didn't have the first stage? We don't know a whole lot about it.
We know that the word of God mentioned them. So we do know that God will judge at this time. So there's a series of judgments that he discussed with his difficulties. I know our brother specifically said, uh, perhaps not throughout so much in the middle verses, but it's very interesting to see the errors the way people have gone into it. I'd like to jump down to verse 11 and even though.
Not in our top there because that's I think it's more prevalent today. There are three particular errors that we see today. Verse 11 Said the way of Cain, the era of Balaam and the gay saying of course, that is a problem in cryptoism. What is what what what is the way obtained pain wanted to have a bloodless sacred life.
He wanted to find a way that from his own work to bring his exemption. No, that's not the way to define God. Wasn't happy with his exercise. That man's way for his life. Used religion of money.
OK. And we see that today too, that they are in position for the reward of the money. They are. And then the third is the rebellion.
So we find that rebellion against none of these are according to this word.
It's very striking that, uh, when he comes in the 20th verse and on their brother's, uh, directed us to.
He doesn't give us instructions on how to fight these people. God took care of Cain, He took care of Balaam, and he took care of Cora. They watched while Cora the earth opened to swallow them up. Balaam was resisted by God. When he went to meet Cain was dealt with by God. So the instruction here is not how to meet these men. The instruction is build up yourselves in that holy faith.
00:45:04
It's a positive thing. It's evident that Jude had rethought his actions in John two and John seven. You know, in John two is the only time that the Lord Jesus took his family and his mother to see his works down to Capernaum. Jude was there and Jude was there in Chapter 7. So was James, his brother and said to him, what are you doing?
And they didn't believe, they thought it over. You know, the Lord Jesus appeared to James, his brother in uh, first Corinthians 15 gives us the account. Then he appeared to James. James was to occupy a major place upon Jesus leaving the earth. He was like the head of the church. Everyone looked up to him. They came from James. Well, it's evident they rethought everything they heard from the Lord Jesus, among which are.
Resist not evil.
And in Matthew 16.
He says he's going to build an assembly upon which the gates of Hades will not prevail.
Oh, Jesus said that? Oh well then this is not all going to come to an end to these wicked men. We don't have to resist them in the way we think. God is going to take care of them.
It's striking that everyone who has written the 2nd epistle.
Warns of apostasy coming in, but what is their instruction? Universally, we're to build ourselves up.
John doesn't say in his third epistle. Get rid of that diatrophies. Oh, why not?
There wasn't power among the Saints to do that, so he says when I come, I will face him down. It's a shame that the Saints didn't have the power to deal with the diotropy.
What if we, uh, responded to the letter of Stranton and somebody here in the assembly said, Oh no, he can't come, she can't come. That's what Diotrephes was doing. Well, how do we deal with the diatrophies? Scripture lays it out clearly. How do we deal with this kind of evil and apostasy coming in? We build ourselves up positively in the Lord Jesus Christ. Build up on the holy faith, not on what do we do? You know, that's exactly what happened in the days after the apostles.
Uh, you get it pictured in the seven churches. Uh, what they did was, oh, all this evil is coming in. What do we do? We'll strengthen the leadership. Obey your bishops. You read the Church fathers, that's what you read constantly obey your bishops and so on. They built up a hierarchy. No, that's not God's way of dealing with it.
Interesting back in verse 17.
The reminder is go back to the work which were spoken of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not back in the Church Fathers.
And so to be taught by the Spirit of God what the Scriptures actually mean, what we have recorded here, that's potential to building yourselves up your most holy faith. Coming to a meeting like this and hearing people expound on what is in the Word of God, that's helping to build yourself up the most holy faith. And it's important that every person in this room take time to read the Word of God, ask the Spirit of God, open your eyes to see what's in it, because that's how you build yourself up.
It's not sufficient to let other people do it for you. You better do it.
For yourself and we gotta help each other.
These two verses, verses 20 and 21 actually contain four thoughts. Let's just read this first verse 20. But E beloved, building up yourselves on your most understanding. That's the first thing is building up a seat already been exhausted praying in the Holy Ghost. We can't forget to pray not just to pray, but to pray in the Holy Ghost and then keeping.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.
The 4th is looking. Looking for what? Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
All things go together.
When we seek to build ourselves up.
We have, uh, you might say, uh, like a sailor. We have the wind in our sails.
If we seek or become preoccupied with all that we see around us in the world or even in the Christian profession, we'll be trying to sail into the wind.
00:50:05
But the the Lord Jesus Christ on high is still the head. He's still giving gifts and has given gifts to the church. Why? To build up. If you turn to Ephesians chapter 4, briefly, you see this.
Verse 10 heated descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens. They might fail all things. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the benefit of the young. To edify you can almost say literally means to build up. We the English, we have the word edifice. It's a building.
And so we're told to build ourselves up.
When we seek to do that, we will find that this is the will of the Lord for us and He's made provision for us.
Joseph said to his brethren, when he released them to go back to Canaan, it says that he gave them provision for the way and.
And then he said, see that you fall not out by the way. So there's both sides of it, but the Spirit of God and the individual St. As Paul was kind of a pattern believer in the book of Philippians. That was his desire, the Spirit of God working in him. I said, I want to win Christ. I want to be like Christ. The the the the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. That's the Spirit of God in him and the Spirit of God working through these various gifts that the ascended Christ has given the same direction.
And so we have the wind in our sales. We have, we have been given all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And let's not, let's not walk around with our, I don't want to embarrass my children, but one of my boys had this tendency to walk One Direction and look the other. And he was always walking, walking, uh, walking this way and looking that way. He was a little very aware, sensitive person. And you'd see a dog or he'd see something or he was wondering about something.
You can tell which one it is. It's not the one here, but it's it's but he's got scars on his face. But you know, and so much of this.
Stuff we hear all around.
You know, is this.
It, it's, it's noise, brethren. It's noise. I, I love this exhortation these other brothers have given. I think it's right on build up ourselves in a positive way with the truth and whatever error and deflection or distraction the enemy throws at us, it will be spiritually healthy. We're building up ourselves in our most holy faith and praying in the Holy Ghost, looking for the mercy. It will be a mercy.
We get through this world and get home to be with Christ.
When we're building up ourselves, we're building up each other, aren't we? I just wanted to make a brief comment, uh, in the beginning of verse 4IN connection with that, it says for certain men crept and unaware. Well, Mr. Darby says unnoticed now if if we were truly wanting to build each other up in our most holy faith when someone new comes into the assembly.
We should reach out to them and get to know them and, and and find out who they are, what their beliefs are so that, umm, you know, if they are holding some bad doctrine, we can encourage them on what they should and what they should.
To encourage them.
Brother, who is now in fellowship. He said he was associated with a religious group.
Who indicated to him that when it says here in verse 21, keep yourselves in the love of God?
This refers to our love for God.
Well, that's pretty somebody under law.
That's what the law says. I shall love the Lord thy God with all their heart, and mind their souls so on.
But that's not great. Grace is God loves you.
And I think we need to focus on that because that's really, I think the meaning here in this 1St 21. It's the love of God for you and for me. We need to keep in the enjoyment of this.
00:55:06
And what Satan is trying to do is from the beginning of man's history.
So suspicion in the heart and mind of Eve as to the goodness of God.
The idea that, well, Eve, God is withholding something from you that's going to make you happy.
And Eve, she took the bacon.
And of course, that and thin too.
And as a result, sin has come into the world. And how?
The tactic of the enemy of Satan, it hasn't changed. We need to keep ourselves in the enjoyment of the love of God. God has manifested his love to us and this was manifested the love of God because.
He sent his own Son into this world that we might live through him here in his flock. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and gave His Son to be a propitiation for our sins. John 316.
Sometimes we think about this and we find that it's difficult for us to walk in it.
That is even more difficult for their children to teach our children justice. Now I want to say this for the encouragement of many young parents here.
The Lord want us to teach our children, but what does he want us to teach? Uh, I want to go back to the 14th verse just a bit. It's interesting how if you read the words there, it says in Enoch also the 7th from Adam. Why? Why did he didn't just say an Enoch did this? It's very specific here. Is that the 7th from Adam? Now, I'll be honest, I really don't have that much thought on it. You can say 7, this number perfection, whatever it is, but one of the thoughts that came to me.
And I'm thinking of parents, young parents. Is a word of encouragement enough? We know that because he was a preacher of righteousness, his son Methuselah.
His name is when he died. It shall be. He lived until the flood comes. When he died, the flood came. His grandson Noah, pretrial white shipments. What a blessing. But in contrast, I was thinking another man, 7th from Adam, but not from, but from Cain. Let's turn to Genesis chapter 4.
And perhaps it's a negative, but I want to turn it into a positive for parents, especially young parents here. This is a man I believe is 7th. And it's depend on how you count it. Sometimes it may be 8. His name is Lima. Genesis 4 verse 19. Then playback did something very different. First thing he did was he took two wives. If you look at the name that they say the name is completely weak. So that's the first thing he did. But so the the and then we find the kids.
A very good kid 1St 21 That opposite his brother's name. Brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as Hendo, the harp and organ. Would you like your children to be known as the one who can really play music beautifully?
In this world we want those recognitions, don't we? And Avila, she also bare 2 bowl shady. Oh that's terrible. Already reminding that I must be ancestor was changed. But to go on, he was the instructor of artificer in brass, in iron and so on. And the sister was Neymar. So they have a daughter that was pleasant children that are well renowned. Perhaps in today's term you can say well, the doctor, lawyers and engineers, whatever title you want it to be.
So my thought is this. The thought is actually very bad.
All these.
+7 from Adams. They all died as well known as well famous. It may be because they didn't have the word of God.
Whereas Enoch 7 from Adam the family become the fathers of all nations. So we have to learn to walk rightly before God and walk under His path. So once you see that not just here tell us to be ourselves, but we need to keep our children, don't we?
Building them up.
Praying, keeping and looking.
Any practical advice on how to pray better? On how to pray in the Holy Ghost?
One thing's for sure, it doesn't say pray to the Holy Ghost, and that's a lesson we could learn from this passage.
01:00:06
Uh, praying in the Holy Ghost would be to give him his place to recognize, but also to recognize that we often don't know even what we should pray for. I, I really enjoy connecting with Romans 8 and how so often, especially in matters like what we have here in Jude, we don't even know how to begin our prayers, but he does.
So we can wait on him for that as well.
Is an older sister that we sometimes visit over in Long Island. Perhaps known to some. He arose Valentino.
She's 96 or 97 years old.
Saved in their later years but has a real simplicity and love for the Lord.
And when we occasionally go over and visit her.
She'll say.
I don't know whether I'm using the right words to pray to the Lord. Sometimes I even get angry with them and tell them you should Take Me Home.
And I said, I think the word will forgive me for that. So she wasn't using fancy words, but she was certainly sincere from her heart. She didn't mean any irreverence to the Lord. And in a certain sense, it was refreshing to hear her say that.
She was talking to her father.
And uh, perhaps she wouldn't pray in the same way that we would, but it was from our heart.
But I don't have an answer, but I have an example of how one trade turn with me to, uh, Colossians Chapter 4. The Lord actually told us who his man is and how he prays. Perhaps this is one of the many things we can do.
Philosophy, Chapter 4, verse 12. Octopus.
Notice it's A2 edged one of you.
It's not just anyone else, it's one of us who is one of you, a servant of Christ salute you always laboring fervently for you in prayers. So I believe this man will have to pray and I'm sure he pray often, but not just the fact he pray. What I enjoy is what does he pray? He said fervently for you in prayer that he may stand perfect.
And complete in all the will of God. So often we pray because we want something. And I believe we find that we find too many eyes in the prayers. That's already the wrong start. Do we pray first of all?
For this year, the perfect and complete will.
Conclusion That, uh, we could, uh, really have an analogy here.
In June and nowadays, because in Malachi is the end of the history of the nation of Israel.
It was indifferent, it was corruption.
There was all sorts of disorders.
This is what we have portrayed in June.
But it's not in this graph, it is increasing ground.
It's not a heathen dog, it's in Christendom.
And although we do not have.
The apostles disease per SE, these are these are characteristics of the democracy.
And they're beginning interested them now. Therefore Malachi of three certainly can be applied then they have feared the Lord.
They often one to the other.
And a book of remembrance was written.
It's the same condition as you have seen.
The same resource.
Those, uh, that little remnant had, it's a remnant and we're part of that, doesn't it? And, uh, may the Lord help us to encourage ourselves with these four wonderful anchors for the soul anchors. That's not. Let's cast the anchors out and, uh, encourage ourselves. Not in the condition of Christendom today.
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Uh, to remember that there's no remedy for a hospital.
And these people that are spoken up in June, they're a foster. At one time they had the truth, but they gave it up. That's what the hospitality is. They had the truth and gave it up. And that's what we see in Christians done today. No believer can ever possibly die. No possible. We can backslide and we do, but backsliding and apostrophe are two different things.
Being Jews, the government, the apostles, the Apostles.
Malachi one and two.
John just made reference to, uh, the picture of the shipwreck that Paul went through in which they cast out four enters and hope for the day. That would be the fourth thing. And that is I'm looking for the Lord Jesus coming again. But in connection with the third anchor, that is, umm, keep yourselves in the love of God. How do you do that? I got one verse in John chapter 15.
John 15 and verse 10.
If you keep my commandments, He shall abide in my love.
Even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love, So what he's been building yourself up thing in your holy faith by prayer to the Holy Spirit to teach you how to put it into practice in your life. Obedience is how you keep yourself in the love of God and enjoy your scholarship.
We really can't keep ourselves and we provoke and so the chapter sums it up is just now unto him that is able the new translation. I like the way the words it didn't doesn't use the word. Now it says but that word, but we like that because it's so I'm going to say something to you regardless of what they say. If we say, but we're basically saying it's OK, This is something different. But let me read that to end our chapter of the aging. But to him that is able to keep you.
It's now stumbling. Oh, we're not just falling. You're stumbling along the way. And you said you with exaltation, blameless before his glory.
Twice God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty and authority from before the whole age and now and to the ages are man what what a commendation for us to follow what what an exaltation for us to follow that he's going to keep us so we sometimes think that MOLMO Lamb of God still keep us and this is secret close.
#45 in December.
Oh gracious shepherd.
Love to be.
More.
Three days.
Oh my God. NN new paragraph. NN new paragraph in the night.
Delivery number provided shipment for blah blah blah blah blah.
Oh my God.
01:10:25
Yeah, why can't you remember when I can start?
Goodbye is bad rain.
Three Gardens
Gospel—Francois 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.
We would like to welcome everyone tonight at the Gospel meeting.
And tonight, we have a good news to share with you.
But just before we start, we could uh, say #26 there is life and a look at the crucified one. Could someone please raise a tune?
We don't want to get out together unless you're doing anything.
And everything's fine. And I want a task that's brilliant for a little bit too many times one, there may be five quarters of the beginning.
When did I hear the last night here? And I'd bring her everything. I don't cry blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Uh-huh.
In the Taiwan, they replied from the moment for the meeting.
Had a nice day in your daughter and chocolate.
Long time no one had any better sleep for my heart so God will be standing around. Brilliant.
85135 BlackBerry bloom went forward and dreams.
What grade Granny spring the Lord thin crimes change in his heart.
Sinking together.
Uh, I mean also very much so I'm going to cross you guys. I remember it's kind of grand Chip on the Ralph Lauren interrupts whenever.
Replied Lambda one. I had much permissible to get all that one today and 35194 and give me anything.
What an object we have before us, the Lord Jesus.
You know, I was asked to take the gospel.
You know, Paul says. It seems like you do the work of an evangelist.
And the work of the evangelist is to present the person and the work of the Lord Jesus.
00:05:03
And also to bring the center into the presence of the Lord Jesus also tonight. That's what we want to do. But we understand that we cannot do that in Orange Trend. So we'll pray together. Father, we come before you now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray that as we open your precious word.
That by the power of your spirit you will bring conviction.
We pray, Father, that the heart and the conscience may be reached tonight.
Or we pray they may be joy in heaven for one soul that repent. Oh Father, we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Tonight I would like to turn to the scriptures and look at the three gardens.
The first one will be the Garden of Eden.
The second one will be the Garden of Gethsemane.
And the last one will be the Garden of Resurrection.
So let's start with, uh, the first one.
In the beginning of the Bible.
The Book of Genesis, chapter 2.
In chapter one we have the account of a creation.
And then in chapter 2.
We read that how God planted a garden for man. We read that in verse eight. That's in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 8.
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground.
May the Lord God to grow every tree that was, that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also, in the midst of the garden, in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in the river went, went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted and became in four heads.
Let's continue in verse 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.
And the Lord commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden dummies.
Freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat of it, For in the day that thou shalt eateth thereof, thou shalt surely die.
And the Lord God said it is not good for man to be alone.
I will make him and help meet for him.
So we continue in verse 23 after the Lord form heaved.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bone, the flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leadeth father and mother, and shall cleave unto his life, and there shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and the wife, and they were not ashamed.
It is beautiful to notice that how God.
Wanted man to be happy. He wanted the bath for him. He wanted his blessing. He prepared a beautiful garden for him.
And the man was Lord of the creation.
And then gar that garden.
God allowed Adam to name all the different living beings in the earth by the name that he wanted to name them.
So Mann was there in a perfect environment.
He was there with a very blessed occupation to take care of the garden and being Lord over it.
God discerned that man was not good for man to be alone.
Any form of companion for it?
Solomon was, uh, in a very blessed position there.
You know God is.
Got desired the best for Haddam.
And the same thing for you tonight, my friend.
God is love. God wants the best for you where you are today. Or we are in different circumstances and we will see to it in chapter 3. But it is good for us to realize that and to understand and to be clear about the fact that God stopped for you.
00:10:09
Is that he wants the best for you.
God wants to bless you.
Now we read in chapter 3 that, uh.
Something very tragic happened.
And, uh, we will find Adam.
In that garden.
And we will see the result.
The crop.
Of disobedience.
We read in verse one and chapter 3 that now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yeah. And God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the tree, of the fruit of the trees, of the garden, of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat it, neither shall you touch it, lest he die.
We'll just stop there for a minute.
The enemy came in, wanted to spoil.
The blessed thing that man was enjoying with his wife there in the garden.
In the start, as it was satisfactory to put doubt in the heart of heath there about God's love.
But you know, you ask us a question and she answered us to the fact that yes, God said we shall not eat it, neither touch it. God never sadly shall not touch it, She added to the word of God.
You know, and Adam was not there at the time.
The Word of God was not dwelling in the heart of heath.
Because she had it toward the World Cup.
She was not familiar with the communications of God.
So the enemy at an advantage there to come in.
She wants to use.
And the the enemy came in, in verse four. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
He is a father of lie here.
Verse 5. For God not know that in the day he thereof, then your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eye, and the tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof.
And did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her. And it did it. And the eyes of them both were open.
And they knew that they were naked, and they sued fig leaves together and made themselves apron.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves.
From the presence of the Lord God, the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
You know the scripture speaks about the fact that there is.
Pleasure for a season instead.
But the scripture shows us that there is much regret.
Grave consequences.
So here we see disobedience.
And Satan or the serpent here brought before the woman, that it would be an advantage to disobey God.
It was a lie.
We are still reaping today the consequence of that.
You know, as soon as the disobeyed the Lord.
It has said their highs were open and they realized that they were naked.
And they tried to cover the nakedness there with fig leaves.
But before God.
They were always naked.
You know, could it be that you realize tonight that you are a center and you try to do things?
00:15:02
You try to do things in order to make yourself acceptable before God.
And work.
Someone has counted about 10,000 religion in the world. 10,000 religions.
Where people are trying to sell fig leaves in order to hide their nakedness before God.
You know, it's like a religion is like.
Trying to climb a ladder to go to God. There's no way we can do it.
But Christianity is God coming down the ladder to us and the person of the Lord's disgust.
So they heard the voice of the Lord, and it brought fear to them.
Do you have fear in your heart tonight?
If you were to.
To meet God tonight.
Are you ready for that?
I'd like to tell you a little story that happened.
About, uh, probably 35 years ago.
Recently my son attend called me one evening. He said that I meant I met the guy that you know his name is Francois Allah.
Oh yes, I remember Francois.
And uh, this man was a, a friend of my brother and umm, I would go visit my brother once in a while to share the gospel with him and he would be with him. He was about probably 17 years old at the time. And uh, I would give him a track and at some point he said come to see me at my place. So he lived share an apartment with his sister while he was studying in Montreal. So I would go and visit him and he was sitting in photography in those days, he had those black room to make pictures.
This kind of thing. So I took a big bit of interest in him and he would show me this kind of things and we would do sports together and, and when I would go see him on cherry track, track with him, the gospel track.
And let this continue for a couple of years and then?
One evening you called me, says hey, I'd like to go visit you tonight.
I said come so that that day I was not married and I shared an apartment with a brother. This is Sima.
So we came to our place and, uh, sat down at the table. We had a coffee or a cappuccino and we started to talk and he started to bomb bombard me with questions about the Bible.
He says what about Adam and Eve? And he had a series of questions.
What about Noah? And again, seriously? And he was, he had quite a few arguments to try to let me know that what I was saying was not right.
I was a young believer at the time. I, I tried it back, you know, to, to explain, you know, give an explanation to his question.
And you continue on with Noah, and then with Moses, and continue on.
And it's lasted a couple of hours.
At the end of the talk we said.
How do we? How do what do we do to accept Christ?
Fletch, my head and my friend Joseph. What's going on here?
For two hours he argued with us and now he wants to accept right?
He says, you know, I did not sleep for two nights.
I'm very anxious. I have great fear. I'm not ready to meet God. I must settle this question.
He had read a few tracks before, so you know he he knew a bit about the gospel.
But this man was led to the Lord because of fear.
It was explained to me all that as it was trying to sleep at night, it could feel the power of darkness.
You could feel that he was not ready to meet the Lord.
So, my friend, tonight, do you have peace with God? It may very well be that you heard the gospel many times.
But is it something that you possess?
Or if Christianity is something that you profess only.
You're, you know, Adam and Eve, they, they have covered their nakedness.
But in reality, before God, they said that they were naked.
It may it may appear to us that you're a believer.
But we're down in your heart. You know where you heart before God tonight.
00:20:00
There is a light, the light of the Lord wants to reveal where you are tonight, but is love wants to take care of the question of sin that brings fear into your heart.
That's why the largest strike came down here, that's why he shed his blood that you can be forgiven.
So we see here in the Garden of Eden result of disobedience.
But we see other things there also. We see that.
Adam and Eve, they tried to hide themselves.
Are you trying to hide yourself tonight in that crowd?
Could it be that you're in a family where many believers or maybe and you appear to be one, are you hiding behind the people? Where are you hiding?
We cannot hide before God.
He knows where we are exactly tonight.
And you want to bless you. You want the best of you.
In order for you to get the best, the question of sin has to be taken care of.
So we find here that I got a, a conversation with, uh, with the man and the woman.
And uh.
We read in verse 12 and the man said.
When God asked him the question if he had eaten up the fruit, he said the man said, verse 12, The woman whom thou give this to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did it.
So, you know, instead of saying, well, I, yes, I I did take it.
Is talking about the walnut. Is trying to. It's called blame shifting.
And the woman again, when she's asked a question in verse 13, and the Lord God said unto the woman.
What is this about? And the woman said the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
You know, it's easy to, uh.
To put default on others.
And not be real before God.
You know, there was a day when people who had the habit of drinking, they were called drunkard today.
It is said that they are afflicted with a disease called optometrist.
And we can apply this thing to to many many.
Many sense today people are trying to.
Take away the responsibility that we have before God.
With a doctor at Montreal that, uh, killed his two children a couple of years ago.
Uh, Bryant, man.
Cardiologist and his wife too was a doctor and they then became so jealous at some point that he.
Killer Kitchen with a great violin and there was a trial and it was the no way the way the results were the was that he was acquitted because he said he was he was not himself at the time.
And there was a big protest in the society there in Quebec, and there was another trial and it was found guilty.
You know, we may find excuse for our sins, but before God it doesn't work.
Much better to say, as David said in Psalm 51, we'll just turn to it. Psalm 51, verse 4.
David said against D the only of Isin, and done this evil and thy sight.
It is before God that we send when we send. Yes, we may hurt others, it is true.
But we need to deal with them.
So here we find that the serpent also the Lord will speak to the serpent in verse 14. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon the upon by Billy shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman.
And between thy seed and her seed.
It shall bruise thy end, and thou shall bruise a seal. It's beautiful that right after that sin came into the world.
God would bring the good news here about the fact that there would be one day when you see that the woman would bruise the head of the enemy, and this is what happened at the cross.
00:25:12
But it must be sad.
That the serpent with bruise is heel talking about the sufferings of Christ. That he wouldn't you?
You know there are consequences to uh, diso disobedience.
And we have seen the fear. They have tried to hide themselves.
But we will find that.
From the children also, they will be consequences, the first murder that happened on planet Earth.
Happened, you know, between the two first men that were born from Adam and Eve.
Very tragic. What a sorrow it must have been for Heath, for Adam also.
You know among the consequences that at the same that was disobedient, that brought in garden, Goddess said to to Eve that she would bear children with sorrow, and that man also.
With the till, the ground, with with sorrow also. And thorns would come out of the ground, and it would be difficult, and they would be swept on his brow.
So these are some of the consequences.
Of that disobedience.
But we find in verse 21 of chapter 3 that the Lord in His mercy provided garments for them. He said unto Adam also, and his wife did. The Lord God made coats of skin and gloated them.
It got upset that the day that they would eat, they would die.
And here they are, animals that that were killed in order to provide them some some garments appropriate before God.
And we find also on verse 24 that man was driven out of the garden there.
Could not stay there.
Chapter 4. As I said earlier, the first murder.
In chapter five, it was said in the middle of chapter four, we see the beginning of civilization.
When we have, uh, some verse, uh, nineteen, we have Lamac there we got two wives. Again, not going according to God's order.
Then we have in verse 20.
We have the beginning of the commerce.
And verse 21 we have the word, the world of entertainment.
And uh, the verse of 20, the verse 22, we have the word of industry now. That's the world in which we live now where God is excluded and men are trying to live a life.
By their own strength, by their own ideas. This is a consequence of the disobedience of the Garden of Eden.
And you know, we read Chapter 5 about the generation of SAP. And what we read about this generation is it would live so many years, it would die. They would die, they would die.
This is the.
Salary of sin, you know. What's that?
Even today there's so much sorrow, so much sorrow in this world because of that disobedience in the garden.
Recently I was doing, uh, last week, actually I think it was on Tuesday, I was doing work somewhere helping someone to move.
And, umm, as I was, uh, helping the young man there, a young man of 19 years old.
He told me about sorrows in his life.
He told me that how that his father had tried to kill his mother.
He threw him through her mother to a third story.
And his father is in jail for seven years. He told me how how that his father's visit him when he was young and.
Poor young man.
Suffered so much, he told me that two years ago.
It was, uh.
He was arrested by a gang there in Montreal and they wanted to steal his personal belongings and he refused. He resisted and he was beaten.
00:30:05
And he was beaten with sticks and his skull was open and so many bruises and poor young man. This is the world in which we Live Today.
You know, in chapter 6 of Genesis, as a consequence of sin, it is said that the earth was filled with corruption and violence.
You know, the picture that I'm drawing right now is a reality to the world affiliate. You know, a couple of years ago, I, I went on the net and then I, I looked for statistics about crime in the USA.
And I was so struck about the number of crimes that are committed and the amount of money that is being spent at.
The government.
By society in order to.
Bring all these people to court and also try to eradicate them and.
And the price that is paid to keep people in jail is incredible and very often crimes are repeated by the same person.
So my friend, there is a.
There are great consequences of that sin that happened in the Garden of Eden.
But the good news is that.
God has provided for a way for us.
To be safe from that crooked and perverse generation.
To belong to another Kingdom.
Where life rings.
You know, we, we look at this garden and we see my it was so promising in the beginning. It looks so beautiful, perfect.
But soon came in.
The woman that was seduced and man followed.
Well, my friend.
Satan is at work in order to seduce you also.
To make you think that after all, if you would just listen to a suggestion, you may be happy without God.
You may be happy for a short season.
But there is much to consider about the judgment of God that will come one day.
I'd like to turn to a verse in Acts chapter 17.
In connection with the judgment of God.
And it is very important to be clear about that.
Verse 30. Act 17. Verse 30.
And the time of this ignorance God winter, but now commanded that all men everywhere to repent, because he had appointed a day into which He will judge the world and righteousness by that man whom he had ordained, whereof he had given assurance unto all men.
And that he had raised him from the dead.
God is commanding oh man to repent.
You know, for some years I was working under the authority of some superior and sometimes I was commanded to do things and I just had to do that. Other times I had people under my authority and when I would command them to do things, I knew that they could do it. I would not ask them things that they could not do.
So God is commanding you, you know.
Addressing your responsibility where you are tonight.
To repair because one day.
They will be a judgment.
The Lord Jesus will be there as a judge today is presented before you as a Savior.
But the day is coming where you would be a child.
And you will have nowhere to go. You'll have to face them.
The Lord Jesus is risen. He wants to bring blessing to you.
You know, we saw the first garden, the Garden of Eden.
Good beginning.
But sadly, disobedience came in and the consequence. But now we'd like to talk about the Lord Jesus when he came into this world.
You know the Lord Jesus with the Father, we read.
And proverbs chapter 8 that he was always enjoyed before him.
00:35:05
I think his delight in the Son of Man.
And we read also on the Old Testament, at some point the question was raised, who will go for us?
Lorzus Aramycin.
Through the Lord, Jesus came down here to fulfill the will of the Father.
Born of a virgin.
That holy thing there, the Lord Jesus lived among here, the among us being without sin. Perfect man.
And if we turn to Matthew chapter four, we will see the beginning of his ministry.
And is the beginning of this ministry starts in a desert and the wilderness?
And there it will be tempted by.
By the demo.
We saw that how Adam and Eve have failed when they were tempted, but here the Lord Jesus.
We read in verse one.
Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward and hunger. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, commanded these stones be made bread. And he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word that proceed out and out of God.
You know, in the Old Testament.
Seth and Saad Eve did God really say you want to put doubt about the word of God, but here you know me wants to put doubt as to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ because it would say verse 6 thou be the son of God.
Cast thyself down, for it is written, It shall give his angels charge concerning the and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time now dash thy foot against his tongue. Jesus answered unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Beautiful to see the obedience of the Lord Jesus.
As a man, as a perfect man there.
You would not reason with the devil there, but you would refer to the word of God, the obedient 1.
And then we read in verse eight again, The devil, take him into an exceeding eye mountain, and show them all the Kingdom of the world, and the glory of them, and said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said unto him, Get thee hand Satan. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only.
Shall thou serve? Then we read. Then the devil liveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
You know the Lord Jesus will receive when they are the Kingdom of the world.
But he did not want to receive it from the hand of faith, and it will receive them from from the Father.
So what a contrast here that we have demand and the garden, the 1St man in the garden, and then we see here that men from heaven and the desert being tempted and manifesting that full dependence upon the Father.
What is beautiful? Beautiful scene here?
You know, we continue and.
We'll just turn to another garden now, as as I said in the Garden of Gethsemane, let's turn to, uh, Matthew Chapter 26.
And verse 36.
The Lord Jesus accomplished his ministry for about 3 years and uh, He manifested the heart of His Father as He as He was here among us.
Did so many miracles that are, you know, in the gospels.
But.
His main reason?
Was to accomplish the will of his father.
Was to as we read in the Mark 10:45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as advanced and for many.
00:40:00
It came to accomplish there the will of His Father, to be that sacrifice that would fully glorify Him and bring blessing for humanity for those who would trust in Him. So we read there in the chapter 26 of Matthew, we find the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let's read in verse 36. Then cometh Jesus.
With them unto a place called Gethsemane. And said unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go.
And pray under. And it took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then sent E unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Tyree ye here, and watch with me.
Then we read in verse 42.
And it went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, Oh father, Oh my father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be thy.
We see the Lord Jesus here in prayer.
And experiencing.
Great challenge there.
As he was anticipating going to the cross.
It is said here that we had this, uh, great sorrow and it was very heavy.
And you know it was.
He took with Tim, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to be with him.
Hoping that it would be his companion there.
The same thing that the Lord said in the Garden of Eden, that it was not good for men to be alone. But here the Lord was left alone. He could not tarry with him one hour.
They could not enter into what it was going through.
What was before him was a cup that he could not participate.
Because the Lord Jesus was going to accomplish or work on the cross.
That could not be understand.
You know, David said in Psalm 37, I am old, I was young, and I'm at whole now, and I have never seen the righteous abandoned or forsaken.
But on the cross, the Lord Jesus.
The righteous one, the one who knew no sin.
Was forsaken. He was made soon for us, something that was never seen before.
The two manufacturers that were beside the Lord Jesus, they deserve the judgment that they received.
But for the Lord Jesus, he did nothing wrong.
It was there.
To take your place and my place. Or the apostle Paul could say the Son of God will love me and gave himself for me. Or could you say that tonight? Oh, I can say it for myself. The Son of God loved me and he gave himself for me.
What a blessed Savior.
We see the Lord here in sorrow, great sorrow.
You know the consequence of disobedience for Adam and Eve was that they would be sorrow in their life.
But for the Lord Jesus, here you are sowing the seed here in sorrow.
If we turn to Psalm 126, I believe, yeah, Psalm 126.
Verse 6.
He that goeth forth and weepeth bringeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Believe we have a picture of the Lord Jesus there as He was weeping, bearing that precious seed.
As the Lord Jesus was going to the cross there as He was anticipating, that time, it was before him.
It was going to much thorough.
Let's turn to, uh, Luke chapter 22. The same same place, the same garden, Garden of Gethsemane and verse 41.
That's Luke 22 and verse 41.
And it was withdrawn from them about a stone cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou would be willing remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but dying be done. And there appear an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly.
00:45:23
And his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
And when he rose up from prayer and was come to a disciple, he found them sleeping for sorrow.
To the first man it was said that the consequence of sand would be that it would win it bread with sorrow with sorrow and sweat also. But here the Lord Jesus.
Is sweating drops of blood falling to the ground from his brow there?
Oh, that cup was before him.
In his holy soul, the Lord Jesus was contemplating what was coming before him. It was.
So heavy for him.
He was doing it especially for you, my friend.
As someone said that it is not the nail that retained the Lord Jesus on the cross.
But it is his love you for me.
Let's turn to John, chapter 18.
Again, the Lord is in the garden.
The same garden.
And verse 4 Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come unto him, upon him went forth and said unto them, whom Sikhi.
Let's go to the to the soldiers who came to arrested him, they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus said unto them, I have he and Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
Assume then, as he had said unto them, I am he. They went backward and fell to the ground.
Then ask, ask you then again om CE and they said Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let this go their way.
At the same might be fulfilled which you speak of them which thou gave me, I lost God.
Interesting here that they come to arrest him. They have their stick and everything and.
When the Lord said I am he, they all found out, all the soldiers.
You know the Lord Jesus was a willing victim. He went there willingly. It was led by obedience to his Father and by his great love for you and him. It is said that the religious world they they bowed his hands, they bowed his hands and they took him in front of the sign render to be judged by their religious leaders. The rule in the crucified his hands.
My friend.
It is beautiful to know that.
The Lord Jesus could have called his Father, and he would have.
Come to him 12 legions of angels to defend him.
But no the Lord Jesus.
Went hauled away.
Let's read a verse in Philippians chapter 2.
To see the beauty of the character of the Lord Jesus and His obedience.
Philippians, Chapter 2.
And verse five, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being formed, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death.
Of the cross.
We'll just stop there for a minute, you know? It said that the Lord became obedient.
Unto that even the depth of the cross.
Now we read in Hebrew that the Lord learned obedience to the thing that He suffered.
The Lord Jesus, when he was with the Father, one with him, we read that He was created everything. Everything was created by Him. Everything is sustained by Him.
00:50:11
He was commanding that, but as a man here.
He humbled himself and he became obedient unto that, even the death of the cross, or he went solo. You went solo.
What a savior.
We read the first time, Wherefore God also at highly exalted him, and give him a name which is above every name, that is the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Oh my friend, did you bow the knee before the Lord Jesus?
Or one day, every new bow before him.
Today is the occasion to do for you to do it in appreciation for what he did on the cross.
But one day.
Every creature will Bowden you before him. You have no choice. No choice.
Better do it now.
As a safe person and to do it as a condemned person.
Our time is almost gone, but let's turn now to, uh, another scripture in Matthew chapter 27.
Matthew 27 and verse 29.
The soldiers that they did to the Lord, and when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head in a Reed in his right hand, and they bowed a knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail King of the truth.
You know we read in Genesis chapter 3 that consequence of sin of Adam and Eve.
Horns would grow from the ground.
The ground would be cursed.
In here, in mockery, we put a crown of thorns.
On the head of the Lord Jesus.
I'd like to turn to verse and 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21.
The thorn would speak to us occurs.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 5.
For he made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We read in verse 45 of the same chapter.
In March 227, now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour. In about the 9th hour, Jesus Christ with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli Lamasabakti. That is to say, My God, my God, why as thou forsaken me?
The Lord is on the cross there.
And there was darkness there.
There was something that was happening between.
God, the holy God and the Lord Jesus there.
When he became Sam for us, he became that perfect sacrifice there.
When you receive wave after wave, all God's judgment upon Him, when you bore our sins there, and his body.
What a blessed Savior.
Is it your savior tonight?
Let's turn through the lost garden now.
Chapter 19 of John.
And verse 41.
Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden.
And in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
There they laid Jesus. Therefore, because of the Jews, preparation day for the superior was nigh at hand.
Let's continue in Chapter 20.
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark unto the sepulchre.
And see the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she run it, and committed to Simon Peter and to the other disciple of Jesus love, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the Cypriot.
00:55:01
And we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple, and came to the city. So they run both together. And your disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the syphilis. And he stood down and looked at him, and saw the linen floated lying, yet went in that hand. Then coming summoned Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre. And.
Linen clothesline in the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Then went and also the other disciple, which came first, the sepulchre, and he saw and belief.
The Lord Jesus is risen.
God has been fully satisfied with the work that He has accomplished on the cross.
The glory of the Father has raised them.
We read in Romans chapter 4 that the Lord Jesus was delivered for our offense but risen for our justification.
So the fact that the logistics has risen is a proof that God has been fully satisfied with the work of the Lord Jesus.
The payment has been paid in full, the Lord Jesus said it is finished.
Well, my friend, tonight God offers you this salvation, free salvation.
You know, we we signed there is life in the look at the Crucified 1.
Or tonight we have a look at those three gardens. We have a look at the Garden of Eden. We have seen the consequences of of disobedience upon Adam and Eve and then the generation and after today.
We have look at the Lord Jesus and the consequence of His obedience. However, He went to the cross in order to accomplish the work of redemption.
Although they fully glorified as God and Father and accomplish that work now by which we can be safe if you would just trust Him.
It's very simple tonight. Only one look, one look at the cruiser carpet.
You know, in that garden there was one more thing that I would like to say before we close.
There is a man there that that we see. His name is Judas.
Judas is a man who was with the Lord for three years. He had the responsibilities, you know, among the disciples, and he appeared to be a real, a real disciple.
It is striking that demand.
Was not real in his heart.
And when it came to deliver the Lord to the Jews, the Lord would say, Friend, is it with a kiss that you delivered the Son of Man? The Lord tried to reach him, try to gain him to the end.
Is there someone here maybe who appears to be a believer?
You know, Judah, we're taking care of the money, and he loved money. He was stealing from the back. Nobody knew.
You know the Lord sees everything He sees in your heart, and one day all the secrets of man we've read in Romans will be judged by the Lord Jesus.
You know, there are many secrets of my life that I'm not very proud of, but they have been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. What about you, my friend?
Can you look up at a clear conscience before God?
So we saw in that garden that there was a there was a tomb there, and that tomb is empty now. Today the Lord Jesus is risen and he is coming soon.
He may be coming. Maybe he's coming tonight. We don't know. But for those who have rejected the message of the gospel we read in Second Thessalonians.
That there will not be a second chance.
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It is very solemn, my friend. Tonight I plead with you. I plead with you.
01:00:05
If you have fear in your heart and when you think about meeting God, if you're trying to hide yourself somewhere.
You can stop that game.
You can come to the Lord tonight, look to Him. Just to look at the crucified one is enough tonight to be safe and say Lord.
I've I've tried to hide myself but it's finished now tonight.
I want to be real before you.
And the Lord said to the one that come that would come unto him, he wouldn't know why he's casting out.
Let's pray.
911
Children—Wally Dear
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Morning, boys and girls.
So happy to see you here today. You know, this is referred to as the Sunday School, and I know the Sunday School is for everybody, but I think it's mostly for the children.
And last weekend we went to a conference and instead of Sunday school on the schedule, it said children's meeting. It was a meeting especially for the children. And so it's so nice to see some children now on the front row and.
There's any children toward the back that would like to come to the front?
I think that, uh, you might, uh.
Be glad you came to the front because we got something to pass out. You see that bag over there? That's not a Bible bag, that's a tearing bag. I got something in there for all your boys and girls.
Alright.
Let's begin by seeing some songs off the hymn sheet. And I like to sing as many songs as we can, so maybe we're going to sing the first and last verse, unless you indicate otherwise. Sam, you got a number?
26 All right, we're gonna start today with #26 on our hymn sheet.
I believe we sang this last night.
So let's sing it again. Let's sing the first and last verse #26.
There is light.
At this moment over here in the.
And I love considering. And let me say I'm still there. And who was male unto her screaming unity.
Very great spotlight. Thank you very much. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Yeah, I'm always such joy. And thou in heaven can't stop when I am shaking in thus thy pride thus never.
Away there in life and on the path that's great with the high wise in high Kwanzaa and I want the airplane there and why it's like a stone and sovereignty.
That sounded so good. I think we're off to a good start. Anybody else have a number? Yes.
2525.
Yeah, OK, so let's back up one song #25 first and last verse.
25 perhaps it's just fine. It was still going to be expired and you're saying it's all behind. You know what I need to try?
Listening on it begins on my heart, and it's big and big and straight and crying out in the world.
And I can't even tell the water any blood make so low. If you're having $6, let's go on her house as well. And he's gone all the way to the beginning of life.
00:05:08
I'm gonna be diarrhea getting to your eyes from your way and I'm sitting on it for hours.
Come inside for heaven to die in time.
And your Friday comes too late.
See you tomorrow.
Yes, 14 #14.
First and last.
Have you been to?
His friends and I'm sorry you want in the blood of the land.
All right, now Friday's good promise of your willows beginning in your life because I ran by and above the blah, blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
We don't want to hear the whole behaviour and I think all of them back to Josephine's surprise and I think a lot of the skin that's blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Very good.
Good singing here today. Anybody else have a number? Yes #1.
You know, I see that we're not even singing songs off the back.
On the back page of this hymn sheet it says children's hymns and choruses.
But I find that the boys and girls, they like to sing that other songs in the hymn sheet, so that's good. All right #1.
Uh-huh.
I think we've got time for maybe one more. Anybody else? Yes.
#9 All right #9.
We'll sing the first and last verse #9.
Come every soul.
Let's pass. Uh, well, no. Let's just set our hymn sheets aside, uh.
I don't know where you wanna put them. Could put them on the floor.
Dan, I'm up between the chairs between.
Anyway, we'll put our hymn sheets aside.
And, uh, we're gonna take time to pray. We're gonna ask the Lord for help. And so let's just close our eyes and bow our heads while we pray.
Our God and Father, we thank you this morning.
At the boys and girls have come to the Sunday School and we thank thee for each one who has been seeing these wonderful songs about the Lord Jesus.
And we've been singing that little word COME com.
We pray that each boy and girl here might not only come to the Sunday School, but they might come to Jesus.
And that they might put their trust in the Lord Jesus. We thank you that.
Only.
Trusted is what we need to do in order to be saved, to put our trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus and His precious blood that was shed at the cross of Calvary. And so we earnestly pray for each boy and girl here today, if there's one here who is still.
In their sins, who has not been washed in the precious blood of Christ and is on the broad Rd. that leads to destruction?
We pray that this very day they might come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him as Savior and Lord.
So that each one that's sitting here in this.
Gymnasium might also be found seeded in glory around that throne, singing thy praise for Jesus. So we ask you for help as we continue the Sunday School here today. And we do pray for Thy word wherever it's going, out to boys and girls around the world in many Sunday schools.
We do ask Lord that I'm word would find an entrance into their hearts and that they might enjoy.
Salvation through faith in Christ. We ask this as we give thanks to my worthy name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
So now typically we have memory verses.
Don't really have a lot of time to spare. Is there anybody that really knows their verse really good and would like to try to say their verse?
Here today.
We're not gonna twist any arms.
I know when I was sitting in.
A seat like yours when I was your age, it was kind of scary to say a verse, especially if you're asked to say it into one of these things, he said. Well, I.
Phones.
Well, I see, Sam, you've got your hands up. OK, You wanna say your verse, Sam? God commendeth His love towards us, and that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5/8 Very good. Anybody else?
00:15:08
Anybody else?
Yes, Would you like to?
God commanded his rock first command in his love.
You need a little help.
Anybody else wanted to say it? Anybody think they can say it without help? Anybody at all? You mean Sam's the only one that's gonna say this first without help?
Well, I think Sam maybe should get a special prize. I think I got something for you, Sam, after. OK, so there's nobody else. OK, How about you? All right.
God commanded his love toward us, that while we were at sinners.
Christ died for us.
Romans.
5/28.
OK, who else?
Any other hands up?
Yes.
Frozen 8.
MMM, the father something.
Roman 5/8.
Garbage handed his love toward us.
Well, you're young, so Christ 'cause.
5/8 OK well you need a little help too, but.
Try it. That's good. You know, boys and girls.
Today.
I was thinking about the fact that.
We're not too far away from the anniversary of what's known as 911 now. Does anybody know anything about 9/11 911? Can you tell me something about 911?
That's right, the Twin Towers came down. We all remember that. And that happened on 9/11, which would be the day after tomorrow is 911 and.
The anniversary.
Of the emergency call system called 911.
Is the 50th anniversary is this year you see back in 1968?
It was decided it would be good to introduce some kind of a call system so if somebody was in trouble they could dial 3 numbers and they could get help.
And so they decided the three numbers would be 911911 and it was an easy number to remember and it was referred to as the Lifeline to Public Safety 911. It's been used ever since. Now, has anybody?
Here.
Called 911.
Anybody here on these front rows here ever call 911?
Well, that's a good thing. Oh, OK, you did. Do you mind telling us why?
Oh, when you were little, you accidentally pressed 911.
And what happened?
Oh.
00:20:00
Oh, so they came to your house?
They were there wanting to help, but it was an accident. You just pressed the numbers. OK? Did you press the 911? What, 4?
Oh, Dynamite 11. OK, so your sister thought you got hurt and she went and dialed 911. Well, you know, boys and girls.
What's that now?
Oh, you dialed it?
Oh, she took it away. Well, we have some interesting, uh, stories.
To be told, well, I think back in my life and I dialed 9111 Time. I can only think of one time. And you see, we live in a place called uh, Vanceboro, Maine and we live right across from a river.
And this river is like a boundary line between the state of Maine and New Brunswick. It's called a Saint Croix River. And right at the head of Saint Croix River is a dam. And the water flows through that dam. And when they open up the gate of the dam, that water rushes through.
At a tremendous speed and it's a dangerous place to be.
Well, you know, one day there was a group of canoeists and they came with all their canoes and they decided they're gonna put in their canoes just below the dam and they're gonna go down the river.
So this has happened before and there was a lot of talk and then a lot of commotion.
And so I, uh.
Was listening.
All of a sudden I heard some screaming and I said to myself, I think somebody's in trouble, somebody needs help. And so I ran across the road and I looked on the bank and I looked into the river and.
There there's a big bridge that goes across the river and these big pillars that support the bridge that go from the bridge down into the river.
And here I saw.
That there was a canoe that was actually wrapped right around one of those pillars. The force of the water had taken that canoe. It was probably about 1617 feet long and it just wrapped itself right around the pillar. And then I looked and I saw where the screaming was coming from. There was a boy.
And his leg was between the canoe and the pillar. He was trapped and the water was rushing over him.
Like this?
And he was shouting, screaming. And I thought 911911 and I ran and I called 911 and in no time there was these men that came and they were able to release this boy from being trapped in the river. He could have drowned well.
This boy, I'm thankful to say.
He.
Had no broken bones, but he had a very bruised legs. In fact, I was the one. I took him to the hospital to be checked out and it turned out that.
You're just gonna be OK. But it was kind of a scary time. But, you know, it was nice to be able to call a number to get help.
Now you know, I would like to refer to a verse today.
And it's not 911, but I'm gonna call it, uh.
50155015 Now this is back in the psalms and if somebody has a Bible and would like to read this first I would really appreciate it. This is in.
Psalm 50.
And verse 15.
Yes. Would you like to read it? Could you stand up and and and read that for us?
And call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Thank you very much. Now here we find.
You might say A911 in the Old Testament, and who is it that speaking? It's the Lord himself, and he says, call upon me.
00:25:12
In the day of trouble.
How many here have ever been in trouble? Put up your hand if you've been in trouble.
Yes, I can see.
I think that maybe all of us at one time or another have been in trouble. You know, it tells us that man is born unto trouble, like the sparks fly upward. If you look at a fire, sparks are flying out in every direction. And so trouble is common to man.
And it's even boys and girls have troubles. But you know, here's.
What we need to remember?
The Lord says, call upon me.
In the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee. What does that mean?
He'll help you out of the trouble or through the trouble.
And thou shalt glorify me now, this boy, I don't know if he prayed, I don't know if he asked the Lord Jesus.
For help I'm not sure.
I believe I had the opportunity to tell them about the Lord.
But you know, it's a wonderful thing that no matter what time of day or where we are, if we find ourselves in trouble, we can call upon the Lord and He is ready to listen, it says.
His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear, he hears.
When we call upon him.
Now.
If we turn over to the New Testament.
We read about many times when different ones they called upon the Lord Jesus for help. They were in big trouble.
And I'm thinking in Matthew's Gospel, I was just going through the Gospel of Matthew and I find there that.
Remember the disciples, they were in a ship and they were going across the water and this huge storm came up and it tells us the waves just covered the ship and they were all scared.
And they went to the Lord Jesus. Anybody know where Jesus was at this time? He was on the boat, but you know what he was doing?
Yes, Sam. Yeah, he was sleeping on a pillow. See, the storm didn't get him all nervous.
And the disciples?
They were all nervous, and you know what they said? Lord, save us, we perish. 5 words. Lord, save us, we perish.
And the Lord had to rebuke them. Where's your faith? You think that ship's going to sink with Jesus in the ship? Of course not. But you know, the Lord Jesus, he got up and he said to the wind and the wave, peace be still. Everything becomes perfectly calm because.
He has control of the weather, He has control of everything, yes.
What?
With sharks. Sharks in the water. Oh, that's scary, isn't it? You know?
I got a shark. I'd like to show you after I got two sharks.
And I'm going to show you after. I didn't bring them with me, but I got them. They're in the car. You like to see them.
They have big teeth.
And the mouth goes like this. OK, so you come to me and I'll show you. You know, I believe that God has saved.
People from sharks.
You know, there's nothing too hard for the Lord so.
Let's see. Oh, there was another time in the New Testament, in Matthew's Gospel centurion.
I think he had charge of 100 soldiers.
00:30:00
Centurion and his servant was sick.
He was at palsy. He's like paralyzed, couldn't do anything, so he comes to the Lord. The centurion came to the Lord and asked him to heal his servant, and that's what the Lord Jesus did.
And another time there was a ruler.
He came to Jesus about his daughter. His daughter was sick.
And I think she's only 12 years old. Is there any girls here 12 years old? OK, here's 12 year old girl and you know what?
The Lord Jesus.
Was helping somebody else and then a message came to this ruler.
Don't bother.
Your daughter just died, she said.
You know, the Lord Jesus heard that message to the ruler, and I'm sure the ruler thought, oh.
How to say it? But the Lord Jesus said.
Be not afraid, only believe.
And the Lord Jesus knew exactly what to say to be a comfort to that man. And you know, he went to the house and he raised up the girl, and she was only 12 years old.
And then the Lord Jesus said she's hungry, so you give her something to eat.
Uh, what about Peter? You know Peter? He was.
Walking on the water.
And as he walked on the water, the wind began to blow, and there was the big waves coming up. And Peter, he took his eyes off the Lord Jesus, and it tells us that Peter began to think he's going down in the water.
We prayed a short prayer. 3 words.
Anybody know the prayer that he prayed? He called on the Lord. Sam, you got all the answers. What do you think?
Yeah, that's right. Lord, save me. He was in earnest, you know, long prayers.
Sometimes they don't come from a heart and they aren't worth a straw.
But a little short prayer that comes out of our heart, God appreciates. And you know it tells us that immediately the Lord put forth his hand and lifted him up.
Immediately.
Peter called on the board. And in the next chapter, I think it's Chapter 15, there was a woman that came.
Her daughter was vexed with the devil, and she came to the Lord and she looked to him for help and she said, help me and the Lord helped her and we could just go on and on. There's so many instances where the Lord helped those who called upon him. Now I'm thinking of another.
Instance.
And.
It's in Luke chapter 18. There was a man, he went into the temple to pray and he prayed.
I believe it was 7 words. Let me see if I can count these up.
You know what? He prayed.
You said God.
Be merciful to me, the Sinner.
He called upon the Lord for mercy. 7 words, a little short prayer, but it came out of his heart.
And you know, this man who tells us, went down to his house, justified God heard that prayer and saved that man. Well, we could, uh, speak about a lot more, but I think that's really the first prayer that God desired that we call upon him and say, God be merciful to me, the Sinner. Now I'm going to turn to another, uh, if I could call it a 9/11. It's in the New Testament in Romans.
Chapter 10 and verse.
13 and then we're going to find out.
What's in that bag?
Romans chapter 10 and verse 13. But I think it would be nice to read verse 12. Now, is there anybody that would be willing to read this for me? OK, now you read before very good. Would you like to read it? OK, Could you stand up and just read, uh, Romans 10 verse 12 and 13?
00:35:07
So there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord.
Overall is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Thank you. Very good. Here we find that there's no difference. Earlier it tells us there's no difference. All have sinned. Here we learned there's no difference.
For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now I hope each boy and girl here today has called upon the name of the Lord for salvation.
There's no salvation in any other than Jesus. He is the only Savior. He's a complete Savior, but He's exclusive Savior. And it tells us that by himself He purged our sins. He went to the cross of Calvary like we had in our verse today. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And this is the display of God's love.
For boys and girls, and for you and me. You know God wants us to be saved. He wants us to go to his happy home.
He wants us to be part of his family. He wants us to have peace and joy in our souls, and he has provided the means whereby our sins can completely washed away and it's through the blood of Jesus. Wonderful, the gospel of the grace of God. So now let's take a look at what's in this.
I gotta quickly do this. I'm going to pass out.
Something here to you and we'll see if we can tie it in with our message. See, this is something here. Help.
Health 911 supposed to put that in the window of your car.
If you have a problem on the side of the road, you can put that in your window and hopefully somebody will stop and help you.
Does that sound loud? It does.
This is called the ICE whistle.
In case of emergency, you blow this whistle, get lost. There's a man out of Baltimore or Annapolis. I guess he went out and was kayak, I think it was last May.
And.
The waves got kind of big and he went over his kayak and actually tipped it right over.
And now the man's in the water. It's cold water, too. Back in May, it's very cold. But you know, this man had a whistle and he began to blow that whistle. And I believe it caught the attention of somebody in the distance. And they came and they helped the man. Well, this is another means of calling for help, but.
What I got here today, I got just a few minutes and I wanna pass out one of these to everybody.
And I want you to see if we can open up this.
And be careful not to spill it, please.
You're welcome.
See if you can open the top on that. Can you do this?
All right.
One for you, one for you.
One for you.
My concern is that these tops might be a little too tight, but hopefully you can open them up.
We just don't want that.
Soapy liquid to spill out OK.
Yeah, you're welcome. All right, one for you.
One preview.
And one for you.
Now we're gonna do something altogether.
I got my eye on the clock here.
So is that everybody? Everybody got one of these, all right?
So let's open these up.
00:40:00
And.
On the count of three.
I would like I'm. I'm gonna show you how to do it first and then everybody can do it. OK, You take this out of here.
OK. And we're going to do that on the count of three, so?
Let me recharge this. So when I say three, I want everybody to to blow OK 123.
Well, isn't that beautiful?
That's fine, I like that.
All right, let's try that again. So we're gonna put these in here.
On the count of three.
And kind of blow up into the ceiling 123.
Well, that's a lot of bubbles.
And those bubbles are beautiful. Look at how they glisten in the light. I see all the colors of the rainbow in the bubbles.
Yeah, I'd like to do this again. Let's try this again.
OK, here we go.
Oh, I forgot to say three, didn't they? All right, we gotta do it again.
On the count of three, OK.
123.
OK boys and girls.
Now these bubbles are so beautiful, but the point here is.
The bubbles look at him.
They're disappearing.
We had hundreds of bubbles and all of a sudden they're gone.
And, you know, that's like the pleasures in this world. You know, we have fun, don't we, doing different things. We go to the park, we go down the slide.
And then we wanna go down again and we go down again and the slide is fun, but we can't spend our whole life there. And maybe we go to another park and we go on a roller coaster down, down. And that roller coaster ride is so fun, but it doesn't last. It goes away. And maybe we go on vacation. You know, you poison cross it then on summer vacation, right?
But now summer vacation is all gone. Summer vacation usually is a fun time, but I must say this summer has come and gone so fast.
And now?
No more summer vacation. You know, what I'm trying to make a point about is that.
Things in this world, they don't last. And even our lives, no, boys and girls, the Bible tells us that our life is like a vapor. It appears for a season just like those bubbles showed up and then vanishes away. That's what happened to the bubbles. So.
Life is short.
And boys and girls.
One of these days Jesus is coming, or you may die. We hope not, but we never know. Could be an accident, Could die.
Jesus might come, and if you're still in your sins, you're not going to go to be with Jesus.
When you depart this world, you'll be left behind for judgment. It's so serious. And This is why we need to take advantage of opportunity to be saved and be saved now. And I'll tell you something, when you come to the Lord Jesus, you're going to find that He provides pleasures that aren't.
For a moment, but there are pleasures in Jesus that go on and on and on forever and ever pleasures forevermore. That's what we find when we come to the Lord Jesus. There was a African native and.
I read one time what he said.
He was such a happy person and he said I'm happy for three reasons #1.
I have Jesus in this book #2 I have Jesus up there and #3 I have Jesus.
00:45:01
In here. And he pointed to his heart. Three reasons to be happy. Well, I trust that we all might be happy.
Knowing that we belong to the Lord Jesus, that we've been cleansed in this precious blood, and that we're on our way to heaven to be with Him and He is the only Savior and He's the best friend that we could ever have. Well, our time has passed, so we're going to just pray and ask the Lord for His blessing.
Five Aspects of Forgiveness
Address—Bruce Conrad
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Good afternoon. Let's begin our meeting this afternoon with him, number one in the appendix.
Hymn #1.
Forgiveness, which was a joyful sound to guilty sinners doomed to die. We publish it the world around and gladly shout it through the sky.
The first three were much transgression is forgiven. May love with fervent ardor grow some brother could start a suitable tune to hymn number one in the back of the book, please.
Or Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for the opportunity today to open Thy Word and to consider things from it.
We consider thy great love for thy people shown out so fully.
My willingness to come, as we often seen from Godhead's fullest glory down to Calvary's depth of woe. We thank Thee too, Lord Jesus, for Thy present work for us on high, interceding for us. It's our great High Priest, the Captain of our salvation and our Advocate with the Father. We thank Thee for Thy care and Thy deep, deep love and investment in US. How Thou art acquainted with all our ways.
Thou art so interested in us and we bless thee and thank you for this.
And so as we open thy word, we pray that thou bring before us that which would be for the a blessing and profit of thy people. And we just commit the time to thee, and ask these things for Jesus in thy worthy and thy precious name. Amen.
Well, perhaps, as you saw from the hymn selected, I would like to speak about the subject of forgiveness.
You know, sometimes brothers up here and they start the meeting out with prayer and they say I asked the Lord to.
To speak to them as well as to the persons that are in the in the meeting room or in the hall.
And it's not just a formality. I'm sure others who have been in this had this responsibility. It's, it's uncanny the way after you speak on something, uh, you're, you're riding home or you're on a trip the next day or you're back at work. And some of the things that you brought out, it's just as if someone else had brought them out the day before. And you ponder on them, you know, and they touch your heart and they, and you're more curious about them than you were before.
00:05:24
Your conscience may be exercised, and this is, uh, this is an interesting thing. I see some smiles out there and that is indeed the way it worked. I spoke on, uh, uh, Full disclosure, I spoke on the subject of forgiveness once earlier this year in another conference. My exercise then was totally different than it is right today. I just took up a little part of it and then after speaking about it, the Lord just kept flooding me with the subject.
And I really been, uh, like a learner on it. I felt a little disingenuous taking it up.
Because I had taken it up once before for that reason. And then I heard a brother, uh, another Bruce and he, he made a comment that I found interesting. He said this particular labor from the, uh, 19th century, his name I won't mention, but he said, yeah. He says, I don't really fully understand the subject until I've spoken on it four times. And, uh, I don't recall ever purposely speaking on a subject twice.
And when I think about that brother's gift and ability, it would take me 40 times to speak about something to, to ever, uh, gain in my understanding like, like his was.
But at any rate, that's, uh, a little bit of, uh, of, of, of, uh, of preamble here because my thought is to take it up more comprehensively than I have before as I've pondered it and seen that there are more aspects to it than I perhaps realized the last time I took it up. So if you turn, please, to Luke 24 and take up the subject of forgiveness in the way that most of us know it best.
And that is the subject.
Of the eternal forgiveness of sins that you and I have received by putting our trust in Christ in Luke 24. The Lord Jesus there.
Inverse UH-47. He's.
With the two that he encountered on the way to Emmaus.
In verse 45 then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and saith unto them. Thus it is written, And thus it behoove Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And then turn please to Romans chapter 3.
Passage that was read this morning at the.
Breaking of bread.
Romans, chapter 3.
And verse 24, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission or passing over of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time his righteousness, that he might be just.
And the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
I suppose the younger ones here, raised in Christian homes, have had the gospel preached to them, talk to them, uh, shared with them.
Before, they probably can't remember the first time it's been part of the of the fabric of their lives.
And it's perhaps not a a, a, a something that we realize that here in Luke 24, we have turned a corner in God's history, the history of God's ways with men on the earth.
In Romans chapter 3 we read here that God through the work of Christ, through the mercy seat, has declared.
His righteousness, that's this is God's righteousness. The gospel in Romans is concerning his Son. It's not primarily about you and me, though we're part of this great sphere of blessing that he is, uh, accomplishing presently for the glory of his son. But the Gospels concerning his son and in the gospel, this good news, he is revealing his righteousness.
It's God's righteousness, and so here in this passage in Romans chapter 3A, well known passage, God declared at the cross of Calvary His righteousness for passing over sins that are past. That's not your past sins. That's not my past sins, though they're all forgiven when we put our trust in Christ. These are the sins of those men and women of faith that we had referred to the other day in Hebrews 11.
00:10:23
These are the sins of the Old Testament believers that have faith in God as it as it says of Abraham. It says it doesn't say Abraham believed in God though we did. Abraham believed God and it's one thing to sit here young people and to believe in God says the devils do also entremble, but to believe God is to believe what he says.
And Abraham believed what God said.
And God imputed it to him for righteousness. And that's the righteousness of faith. And Abraham was justified in faith. But if you walked up to Abraham, or if you walked up to any of the just men and women of that age before the cross, and you could say, say to them, do you have your sins forgiven? Do you know for a surety that you're going to be in heaven? I think they had a sense of optimism because they believed God, but it wasn't.
A thing accomplished then, and so it wasn't something that could be preached that a person could believe God and receive as a present possession the forgiveness of sins. And if you put your trust in Christ today, that's what you have. You have as a present possession the forgiveness of sins. So we read in Ephesians one or Colossians one, those precious verses we read.
That we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.
It is a present possession. It has to do with God, not with man. You'll recall when the Lord Jesus healed someone when He was here on earth, He said to them something that one of those persons, something very striking. He says go and sin no more, lest the worst thing come upon you. Hmm. Did He say that to you when you accepted Christ as your Savior?
He didn't say that to me when I accepted Christ as my savior because it was a different type of forgiveness.
That the Lord was speaking about when he was here on earth before the cross. And it was a different type of forgiveness that David was rejoicing in even when he when he pinned by divine inspiration in the 32nd song. Blessed is the man whose sins are covered. And it's one thing to have something covered, isn't it? It's one thing to have something. I'll deal. We're having company and I've got 1/2 Constructed something or other in my yard and I cover it over.
Umm.
That's one thing. It's another thing to have it taken away. In the book of Hebrews we read about sins taken away, sins removed, and since the work of Calvary's cross.
Forgiveness is no longer just something that's promised in the future as it was to Old Testament Saints. It is preached now as something that can be had now, today through faith. And as I say again, if you put your trust in Christ, you have the forgiveness of all your sins, all your sins. They were all future as as we might look at it in time to the Lord Jesus Christ when he died on Calvary's cross.
Your passage, your future sins. And sometimes people get confused and troubled about that.
They were all future in your life. And when we put our trust in Christ, we can say all my sins have been put away by the sacrifice of Christ. Through His precious blood. I get the value of what He accomplished on Calvary's cross. When I put my trust in Him, I received the forgiveness of sins, the work that put away my sins.
Is something that can be never changed. It's an eternal transaction. I can't.
Undo it. I didn't do it in the 1St place. He did it. He accomplished it. And when I put my trust in him, all the value of what he has done flows out to me and I have received this from him forever. You know, if you, if this little little boy here transgresses about against that boy there, I can encourage him to apologize. I can encourage him not to do anything. But he didn't sin against me.
And when the Lord Jesus spoke.
And, and he, he said in the hearing of some religious men, he said to the person that he had healed, he said, thy sins be forgiven me. And they were all up in arms. They said, who can forgive sins but God only. They spoke the truth. Nobody can receive sins in this way but God only. And that is the point of the Lord Jesus, that that Son of God came and he has the authority to put away sin.
00:15:15
And so God in through the prophets.
And, and the Old Testament prophecies prophesied of a forgiveness that would be accomplished in a future day. Righteousness, forgiveness of sins was promised. And when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, the work of atonement having been accomplished, now we're in a new That's why in Romans three, I think it says to declare at this time.
At this time.
When you see that word now in in the book of Romans or another New Testament epistles, take note of it because it speaks to something that is now that wasn't before. And so we have the forgiveness of sins and God wants us to have settled peace, that peace between US and God has been made by his work on Calvary's cross. He doesn't want the answer that sometimes you hear from people and you say you may labor with.
As we have with some of our relatives and explain the gospel and put the word of God before them. And the next day when you're getting ready to leave, you say now if I don't see you again and I hear that you've passed away or you got you drowned on the ocean, well, I see you in heaven. Are your sins forgiven? Well, I hope so. And you know.
You feel so a little deflated. I hope so. God doesn't want. I hope so from you. He once I know so from you.
And he's made provision for that. And the gospel is preached to you as something that has been accomplished, that you can lay hold of and possess now the forgiveness of sins. And when you have that, he gives you assurance. We read 1/2 a dozen times in the New Testament about assurance, assurance of hope, assurance of faith. And God wants you to be sure that you're on right terms with him, that you're good with God to say in, in, in American sway that there's nothing.
Positionally between you and you can say that you would know that you're accepted with God and this is the truth of justification, which we will not digress on, Lord willing today, but a wonderful line of things that is as well to realize that not only has the work of Christ justified me with respect to my sins when I look back, but I look forward in the other direction and I see that I have justification of life.
I have been assigned a place before God, as the hymn writer had put it. We stand accepted in the place that none but Christ could claim. We have a life that is impossible of sinning. We have a life that has no sin attached to it. We have a life that cannot sin. And God sees us now in our position as justified. It's not just as if you hadn't sinned somewhat. People used to say that justified means just as if you didn't sin.
Well, you may not have sinned, but maybe you could in the future. That's really not the thought. It's better than that. We have justification. We read in Romans of life and he wants that assurance. I was in to us to have that insurance. I was reading the other day a little bit in Jo in the story of Joseph in in the book of Genesis. And I had never noticed before how many times Joseph weeps at the very end of his life when his brethren are back there in Egypt. I think I counted briefly. I didn't have much.
Time and I was just reading a little bit I think I counted 7 times you wept maybe maybe it's eight you can check. But the last time he wept it was interesting because it's after Jacob his father had died and they buried Jacob and it was a great burial and then his brethren they get nervous and they say you know Joseph has been so kind and so loving to us while our father was alive and they kind of.
Talked it as I read it, a story to send, send a messenger to Joseph as if it were from Jacob saying, umm, you know, dad said that after he dies, you're supposed to still be nice to us. I'm not quoting it, obviously. Exactly. Joseph wept. He wept. He, you know, he had done so much for them. He had the distinct sense that God sent him before them to preserve their life, to save their life by a great deliverance and now all the riches.
Of Egypt at their disposal and his heart was to them way above the fact of the occasion of their sin in betraying him to the to the slave traders. And so in a similar way, if you sit here and you think somehow that it's a pious thing or a holy thing to doubt your own salvation, you're just flat out wrong God does not take pleasure in that kind of a of an emotion or a feeling in your.
00:20:20
Goal He wants to give you the assurance of faith and to know that your sins are forgiven and that you're accepted and you're good with God. Why I'm gonna get to that, hopefully, Lord willing here. And so let's turn now to umm, to 1St John chapter 2 for another aspect of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not the peak.
Of Christian blessing, we maybe can say if we can. Just gonna sort them out a little bit.
Neither is it the end or the culmination. I can remember when I was, uh, when I was first saved as a young man and uh, in the joy of my first days and weeks of being a believer, I just felt like, you know what? I remember walking down the lane to my house and thinking my life is 100% success.
Just take away my life. It's just 100% success.
That which I sought after that which troubled me.
And, and, and and left me with such a feeling of confusion and emptiness, without direction, without hope, all of that now gone and realizing that I knew the truth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a certain sense, I said, and I don't mean to speak irreverently. Let's like stick a fork in me. I'm done.
And I remember having the sense that if I just walked down and just died right there, I felt like, you know, you should write right onto my tombstone success because I was brought to Christ and I had that eternal relationship with the very God of glory. But I was very wrong because my life at that sense at that time was just beginning. And so it is with you and me as believers. God has saved us for a reason.
He has invested the pain, the suffering and sorrow of His beloved Son on Calvary's Cross and all that contradiction of sinners leading up to it for a reason. Why did He save your soul, and why did He save mine? He wants our company, as we had in the reading in First John. He wants our fellowship. He wants our company.
So as we had in the reading in in uh.
In John 17 and we flipped back a little bit to 1St John chapter one, the Father and the Son before the worlds were made. The Son was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. And there was that perfect fellowship and commonality of thought and everything else. And it's in was in God's purpose that that fellowship should be shared with the sons of men.
That's one of the aspects of God's wonderful purpose that we, you and I, sinners of the Gentiles, are the Gentiles.
Dogs not worthy to eat the crumbs.
Well, the children's table.
He has exalted us, lifted up the beggar from the dumb hill to.
Set us among Princess.
That we might have fellowship with the Father and with the Son.
And so.
If we read in first John chapter one.
Verse seven. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another in the blood of Jesus Christ. His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Yes, he wants our company, wants our fellowship.
When the Lord Jesus, as we read John 17 the other day, he addressed God, Holy Father, He's the Holy Father. We are in dwelt with the Holy Spirit, We have been positionally made holy, we have been sanctified by the work of the Spirit unto belief of the truth. And it says in the passage we just read, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.
In other words, we're not deceiving others because they know that, even though we're children of God.
And even though we're believers on our way to heaven, that we're still capable of of displaying the flesh of displaying that old nature, humbling as it is. So if we are have the mistaken notion that we have no sin, if that sin principle is doesn't exist in us anymore, we're deceiving ourselves. But then there are sins. And so it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
00:25:21
And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This second act of forgiveness here is not the first aspect of forgiveness. That is, we could call it eternal forgiveness or judicial forgiveness. As I was saying with the analogy of the young boys, sin ultimately and primarily is against God. When David expressed that Psalm of repentance, he said against thee, and the only have I sinned?
I believe that was in the occasion of Uriah the Hittite.
And you could honestly say to yourself, are you kidding me? He doesn't think that was a sin to defraud Bathsheba in that way. He didn't think that was a horrible sin against Uriah to take his beloved wife like that and then to have him killed and then to cover it. It was a sin against those other individuals. But I think what pressed on David's soul was was was his.
The rekindled fear of God. He had sinned against God.
And so if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This type of forgiveness has been called restorative forgiveness.
And this forgiveness is based upon confession. And so when we get away from the Lord, whether it's for an hour or a day or a year or 20 years, the way back is open to us. If we were to read in the second chapter, And I don't want to spend too much time on this in the second chapter, in the first verse, if any man's sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
Jesus Christ the Righteous.
And so.
God's investment in US.
The Lord Jesus occupation and investment in US is such that all of us have an advocate with the Father.
And if we send the Advocate works in our souls through the Holy Spirit to lead us, the goodness of God leadeth us to repentance, and leads us as the fruit of repentance to confession and the process of restoration, so that we would judge the the cloud that has come in to rob us in a practical manner of fellowship of the enjoyment of our place, our position, of our.
The older brothers and and when I was young used to speak about communion a lot.
And I think it was brother Barry used to speak about communion. It was like a spider's web, he says. So easily broken and and indeed.
Our foolishness, our distraction can break our enjoyment of that relationship. It doesn't damage the relationship with the position. It takes away from the enjoyment of it. And so it says here we have an advocate not with God as such. We have peace with God, but it says we have an advocate with the Father.
We have relationship. God is our Father, and he wants our company, He wants our fellowship. And in order that that fellowship and that communion be maintained, we have to judge ourselves. And so we could read in First Corinthians 11, when the subject of the Lord's Supper was taken up, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said.
I'm trying to think of the verse before.
I think it's around the 32nd of First Corinthians 11. I'll just turn to it briefly here. Let a man examine himself.
And so let them eat of that bread and of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily. It's, it's, it's how you do it.
Edith and drinketh damnation or judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
And so.
When we allow sin to come into our life in a practical way, breaking the experience and joy of that communion and fellowship, the way back is through repentance and confession. If we confess our sins, it doesn't say he's merciful and kind to forgive us our sins. It says He's faithful and just. And it says that because the truth of propitiation is brought out in that passage, showing that God is faithful to.
00:30:17
He looks at the work of Christ and he says that those sins were paid in full by the work of my Son, and God is faithful and just to the value of that work and to His Son. And on that basis we continue on in our relationship and The thing is confessed and judged and God can righteously resume.
Cause us to resume the enjoyment of that relationship, you say? Well, what about a horrible sin? We're gonna get to that next.
You know, I was encouraged really when I was young, reading. I remember hearing Adrienne Roach when I used to visit in Dorothy all the time.
Brother Roshi said, he said, when I was young, I, I read through the the Pentateuch by CHM and it laid a good foundation for my soul. I remember him saying that like it was yesterday. And I thought, well, he seems like he's got a pretty good foundation as a teacher. And I started to research CHM myself and reading through the Life and Times of David. I was very encouraged because I.
I don't know which book it's in, but in one of the books he says, you know, the life of a St. it's it's like 1000 fallings away and 1000 restorations. And the kind of restoration we need is not just if we do some horrific or horrendous thing like the case in First Corinthians 5, it's just getting cold and getting away from the Lord in our soul.
And it's a wonderful thing that even a natural thing sometimes, maybe it's just older people get this way. You get so tired, you just physically worn out and you just marvel. You say, I can't believe how tired I am. This is like, this is incredible. And you lay down and you go to sleep and you wake up and you say, I can't believe. How does sleep work? This is a miracle. How does it work that you just lie down and you lose consciousness?
And you wake up seven or eight hours later and you feel we have energy again. It's really a miracle. And natural life is a miracle. Nobody fully understands it. Spiritual life is that way, too. I remember staying at A at a home once when I was in my early 20s.
And also in in Dorothy and this older brother was also staying there in Holloway's house and having coffee in the morning and, and all of a sudden the brother came out of his bedroom and Mrs. Margaret said to him.
But called him by name and says, how are you this morning? And he said, I'm wonderful. He restoreth my soul.
And I thought, whoa, I didn't know brothers like him needed to have their souls restored. I figured I needed to have my soul restored like a couple times a day, but but not him. And I've never forgotten that 40 years ago. And it is a wonderful provision of God for our souls that he can freshen us that way. The psalmist said, I think it's in the 19th Psalm. The law of the Lord is perfect.
Restoring the soul brother at breakfast this morning. I want to digress too far.
Brother at breakfast this morning was recounting how he went back to, to some place in his childhood experience and he pulled his car over and sat there. And I, I, maybe I'm getting his story a little bit mangled up, but he's saying, you know, I was just remembering the freshness of my joy in Christ. And those of us especially saved a little later in our youth or, or, or a as adults, we could remember. And the Lord remembers that too. He says, I remember.
The love of thine espousals will now run after me in a wilderness.
You know, and not so he values, he values that and in Revelation chapter 2, this the Spirit of God addresses the Saints in Ephesus and says thou hast left thy first love. And it's beautiful that he says it that way because people always quote it. You've lost your first love as if you can never reclaim it. You can reclaim it.
You can have it back.
You can have it back tonight or tomorrow.
Maybe you have it back.
You can leave it. You can have it back. You restoreth my soul. I wouldn't tell you I, I, I'm happy to say I've known the Lord now for many decades. I wouldn't exchange the joy I had as a new convert for the joy I have today and the appreciate the appreciation I have today for my beloved God and Father and for my Savior that soon I will see.
00:35:09
And so.
Restorative forgiveness is a beautiful thing. Confess our sins doesn't say we have to ask for forgiveness again.
Doesn't want us to ask for forgiveness again. You have forgiveness of your sins. Judicially. It's based on the work of Christ. It's forever and cannot be changed.
But if you've gotten away from the Lord, he wants you to confess your sins and he's faithful and just to forgive you and he restoreth he the Psalm psalmist says in Psalm 23, he I think it says restoreth my soul. Well, what if it's chronic, though? What if we it's not just as CHM said thousand fallings away in 1000 restorations. I think he was speaking about the life of David. What if it's chronic and we really get off into.
We get away from the Lord. Let's turn to Galatians chapter 6.
Keep my eye on the time here.
Galatians, chapter 6.
Verse 7 Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. He that soweth to his flesh, shallow the flesh reap corruption, when he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
There is a subject in the Scriptures that is good to understand and is called we. We call it, I guess we call it this, the government of God.
And if there's one principle that sort of, uh, expresses that line of things, it's diverse in Galatians 6, uh, chapter 6 that we just read, and it applies to Satan's Sinner alike, so that even if an unbeliever organizes his life and walks in an upright manner, in a manner of human righteousness, he'll have a better life.
But it's even a child of God, on the other hand, that knows that he has secured his eternal destiny with Christ, lives carelessly. God is not mocked as a man, doesn't say, as a believer, as a brother, as a man. Souls, souls shall we also reap? And so we reap what we have sown.
Am I not eternally safe? I am indeed.
But.
Allowing sin to continue its outbreak in my life.
Draws through the love of God His chastening hand.
There are other things which draw his chastening hand. Chastening is a good thing. We had it last week in Denver. That's the subject of chastening. It's a privilege. It really literally means instruction.
We receive instruction. When you were brought into God's family, unbeknownst to you and me, we were enrolled in the School of God.
God had already started our instruction before we were saved.
Picked your parents, picked where you would live, picked all kinds of things, picked your physical limitations or or lack thereof, and we're in the school of God.
And he has a custom curriculum for each one of us. And he puts us through things not because necessarily we're careless or or or naughty or something, but to instruct us. He took Job, a righteous man, and he instructed him through many, many long chapters until Job was blessed more than he was at the beginning.
And so there is God's interest in us in chastening to to to prevent the apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh and he prayed that it would be taken away, but he got peace from the Lord who who communicated to him that it was going to stay is that is that under the government of God. It's the chastening. It's the instructive hand of God. He puts you and me through experiences that.
Prepare us for something we don't know we're going to encounter. He puts us through experience or in circumstances that prevent something that he knew might happen in our tendency.
And the brother told me lately, you know, there's no time when the, when the man who I forget what you call the husbandman is closer to the vine and to the fruit than when he's pruning it. It's the closest he probably ever gets to those grapes, to those vines is when he prunes. And so he prunes us too, that we might bring forth more fruit. But if we're careless and chronically careless, I would say, then God allows his governmental hand upon us, not just for our.
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Benefit. But there's angels looking, there's the community looking, there are others looking. We think of David in his life in the sin of of Uriah the Hittite and so on. And even after David confessed his sin and he received assurance from God that he would not die because he had he was forgiven. God also had forgiven your sins. But David started out on a long, long rope.
Through the government of God.
And the prophet told him that you have given great occasion of the enemies of the Lord to blasphemy, and the sword is not going to depart from your house. And we know the sad story of how four of David's sons were taken from him. And so the government of God is a serious thing for you and me. We can say it's the government of our Father. And so there is an aspect of governmental forgiveness as well.
And if we judge ourselves?
If we real, if we have some sense, if you have some sense in your soul that God has allowed something in your life for a reason, and the Lord gives you a sense of that reason. And there are two things that the Lord looks for and He found them in Job at the end of the account in the book of Job, He looks for repentance, and Job repented. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine I see thee, and I have repent, and I abhor myself.
Repent and dust and ashes. And then he prayed for his friends. And it was important that he had that broken gracious spirit with his friends who had so spoken so much truth in a out of context way that wasn't representative of what the Lord was doing in Job's life. And Job felt that and he when he prayed for his friends.
God removed that governmental.
Uh, uh, gift that he had given him in his life. So there is such a thing as governmental forgiveness. There is such a thing as being restored in your soul and not having governmental forgiveness.
And so David, was he the rest of his life mourning and and and on his face like he was when he was first convicted? No.
But he was under the government of God the rest of his life, and yet the Lord restored unto him, as we read in the Psalms, the joy of his salvation.
And and so it is. So it is in our lives, God. God's ways are higher and beyond us. And he allows us at times to not receive governmental forgiveness in a thing, but he has already given us restorative forgiveness. We have joy. And as we mentioned before, it's a wonderful thing that the grace of God comes in for us to minister to us as we experience.
His government isn't that unique. He comforts us, He strengthens us, He encourages us, gives us grace to bear up under the circumstances of life that are difficult, that is allowed in our lives for blessing under His governmental hand who teacheth like Him.
And so we could go on about the government of God. It's a large subject, but there is governmental forgiveness in the book of James or at the end of John we read about if there are any sick, let him call for the elders of the church and let him pray, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
And so there is this aspect, it's not the oil, by the way, it's the prayer of faith. It's very interesting. And so there is this aspect of things that we, it's helpful to be intelligent about God's ways with our brethren, God's ways with us and restore restoration of communion does not mean that we sometimes don't have to reap the serious things we've sown in our life and we can reap them and still be in communion with the Lord while we do so.
And that's next aspect of forgiveness.
Is really connected with governmental.
And it's personal. It's personal forgiveness. So if we turn back to Matthew Chapter 5.
Or Matthew chapter 6. I'm sorry.
Matthew 6.
And verse 14, If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not mend their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Now let's turn to Matthew 18.
Verse 21.
Then came Peter to him to the Lord, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him till seven times.
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Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 * 7.
So that we refer to them. Let's hold your finger there and let's turn to Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians 4.
And verse 31, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. And then over in Colossians 3. Since we're traveling in that direction right now anyway, Colossians 3.
And verse 12 put on therefore is the elect of God.
Holy and beloved bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel or a complaint against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And so it is plain in this aspect of things.
How God looks for that fruit in our lives.
We have the mind of Christ.
We have learned that we've been delivered from so great a death. We have been forgiven so much. And so it is normal to the Christian life if we are offended by something someone says to us or some circumstances, what whatever it might be, we can take it to the Lord. We realize, you know.
Yeah, they did that. You know, I've probably done the same thing. It's not that we we painted as if it weren't something that it is.
But we forgive, we have a forgiving spirit. And so if we turn back to Matthew 18, the Lord puts before the disciples this parable of the Kingdom of heaven, like in verse 23 of Matthew 18 likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him 10,000 talents.
So I understand this is multiple millions of dollars. That's a big debt.
But for as much as he had not to pay, as Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. Now just a note to stop here, as you can I hope, surmise. This is not eternal forgiveness or judicial forgiveness. It cannot be fought with money. It cannot be paid for.
The salvation that God has wrought for you and me, and the forgiveness of sins associated with it.
Was purchased by Christ.
You and I could never purchase it if we diligently worked our way for it for a million years. So the aspect of forgiveness in this parable is not judicial. It's not eternal forgiveness or eternal status with God which fits a person for heaven. It has to do with one another and with our attitude towards one another. And there are ramifications that are very serious in our failure to forgive one another and to walk.
In humility with our brethren. And so to continue verse 26. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. He didn't deny that he had the debt. He acknowledged the debt. That's confession, repentance. Have patience with me. I'm in the wrong. I owe you this money.
Have patience with me.
And I will pay the bill.
Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. This is what we would call governmental forgiveness. I should say that governmental forgiveness really has to do with this life. It's this life.
Judicial forgiveness, the first one we spoke about. Eternal forgiveness, has to do with eternity.
Different sphere, different mechanics, so to speak, and so forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an 100 pence, and laid hands on him and took him by the throat.
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Saying, pay me that thou owe us.
And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Same language, isn't it?
And he would not, but went and cast them into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw it was done, they were very sorry.
And came and told unto their Lord all that was done. Then his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me.
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on my fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee, and as Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him?
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.
And so the solemn thing here.
Is that this kind of governmental forgiveness can be revoked. It was revoked here. The forgiveness given to this debtor was revoked and he was as it says there in verse 34, his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors.
And what I learned here and I learned it in other passages in Scripture, is that if I fail to show the forbearance.
Forbearance is when.
I am irritated by something in another.
And I it just has the tendency to push me into a attitude that is not of God or if I receive some action or words or something from another.
Then forgiveness is required. Forbearance and forgiveness we read in Ephesians 4IN Colossians chapter 3.
And the sobering thing is that if I don't walk softly with my brethren and if I don't follow morally the path of our Savior who said he could have described himself in a myriad of ways, but he chose to say I am meek and lowly.
The one who's gonna come out of heaven with 10 thousands of his Saints on a White Horse.
Who seated upon his father's throne, the other shoe is about to drop on this world.
Judgment will fall, and God will be glorified in His judgment. That same one to you and me.
He just he chose to point to being meek and lowly. And how this becomes us. We have been forgiven so much, so much. We could never repay any of it.
As the brother was saying this morning, I think it was in the breaking of bread. The Lord Jesus is the only one that is given to God.
And if we turn around, having received that forgiveness in our harsh with our brethren and holding them to a hard line.
Not exercising forbearance.
Refusing to forgive what happens. Does it damage them? Well, yes, it's not pleasant.
With them, but I if I conduct myself that way and turned over to the torment, to the tormentors and myself, I experience in my Christian life this kind of emotional and spiritual upsetment, if I could call it that, of a perpetual nature that is from God to speak to me about my spirit.
You'll notice at the end of I think 4 different epistles.
Of the apostle Paul.
He says something along the lines of the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy Spirit.
And God is the Father of spirits, and in Hebrews 12 He describes himself that way and allows things in our life that he might perfect that, as I think Job said, perfect that which concerneth me, that He might grow us now, that we might be more and more morally like His Son.
This is sobering and not only am I tormented myself by failure to forgive with respect to personal offense, but it creates in the assembly in the family. It deteriorates into a root of bitterness whereby many are defiled. And in Hebrews 12, the Spirit of God puts his finger upon it a couple of verses back and says, looking diligently.
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Lest any man fail of or fall from the grace of God. And what does that mean?
That means we are our brother's keeper and we're to seek to discern if our brethren have our brother or our sister has lost the sense of the grace of God that God is for me.
That's one of the roots of this, to fail to see that God is for me.
He's for me. And when I lose the sense that God is for me, I start to interpret my circumstances wrong. And I don't process the bumps and bruises of life and the cuts and the scrapes and the offenses and the thing little things that come into my life. I don't process them with spiritual intelligence. I don't process them with grace.
And I can lose the sense that God is for me, and I can become bitter.
Chronic disappointment leads to bitterness, and bitterness is one of the worst roots in the human heart.
And it has the added negative of defiling others.
And so these aspects of forgiveness are connected. We're told to forgive others as Christ also hath forgiven us. Goes way back to the first type of forgiveness we mentioned, eternal judicial forgiveness. We have it if we put our trust in Christ.
If we don't keep short accounts, as the old brothers used to say, keep a short account with God, judge ourselves, we might walk happily in the joy of communion and fellowship with Him.
Than these chronic things can come up in our life and we experience the government of God. And if I bow under his government by confession and repentance and have a forgiving spirit in my personal interactions.
Than many times gone will roll back and give governmental forgiveness. You'll notice in the book of Jonah we had Jonah before us last week and the brother pointed out.
Just in the passage, how when Jonah spoke his prophetic message finally to Nineveh, the king of Nineveh made everyone in the country put on sackcloth, if I remember right and repent and, and, and dust and ashes, if I remember right, and the Lord relieved them of that, of that judgment, there was governmental forgiveness for Nineveh.
The last aspect of forgiveness we touched on briefly is what we would call administrative. And so if we go to John chapter 20.
The Lord Jesus having risen from the dead.
Meets his disciples.
Verse 22.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
In Matthew 18, if we were to turn back there, we read again that that the two or three that are gathered together to the Lord's name, You don't have official church structure there in Matthew, but what what you bind is bound in heaven. What you're loose is loosed in heaven. And so ju jump to the end to 2nd Corinthians chapter 2. Most are familiar with the.
With the.
Uh, egregious sin committed by one of the men in Corinthians to take his father's wife. And the Corinthians failed to respond to that properly. They at least should have mourned and grieved about it and they didn't. And the apostle Paul takes them up on it in First Corinthians 5 and tells them to put away from among themselves that we could person.
But by the time he writes the 2nd letter, he has to encourage them the other way. And so in Second Corinthians chapter 2, if I can spot it here.
Umm.
And verse 6.
Sufficient to such a man is this punishment or censure which was inflicted of many, so that contrary wise you might rather forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things.
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To whom he forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes, forgave I it.
The person of Christ.
And so sometimes we speak of people that have been put away like this, which is really the end of discipline. Discipline, properly speaking, takes place when a person is within the assembly. And there are various aspects of discipline that can be laid on a person for their benefit and for the for the for the order of God's house.
When all discipline seems to be ineffective with a person.
Then the assembly reaches the point where it puts away from among themselves that wicked person saying that discipline is not is, is to no avail. And they put the person outside and God deals with them in that outside place. And so then we say, sometimes we say, well, so and so is restored. I don't mean to make anyone an offender for a word, but.
Restoration is something spiritual that takes place in a person's soul.
The proper word, I suppose, in our English language, as far as I know it, in the King James, would be to forgive a person. And so when a person shows evidence of when they have confessed, which is an action, and when they have gone through the process of repentance, which takes time, then we see that God Forgives, which is an action, and there's restoration, which takes time. It's a process.
And when we see that when the brethren are are feel clear before the Lord.
And what do they do? They receive the person back. And he's really the language of Scripture.
He's forgiven not as to his sins. Who can forgive sins judicially, but God only, but administratively, the person is forgiven in the language of 2nd Corinthians 2. They're brought back into the assembly and the love that they always had for him or her can be confirmed. And it's important to notice. And we skipped over it with respect to the personal offense, but in Luke 17.
It says that my brother trespass against thee rebuking.
And if you repent, forgiven. But in Matthew 18, it's the heart. And so we're always to have that forgiving spirit, but it is not necessarily the Lord's mind to communicate that to a person.
Until there is that evidence of repentance on their part, oftentimes in a confession or an apology or both, and then the love that should always be there in the Spirit can be confirmed. And so these are different aspects of forgiveness. Our time is gone. This is not the highest subject that we could take off in the Word of God. But you know, we have, we have, we are a needy people.
And God has fitted us with what we need, and we need various things in our toolbox as Christians really, for our earthly pathway here that we might be able to understand and have more intelligence.
As to God's ways with us individually and with each other, that we might be able to, uh, respond properly to what he brings into our lives and into the lives of our brethren. That we might be able to go along and be fruitful for his glory, to enjoy the gift of the present possession of the forgiveness of sins, to go along in communion, to be restored quickly.
When we get out of sorts with him.
To realize that we are all in good ways and in challenging ways. We are all under the government of God in our lives, the government of our Father. And then make sure that we are diligent with our brethren, that we are on good terms, and that we things that come up are mended and healed and addressed properly in a scriptural way with love and grace in the heart.
And then in the assembly that we have the joy of seeing some who err from the pathway.
Seeing the happy joy that many of us have seen when a person is happily brought back and takes their place again with their brethren to wait for the godson from heaven together with the rest of us. Let's just pray.
Paul's Doctrine
Open—David So
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Now hidden swords.
Now.
And far from God bless you great night ********. We're at tremendously your own.
And more 27 every great night chains. We're having a chance and you can travel on and all, everything and everything.
And give our happiness.
And power and decision and I have to go around and burn the furniture of life Spinning mall.
01/25.
01/20 5.
Identical Stringer and I can help you with that and I would like to make them.
Our resting thought of our religion and praying.
Let me change our glory.
And our ground hearts and smiles. We need some sirens frowned and shame by our glory. And my heart from heaven, of course.
In one hour glad and dreadful some time and we can stop.
My behalf.
Of our brother.
Please, I'll work for half years again and the time. Is there anything else in my house?
I realized in the flour all along with the gracias.
Good afternoon.
I just have a few words on my heart on it.
Umm, for those that perhaps want to take part, I don't expect to be taking the hour.
We have before us.
Ministry, as we use the phrase John's ministry and some of you would heard us refer to Paul's ministry and I speak perhaps more to the younger ones, uh, perhaps some like myself who are not very well versed. So I'd like to just share with you something about Paul's ministry.
It's it's interesting when we think of the Apostle Paul's ministry.
If you look at the Bible we have before us, the Bible is divided, we know, into the Old Testament and the New Testament.
There are 66 books we have in the Bible.
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I believe 39 books in the Old Testament.
And 27 books in the New Testament.
Now, by the way, for somebody younger, and this is how I cheat, I like math, I go 3 * 9 is 27, so I try to match the number up because sometimes I forget. So the 27 books in the New Testament of which.
13, perhaps 14 books are written by the apostle Paul.
That's interesting, isn't it? Perhaps half, but yet.
We find that there are people, Christians so-called, sometimes deny Paul's ministry.
We have various things, perhaps some would say partisan, like women. Paul is this, Paul is that. It doesn't really matter, does it? Is the word of God. Even though Paul penned those epistles, We know whether it's Paul or John or James. It is guided by 1 Spirit. We know there is only one body. We had that before us.
This one Lord.
There's one spirit.
So what? What exactly? A pause?
Teaching or doctrines. In fact, let me I'm just going to back up a little bit. Often when someone say you folks are wrong or they believe in something else or they're when they say things along that line, I would venture to guess in most cases.
They have departed from Paul's teaching.
That's why it's important, I believe, for us to understand what is Paul's teaching. Now, this is not my thought. These are pamphlets of old. So some might say you have read it, and I'm glad you did. So I'm regurgitating some of what have what I have learned. Let's turn to the book of Acts to begin with the 13 chapter.
Of Acts 30, verse 38.
Now the last meeting we had forgiveness and I'm glad our brother expounded on the various types of forgiveness, but I believe this is one of the first thing the Apostle Paul has taught us.
I'm gonna read verse 38 and verse verse 39 together. Be it known unto you, therefore, man and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that belief are justified from all things.
From which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.
I believe the Apostle Paul made that very clear to us on.
The forgiveness of sin. Now the two awards or two phrases used here, Forgiveness and then.
Justification.
It's interesting that often we use phrases, but sometimes I know for me I use certain words and not truly know what it means. Is there really a difference between forgiveness and justification? A brother in the last meeting brought up justification briefly.
Uh, here's the way I like to perhaps explain the difference. Many of you know we have children in our.
Children sometimes get in trouble.
And I guess many of us be who are children too. So I'm not just looking at children here. I'm looking at many of the parents who used to be children. We, I believe we know what that means. We don't tell our children how we used to get in trouble. We just tell them, don't get in trouble, right. So when you have a chance, talk to your mom and dad, see if they ever got in trouble. But I read this, it's A2 boys, two separate incidents. One boy got in trouble.
They were taken to court. So in front of the judge, one man would say, you know, this boy is young, he didn't know what he's doing.
They go on and on and give good reasoning why he shouldn't be punished. So the judge may say, and today's court as opposed down here in America, we have a good lawyer. You can find a lawyer to convince the judge that it wasn't so bad after all and they should forgive this child.
And no record is uh oh for is is forgiven. And they may give them a little harsh words and put them on community service. And he escaped the sentence of jail, but he's forgiven, isn't he?
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Not forgotten, but it's forgiven. Let's take another child went to court and in front of the judge they were able to have evidence to show that this child didn't do what they accused him of doing, so he was released.
This trial was justified because he there is no record to say he would have ever committed that offense. So here we got the two thoughts. We were, we were forgiven, our sins are forgiven and we are justified from all things. And I'll let you go further on that. I promise not to be long. So I'll just give some thoughts here.
The second thing I'd like to turn to is Efficient chapter 3.
The Apostle Paul brings out this thought that I believe no other writers.
Brought out at all efficient.
Umm.
Chapter 3 there.
Perhaps this is a bit long to read, but he bring out the thought that the gentiles us.
Will be brought into the same body and for times sake I'm gonna skip that. I'm sorry. You can read through that yourself. Perhaps I'm gonna go right to 1St Corinthians chapter 12, maybe just to to save time there in First Corinthians 12/12, here's a wonderful thought that the apostle brought out that it sets 4 as the body.
As one, he bring out the thought that there is.
One body, inefficient. They talk about one body, 1 Lord, 1 Spirit, but there is one body, and this morning we had one loaf before us. That's an expression, isn't it? Yes, this morning had many purposes. For as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death. As our brother spoke after the meeting, that the express purpose here is to remember Him in His death for us.
But then that one loaf.
Representation, a testimony that there is one body. There are many Christians in the world. Some of you may have been to our eating room. It's interesting for those that haven't, it's really, it's not a hard, not a fancy place. It's just an office inside a little shopping Plaza. And on our floor, the four quadrants were in one.
On the other quadrant, along with some other offices, there is a.
Southern Baptist Church.
Down the hallway in the other quadrant there is the used to be the Korean Baptist. Now they changed name and sold it to the Vietnamese Baptist.
We come around to another quadrant. There is the Syriac Orthodox Church.
We got a lot of choices when you come visit us.
We're not in fellowship with them.
But yet, when I watched them and listened to them as I walked past, I know many are true believers.
In fact, it was funded one time it walked past it were having the Sunday school in the hallway and they are they set to one of the challenges what Samuel's mother's name as I walked possible. Oh I have to think now so I do believe they used the word of God and I would have to say as believers. They are part of that one body, aren't they There is one body.
Although it's not the thought here to go on further about the separation, the path of separation that we teach, there is one body.
We have to remember that and everybody has every part. Everyone in the body have different functions and the apostle expand on that even more.
And then let's go to uh.
The remembrance of the Lord.
The Apostle Paul is the only one that brought out the remembrance of the Lord. Well, you'll see. Well, we we use the principal Matthew 1820. But that's the principle, isn't it? When that principle was LA laid out, the church wasn't formed yet for the principle was set. But Luke 22 The Lord well, no, that that wasn't for the church neither. It was the Passover scene and after the Passover.
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The law instituted the remembrance for the remembrance of the Lord. We have let's let's turn to 1St Corinthians.
Chapter 10.
I'm going to start in verse 15, First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 15. I speak as to a wise man. Judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread and one body.
For we are all particular of that one bread.
Here he speaks of the Lord's Table there.
If you notice here, he speaks off the cup first this morning when we participate that loaf. We had the loaf first, didn't we? And then the cup. Here it seems to be the opposite. The cup was mentioned and I believe here is that. What was our title to be here this morning? What give you the right to be here?
Because of his blood. How precious to think that our title to be here is through his blood. So he referred to that cup, not the cup of grass.
As our brother mentioned is the cup of blessing. It speaks of the communion, It speaks of the fellowship we have with Christ and the bread that speaks of the expression of that one body. Now we turn to 1St Corinthians Chapter 11.
Then we have something a little bit different. Verse 23. Now I find we often read these passages on Lord's Day morning and.
We'd like to start either on verse 24 or partway through verse 23. I'd like to read the full verse and see if you can see why it's important in my eyes. Verse 23 for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. Now this is the portion we don't often read because we like to get to the point that the Lord Jesus the same night in which.
He was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks he break it and said, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This due in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had sub saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as of as ye drink it.
In remembrance of me, for as often as he eats this bread and drink this cup, you do show.
The Lord's death till he come. So we find here the Apostle Paul is the one who who delegated the authority he had from the Lord to us as Gentile. I made a statement earlier, what right do we have? Oh how, how come we are able to break bread? Because the Apostle Paul received it from the Lord and then he delivered it to us. How precious.
So if someone said, well, you're not a Jew, that was in no.
Doesn't matter. Paul received it from the Lord of glory and deliver that and I shouldn't go too deep into that there and I'll let you meditate on that and one more thought on that is.
What? Why are we there? We do this in verse 26 tells us to show the Lord's death.
We're there to show. Now it's interesting to say, to show. I do not believe that's a public testimony. I do not believe we should have a big sign out there and say we are remembering the Lord. Come on in and watch. No, nevertheless, it's a testimony to show the Lord's death. Why are we doing it? Do we receive a special blessing because we show the Lord's death?
I don't think we do it for that reason.
We are here to remember Him, to thank the Lord for what He has done for us to remember Him. We're to recall back to the cross. And then he says, till he comes, we can look forward to the day when He shall take us out of this scene. So we look back to the cross, we look forward, and then we look at presence as if it were.
00:20:05
And then we can say and thus remember the just as a passing comment we'll find you'll find we sing that him often him 245 on that same night, Lord Jesus.
If if you notice that him, Ryder, GW Fraser, he, he and that last stanza as if he changed subject, but he really didn't. After all those deep thoughts about the remembrance, you'll say till thou shalt come in glory and call us hands away to rest in all the brightness of that unclouded day. And then he will say, I don't know if you noticed that when you sing that then he said.
We show thy death, Lord Jesus.
And here would seek to be more to thy death conformeth whilst we remember thee. What a wonderful thought. By the way you trace through his hymns, you'll find that he's the one that will love writing the gospel hymns.
And he's the one also loved the speaks of the remembrance of the Lord we this morning we sang 188 before we remember the Lord that was he wrote that him, uh, hymn 244 that bright and blessed mourn is near when he the bridegroom shall appear. He will, he will many hymns in there. And it's wonderful to trace, uh, through that. And so the Lord and then.
Let's another thing that the apostle Paul brought to us is the Lord's rapture coming for his sins. We know the passage well. First Corinth, First Thessalonians.
Umm, chapter 4. Let's turn to that briefly and just have two more thoughts, then I will sit down. I think it's good for someone else to, uh, have room to do this.
The Thessalonians were concerned about those who gone before, who have died. Are they gonna miss out? And the apostle have to be explained to them that no, they're not gonna miss out. Now, here's something that I thought is interesting. Now some of you have the new translation of Darby's translation. You'll find that there's something different in there from verse 15 as we read it. I'll tell you why I I say that in a minute verse.
In to the end of the chapter in the Darby translation.
As a bracket, as if that was a little.
Extra explanation a little sidebar as if it were so you'll find that first verse verse 14 is this for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again. Even so them also which sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. Well, that's the thought to encourage us that those who have gone before us. The Lord is gonna bring with him and then as if he's a little parentheses from verse 15 that we read.
Yes Sir, I'm gonna let you guys into some secrets too. This is about you and me. So now in parentheses, as everywhere He put in for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God and the dead in.
Rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. I won't respond on that, as we know that these are well known passages to us, but this is something the apostle Paul reminds us of, of the Lord's coming.
And do you know that throughout the centuries?
These truths.
Were forgotten not until the early 1800s.
When these truths of the Lord return for his sinks, the rapture, as we call it, are brought to light again. We're reminded and how sad that sometimes we ourselves forget and get discouraged. In fact, I'll I'll share with you some challenges as if it were.
If you find somebody is really low down, discourage. Perhaps that somebody is yourself or myself. Ask yourself this question.
It's the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to rapture out of the scene, still fresh in our hearts.
00:25:02
When we forget to look up.
Discouragement comes in the Lord's return. Oh, we have to remember that. And that's why it's just therefore comfort one another with these words. Just one more .6 things that I just wanted to bring out or perhaps 2 together. And I would just mention that in in Second Corinthians chapter five. Well, in second thought, let's turn to that Second Corinthians.
Chapter UMM 5.
Verse 8.
This is concerning those who have gone before us again, this is we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and be present with the Lord.
When it's when a St. When a believer died, this is the proper expressions, isn't it? The apostle tells us we are absent in the body and present with the Lord just.
One more thought and many of these is very brief. I think I can leave room for you to meditate and to study there in.
First Corinthians chapter 15 we will perhaps spend a time I see I spend more time than I intended to already there. It speaks about the resurrection of the believer. Those takes quite a few verses as you can read through them that in that day we're gonna be we're gonna have.
As some would say, new body.
Well, that expression is not quite true, is it? We're gonna have a glorified body. It's gonna be an incorruptible body. These are the basic truths that the apostle brought out for us that we shouldn't give up on. So I would just sum it up quickly that the first point is that believers are justified in all things.
The second, I believe, is that there is one body.
The third is that the Lord's, uh, the the remembrance of the Lord.
The I, I didn't spend time on it. I know there are a lot more. We can talk about it, how often and so on. The third one, I'm saying that was the 3rd. I said the 4th is the rapture.
The 5th is believers who have gone before Epson in the body present with the Lord, and the six is that with we are going to have a glorious body, an incorruptible and defile with the Lord.
The Measuring Line
Open—John Kemp
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I won't speak very long. Zachariah Chapter 2.
I lifted up mine eyes again and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hands.
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And behold, the Angel that talked with me went forth, and another Angel went out to meet him.
And he said unto him, Run, speak.
To this young man.
Saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls.
For the multitude of men and cattle therein. For I saith the Lord will be.
Unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her well.
I sometimes think we pull out the measuring line.
And we use it when we should not.
This man here is portrayed with a measuring line in his hand.
There was failure.
Serious failure in Jerusalem.
That's the reason why the book was written.
Hagee Ayah was a prophet of the Lord.
You know well his prophecy.
Consider your ways. They were building their sealed houses. They were occupied with their own interests. The House of the Lord was neglected for six or ten years, I forget the exact time. They were occupied with their own things, and Hagee Isle was raised up to speak to their conscience.
To stir them up.
To take an interest in the Lord's things and the Lord's glory. You know, Zechariah is a little bit different. He looks on to the glory. But Jerusalem was in a sad condition. The walls were broken down. That's why Nehemiah came from the Persian court. Things were in a weak state.
They might be discouraged. Perhaps you're pulling out the measuring line in your assembly.
And you're saying, well, I can look back.
So all of us here can look back some years and remember how things were different. Much larger, more spiritual power, more edification. We take out the measuring line and we say there's not much going on here down the street. They're so active in the gospel and there's.
Souls being saved? Good.
Let's pray for that.
But that doesn't mean that we should become discouraged and say let's join this other company. This is happening. The assemblies are becoming smaller in many places because they're taking out this measuring line and they're saying what is going on here, this little company?
It seems to be.
Dead. To speak plainly, there's not much interest in the gospel. There's not much interest in reaching out to the lost. That's not exactly true. There's a lot of gospel work being done behind the scenes. Many sisters work hours and hours in preparing text, bookmarks and so on. That's all part of the work of the gospel, but the point.
I'm trying to make is let's not compare the little assembly where you are, as our brother mentioned, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on scriptural ground. You know, there's a sister once said to me, and I was a little surprised she had a family. She was saved. She says there's two things precious in my life one.
00:05:13
That I was saved. I thought the next thing she would say I have a wonderful husband than she did. She said the the truth of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
She didn't have a lot of knowledge, uh, to explain it, but it was precious to her. Remember that Josh, uh, that Moses took the Tabernacle after sin had come in really apostasy with the golden calf. He took the Tabernacle and he pitched it.
Away, outside, far from the camp and those that sought the Lord.
They went out to the Tabernacle outside the camp. Was there a large company there? I don't think so. It doesn't seem to be. If you read Exodus 33, I think there was a small number. Joshua was was Joshua was there.
But you know, Moses went back into the camp.
And, uh, you might say, was that right for Moses to do? Of course he was the leader of the people.
But he did go back into the camp.
Uh, and he in that way identified with it. So remember that there is work going on in the camp. That's the religious systems around us that are not gathered to the Lord's name. There is work going on and they could stand up and worship the Lord in the camp.
But the Lord's mind was for them to separate from the camp.
And to go out to the Tabernacle where, uh, the Lord's name was placed, where the Lord's glory was upheld because sin had come into the camp Christendom, as we had in Jude, it's permeated with wrong doctrine and uh, sometimes very serious doctrine as to the person and work of Christ.
If you leave the assembly and identify yourself.
With a denomination.
You're sure to be identified with some error. It may not be fundamental, but it will be something contrary to the word of God.
You know, in India, where I have been often the worst disgrace, that's a disgrace. A daughter, a widow. Never in India would that be allowed.
And So what happens? Or a son? They marry their children as long as they get married. This has been a burden to me. That's the. That's the important thing. Yeah, I marry a believer that wouldn't. But some of them even.
Sync to mar uh, giving their children to Hindus, uh, which is terrible disobedience to the word of God, but no, some of them will marry their children to those in systems.
All right, believers. But still, as I say to them, they're departing from the Lord's Table and they're sure to encounter error. I'm finished in a moment here in this chapter. Zachariah says don't look at things as they are. You say the assembly is so small and there there's not much.
Spiritual power here.
Remember that it's the Lord's Table and to be gathered on scriptural ground as our brother mentioned, as members of the body of Christ, members of the body of Christ, and to give expression to that is precious to the Lord. You'll never be sorry for remaining where the Lord has placed His name. There will be a reward for that.
You sisters who come here faithfully, week after week.
While not at the conference, I mean in the assembly, you will be rewarded for your faithfulness. So the Zechariah is told to look on to that day of glory when, uh, Jerusalem will be surrounded with people. And we know that that will happen.
Jerusalem will be the center of government and glory for the whole earth.
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Zachariah says don't pull out the measuring line and look at things as they are. You'll get discouraged. All of us are subject to discouragement.
When we look at things from man's standpoint.
But Zachariah says look on to that day when the glory will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, and Jerusalem will be at the center well to apply it.
To the Church, now Christendom.
He's in a sad state.
Apostasy is is beginning. The signs of apostasy are there. The apostasy will be after we are taken, of course, but uh, there is a grave departure where in the days of Laodicea, but.
Remember that the day is coming when the Lord will have His rightful place, and He will not forget those.
Who through much weakness and failure, brethren, because we are part of the ruin, we're part of the ruin, We've contributed to it. Let's not lift our heads up. We can't do that. We have to bow our heads where we have to be in the dust. But let us not compromise the truth of God, which is being done.
Around us and seek a wide path work of the gospel.
May the Lord energize us afresh to take the gospel of His grace out. You don't need to leave the Lord's table to do that. There's doors open everywhere. I was in Brazil for a month with my beloved wife Eleanor this past summer.
In the gigantic city of Sao Paulo.
Which is 20 million counting no end nor side. We had a wonderful time distributing the word.
In that city of Sao Paulo where you can give out 5000 tracks today and not meet the same person tomorrow. Well, the point is there are opportunities for the gospel everywhere. The doors are still open. The Lord is long-suffering. He hasn't closed the door of grace yet.
Why hasn't he come? We long to see him. We'd be joyful to have him come today.
But why is he delaying? He wants to have his bride with him because there are souls to be saved, yet there are still some to be brought into the fold. And uh, he can use us. Not angels. They don't have the privilege to be a channel of blessing. But let us have. You can't have one foot in the assembly and the other foot in the world. That doesn't work.
Let us be faithful to the truth and look to the Lord for grace to go on the little while that may remain to us. Thank you.
We sync together 166.
Lord, Thou has drawn us after Thee. Thou let us run and never tire. Thy presence shall our comfort be thyself, our hope, our soul desire, our present Savior, while more fear nor sin can come if thou art near 166.
Lord, thou hast gone.
Yeah, very high. Bloody president.
On Thursday, I don't know, I saw me in my life.
Nor did I.
I'm a person today, so I love you. No one. Did you make anything? No, you ain't. No, no, no. I've never together.
00:15:19
I want to hear our dress through together.
Our strengths are still in the heart. Thank you.
I love you more than I.
AM.
I won't be over thus far from.
Oh my. Pretty sure thyroid. Thyroid.
Breathe like mirror and I've got to hear what I want for you to be drinking my true love.
And I don't remember.
Getting out of the Spirit.
Uh.
-Huh.
What's Your Excuse?
Gospel—Paul House
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Might ask Lord's help.
Dear loving Lord Jesus.
We are so thankful that we've been able to be encouraged this afternoon.
To hold on to what we've we have.
And Lord, we think of the many people that are in this room this afternoon, and perhaps there's one.
That is still not dying.
And so as we spend just a few minutes on the gospel of thy grace, of thy love, Lord Jesus, that by thy Holy Spirit there may be a great work here, that some soul would turn to thee, you think of how there was just one of the 100 that was lost, and perhaps there's just one here.
They know who they are. Help them to listen.
The urgency of the gospel is such thy coming us so soon. We just ask for blessing tonight in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Let's just tell a little story to back up what John said.
On our way here.
Was getting late.
And I was getting sleepy. So part of the story about us, but.
Wanted to get a cup of coffee.
So we pulled off at Cortland and the Starbucks was closed. So we went to Dunkin' Donuts and said the Dunkin' Donuts has a mobile station gas station so.
I went in the men's bathroom with the boys, did too, and then my wife came out of the ladies bathroom.
She said well, she said there was a a park in calendar.
And attract in the ladies bathroom.
She said it must have been put there by somebody coming to the conference.
I said, well, isn't that nice? So we know it wasn't John that put it there because it was the lady's bathroom and I found out who it was.
But they don't know that I found out who it was, and it wasn't Eleanor either, although she's very faithful in the gospel, for which we're thankful.
The reason I say that is for encouragement.
Each one of us.
Men, women, children, we can give the gospel to others. It doesn't have to be into a microphone.
It can just be when we go to the bathroom, we can leave a track.
You know that's effective. People have a little bit of time to read.
We need to take the opportunities that God gives us.
I wanna read just a couple of verses, a few verses from a couple of different spots.
I want to talk a little bit about the assembly that I live in in Rio Ferry.
It's a little assembly in a little town in the middle of nowhere.
A while ago we got a letter from somebody.
And he happens to write a lot of Christian material.
And his Christian material is being sent all over the world, but particularly into the countries where there's interest in the Word of God.
In the truth of gathering.
In the truth that our brother.
David mentioned to us from the Apostle Paul the truth from John's ministry of the family.
There's hunger for that truth in a lot of places.
Unfortunately, there's not much here. Where we live in North America now, there is some.
And he told a story about a man in Ottawa that he got a letter from.
Just recently, who said this book that you've written? Is there anyone in the Ottawa area that meets On the principles of the One Body?
And he was very happy to direct them to the assembly in Ottawa. So there is those that are hungry for the truth of God in this area of the world too, and we're thankful for that.
Tonight.
00:05:00
My privilege is to tell the gospel one more time.
And tonight I would like to speak to.
The people here tonight that aren't safe and I hope everyone is.
And if everyone is safe tonight?
That's such a glory to God.
Each trophy of his grace, grace of God. But if there's somebody that's not saved, won't you listen tonight? And more than that, won't you get saved tonight? You know how there's nobody here that doesn't know how to get saved?
You children have heard the gospel many times. I know that your dad, your mom, your grandparents, they pray for you and you know it. They love you. But God loves you so much more. And he proved his love, didn't He, on the cross. I just want to read some verses. Maybe we should just read those verses.
That we had in Acts chapter 13.
1St.
Acts chapter 13 that our brother David read to us.
That the apostle Paul faithfully preached verse 38. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man his priest, unto you, the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that belief, are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.
The forgiveness of sins.
Tonight, how is it with your sins?
Are they forgiven?
Are they forgiven?
Now, maybe I'm different than you were, than you are.
But before I was saved, I could remember my sins. You say you could remember your sins. I could remember some of them, the ones I thought were really bad.
I can remember those, and I'm sorry for mentioning you personally. It's not right, but it makes the point. The point is that you if you're not saved, you have a guilty conscience about your sins. Tonight you do, and before God, you know that you're a Sinner.
And if you're a Sinner, you have a problem before a holy God because you're in your sins. They're all over you. You're dirty before God. Now tonight we've talked a little bit about the forgiveness of sins and who but God can forgive sins. And our brother Bruce made that point. Well, the Lord Jesus was God.
That's how he could forgive sins. And tonight the Lord Jesus is standing.
Are you seated? I'm sorry in heaven and he wants to forget. Forgive your sins right now.
But how could he do that if you're not willing to come to him and confess your sins, to repent, to say that you're sorry and that you have sinned? So we have tonight the forgiveness of sins. Who was this preached to?
This sermon that Paul gave in this chapter.
The Lord used Luke, the Doctor, Paul's doctor, to write the book of Acts. You learned that?
But Paul gave this sermon to the Jews, and if we think back to the book of Luke, at the end the Lord Jesus gave a Commission to his disciples to preach the gospel, and he told them to begin in Jerusalem.
That was the headquarters of the Jews and the apostles in the Acts. They went to the synagogues. In fact, I think it's in this chapter you have verse 14.
They went to the synagogue in Antioch and Presidio. Why? Because that's where the Jews were in that area. They were at the synagogue. So once again, they preached to the Jews 1St and the gospel was presented to the Jews faithfully by the apostle Paul. I don't know how many thousands of people have got saved through this first 37.
00:10:12
But there's thousands, just like all the other verses in the New Testament and in some of the old.
The Spirit of God has used this first countless times to save souls and may it be that when you think of your sins and that the Lord Jesus wants to forgive them tonight, not tomorrow, tonight you need to have your sins forgiven.
We may be here tomorrow, you may have the opportunity tomorrow to be forgiven, but now is what you have. The Lord has given you now to be saved.
Well, I was thinking of how this story goes on a little further. There was much interest in the gospel among the Jews, but that started to wane.
And if we read through this, we don't have lots of time, but it says that, umm, verse 44. The next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. And when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been.
To you, but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life low we turn to the Gentiles. I don't ever remember speaking the gospel from this verse before, but this was the verse that the Lord put on my heart to speak from tonight.
Is there somebody here tonight and you've heard the gospel time after time after time, and you've turned away from it?
That's a tragedy.
It's a sorrow. The heart of the Lord Jesus is towards you. He wants to save your soul and you're turning away. You know the Jews, that's what they did. They rejected the gospel. They turned away from these, this blessed news that Apostle Paul told.
So the Apostle Paul said.
Had to go to you first. And the Lord Jesus himself directed it that way, He said. We turn to the Gentiles. You know, there's places in this world where people are getting saved. There's an interest in the word of God. They want to hear more. But is there people here that don't care?
Maybe you're not safe and doesn't really matter a whole lot to you. Are you gonna miss out for all eternity?
When there's those who are so interested, you say, Oh well.
Now the Jews went further than that.
They drove the Apostle Paul away later on in this chapter.
They actually made it hard, so hard for him that he moved along in his gospel work to another place.
To me, this is such a sad thing. We're seeing that all around us, aren't we?
People don't wanna hear the truth of the gospel, the truth of the loving Lord Jesus in our country.
Perhaps we have a little bit of a reprieve right now.
But may not stay that way.
It may not.
We turn to the Gentiles.
Tonight, there's somebody here that's not saved. This may be your last chance to get saved.
This was the last chance for the juice in this story and.
And then the gospel went to the Gentiles.
Verse 47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed, And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
So we're thankful.
For the areas of the world where there's hunger for the Word of God.
00:15:05
You know, I was thinking about that verse.
About the, uh, the fields being white onto harvest and how they're the prayer. Our prayer is to be for laborers to enter into that harvest. I'd like to read another series of verses in Luke chapter 14.
Luke, chapter 14.
This passed on another little thought.
Our brother David mentioned about the number of epistles and works that the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament and how many there were.
Recently, a brother at home mentioned that Luke contributed by the Holy Spirit a lot of the New Testament as well.
Even though we only have the Gospel of Luke in the book of Acts that we think we're by the same person.
They represent a tremendous amount of pages and verses in our Bibles.
Just a little tidbit, Chapter 14 of Luke and we'll read uh.
For 16.
Then said he unto them, a certain man made a great supper, and bade many incentives servant at supper time to say to them, that We're bidden come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it. I pray thee, have me excused.
And another said I have bought 5 yoke of oxen.
And I go to prove them. I pray that you have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and showed his mass his Lord, these things. Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hit her the poor and the maimed, and the halts, and the blind, and the servant said, Lord.
It is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto his servant.
Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
I appreciate the desire of the local brethren here to have another gospel meeting right at the end of the conference. You know, it's as it were, to give you one more chance.
If you didn't take it last night, you have one more chance now to get saved. But how many times have you heard the word of God presented? How many times have you said no to the Lord Jesus? And I want to ask you tonight, what is your excuse?
So here we have 3 excuses.
So the first excuse was that this man had bought some real estate.
He bought a piece of land and so he couldn't come because he was just too busy with his business.
Why are you too busy? Why are you not interested?
What is your excuse? If you're not saved here tonight, what is your excuse? And when you're in hell, what do you think my excuse for coming to hell and not going to heaven was? Is there anything worth it in this world to exchange?
What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? What is your excuse tonight?
I put that out to us as believers, too.
Why is our interest?
In the Lord, not what it should be.
What's our excuse?
Mine is probably different than yours.
But if we're not walking as closely to the Lord Jesus as we know we should, why not? What's the excuse?
When we stand before the Lord and He reviews our life and He's so thankful for everything that we've done for him, what are we going to say?
00:20:01
Well, I was more interested in what's the excuse?
Now what's the next one in our story?
5 Yoke of oxen.
He's got to go and prove them. He's got to try them out. He bought them before he even tried them.
Not real good to do. That's what he did, you know. Is there any reason why you wouldn't come to the Lord Jesus tonight? It's worth anything. It makes any sense.
There isn't anything that could keep anyone from Christ and His love. There's no logical reason.
To say no to the Lord Jesus tonight.
Another said I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. Our time is up. May it be that if you have an excuse for not coming to the Lord Jesus.
That tonight you will realize His love for you, His desire to wash your sins away in His precious blood, and they won't say no any longer. And when I pray tonight, just ask the Lord into your heart.
He wants, he wants you. Great.
John 3:1-16
Reading
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#286 two eight.
7.
You're not far off the hour when Price proclaimed his own.
287.
It's not for all beyond.
Where he's craving.
Sunshine here, that's always on the power flow.
200.
Umm, when we go out together in the Lord.
Why we can't find till we roll?
Fall down again by the side, Gray. Thank you. So I'm on the twerk Lord's dream, life and soul.
So yes, in the Lord's health.
God our Father, we thank you for this opportunity to open up side. That's a word that's just word of God that would bring light into our souls. We thank you for this and that tells us the clearness of the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Think of thy purpose, to assault our God and Father, to assault by wealth and love his Son and a heavenly spirit and in earth, that he should have a bride to share his joys and his glories for all eternity. So we pray.
Uh, for the portion to bring before each heart and conscience. Now we, we know that the Lord always says a word for us. So we pray for that preparation of heart to take it in and make it good to us. We could be the application, uh, the truth. We thank you for all that thoughts brought before us this weekend. I pray that we might not let one word fall to the ground.
But that it might bear fruit in our lives and we look to be for those that are traveling for journey mercy. So we pray now that they'll, uh, refresh us again, umm, uh, through the, uh, meditations of the Lord Jesus and by the guidance of the Spirit of God, we ask these things and give thanks, uh, with dependence and, and confidence in the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen, Amen, Amen.
00:05:09
Would it be the mind of the Brethren? Umm.
Uh, someone else has something.
You will look again at John 17 I.
What the?
You just touch the parts of the gut through there. Uh, and then you think that we really covered the latter part of the chapter at all.
But it's whatever the brethren feel would be the Lord's mind.
I'm uh.
I think something along John's line of industry might be nice.
I had wondered about uh, John chapter 3 through the 1St 16 verses where we get new birth and eternal life, but uh.
I'm I'm certainly open. I'm happy about that.
Either passage.
Like to choose one of them?
Well, let's go to John Free then, please.
Kind of hopscotch through John. 17 minutes.
Trying to leave you a little.
What I mean what you take up that wouldn't be repetitive even though.
Start over from the beginning with it. But it would be nice but I guess I I like to be a stay in John's ministry. Seems like that's what the Lord has had before us again.
That's fine with me.
Maybe, uh, starting with chapter 2 and verse 23, then down to.
Verse 15 of chapter 3. Two verse 16, Yeah. Chapter 223 down to verse 16. John chapter 2, verse 23.
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day, many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God.
For no man can do these miracles, that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and I'll hear us the sound thereof, but can't not tell whence it cometh.
And whether it goeth, so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. Ikodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel? And Noah, snap these things. Verily, verily, I say to thee, we speak, that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and you receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things, and no man hath ascended up to heaven?
But he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, and whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
00:10:01
John is such a such a unique.
Uh, Gospel, the presentation of the Lord Jesus.
He really starts, uh, by divine inspiration, where all the other gospels end up.
They the other gospel synoptically take you slowly up through the testimony of the Lord Jesus and man's increasing rejection and culminating at the cross. But God starts with.
Umm, that he came onto his own, and his own received him not Period. He's rejected right from the outset. And what man is is fully, uh, told outright from the outset in John, instead of finding it out by the end of the gospel, you find it out.
Right. And so that's how this little portion starts. Verse 23 really starts a new little section in John. And, uh, so if we get the Lord, uh, not committing himself to these ones who believed on the miracles, what believed on him when they saw the miracles, and we might look at that as a positive thing, but the Lord, as it says, didn't need any to testify what was in man. He knew what was in man. So here they were looking at the miracles.
Well, if you see a miracle and it's a miracle, yeah. I just thought, I believe that it was just an outward assent to tracks that we're seeing. And, you know, well, yeah, I recognize that it's a miracle. It gives me some credit. You know, it was really just man in the flesh, uh, without any, uh, any real response towards God, just an outward assent to facts that we're seeing. And the Lord does not commit himself.
To that at all he needed, not that I should testify what was in man and so miracles and all the displays of power. That was what Elijah had learned. We're going to convert any soul. He had to hear about the still small voice there on the mouth is gone. That's what was going to really work and that's what we get then in chapter three, I think is that work of the Spirit of God.
And parting life because outside of that, there's going to never, ever.
Be any real response towards God, man has no capacity for it outside of that.
People struggle with.
With, uh, the truth of God's sovereignty.
And they struggle at times with the truth of the election, which is one of the actions of God's sovereignty. But it's helpful to see that God falls back. In one sense, God falls back on his own Father.
Presenting to man that which is.
For his accountability and responsibility.
And so as you say in John, he's rejected from the from the start, almost as if the Spirit of God says, well, I'm going to get that out very early here and haven't gotten made the presentation made the rejection confirmed. God says, you know, I'm gone and I can show mercy to whom I will show mercy and whom I will pardon after they have part of their hearts. And so God.
Begins to act sovereignly, and so in the beginning of John chapter 3.
It's not a, it's not about so much, uh, the presentation to man and his responsibility, uh, uh, looking for faith in the word believe is not so the latter part of the chapter is God's working the soul, uh, to communicate that which is necessary to bring that into fellowship in yourself.
But it's so interesting how verse one starts out chapter 3, you get the end of chapter 2. You didn't need any to testify what was in man. He knew what was in man and then there was a man. So here we get a man coming that's going to be a sample to us of exactly what the Lord was saying. Here comes this man named Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews and the.
He comes to the Lord, and He.
Uh, he sees that this is a, this is a capable man. He's a, he's a capable teacher. Umm.
00:15:02
Seeing numerical must be came from God because there's a display of power there and you know things aren't in the best shape here.
And, uh, and Israel and we could use a fellow like this.
You know, he's kind of a little radical out here on the edges. And, you know, if we could just sort of bring him into the fold, he would be a real help. And you know, that's how the world and much of the Christian world looks at the Lord Jesus Christ. They look at him as the crown jewel of humanity.
That this is what we can all attain to be.
We've just got to work at it. He's, he's the crown jewel. We just got to scribe for that. And that's what humanity really, uh, can be. Just get some of the hindrances out of the way. And that's what they would, how they would like to and do view the Lord Jesus often. And so later in chapter 6, they would come and make him king. They want to put him as the crown jewels, so to speak, at the top of humanity, fall in humanity.
Fall in humanity.
MMM, he certainly has credentials here. The ruler of the news, Thyrocy.
Uh, very religious character, Uh.
Of some romance.
And, umm, naturally we have something that he could point to that would give him, uh, recognition.
Uh, note We note that the Lord did eat with viruses on different occasions.
Uh, and here he's speaking to a pharmacy he never did eat with a sad disease.
They were the modernists who denied the resurrection and judgment. The Lord never.
Condoms are ate with osaction.
All right.
So as you say, Nicodemus had credentials, So what is how is he coming to the Lord?
He's really coming as one teacher to another. So he's giving him honors and he's, you know, recognizes Americans and, and he would see it, this man's abilities, but it's one teacher to another.
That's really how he's coming. He's coming on that level and, uh, the Lord just stops him in his tracks. It's not good teaching that you need Nicodemus.
It's not another teacher like yourself, but maybe just a little better.
You need a whole new life. And so he just stops him in his tracks. So see, he doesn't let him really get any further. And that's what he says in verse 3. Verily, verily, I say to thee, except the man be born again or anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. You know, the Lord said to the Pharisees in John 17.
The Kingdom of God, it says in King James within you. That's not the right translation. He's talking to the Pharisees. The Kingdom of God was not within them.
Great translation is the Kingdom of God is among you. The king was right there in front of him and they couldn't see it.
Except the man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. There he was right in Harlem, Nicodemus and all he saw was a teacher and all he could see. He needed a new life so you would have eyes that could see what he has never been able to see before.
And here the Lord revealed in academia a truth that there was nothing he could do to improve.
His own situation and but in his religious mind, how does Nicodemus respond to hearing about being born again? He says, can a man enter again into his mother's womb? As if to say the Lord had told him was was revealing the truth here, that it's God's word to save a soul, but his immediate responses. So what can I do to make that happen?
00:20:32
The Spirit of God had begun to work in the soul of God.
Make a difference, no doubt.
Here he is coming to the Lord at night.
Uh, an honest Inquirer, I believe.
And, uh, really confused, bewildered, go to John Seven, you see Nicodemus, uh.
Speaking up for the Lord.
Umm, I say that's the twilight, but then come to the end of the gospel and we, uh, identifies publicly with the the body of the Lord and in those of our mediation, he's in the daylight back.
He has the assurance of salvation.
So this statement of the Lord is uh.
It's a statement of a necessity. It's not a exhortation to Nicodemus to do something.
That's so important to see because most often this is taken as the Lord is exhorting Nicodemus. Nicodemus, you got to go be born again.
And that's almost kind of how nicotine is quicker. But he's stating a fact that you're not going to be able to see or answer the Kingdom of God without new birth.
That's something that he had to do.
But something that was an absolute necessity.
That he was going to see or enter the Kingdom of God. And so the common use of born again as something that is an exhortation to sinners that they need to go do.
Isn't really in accordance with scripture. So new birth is an action of the Spirit of God as we get here. Umm, born of water and of the Spirit. The water is a figure of the word. Why didn't he just say of the word?
Because when you use water as a figure of the word, it, it opens up in that figure to our understanding to what action the word of God is going to be used in and imparting new life. It's going to act like water. And what does water do? Water does all kinds of things, but water clean.
When the waters of the flood do.
They brought that old world under death and they cleaned it that way.
And so the word with God comes in, applied by the power of the Spirit of God, and it pronounces death.
On everything that man is. You know that's what Nikki Beam us didn't know he didn't know God. He didn't see the Lord for who he was and he didn't know what he was either but the word of God comes in and it not only Queens, but it pronounces that and so that's why it doesn't say just the word it says water really backing you this up. Obviously we love Nicodemus wanted him to come in to bless her but.
He was going in, uh, it's like driving the wrong way up a one way St. and he has to back him up.
And so that's why it was appropriate to tell a religious man who felt like I'm already inside, as you said, I'm already inside and I'm recruiting another teacher to add to our UH.
Religious institution here and the Lord is right. We have to back up here. And that's why it's appropriate for him to tell Nicodemus, uh, to remind him or to teach him about how life can really begin to reaction that life giving or quickening action is gone.
So again, young brothers, umm, you know, you stand up to preach, to work the gospel and I've seen this kind of where someone you know who's going away on you must be born again and.
00:25:11
And and somebody walks up and says OK, I want to be born again, how do I do it? Umm.
Umm, let me think here. You know what you gotta tell them. And so that, that, that really is God's work, as, as I'm sure we'll develop in this chapter, that's God's work. Umm, the, the, the, the gospel is preached and presented to man and his responsibility and.
Just because God has reserved to himself the right to act in his own sovereignty doesn't take away the responsibility of math. The law is still out there. Man's accountability and responsibility is still out there. And the gospel comes in and addresses man in that, reveals to him his condition, also reveals to him God's love and God's remedy, and presents that to.
God now commanded all men everywhere to repent.
And to believe that Austria and the gospel was presented to man, to his responsibility. And that's the way we preach when we, uh, it would be I, I think rather unwise to, to stand up in the gospel being able to take up.
Sovereignty aspect of God, though we know that except a man be given water and dispute, he cannot see or enter in the beginning of God. We do not know anything about the internal decrease of thought. Uh.
As as an evangelist.
We present the word to man as a responsible creature. Umm on the outside of the door is whosoever will may come.
That's the way we present the message, right?
Inside, we look at the other side.
We like before the foundation of the world.
And not to digress what people say, well, if you if you believe that it's all God's working, it's God's sovereign work, then why should I preach the gospel? The apostle Paul who communicated these things with great liberty and power and we have it in the Scriptures. I just read a verse for you in Second Timothy 2 without taking time. He spoke in verse nine of I suffered trouble as an evil doer even after bombs, but the word of God is not found.
Therefore, I endure all things for the elect stakes that they they also obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. So the fact that Paul learned from God that there were souls out there that were elected that were going to receive the word, it motivated him to get out with the word because there's the elect out there and when they hear the word, they're going to be saved and inherited eternal glory. So it's just the opposite of the way men's and men and women sometimes think. They think election deadlines desire.
To bring the gospel and but a true understanding of election makes makes you more zealous To bring that word out because the word has to be presented makes me fake.
So in adverse circumstances, the Lord appeared to Paul. He says I have much people in this city.
They haven't heard the gospel yet.
But they were the elect of God, and it encouraged him then to go out and preach it out.
To work to think of hearing how much people in the city, you know when you go out, preach the gospel the next day. People are going to get saved that way. Perfectly encouraged you to go out. The elect of God are out there and they will respond. We don't know who they are. They're there, they're there and it should be an encouragement to us. But this new birth is the first work of the Spirit of God in those souls.
Because unless he imparts life where there was no life, there's no ear to hear the gospel, there's no ability to respond to the appeal of the gospel. There's no ability to see it or take it in whatsoever. So God has to give a life where there was no life before. And it's like they say with some Internet services today, it's a bundled package. I don't mean to make light of it.
But you know when the when the Lord stood at Lazarus grave and said Lazarus come forth, it says there that he which was dead came forth, he was dead.
00:30:02
He couldn't hear. He couldn't respond.
Who is there?
But at the voice of the Son of God, all of a sudden he could hear, and all of a sudden he could respond, and all of a sudden he could have life that came all at once. And we get that in the 5th chapter of this gospel at the hour is coming, when they hear the voice of the Son of God, who live, The dead would live, the dead would hear. And so it comes all at once, the ear to hear, the faith to believe, the capacity, the life.
To respond all comes at once and new birth. Also called quickening in other places in scripture.
Impartation of life where there was no life before. That's why the Lord is saying this is a necessity. This has to take place. Outside of that, there's never going to be anything for God.
So the work of the Spirit of God and the soul, wouldn't you say, has been going on down through the ages to give.
Men and women wife slash faith that they might believe that the testimony from God in their day.
Very interesting. It doesn't stay here that necessarily that form of water. Water is a figure of the word of God. It's not necessarily the gospel of the grace of God. It's the word of God. The word of God is thin.
Has been coming from God a long time before the Lord Jesus came into this world. We had a little bit yesterday.
Under the forbearance of God there was.
Promises made of an accomplished work that would happen in the future.
Long Standard Time and limit of faith. It has always been true that they just shovel into my faith. Faith is all.
So the Spirit of God works to give life as, as Stephen said, it quickens or literally hits life.
And if we turn into Paul Stockton, you'd see all unfold this in detail peculiar to him, to see that with that life and that faith is imparted to me. I lay hold on the testimony that God is giving now. Now at the end of the age of the finished work of Christ. When I lay hold of that, I believe the gospel, not of what salvation is academically, but I believe the gospel of my salvation.
You'll see a little bit easier to promise in the spirit of growing dwelling, but these are two different things. The Spirit of God working in me unbeknownst to myself in life. And the fruit of that life may be the next day or the next hour or ten years later.
When I was old, in the face of the gospel of my salvation in our present age, I received the Holy Spirit promises seals me, and I worked in the work for him. For that unique to that extent is finished, God sealed.
The feeling is by the Spirit of God, isn't it the mark?
That, uh, that person belongs to Christ.
And and the seal doesn't make the person uh.
I believe us. Uh, but it's, uh, it's, it's the, the payment. Umm, it's the work of, of, of Christ on the cross.
That is the ransom price that is paid.
Like the uh, the Spirit of God is the seal.
In the soul that there is now salvation to that person. He is uh.
And is brought into the assurance of salvation.
Uh, through the work of Christ.
So new birth is not salvation, but it is prerequisite to it, right? It's a necessity, and that's what the Lord is saying. This is a necessity, Nicodemus. You can't come on the ground, you're coming off. You have to be.
One who has new life where you're never going to see or enter the Kingdom of God. And so Nicodemus response and question how can a man be born when he is old and he answers second time into his mother's womb. Even if that was possible, what kind of a life would he have same life he already had. Mm-hmm just be another fallen life again. And so he he's missed the Lord's point that it's not.
00:35:22
Is to be born and new has a sense from a whole new point or origin of departure. He comes back with a question, how can I redo it from the same point of departure, so to speak? No, no, that's not the point. It's born anew from a whole new point of departure. Above business isn't correct, as you might find in your margin it's really.
A new and from a whole.
A whole new uh.
Beginning from a whole new place, so to speak. The old life was just the flesh. That which is flesh, the Lord says, which is born of the flesh, is flesh. It's never going to change. It's just the flesh.
Even if it were possible to enter into your mother's womb and be born again, that which is born in the Spirit is Spirit. And so what's so interesting about new birth is is when God acts sovereignly and imparts a life where there is none. Suddenly that person sees things they never saw before. They may look around at believers and they say, wow, you know, they've got something I don't have.
And the other thing is they say, oh, I've got something. I didn't realize I had that.
Mm-hmm. So it's been often illustrated if you take a bed man on the floor and pile, uh, rocks on his, on his body, he's not gonna do anything. But if he gave him life, he's immediately gonna struggle to get rid of that, uh, weight of rocks on him. Well, that's the immediate response when life's imparted is seeing things they never saw before. And what's this weight of sin and how can I get rid of it? That's not salvation.
But you know, it's the first thing that takes place. Oh, I'm under this load of sand and it's pictured in the part of the sun is what it says. He came to himself and he says, what did he say? I perish with hunger. If you look at that verse as an exclamation mark, after that he was really afraid. He said, I'm dying. I'll put a disc simply, I'm dying. And he knew it and he was afraid and he was in this condition.
And so one that is born of God, they now have a capacity to see things, and they have a desire after God that they never had before, a desire for right things.
It's the gospel that comes in and brings the relief and proclaims forgiveness of sins. New birth is not salvation. Salvation comes as already been brought out when we receive the gospel. Believe the gospel of our salvation when you become aware if this is new to your hearing this evening.
But if you become aware of this line of things as you read through the New Testament, you're going to see it in so many places. It's remarkable. Just to give you one in the beginning of first Peter, the first Peter, one and two, elect according to the foreknowledge of God's Father. We've spoken of God's sovereignty and election through sanctification of the Spirit. There's the Spirit of work.
Unto obedience and sprinkling as well as he described.
Here's Here's another one. Second Thessalonians 2.
Like Jesus, but you see whether it's in James or Peter or false industry or Job, you see this line of things, 2nd 72, verse 13, God has from the beginning chosen you. There's a sovereignty again to salvation now through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. And so you see this, this process is sold, initiated by God.
Umm, including the sovereign work to impart life in the spirit of the Word and culminating, at least in the present time, with, uh, belief of the truth and the peace and assurance that comes with salvation of our souls.
Right now we're only in the first eight or nine and the wind is blowing where it lives.
00:40:03
You can see in souls sometimes if you know somebody or you grew up with somebody and you start to bring the word before you start to see little flickerings and change of thought or attitude and you have a sense that when you're flowing where it listed and so.
Cornelius would be another example of a quick insult. Yes, uh, because Peter speaks of the.
And being saved in this chapter.
It was a God fearing man and I say he had life but he didn't have the assurance of salvation.
Until the gospel was presented in his fullness to Him in my feeder. So.
The verse refers to an Ephesians, uh, after, uh, one.
Brings that before and.
331.
Verse 14.
13 and we also trusted.
After that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and you also after that you believe you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. That's hearing about the finished work of Christ and putting one's trust in that work. That brings the assurance. Is that right?
Yeah.
From there it says though it's such a good example for us. So it's often been referred to because it says in Acts 10 that he was a devout man that feared God and and the Angel that appeared to him said his arms and prayers had come up before God. So his evidences of a life there. So the wind blows. You can't actually see the wind, but you can see the leaves or the trees or the grass as it moves.
Under the influence of the wind, so you can see evidences of the wind, you can't see the win.
You just see the evidences and it's the same with the newborn soul, soul that's been born again. You can see the evidences in the life and those are there with Cornelius. There's were the evidence. It was a devout man feared God in his arms and prayers had come up before God, but he hadn't and and there was much he had heard. Peter tells him goes through the history of the Lord. There's much that he had heard. He said you know these things, but when he comes in chapter 10.
To.
Verse 43 to him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sin. While Peter yet spaced these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. It was at that point, and you know they didn't get down on their knees and and say a sinner's prayer, or ask the Lord to save them. As soon as they heard it, they had life from God. As soon as that life heard that, they had a hearing here.
They believed.
The moment they believe they didn't have to say a thing with their lips or anything. The moment they believed in the heart.
The Spirit of God sealed that.
It was interesting thus far in Jon Three. Is is.
Like you hear the comments of others on this, but in verse 12, the Lord says to Nicodemus, if I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things? He hadn't gotten to the heavenly states yet. He's going to get to them later on in this journey. The heavenly things about the love of God for the world, that's not an earthy thing that's in heaven, but it seems like the Lord puts his his.
This processor phenomenon of Duberts and the soul as a birth was saying, and he held Nicodemus responsible as a teacher in Israel. You have known.
The nation itself would have to nationally experience new birth.
That which is true of every individual that is ever going to be brought to God, they had to experience nationally and they had Old Testament scriptures that would, uh, point that out. You get the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel where all the bones come to life and it's finally a great army. There's quickening it's life from the dead. He says, I will sprinkle clean water upon you and put my spirit within you, take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Those are all scriptures. Nicodemus knew, Speaking of Israel nationally, he should have known the thing.
00:45:21
So as this event was going to have to take place for Israel to be brought into blessing because this would make Adenosine looking for.
When he came to the Lord, the redemption of Israel, yes, but he found out that this was a necessity not just for the nation, but for every person. But he ought to have known the thing, He ought to have known the principle from the Scriptures, and that's what the Lord is saying. So it's earthly in the sense that Israel is God's earthly people, and they're going to have to nationally experience new birth also in this way every.
Person.
If we include Adams, I'm down of faith. Was born of God all through the Old Testament, but they weren't safe. They were born of God, but they were not saved. They were like Noah in the ark. While Noah was in the ark and on the waters of the flood, was he saved? No, but he was saved. As soon as the ark landed on Ararat and the Lord opened that door and they stepped out, they could say we're saved.
We're saved.
They were safe while they were in New York, but they were saved when they stepped out onto the dry land. And that's an illustration. All of those Old Testament papers saved were safe and the scriptures were read by Brother Bruce God for bore with those sins. The Lord came in time and manifested that they were all going to be taken care of. They were all along their spirit controls in heaven, but they were born again. They were saved.
Beyond being born again, they really didn't know anything. If they were an Israelite, they knew they were part of God's birthday chosen nation. Those who were not part of that nation or predated that would say they were servants of God or they were of God's people. They called themselves by the name of the Lord after the name of the Lord we read in Genesis. Beyond that, they didn't know anything else. And so it wasn't really until the Lord came.
That there is an opening up now of further, umm, blessing and enjoyment of relationship that he is going to introduce. And, uh, they didn't know themselves as God's children. So we get that in John chapter one, because then he gave the right to become part of themselves as the children of God either to them which believe on his name. And a little further down here we get the heavenly things.
Or the further blessings?
That are going to come as a result of the cross and what is mentioned first, the cross and Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Even so this kind of man must be lifted up. What we get is incarnation. This kind of man coming down we get the cross, his death and verse 14 and then believing in that there is the possession of eternal life. Eternal life was something that the Old Testament Saints do not know.
Or have it only came after the cross?
You can see how in the power building loop three times.
The proclamation is made. Rejoice with me.
Uh, sheet which was lost the last 20.
And there is that final ability to find that which was lost to reestablish the lost fund. Rejoice with regards joy, because when you think of how long you know, we, we are so very patient. We know something, whether it's bad news or good news. We just we just find it hard to hold it inside.
And we keep that and just to think of of not just the mystery of God, but this time when God would show finally that he was righteous all along in the forbearance with the sins of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah. Out of that you said, it's as if you know that into heaven and say, Lord, what about my sins? Are you sure I should be in heaven? Just stand over here for a minute. Just stand over here. And then finally the cross.
00:50:00
You know he he declares his own righteousness, that he was righteous all along.
Because of the work of Calvary's cross by his beloved son, it's a little wonder that the preaching should go out. Uh, uh, you know, to, to far and wide of the patient. How God delighted finally to be able to exercise, uh, his love to math the way he wanted to all along. And so in the truth of, I guess really we get propitiation here, which I don't have time to go into here.
But in verse 14, the Son of Man must be lifted up.
Must be there.
God acting in sovereignty still acts in accordance with his own nature, and God is holy.
And yes, ye, we must be born again. That's an imperative. The Son of Man must be lifted up.
I think, I don't know if it's really interesting coughing or one of the early writers who who who put it this way that through the work of Christ, God forged a righteous child through which his love can finally flow out to man.
And so God side of the cross.
Is proficient in first John two. He is the propitiation for our sins, not for our souls, but whole works.
And Scripture carefully distinguishes between propitiation, which is God's side.
In the transfer of guilt, which is what the believer has his guilt transferred to the stimulus sacrifice, of course.
Distinguish all those two things. But propitiation has has God's is is is God's way of satisfying his holy nature in order to free up the action of his life. Propitiation didn't change God's heart.
And and and if you look up officiation in in an English Dictionary, it's like, well, it'll say something like, well, it's a gift that kind of redisposes or recalibrates the heart. I'm using my word of someone towards someone else based on the gift for appreciation in Scripture is not right now. God loved men all along. He loved you and he loved me and propitiation allowed him to come out and express and act on his love to us and do it righteously. It doesn't change it.
Satisfies it.
So their life was the Old Testament plain had life.
No doubt he was a quicker than soul.
They didn't have intelligence.
Of salvation as we now enjoy. But it was. It wasn't not the same life.
I don't think we can say there's two different types of divine life. Is that right? But it was. Now we have eternal life, which is.
A life that has intelligence.
Of the of the work of Christ.
Uh, it's a very life of Christ.
And I've heard the illustration Prince Charles.
When he was born, when he was five years of age 4, he had the same life as he has now.
But at the age of four, he had no comprehension of what his position would be.
In the royal lineage, in the royal family, you know no one I know appreciation of that, even apprehension. But when it became a young man who will say 20 years of age, he knew what his destiny was. He was in line for the throne of the British throne.
Life from God is is life from God.
But it's enjoyed in a whole new character and way after the cross. And that's what's called life eternal or eternal life. And that. Chief Patterson had one of the most helpful illustrations. He said take gold in the ingot form. It's pure gold and.
Yet it can only be enjoyed in a limited sense. If you take it and go back to the days when they make gold coins and you take that and you mint that into a coin. Well, what can you do now with a gold coin? You can go spend it. You can buy things, you can exchange. You know you can. It's the same goal.
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That was on the ingot, but now it can be enjoyed and used in a whole new way that it couldn't be before. And the other illustration is I don't know how many of you. I hope this doesn't sound silly. How many of you have ever read that little story of a country mouse and the city mouse?
You know, there's a city mouse and twice his cousin from the country come on in and, and, uh, see some city life, you know, and he comes in and sees the city life of good food and the nice, you know, place where, where the mouse has this hole so much better than the country. And then I think he's caught in the trap in the city country must go back to his Country Life. But if the character of life, it's not that the two mice had a different.
Life. But one was in enjoying a whole different character of life that we would call city life and the other one Country Life. It's a character of life.
It's a it's a it's a life that the Old Testament thinks didn't have and no one enjoying that character. In essence, it's life from God still, but it's known and enjoyed in the character that could what is that character that is known and enjoyed it? What is that character? I think we touched on this is life eternal. We had in our reading that they might know the the only true God and Jesus Christ who now has sent it's to know the father and the Son and to know the father as the son has revealed him and he's revealed him perfectly.
It's the fullest revelation of God that man will ever have.
For now and for all eternity and the Son God has purposed to bring us into fellowship with Himself and to know Him as God and Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And not just collectively, but you and you and you and me individually into fellowship with Himself. And that's what He wants us to walk in and enjoy day by day.
Himself and what caused to him to do that?
London and John develops this to a large extent in the first of fiscal and speaks about his life not as a as a piece of something, a piece of life that he gives to you and he gives to you and he gives to you. We have this no, we possess it together. We are brought into this life that we share with him. And so John says.
This light is in his thumb and this is the true God in eternal life. And so this would have been hard to management of faith in Old Testament times. You know, they would not have heard. It was not revealed to them that there would be such a thing as life in the saga. That's what you were not anticipating. And I enjoyed Wally's comment in the reading and I couldn't hear it that well, but he basically said, you know, eternal life. Sometimes it's translated in our English Bible, everlasting life as if it's.
The life is distinguished by its duration.
Well, it is everlasting, but eternal life is the quality of the life as well. So it does a very good comment. And so the quality of the life, it's the life of Christ. It's the life of God's Son that we share and participate in now and wherever we go. It's called eternal life because that life that the apostles saw no one enjoying and enjoyed in the Godhead between the Father and the Son.
Never had a beginning and it's never going to happen ending and we now have that life to.
That's why it's eternal. Not because from the start we got saved. It's not going to end. It's because it's the life we got. Never had a beginning either.
It's eternal. One other thing. I just, I know our time has gone.
As Moses looked it up, the serpent in the wilderness, Even so much the Son of Man.
He lifted up.
One of the beautiful things, I think, uh, that, umm.
This little account was Nicodemus.
Is to think back of the occasion of that serpent being lifted up. What happened? God sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit them, really chose the result of sin. And so Moses was told to make a serpent and put it up upon a pole, and all who looked at that would be delivered if they'd been bitten by that any serpent. And so the Lord Jesus was made sin for us.
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It's so strange that it was not a lamb up on that hole.
It was a certain he was made fit for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And then he bitten Israelites to look up and see that serpent, and they'd be healed. And who do we have in this chapter? We have a bitten Israelite.
Nicodemus. And where do we find him? At the end of the gospel? He's looking up at that lifted up Son of Man.
That's where the gospel closes. As far as Nicodemus goes, we don't hear them again.
That's the last place we see him, and so he found the remedy.
In time, I'm sure he was born again.
And this encounter with the Lord, the evidence comes out later in that in the in the council, he stands up for the Lord. He says, does our law judge a man you know before uncondemned? That's that's the evidence of your life. But finally he looks up and sees the only remedy. They're lifted up above this earth. And I'm sure we're going to enjoy hearing Nicodemus full story when we're all together with the Lord.
Responsible with these words came back to me.
The horror vaccine.
Without his love too, wasn't he also with those of them and and the alumni?
Since the precious spices and to get it properly good.
What the heating hardly does just that. So it's wonderful subject, but.
And we think 27 in the opponent.
Mm-hmm. And umm.
Oh my God.
Every piece of God.
Oh.
My God.
I'm standing around the world side of the road.
35 from God.
Yeah, but my friend brought my children.
I'm afraid ranging out from.
Oh, I so every day you might still come.
I can't come in there right here.
And what person?
Of its time.
I am happy.
Oh well, where will?
Be.
01:05:01
The Sun.
Sunshine.
Love will be.
Why should I?
Wear hair falling.
Hidden sunglasses on.
He wanted.
To go in my hand.
And.
Close the long Robert's mind.
And so if I come for you at the end of another enjoyable day, thank you so much for the opportunity to come together to play and.
Spend some time away from, uh, the dizziness of life and, uh, focus and learn together and have fellowship together with those life pressure space. Uh, thank you so much for providing, umm, this opportunity again this year. And uh, for those that can make it straight for the safe journey for everyone. And umm, thank you again and hope you and me into another week having your birthday.