Shadow Hills Conference: 1982
Table of Contents
Gathered Unto Him
Address—C.D. Andersen
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I trust your praying that we might have what the Lord wants us to have this afternoon.
Shall we sing #68?
Thy name we bless, Lord Jesus.
That name all names excelling how great thy love all praise above should every tongue be telling Father's loving kindness and giving thee was shown us now by thy blood redeemed to God as children He doth owner.
From that eternal glory thou hatch with God the Father He gave his Son, that he and one his children all might gather.
Our sins were laid on thee, God's wrath. Thou hast endured. It was for us. Thou suffered thus, and hast our peace assured. If someone started, please.
Shall I return to John's Gospel Chapter One?
God's Gospel Chapter one.
I.
In this gospel, we get introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We mustn't forget that that he is the Son of God. He is God.
And we have to do.
With deity we have to do with him.
Who is the Son of God from heaven, the eternal Son of God.
And Justice One version here, perhaps 2IN John Chapter one.
Verse 37.
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and said unto them, What seek ye?
They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, Master being interpreted, mastered where dwellest thou?
That's an important question.
I wonder if everyone here in this room this afternoon has settled that question or has gotten it answered. Where the Lord is, Where does he dwell?
That's very important for us to know in this period of time in which we're living.
Where dwelleth thou? And if you want to know the question, the answer to that question, just ask him.
I had learned to do that.
When I was still in Africa, knowing nothing about gathered Saints.
When I was just a young man in my 20s.
The Lord exercised me about this, not knowing anything about gathered Saints, but in translating the scriptures and John's gospel was one of the first things I translated into the language of the Bayaka tribe in Africa.
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And I came across this question.
Where dwellest thou? Oh, I came across many things in the Gospel of John that exercised my soul. I came across that verse in Chapter 7, verse 17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the Doctor.
So if you want an answer to your question, there's the challenge. Do you want to do God's will?
If you really want to do God's will and walk in it, He will show you the truth.
And the Lord will show you where he dwells.
Where dwellest thou?
He sat unto them. Come and see.
Come and see, we may have had those that asked us questions.
About our gathering and how we carry on in our gatherings.
I think the best answer to give them is this one right here. Come and see. Come and see.
Because how can you experience anything of the Lord's presence unless you are in His presence?
So he says, come and see.
Decades and saw where he dwelt. Then what did they do?
And abode with him that day, I believe this is a dispensational day.
Here it's a day in which we are.
And you can come and see the place where the Lord is dwelling.
And you will have the privilege, if you want to, of abiding with Him during this whole day until the Lord comes to take us home.
And that knife?
I am so thankful that God, by his Spirit and by his word, showed me where the Lord is. And I believe today I'm in that place where the Lord has placed His name, where he is dwelling in the midst of his people. Now we must distinguish between the individual presence of the Lord and the collective presence. And what we're talking about this afternoon is the collective presence of the Lord.
In the midst of his people. But it is true that the Lord is with every individual that knows Him as savior.
Because the Lord has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Now there are those that get the individual presence of the Lord mixed up with the collective presence. And when we speak of a certain place where the Lord is present, collectively they do not understand and they will say, well, the Lord is present in any group anywhere. But is this really true? He is with individuals there who know him, but he's not present in every place.
Collectively, there is a place where the Lord is present collectively, and this is what we should be exercised about and what we try to talk about this afternoon.
Now let's go to another question.
Over in John.
Chapter 6.
John John Chapter 6.
And the Lord was giving the people something to think about in connection with the Bread of Life.
And there were those who didn't understand what he was talking about.
And we read that.
Verse 66.
From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the 12 Will ye also go away?
Oh, I love Simon Peter's answer.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
To whom shall we go?
There is no one else to go to.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior this afternoon.
I trust.
That you say this To whom shall we go? There is no other one to go to but the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Or you say, I know him as my savior. I came to him, received him as my savior. I obeyed the little song that said come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus. Just now I did that.
But have you come to him as the center of gathering? That's another thing.
That's another thing for exercise, and I believe everyone needs to go through some kind of exercise in connection with this, even as everyone who is saved must go through some kind of exercise in connection with being saved.
To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
There's no one else to go to, Peter says. And we believe in our sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Well, that's lovely.
To be assured that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one to whom we can go, and he wants us to come to him, then let us look at a verse in John 12.
John, Chapter 12.
In the first chapter there were those that asked the Lord where dwellest thou, The Lord told him, come and see.
And Peter says there's no one else to go to but the Lord.
So here in chapter 12 of John.
Verse 26 If any man served me, let him follow me, And where I am, there shall also my servant be.
If any man serve me.
You profess to serve the Lord Well, I believe everyone who saved professors to serve the Lord.
I don't know how well we're serving him. We feel very often that we're very weak and our service is very poor. But still, if any man serve me, the Lord says let him follow me.
Let him follow me.
Now that's important to follow the Lord.
Follow him.
Why did you accept him as your savior?
After you had accepted him as your savior, did you expect to just go off on your own?
And do your own thing and please yourself.
Well, I'm sure in the beginning you didn't. But sometimes things of the world come in and different attractions. The first thing you know, we find ourselves not following the Lord.
Sort of losing heart for him and like we had in.
The Bible class this morning, like Peter following a far off Well, it's sad, isn't it, to think that we have been washed in the precious blood of Christ. We've been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who lay down his life on the cross and who suffered that awful agony.
That our sins might be taken care of. He took all the judgment.
And then we accept him as our savior and then stop there.
And do not follow him. This is really sad. How can we?
How can we cease to follow him when we think of what He has done for us? He came all the way from Heaven's glory. He came all that way. I don't know how far it is.
It's way beyond where the astronauts went. It's way beyond the stars.
He came all the way down.
To suffer for us. To die for us.
Is he not worthy?
Should we not follow him?
Oh, that the Lord might restore our hearts.
That we might devote ourselves to him, consecrate ourselves to him, give her all to him.
Just let him be our All in all. He wants to be our All in all.
Then it goes on to say and where I am now. Why does that follow?
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I believe it's there because if you really follow the Lord.
And you want to do His will. It will take you right where the Lord is, where He is dwelling today, here in the midst of His people.
Oh, sometimes the Lord has to deal severely with us.
The Lord had to speak to me. The Lord had to stir me up. He was showing me things from the Bible concerning these things, the truth of the church. And the only thing I knew really was what I was learning from the Scriptures, because I hadn't been taught much of anything about that in Bible school. I've been taught a lot of other things, but that was not taught.
And the truth of a gathering was not taught, and the truth of the way to behave ourselves and act in assembly meeting wasn't taught us.
In fact, in one clash, when they were studying in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, they came to chapter 14, and the only comment the teacher could make about it was, as far as I know, there's only one group of people that seek to practice this chapter, and they're known as brethren, and he went on to chapter 15.
Was that enough to say about that chapter? No, but he couldn't say anymore.
If he didn't know anything, he didn't dare say it because he'd probably be out of a job.
Let him follow me in where I am there shall also my servant be.
So evidently part of serving the Lord and.
Is following him and finding the place where he is.
And dwelling there.
There shall also my servant.
Have you found that place where the Lord is in the midst? Have you taken your place at the Lord's table there?
What a privilege if you're the Lord to do that very thing and enjoy that place where he is in the midst.
Well, with that in mind, let us go to Matthew 18 and 20.
You notice.
This verse, after the introductory word of four, starts with the word where.
And there were those that asked the Lord where? What did they mean by where?
Well, they just meant where's the place you live? Where is the place? What is the place in which you dwell where? Where speaks of a place.
So here it says for where.
Two or three are gathered together in.
We must use the word unto there unto my name. There am I in the midst of them.
You know, as you get 2 words and there's something in between the two words, there's the where.
And then there.
Where then you get two or three are gathered together in my name there.
Am I in the midst of them?
So it's very important to look at those words between where and there.
Because that gives the characteristics of the place where the Lord is present.
And if you don't find those characteristics.
You cannot say there.
No, and the Lord isn't there.
I was tested on this point.
Because the first company of brethren I came in contact with were independent brethren. They were brethren that had gotten away from the Lord's table, the Lord's presence by failure to vow to discipline, and they formed a party or division.
And they were away from the Lord's presence. They were away from the Lord's table.
And after some time I began to circulate among them.
When I was exercised about going back into the Lord's work again.
This was after we'd come back from Africa, the final return, because in Africa we were not allowed to do the work that we felt that the Lord wanted us to do.
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And so they forced us, The mission society forced us to resign.
And we had to come back to this country. But on the way back through South Africa, we got in touch with the company in Bulawayo in Ravisha. We thought they were the gathered Saints.
And we thought, this is, this is wonderful.
Well, we did go on with them a while, but as I say, after we came back to this country.
I worked a while as a Carpenter, farmed a while, and then I felt that I should go back in the Lord's work.
So I traveled around amongst them and it wasn't long until I had a lot of questions about what was going on.
And there were things going on that were not according to the truth. I was ministering in the Assembly in western Kansas.
Preaching the gospel, ministering some truths that the Lord had given me and those brethren in that assembly said, We feel that what you're giving us is the truth from the word of God, but we're not practicing that.
We're not going on according to that. Well, I said. What are you talking about? What do you mean? If you're really gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you should be.
They said we are not.
He said there is a man that used to come here from Arkansas.
To break bread with us and you had some gift and could minister.
And we heard that he was put away for sin, a moral sin, and he kept on coming. And you still come and break bread with us and ministers. I said, brethren, it's in the name of the Lord. He's been put away there. How can you receive him up here?
We're all members of one body, and we're responsible to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
And to bow to the truth, to bow to an assembly judgment? Well, they said we can see that's right, but we don't know what to do. We're healthy.
Well, I searched into it further more deeply and I found out.
That these things that are between the where and the there did not characterize them. So the only conclusion I could come to was the Lord isn't there and I didn't break bread with them anymore.
I believe the Lord guided me by this scripture.
I thank him for these words in this verse.
We get so used to quoting it, so used to reading it, that perhaps it doesn't mean very much to us. But there is a lot of truth in this verse.
There's more in it that I can bring out.
But there is a place.
Over in Deuteronomy chapter 12, you read about it that when they were the children of Israel were to come into the land of Canaan, Moses is giving them instructions as to what to expect.
Moses says when you go into the land of Canaan, there shall be a place where the Lord shall place his name, and that is where you're to go. You're not to do the way the pagans do here, worshiping God under every green tree.
And in every place of their imagination.
You're not to do that way to God, but unto thee place one place.
That's where you were to go, not to all of these places.
So there is a place according to God. There was a place in the days of old, and he was jealous for that place.
And when the children of Israel didn't go on, well, finally they were all taken captive and Jerusalem was destroyed. But Daniel over in Babylon, he still regarded that place at Jerusalem as the place, even though it was in ruins.
And Christendom.
Being in ruins today in the outward way.
We may say, well, what's the use?
But the Lord still has a place right in the midst of the ruin.
And Daniel turned to that place. He opened his window toward that place. He still recognized that place.
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And I trust that we might be like Daniel.
Then it says two or three.
Two or three. What's that? Well, that's given to us over and over again in Scripture. We have it in the Old Testament. We have it right here in this passage of Scripture in verse 16.
In connection with this personal trespass, and it's to be settled in the mouth of one or two witnesses.
Two or three witnesses.
It says take with thee one or two more and verse 16, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Two or three is the number of testimony.
Are we seeking by the grace of God to be a testimony today, or are we careless?
And indifferent about it.
We have to warn ourselves about this, because it's so easy to become careless and indifferent, and we have to testify that really we are in a Laodicean state.
And we need to bow our heads and humble ourselves before God.
And seek unto the Lord and cry to him that we might go on as a testimony for him. Now we're not to be occupied with being a testimony, but the important thing is for each of us individually to walk with the Lord, and the Lord will take care of the testimony. That's why it's so important that we all individually feel this, feel the responsibility, and seek grace to go on with the Lord the little while we remain here. Because if each one of us individually goes on with the Lord.
There will be a collective going on with the Lord. We can be a testimony.
For him.
Walk with the Lord. Oh, I remember, I think it was Brother Chapter Brown that told us at one conference there was a brother that was always talking about the testimony, trying to be a testimony, and an old brother gone to be with the Lord years ago. He said, Brother, you be occupied with the Lord, you walk with the Lord and the Lord will take care of his testimony. That's important for us, but it says two or three.
You want to be part of that testimony? Go on with the Lord. There are some being carried away.
They leave the large table. They leave the presence of the Lord now and then. Here's another one goes and another one goes. Fly.
They've lost heart for the Lord.
Something has happened. They've got into sin or something has happened. They're carried away and they're not where the Lord is anymore. Oh, this is so sad.
Two or three?
Are we really looking to the Lord for grace to go on with him that we might, if it please him, be a little testimony for him down here? It's a matter of exercise on the part of each one of us. We don't have anything to boast of, but what is our exercise in this? What do we want? Do we want to follow the Lord? Do we really want to serve Him?
Are gathered.
Are gathered. That tells us that there is someone else that does the gathering.
We do not gather ourselves.
Sometimes we make without really understanding or without knowing. Say we gather, we gather.
But the Scripture Word is our gather.
We are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if we can say that we're not boasting in what we have done, but we're boasting in what the Lord has done by His spirit to gather us to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's just like a person who saved. He says I am saved, we are saved, we are saved and have eternal life and we're on our on the way to heaven. Well, sometimes people, when we talk like that with assurance to say, who do you think you are, you're boasting, you think you're better than we are.
Well, there might be those that say it to us. The same thing when we say we are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are where the Lord is in the midst.
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But it's not that we're boasting in ourselves. We're just thankful to God.
That by His grace he has not only saved us, but He has gathered us too.
Are gathered. It's a very simple thing. It really speaks of separation.
I think most here know something about picking fruit.
The people go out into the orchard with their baskets.
And they picked the fruit off the tree and they put it into a basket.
After those oranges have been picked, if those oranges could speak, they could say we are gathered.
Yes, they're all together in the basket, are gathered together in the basket. There they are, all together in one basket.
They were on the tree, now they're in the basket.
Some of us have been in various places.
And some have been raised up amongst the gathered Saints right in the assembly.
But I believe everyone.
By God himself, by the power of his spirit must be picked, as it were, and put in that basket in that place where the Lord is. It's a work of God. It's not a work of anybody. The Lord may use different ones to speak to this one and that one. Or the Lord may use the word that's preached or ministered or that's taken up in the Bible reading.
But God is the one that's doing the work of gathering.
And when you have taken your place at the Lord's table, where the Lord is in the midst, you can say, I am gathered, I am gathered unto the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It's God's work. It's God's work of separating us to himself, to the Lord, because separation has two aspects from to, from wherever we are going on, apart from the Lord.
He gathered to the Lord Jesus Christ around himself, and that is important because it's not enough to be negative. We have to be positive finding the Lord as our center of gathering.
Now sometimes when we read this verse, we leave out together. But the word together is a very, very important word. It speaks of oneness.
If you look over in the book of Acts chapter 2.
We read about.
We read about the believers on the day of Pentecost.
It says in verse 44 of Acts 2.
And all that believed were together.
The same word together.
This is God's mind for his people that they all be together.
But the enemy has come in and he's done an awful scattering of the people of God.
But God wants them all together.
Around the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He wants them all together.
As one.
Well, it's been spoiled.
You say, well, does that mean that we're all to get together with all save ones everywhere? You couldn't do that today.
This morning we were sitting at the Lord's table, with the Lord in the midst.
And while we were sitting there, we did something.
And the first thing we did was to break the loaf. Break bread.
Why is it?
In fact, we don't drink the cup first.
Because the blood, the cup speaks of the precious blood of Christ that was shed whereby we're cleansed and which is the foundation for salvation.
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But no, it's a loaf you meet first when you eat the supper.
In chapter 10 the cup is mentioned first.
Because there the subject is the Lord's table.
And the title to be at the table must be settled. So the cup comes first because the sit at the table.
Must be assured that you are washed in the precious blood of Christ.
And those that have been there before you and feel a responsibility as to who should sit at that table, they must necessarily be assured that the one who comes, who wants to break bread has been washed in the precious blood of Christ, that he has a title to be there, and that he's walking as one that's clean and he's in the good of the cleansing of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's important.
So in chapter 10 its title to be at the table.
But in Chapter 11, it's eating the supper.
And the ground upon which you eat it.
That's why the loafers first.
You have to settle that before you even start to eat the supper. You have to have it settled that you're eating it on the ground.
Of the one body of which the loaf is assembled, that is when it's on the table whole.
Have you settled that?
Have you seen that The Lord speaks of that, the wonders of the body? Together as we have here, that's important.
Well, I was Speaking of being with those independent brethren.
And I pursued this to the end, and I was at a conference where they were reading an Acts.
And there were five leaders there, and they had a strange way of carrying on a reading meeting. They sat on a platform around the table, and the rest of us in the audience could ask questions, but we were not allowed to take part in the discussion.
But I took advantage of it because I wanted to find out whether they were on that ground of independence on the at the very present moment.
Because I'd read about how they acted independently in their history back from the days of about 1849.
But they didn't want to answer my questions. They bypassed in three successive days. A question each day just avoided me. I wanted to find out what they would say about the truth of the one body they didn't want to get on the subject.
They were reading in the book of Acts, then on the 4th day in chapter 15 and there we read about the assembly at Antioch sending down to Jerusalem, about the question of circumcision keeping the law of Moses.
And I asked them this question. Is this a practical working out of the fact that these two assemblies were one body?
They were members of one body.
Lest they should avoid me, I said. I'll pose a case.
I'll say suppose in two assemblies in adjoining communities.
These two assemblies know one another.
They have a major fellowship together.
And in one assembly they put away a man.
That man doesn't want to be put away.
He goes over to the other assembly, presents himself there for breaking a bread. What are they to do with him?
They didn't want to answer that question. Finally, one one of them sat up on the edge of his chair and looked at me and said when that man goes over there.
That assembly can do with him what they please.
If they judge he's all right, they can let him break bread. If they judge he's not, they can refuse him. Every assembly is independent one of another.
I got my final answer.
I never broke bread with them again because as I said before.
I could see they were not on the ground up together.
And also they were not on the ground of bowing to the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ bowing to an assembly decision.
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Together, it's very important that we understand that that God wants us to be gathered on the ground of the one body.
On the ground of division. Not on the ground of scattered companies of the believers. Not on the ground of independent companies of believers. I've had enough of independency while I was insistent, because I belonged to a system that had for their doctrine that every church is independent of every other church. And when I found myself amongst those who profess to be brethren, having the same kind of doctrine, I said I haven't bettered my.
Condition or position at all?
If anything, it's worse because these people profess some truth as to the church.
Well, my sister says you're wrong in leaving us, I said If I'm wrong and leaving, I ought to go back where I came out of separated from the first place.
Well, I'm thankful I didn't have to do that. God in sovereign grace.
Through exercises and asking questions, I finally got in touch with her brother, chapter Brown in Des Moines, and we carried on a continual correspondence. And finally I was satisfied that there was a place where the Lord had placed his name and.
My wife and I took our place there.
Oh, it's so wonderful to be in the place where the Lord is, is present. There's something else here. It's not only a testimony or being gathered, or being on the ground of the one body together, but unto the name of the Lord Jesus unto my name. What's the name of the Lord Jesus stands for? Well, if you're reading that same book of the Acts, you'll find time and again.
That the apostles did this in the name of the Lord Jesus. They healed a man in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Peter and John were questioned about that, it came out in chapter 4. There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved one name for salvation. And now we read there's only one name for gathering.
Only one name for salvation. Only one name for gathering.
In my name.
Well, it's so sad to see that there are those that will not respect the decision of an assembly that has made a decision in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they do not believe they have to respect it. But I read up here in previous verse and verse 18.
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven.
When that when that man occurrence.
In.
When that man of corn was put away.
There was no thought that that man could go anywhere else and break bread.
No. What service bound on earth is bound in heaven?
And that means, of course, if heaven respects the decision, we down here must respect it too.
But there's a great tendency today.
To just cast that aside.
And if a certain brother says so? And so, he's regarded as having more authority.
And the assembly, well, that's going back to Clerical edition, the thing that I came out of.
Yes, there was a day that I had authority and I could make decisions in the Church, but that's all wrong because the Lord has not vested His authority in a person, in any person's, but it's been committed to the assembly, that authority. Now it's true that the assembly can make a mistake.
But that does not give anyone any right to refuse.
To bow to that decision.
You know, in ordinary courts of the land.
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A court makes a decision regarding a certain thing or person.
Well, there are those who want to appeal the case, but do they appeal it back to the same court or to a lower court?
No, they go to a higher court.
And if we feel we have an appeal and we don't really feel happy about a decision.
An assembly is made. What are we to do?
Make trouble, stir up division.
Or to look to the higher court, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the supreme authority.
Wait upon him and all. That's the illustration of her brother. Eric Smith has given about a certain brother in an assembly in South America and Bolivia, Really.
Fits here I believe.
He said in a certain assembly a man was put away.
Well, I don't know what you did, if you protested his innocence or not, but anyway, he just kept coming to the meetings. He sat back, kept coming to the meeting for a year and a half without causing any trouble, just sitting back quietly looking to the Lord to settle things.
18 months.
He sat back, finally, on a Reading meeting night.
A man got up in the Reading meeting.
And he confessed that he was the man that had done the thing that that man was put away for.
He says I am the guilty one.
That man didn't do it.
Who manifested that?
That man sitting back, I'm sure, was looking to the Lord, the High Court, the Supreme Authority.
And the assembly had to acknowledge that they had made a mistake.
But all as we would remember what that man did.
They just look to the Lord.
If there is a mistake made, the Lord will set it right. Isn't it wonderful to have such a savior?
And to have him for our center of gathering, and to have him as our supreme authority.
Always looking to him, always doing things in his name, and the assembly ought not to make any decision, but in the authority and in the power of that name. What a privilege. And I might just mention here that we need to be careful that Brothers meetings do not make these kind of decisions.
There are things that the brothers meeting does.
Take care of the business matters of the assembly and so on, but when it comes to these decisions of receiving and putting away, it must be the assembly that does it.
And when the assembly has done, we vow to.
And if we have some question about just wait on the Lord, he'll answer our questions.
So we have come now to the there.
If there's an exercise, testimony in a place.
And they are gathered by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they're on the ground of the one body, not on the ground of independent churches or assemblies.
And if they acknowledge and respect and reverence the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the authority in that name, they bow to the authority of that name. It's not necessarily bowing to the assembly, but it's bowing to the authority, the Lord Jesus Christ that he's vested in the assembly. That's why the assembly has to be so careful how they use it. But then he says, there, there am I.
There am I. Perhaps there are some that have been asking the question How do I know where the Lord is?
I believe the answer is right there in that verse. There am I, he says.
Who? The Lord Jesus Christ, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is there.
He was here this morning.
Did we see him? Did we understand he was there? Did it mean anything to us that he was there?
All we need to be exercised in this exercising ourselves with our eyes of faith, to see the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
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And if we're looking for the Lord, and looking to the Lord and occupied with him, will not be occupied with what a sister is wearing on her head, or what kind of a dress she's coming with, or how her brother looks and so on. We were just thinking about him.
There am I, he says.
And I'm so thankful that the Lord has helped me to find that place where He is.
And he is not only present there.
But he's the center there in the midst.
In the midst, the central one, the one of whom around whom everything revolves. And I'm sure that if an assembly is in that state of soul, and they see everything evolving around the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord will keep them.
Oh, that our individual lives and our assembly lives might be such.
That they are all revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the pivot, the center.
We might imagine that we have a lot a large wheel laid down in this room, and instead of sitting on chairs, we're sitting on the spokes of that wheel, or maybe out on the rim of it, or right close up to the center of it, the axle of the wheel.
There is one thing sure.
That if everybody starts moving toward the center of that wheel, something else is happening. They're all getting closer together.
And that's what we need to do.
We need to be close to the Lord Jesus.
And that will answer so many problems and questions.
Closer together, Closer to the Lord Jesus. Yes, just getting close to the Lord brings us all closer together.
You might say that's just an automatic thing. Get close to the Lord and you're close to another brother or sister that's close to the Lord.
All how we need to feel that today that we're one and be close together, loving one another, going on with one another. Oh, how wonderful it is to see brethren dwelling together in unity. This is what we need today.
And so may the Lord give us grace to be occupied with Him. The one who is the center, the gathering center, the meeting center, whatever you want to call him. The center that our thoughts are engaged with, that we're thinking of. We had the privilege of remembering him this morning. What a joy it must have been to him. And the angels were looking down, and they were observing it. And they see the sisters with the covering on, and they see that mark of subjection.
And all they say, this is the way it ought to be. Every knee ought to be bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ and owning his authority.
Well, may the Lord help us just to be drawn closer to him, that we might be drawn closer to one another. But there's another part to this verse, the end of it of them I read in Second Timothy chapter 2.
That, and we might just well turn to that verse, because we want to look at two parts there.
In second Timothy chapter 2.
There's a word there about a time when ruin.
Characterizes the whole of Christendom.
And it says here in Second Timothy 2.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God stands ashore. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, And let everyone that name is the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Now if you've been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you're at his table. You're at the place where the Lord is in the midst. That word is not for you, but it's for everybody that's not there. Let him. That name is the name of Christ Depart from iniquity.
It's an individual thing. I tried to set the system right that I was with, but I soon found out I couldn't do that. I found out from this verse that I should set myself right.
Let everyone that name is the name of Christ depart from iniquity, and then further down it says.
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Follow verse 22. Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them. Call on the Lord out of a pure heart. There is a company that the scripture designates as them.
Wouldn't you like to be part of that company then calling on the Lord out of pure heart, going on with the Lord going on, characterized by these things we have here and Matthew 1820.
Oh, every one of us should covet this, and to covet it more and more to be characterized by these things that we've gone over the midst of, them to be the company that the Lord is in the midst of.
And that doesn't mean then that we're the company, or that we're the whole church. We mustn't forget that, because there are many dear souls out there, and they're members of the body of Christ too, and we yearn for them. The gospel preacher yearns for the Sinner, the Saint of God yearns for those who are not gathered. Our hearts should be in this, and seek, by the grace of God, to be used to help the Sinner, or help the one who is a believer but not gathered in the place where the Lord.
Is in the midst not gathered together unto his name.
There are many that don't want over in Ghana.
There there are many that are being contacted, but it just costs them too much. It costs too much to take their place outside the camp, with the Lord bearing His reproach. So there are very few in the Assembly there, perhaps half a dozen, only three overnight years. And so it is in many other places. But may the Lord just use these few remarks this afternoon.
To the help and blessing of everyone of us, show a bottom prayer.
Affairs of the Assembly
Address—C. Hendricks
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Turn with me, please, to Matthew.
16 Matthew 1613.
When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say?
That I, the Son of Man, AM. And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias and others Jeremiah's.
Or one of the prophets, he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Then charged to his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Why does he charge them that that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ?
And why does he, when he asked the question in verse 13, ask Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Why doesn't he say that I, the Christ AM?
This Gospel of Matthew presents him as the son of Abraham and the son of David and.
It's especially that gospel which is for the Jews, and it's striking that it's only in this gospel.
That we have the church mentioned. We've read of the first mention of it in the 16th chapter and the second mention of it is in the 18th chapter, which will come to.
Well, I think the answer to that question lies in the fact that the testimony at this point in the Gospel of Matthew had been fully rendered, that he was the Christ.
That he was the Messiah of Israel.
And they had in their hearts, not actually physically yet, but in their hearts, they had rejected him as the Christ, the Mass of the nation. And so he takes the broader title, the Son of Man, which implies that he had been rejected as the Christ. And he asks, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, AM?
As the Son of Man, He is in relationship to all people, Jews and Gentiles. As the Christ, he is the King of Israel.
But they had in their hearts rejected Him, and it's not too much later in the gospel that they nail him to the cross and cry out away with him.
So he is in the very northernmost part of the land, as far removed from Jerusalem as the divine center as he could get.
Caesarea Philippi.
And he asks his disciples, verse 13 saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am He been rejected as a Messiah to Israel? He came unto his own, His own received Him not.
And so he takes this title of rejection as Israel's king.
A title which according to Daniel.
Seven, the Son of Man will be given the universal reign over the millennial earth. Son of Man.
And if this Kingdom, there shall be no end.
So he asked them, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, AM?
Said some say that thou art John the Baptist, and some Elias and others Jeremiah, so one of the prophets.
These were the great ones, John the Baptist. The Lord's own testimony to him was that he was the greatest prophet born of women, and Elijah and Jeremiah, wonderful prophets of the Old Testament, men of God used of him, but that fell short of the truth of his person. So then he says to them, Whom say ye that I am? He asked his disciples.
And Peter ever forward.
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Gives a beautiful answer.
Peter answered and said Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. In Mark's gospel the question is asked and he just says Thou art the Christ of God, which was the the Jewish confession.
But here he adds what would become the foundation of Christianity, the Son of the living God, and he is that in resurrection declared to be Romans 1/4, declared to be the Son of God, with power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead.
He raised himself, and He is the resurrection and the life, and in this position as Son of the living God, for he lives now in resurrection life, He becomes the head of a new order of things altogether.
And Peters confession involved this.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah. That was his natural name. He calls him by that Simon, the son of Jonah.
Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. A revelation to Peter from the Father as to who Jesus really is, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And then he changes Simon's name and gives him a new name. I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter.
A stone.
And upon this rock I will build my church. Peter in Greek is petros and rock is Petra, and a Petrus is just a part of a Petra. The word for Peter doesn't mean rock, it means stone. And Christ is the rock. Peter had just confessed the truth of Christ's person, the Christ, the Son of the living God, and he says.
I'm going to make you of the same substance as the rock itself.
Gives him that name.
As much as saying to Peter, in order to build you into this new thing, my church, my assembly.
In order to build you into my assembly, you have to be born of God. You need a new, a new nature, a new name which which speaks of me, of me. So we're called Christians, we belong to Christ. And Peter was a stone. He belonged to the rock. He belonged to the rock.
And he learned that truth in his first epistle he says, To whom coming is unto a living stone, ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood there he calls Christ the living stone, and we the believers in him living stones.
But here he uses the full expression of himself, of the Upon this rock, Christ himself I will build my church.
And the gates of hell are hades shall not prevail against it all the power of Satan could not stop what the Lord was building. Notice he speaks of it as future I will build my church. And it's something altogether different than existed up to this time. And it's based upon the truth of His person, which Peter had just confessed by a revelation from the Father.
And he says to Peter, I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is the form that the Kingdom would take during the absence and rejection of the king. When he's in heaven. The king is now in heaven. He's been there for 2000 years. And the the the Kingdom of heaven is the form that the Kingdom takes, not a king reigning in righteousness over this world that's still future, but.
Sowing seed in this world and then the result of that sowing producing.
Wonderful results, some of them very good, some of them not so good.
So he uses an expression the Kingdom of heaven. It's only found in Matthew's gospel. It's really a dispensational term and it refers to the form that the Kingdom takes during the absence and rejection of the king. And he gives to Peter the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Note not to not the church, he doesn't have the keys to the church to admit into the assembly, but.
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He was the one that was given to preach the gospel.
To the Jews on the day of Pentecost and to open the door for them to come in conditioned on repentance. And then later to the Gentiles in Acts 10, the Samaritans in Acts 8, and the Gentiles in Acts 10. The House of Cornelius opening the door for the Gentiles to come into this new sphere, something altogether different than Judaism. Gentiles were excluded.
Judaism excluded them unless they became proselytes.
But here we have a new thing, the door being opened by Peter as an apostle.
Then charge to his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ, because that testimony had been fully rendered and they had rejected it.
Now that the church has been mentioned, I'd like to go through these chapters, not in great detail because time won't permit it, but just touching upon some of the basic truths that are here that will characterize those that are built into Christs assembly.
From that time forth, verse 21, Jesus began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
This would form the foundation for the assembly, the death and resurrection of Christ. That was absolutely necessary. He was going to build his church. He speaks of it, his future, but he had to die first and be raised again in order for that to come to pass.
But Peter not understanding the mind of God, he took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from the Lord, this shall not be unto thee. And here the Lord administers to Peter the very one whom he had just said, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood is not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven, He now has to administer to Peter the severest rebuke that he ever gave to anyone.
Notice what he says to him. He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan.
Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savoured not the things that be of God.
And those that be of men. What this points out is how quickly we can have the mind of God, and how quickly we cannot have the mind of God.
Confessing to the truth of his person, He confessed it beautifully, but he didn't want the Lord to go to the cross. He says virtually pity yourself, Lord, spare yourself from this. This shall not be unto thee. And he did that out of love for the Lord. Sometimes we we call, what is we call something love, which is merely a human emotion. And it's not, it's not divine love at all. It's not entering into the mind of God.
Had the Lord hearkened to what Peter said and pitted himself and spared himself from the cross, there would be no church and we wouldn't be here tonight. We wouldn't be safe tonight. That's why the Lord uses such a severe term for Peter, Satan, because it was Satan that was prompting him to try to hinder the Lord from going to the cross.
Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence unto me, for thou savers not the things that be of God.
Those that be of men, Satan will always try to hinder the purposes of God.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me now here we have those that would be following him after his death and resurrection, after he's gone to the cross and been raised again, those that were his now identified with him by faith. What would be the character of their path? If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.
And take up his cross and follow me. Not only did he have the cross.
As the foundation for Christianity. But we have one too. And if we follow Him faithfully, he tells us to take up the cross, deny self, take up the cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give?
For His soul, for the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to His works. Notice the title Son of Man again coming to establish his rights down here in this world. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. So in this chapter we have him introducing the subject of the Church. I'm going to build it. It's based upon the truth of my.
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And those that I'm going to bring into the church will not be Simon's, but Peter's little little pieces of the of the rock stones, living stones that will be brought into the church, I'll build them in. And it's going to be based upon my death and resurrection. And those that follow me in this coming day will deny myself, take up their cross and follow me.
The end result, the ending view, is the coming Kingdom when the Lord will return.
And rain down here in his glory.
Now chapter 17, after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and He was transfigured before them. There they saw His official glory, the glory which He will have as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
Reigning in the Millennium. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him, Moses a picture of Saints who have gone through death and been raised. And Elias those that were never went through death, but will be there, the living Saints that will be changed. And here we have the.
Peter, James and John, the earthly Saints with the Lord.
And then those heavenly Saints.
Without a with the Lord a beautiful picture of the Kingdom. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here so far up to this point, Peter scoring 50% he he was pronounced blessed of the Lord and then he was rebuked as Satan because he tried to prevent the Lord from the cross. We don't like suffering those we love. We don't like to see them suffer. We don't like suffering for ourselves, but that's a pathway.
But now Peter makes another tremendous blunder. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here 3 tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. He falls into the very snare, the very error of the the men of the world. When they were asked whom the men say that I am, they compared the Lord to the great ones of this earth.
And so here Peter is saying, let me make a Tabernacle, one for the Lord, and one for Moses, and one for Lias.
And now he is rebuked by the Father.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Hold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only.
This is the next great principle that we learned for those who are in the assembly, in the assembly, never, never, never.
Exalt a man, even if he's a Moses or an Elijah, to a place equal with the Lord Jesus. The Father won't tolerate that. He's jealous for his Son and the glory of his Son. And the assembly is the place that ought to uphold the honor, the glory of the person of Christ above everything else. So they saw no man save Jesus only, and when we come together around himself.
If we're looking at gifted man.
Or any prominent persons, whoever they may be, and lose sight of the Lord Jesus where we've missed the the true object and the one who's in the midst and the one who's the center, the one that the Father would draw our attention to. They saw no man save Jesus, only what a lesson they had to learn.
And how often we fail in that. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying television to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.
Now I'm going to pass over some verses, but I want to call your attention again. In verse 12, He says to them that Elias has come already and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. He tells them that repeatedly, because this was this was a truth they did not want to hear. They did not want to hear about it. Their Messiah suffering, their thoughts were earthly.
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They were, they were looking for the establishment of the Kingdom on earth, and they couldn't put together how that could be if he had to suffer, if he had to die and to rise again. They didn't understand that. And when we don't like certain truth that is presented to us, it's very easy for us to reject it, to put it aside, not to think about it.
Maybe we don't actually reject it, but we just forget it. And because we don't like it, we don't like the thought of suffering, we don't like to be rejected. But here's a testimony. We are identified with the rejected Lord and we're going to be rejected too in that testimony. And we have to, we have to accept that.
Because that's our path.
Verse 14 now and when they were come to the multitude. I'm looking at the moral principles that are found in these chapters between the 1St and 2nd mentioning of the church, because these are moral principles that ought to guide and govern us as we go through this scene. We who are his own in this time of the Lord's rejection here.
Verse 14 when they were come to the when they were come.
To the multitude there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son.
For he is lunatic and sore vexed. For OFT times he falleth into the fire, and OFT into the water.
And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation.
How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer? You bring him hit her to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said why could not we cast him out? And the answer is very interesting. We've been confronted with problems of light that seem to be so beyond us. The evil spirit that has plagued us now for some time that has come in the evil spirit that's out there in the world once said to me recently, and I think he was very right. That's the same evil spirit that that.
Riot in Los Angeles recently. The same evil spirit that has come in and seeking to divide and scatter the Saints of God. It's the work of the enemy. It's rebellion against authority and rebellion against the one who is there. Well, why couldn't we not cast out this evil spirit, the son who was lunatic?
Verse 20 Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief.
Very simple statement. Because of your unbelief, we think that we have to do it and we we don't have the power for it, but he has the power for it and we can look to him and cry to him that he will come in.
And it's good when we feel our powerlessness sometimes in fact, we're in, we're in a sorry state when we think that we're able to handle these situations because we're not in ourselves. The Lord has the power, and faith is what draws upon that infinite resource of power which is his. And so he says, you couldn't do it because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence.
Place and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. A tremendous statement. And we've seen mountains before us in our lives, in our assembly life. How can we possibly.
Deal with that mountain well, he says. If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, it will remove, nothing will be impossible to you. Now, we don't usually believe that we read the words, but we go away not believing it.
And so we don't have the power that the faith, if we really believed it, would give us tremendous power in faith. And then there's another two reasons. Verse 21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. I wonder how many of us have fasted, prayed and fasted connection with some of the difficulties and problems that have confronted us of late.
This kind?
Not out, but by prayer and fasting. If we don't meet the moral conditions, there's a reason for our powerlessness. Power is not ours. The power is His, and He will come in for us. And I believe in a measure, praise his name, He has.
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Verse 22 While they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
They did not want that truth. And yet that was how, how often that's true of us, of me, that the very thing that is absolutely essentially needed is the very thing that we tried to avoid from try to keep from happening.
They wanted a reigning Messiah on earth. They didn't look forward to this this.
Age of the Spirit coming and that the assembly on earth, they knew nothing about that.
And the Lord is establishing in their minds, trying to that it's necessary that He suffer. They were exceedingly sorry when He told them that. Now we have a very interesting principle at the end of the chapter. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, Dust, not your master paid tribute.
He said yes, and when he was coming to the house Jesus prevented him saying, What thinkest thou, Simon?
Of whom to the kings of the earth take custom or tribute of their own children or strangers? Peter saith unto him, A strangers.
Kings of the earth don't pay, don't take taxes from their own children in their family, their Princess and princesses.
So that Peter answered right, Jesus saith unto him, then are the children free? So the children of the king are free. They don't have to pay taxes. There are a lot of preachers today that pick up on this line and they teach erroneously. They say, well, we, we ought to be driving around in Rolls Royces where children of the king, we should never be sick. We should never have any problems and we don't have to even pay taxes because.
We're children of the King. Well, the Lord established that as a principle here He says yes, the children are free.
But notice the next verse.
Notwithstanding lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast and hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up, and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money that take and give unto them. For me and thee. This piece of money was equal to twice the amount that each one had to pay for the taxes, so it was just enough for Peter and the Lord.
And what is the Lord saying here? He says we're we're really free.
Because the king is free and the children of the king are free, but it's not the time to exercise that freedom yet. I'm in rejection. And so those who are identified with me, the kings in rejection, and those who are identified with the king are also in rejection. And he proved that he was the king. He proved that he was God.
Sovereign because he, the very way he got the tax money was just hook in the sea and the first fish that comes up, you'll find the dogma there and that's that's enough for tax for both of us and we'll pay that. So for the Christian to be pressing his title as a child of the King, not to be subject to earthly governments and authorities.
It's wrong because the Lord.
In rejection and we have to walk, that is, we don't have rights here.
Our positional rights are we don't have to pay, but actually since we're identified with the king in rejection, we do pay. And it's a bad sign when Christians are moaning and groaning about paying taxes. I always enjoyed Eric Smiths statement. He lived in a country, Bolivia, where the change of government was on an average more than once a year.
They never knew what the new regime would be like, whether it would be favorable or hostile to the gospel.
And he says I just delight to live in a country now.
Where I can pay taxes, where there's a stable government, what a privilege that is. And that's at least we can be thankful that still exists in this land. So what we have at the end of Chapter 17 is not standing for our rights down here during the time of the rejection and absence of the king, Matthew 18.
Came to pass, and the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying.
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Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? Notice how he answers the question. The very question betrays our hearts, doesn't it? We want to be great, we want to be thought highly of. We want to be esteemed well by our peers. Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
He doesn't answer the question immediately. Who's the greatest? He says in answering, he said you can't even be in the Kingdom until you're converted and become like a little child. So don't talk about being great in it. The first thing is how do you get in it? And it's by becoming as a little child. That is, one is born again and he has to take the place of nothingness and enter in through the new birth.
Then he answers directly the question. Verse 4 Whosoever, therefore.
Shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Little child is set before us in this chapter as a picture of nothingness, one that has not established any influence by doing anything down here in this world, and one who has virtually little importance in the eyes of.
The prominent ones in this world.
Little child, but all how he uses the little child to teach us these lessons that we really need to know. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same as greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. This is the sphere where Christ is owned during the absence of the King, and we're down here to represent him. And how important then, that these principles be carried out.
In our midst.
Whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.
To humble oneself as a little child and then to receive a little child is to receive one simply because he is Christ and not because he he is some prominent person in the community.
Or he has attained to certain honors.
Down here in this world, the Christian community is one which receives one that the world doesn't think much of. The little child in my name, he receiveth me.
And then a solemn word, that whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, if we're better for him, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
To offend them What does it mean to offend here it means to cause to stumble it means to turn one from the path of faith It means to lead a little child to distrust this book and to raise questions in their minds which.
Caused them to doubt the truthfulness of God's Word. It means to turn them from the path of faith and truth and holiness and righteousness to another path.
Doesn't mean speaking faithfully to one that might cause them some offense. You know, the Lord offended the Pharisees and the doctors of the law over and over again. That's not what it's meant here. It's talking about turning 1 from God and from his word and from the truth and from the path of righteousness. Woe to the world, He says in verse seven, because of offenses. For it must needs be that offenses come.
But woe to that man by whom the offence cometh.
Wherefore if I hand or thy foot offend thee, what you do your hand, or where you walk your foot, If they offend thee, if they cause to stumble, cut them off and cast them from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life, halt or Maine, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee?
Pluck it out, cast it from thee.
It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. He's not talking about the literal things so much as he uses the expression cut your hand. If this hand stole something, if I cut it off, he could never steal again. And that's really what he's saying.
Deal with it so severely that you'll never do it again.
And then he says, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones. We have moral principles governing those who are in the Kingdom of heaven and in the assembly too. Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones just because they are of little account. James talks about that in his epistle, that you don't despise the one that is of low degree in the assembly.
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And the one that's in the gay clothing and rich and prosperous down here, you say, sit down here.
And you put the other in the low place.
Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father.
Which is in heaven. They have a representative in heaven. They may not have one down here, they may be despised down here.
But up there the Father has those angels that do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven on their behalf.
For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. It says save here, not seek, because children don't need to be sought, they actually are. They haven't reached the age of accountability. And so they're not guilty of rejecting the Lord. His death, His atoning death avails for them. He came to save them.
They were lost.
But he came to save them.
Think ye, if a man have 100 sheep, and one of them begone astray, doth he not leave the 90 and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which has gone astray? In Luke 15 he goes into the wilderness. I believe there it's a picture of lost Sinner, the sheep, a straying sheep. Here it seems to be more a straying St. and he goes into the mountains.
And here we have the energy of the grace of God.
Of seeking the lost sheep, the straying sheep, the straying sheep.
Does he not leave the night, he and nine and goeth into the mountains, and seekethat which has gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, He rejoiceth more of that sheep than of the 99 which went not astray.
Even so, it is not the will of your Father, which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. What's going to happen to one of those little ones if they get away from the flock? If they've strayed from the flock and they're left out there, they're going to perish. They're not going to find their way back. Now we have the Lord Speaking of the energy of grace, which seeks them and brings them back into the fold in the place where they can be cared for.
Into the assembly.
So it is not the will of your Father, that one which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
I just noticed that, that it doesn't say lost, It says the seeking the sheep that's lost but just gone astray, gone astray, it says.
And sometimes we leave those that have gone astray and turned away and become discouraged for whatever reason, we leave them out there. We don't seek them out, seek to bring them back.
Now we come to that portion that has to do with the assembly proper. This is the second time the church is mentioned in Matthews Gospel. He's talked, he says, who's the greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens? They did. And he answers that question and the new order of things that would be ushered in.
To form the Kingdom would take while the king was in heaven, and now he talks about.
Something that has to do with discipline. Verse 15. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast gain thy brother. That is, the one who goes, who has been trespassed against, goes in the same spirit as the shepherd previously mentioned, goes after the straying sheep.
And he goes to be reconciled to his brother, to gain him, if he shall hear thee, Thou has gained thy brother the purpose of going.
Is to gain hip and it says go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone not not get on the phone or go to someone else and tell the story. You know what so and so did to me No, but to go to the one that committed the offense and the trespass seek to win them.
That's what Grace does.
But then if he will not hear thee, verse 16, then take with thee one or two more. Where? Where do these come from? Well, from the local assembly. He's about to talk about it and I'm just going to anticipate by saying that these are those that are in the local assembly. In Matthew 16, it's the assembly universal. It's what he builds, the church universal. But here it's the church in a place.
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And he says, He will not hear thee, Take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And you go to the brother that's offended, and seek to gain him in the presence of these witnesses. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. Now this is the second mention of church in Scripture, in the in the New Testament.
Let him be unto thee, as in heathen man and a public end.
She neglect to hear the church.
Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Now that's still a word to the individual. Notice nothing collective has happened yet. The church has come and listened and given its advice, and this one will not listen.
So all entreaties have failed. The one went individually to him, tried to gain him. He wouldn't hear, took one or two more. He wouldn't hear, told it to the assembly. The assembly comes, he will not listen. Now what's next? There is nothing next. There is no other Court of Appeal, if you will, but the assembly. And so he says, if he will not hear, the church.
Let him be unto thee as an heathen man in the publican.
So what started in verse 15 as being, Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, now the word is, let that one who you called a brother be to thee as a heathen man and republican.
That means you treat him just as though he's not saved. He's a heathen man and a publican.
Then the next verse.
Goes from the singular let him be to thee to the plural.
And it's a verse similar to what the Lord said to Peter in Acts 16, but there it was to Peter as an apostle.
And we don't have apostles any longer, so we don't have that Apostolic authority to bind into loose as they did in the earth in the early Church. But we do have assembly authority, and that's what we have here. Verse 18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye plural shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
It's the same statement that the Lord said to Peter.
Except now it has to do with the local assembly, the church.
And he confers upon them authority to bind.
And to lose, to fix one sin upon one, or to remove one sin from 1, governmentally or administratively.
Now this is altogether different than the Old Testament.
Let's just turn back to Deuteronomy 17, where we have the the Old Testament situation and what they were to do in cases similar to what we're looking at here.
In Deuteronomy 17.
Verse eight. If there arise a matter.
Too hard for thee in judgment between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke being matters of controversy within thy gates.
Then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose. And that was Jerusalem.
And thou shalt come under the priests and the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire.
And they shall show thee the sentence of judgment.
Now what the Lord is is showing in Matthew 18 is that.
This church that he's talking about takes the place.
Of the Divine Center, Jerusalem for the Jew.
And this whole passage here from verses 15 through 20 has to do with the local church gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is where problems of controversy within the assembly are settled and handled. Let's let's continue in Deuteronomy 17, verse 9. Thou shall come under the priest, the Levites, and the judge under the judge.
Be in those days and inquire, and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment.
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And thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee. And thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee, according to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee. And according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do. Thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee to the right hand, nor to the left.
And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God. Who is the priest when it comes to the assembly? What's Christ? He's in the midst, and he's the he's the one whose judgment is given when the assembly judgment comes down.
It looked upon as his judgment. And so it was here the priest is here representing the God himself, and the one that will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die, and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
And all the people shall hear and fear and do no more presumptuously. But we don't have in Christianity a Judaism, We don't have in Christianity a Jerusalem.
There was a geographical place that they went down to, and there the problems that happened within their gates were settled. What is our Jerusalem today?
Where two or three are gathered together in my name or unto my name, there am I in the midst of them. That's Jerusalem.
That's what answers to Jerusalem of the Old Testament. The divine center is where the twos and threes are gathered to the name of Christ.
He's there in the midst, and His presence there constitutes the authority for the assembly to act for him. And by His authority, it's not Jerusalem any longer. It's not one geographical location, but it's wherever two or three are gathered together into My name. Jeremiah in the midst of them. But I don't want to. Passover, verse 19.
Verse 18 says again, Verily I say unto you.
The fact that it follows this man neglecting rejecting the the overtures of the church and rejecting the not hearing the church indicates that there's probably a an assembly action against the man. Verse 17 says let him be unto thee as an heathen man and republican, but that's just a word to the individuals that has been sinned against.
But verse 18 implies the fact that it follows on verse 17 after the man is rejected the word of the assembly itself.
That there is going to be an assembly action. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
There's a letter in the Bible treasury goes way back. I don't know if it was the last century or the beginning of this one, but.
It's a long time ago, way before all any of the problems we have now, and the brother wrote to the editor of the Bible Treasury, who was William Kelly. He was probably the the most foremost Greek scholar that has ever been.
Certainly right at the top.
Is it possible for this to be rendered? Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be what has already been bound in heaven, and that's that's taught today in some circles.
And has even been taught in some papers amongst us. And he answered the question.
I'm not qualified to answer that question. I am not a Greek scholar. I know a little of it, but no scholar. But Mr. Kelly was qualified.
And he concludes by saying.
Only proper way to render the Greek.
Is the way it's rendered in the King James Bible shall be found in heaven and the thought is the Lord is conferring authority on those who are gathered to his name himself in the midst being that authority to ask for him. Otherwise, if the If the assembly doesn't have that the assembly doesn't have administrative and judicial authority. It is the IT is a place that.
Any kind of iniquity can exist in that they can't deal with it.
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Be a horrible thing if the nation of Israel, the Society of the Israelites didn't have the authority somewhere to deal with problems of controversy and to judge evil and to put it away, It would have been where the Lord was dwelling, the Lord's presence compatible with all kinds of unjust evil. And that's that's a wicked, wicked principle.
So the assembly has authority to deal with its own problems.
And every local assembly gathered to the Lord's name is a little Jerusalem where there is authority to act for his glory.
Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, as Mr. Kelly puts it, shall be a thing bound in heaven.
So that is.
A loose translation of that verse.
And whatsoever thou shalt, ye shall loose on earth shall be loose.
In heaven.
That is, what is done here is recognized and ratified by heaven.
By heaven itself.
Again I say unto you, Notice he has said.
Verse 18 says, Where? Verily I say unto you. Now in verse 19 he says again, I say unto you, He has more to say in connection with assembly discipline, that if two of you doesn't even say two or three here, he just uses the smallest number, Speaking of competent testimony.
If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask.
It shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, more correctly, they are Mine in the midst of them, two or three gathered to His name, He's there in the midst.
And in connection with the prayer of agreement, it's to agree even if there's two. If the assembly only had two, that would be 100%. If it has three, that would be.
67% but that's not the way to look at it.
I think these numbers that he's talking about look down through the day of grace to the time of the greatest weakness, where the numbers could be reduced to this small amount.
But I think the thought of agreement here is that the Spirit of God leads a competent testimony in the assembly to an agreement as to what should be done in the case before them. That is outlined in these preceding verses.
And it says if they agree, if there's no agreement, then we don't have this promise. But if there is an agreement, doesn't mean that all are in agreement. But if the Spirit of God produces agreement, it should be would be nice if all were. But say for instance, if you're dealing with a heretical man, you can never have all all agreeing because an heretical man is an heretical man because he has followers.
If he didn't have followers, he wouldn't be arrogant.
And so if everyone agreed that he wasn't a heretic or that he was a heretic, that would prove that he wasn't, because if he had no followers, he couldn't be. So heretic always has followers. He has those that he's the leader of a party. And that makes it quite difficult. But even with that situation existing in an assembly, if two of you shall agree, the Lord says.
On earth shall symphonize.
Shall harmonize, shall agree. That's the word.
As touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven. Last year when I was on the West Coast, my brother came to me and said, we're having trouble with our daughter, and would it be right for my wife and I for my wife and me to pray.
Claiming Matthew 1819 If two of you shall agree on earth is touching, anything that they shall ask shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven.
And I said, well, it's certainly proper for you and your wife to pray for your daughter, but don't claim that verse because that applies to the local assembly gathered to my name. Don't lift that verse out of context. There are many other verses that and we we suggested some that would say very proper to pray for your daughter as you're saying, but don't use Matthew 1819 because that refers to a local assembly.
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Seeking the Lord's mind in connection with a disciplinary problem.
I was having breakfast with an older brother and another brother about my age, and his view of Matthew 1820 was that wherever Christians meet together?
To the Lord's name, there he is, He's with them.
And.
That's the way he liked to view it.
And I said, all right, we're just three of us here in the coffee house. Let's claim Matthew 1820.
Where two or three are gathered to my name, there am I in the midst. Let's claim that. And then let's claim verse 19. If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. We can be in agreement to pray about something and we can claim that. Let's back up one more verse. I said, verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. I said to him, Do we have?
Authority. You're here in the coffee shop, just the two or three of us. We have that authority. That's the local assembly gathered in the name of Christ. We don't have that authority. And he looked at me and he says, yeah, that's right, we do. We don't have that authority. So what people are doing today, they're lifting these verses out of the context and not rightly dividing the word of truth. These verses apply to a case of discipline.
And of course, they're true wherever the assembly is gathered together.
To his name, he's there in the midst.
So here you have in connection with the assembly. This chapter starts with who's the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven and.
Now we have this case of administrative authority on the part of the local Assembly.
Replacing literally Jerusalem in the Old Testament, the place today is where two or three are gathered together to my name. There am I in the midst of them. Now quickly just touching on the last verses. For then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him? Till seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 * 7.
The assembly ought to be a place where forgiveness and grace.
Are prominent.
Are prominent.
The thought of having to put one away ought to be exceptional, not not normal. It's necessary to maintain the honor and glory of the Lord, who's there in the midst, but it's a place that ought to be manifesting His wondrous grace and forgiveness. And so Peter is told, until seven times no, but 70 * 7.
And then the last verses in the chapter speak of.
I'll read quickly. Therefore is the Kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. When he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which loved him, which owed him 10,000 talents, and for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Servant fell down and worshiped him the Lord. Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the dead.
And then we know the servant didn't forgive one that owed him just 100 pence.
And verse 29 His fellow servants fell down at his feet. Oh, his fellow servant fell down and beside him. Have patience with me, I will pay thee all. He would not cast him into prison. We should pay the debt. Verse 31 When his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and they came and told unto their Lord all that was done.
The serious thing when we deal with another one who's called a brother?
Very serious thing and.
More serious, if we harbor in our hearts an unforgiving spirit, there's nothing more crippling.
Nothing more damaging.
To to the power of an assembly, or one individually if there's unforgiven sin.
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If we don't forgive from our heart, notice how the chapter ends. There's in verse 34. His Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. He's called a wicked servant.
Because He wouldn't forgive he who had been forgiven so much, so likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone, His brother, their trespasses, ye from your hearts. That's the important thing that we do not harbor, that we do not entertain, that we do not nurture an unforgiving spirit that produces bitterness.
And that defiles many. So we are to forgive.
Now, it doesn't mean we go to someone that's offended against us and say I forgive you, but we have that feeling of forgiveness in our heart towards them. And then when they repent of their sin and confess it and we can extend that forgiveness to them, that's the way God extends it to us when we confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But.
It's what we have in our hearts.
And if we don't have forgiveness in our hearts?
Then we are falsifying the very character God Himself who has forgiven us 10,000 talents.
So we have these wonderful principles in these chapters, The Cross.
For him first, and for us.
And then?
The seeing no man, but Jesus only.
Why could we not cast him out? Because of your unbelief. And this kind cometh not forth, but by prayer and fasting.
Then are the children free nevertheless that we offend them, not take and hook, cast it into the sea, and the first fish that cometh up, you'll find a stater. And that's enough to pay the tax for you and me not standing for our rights.
Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven while you can't even be in it until you become as a little child?
He that humbles himself as this little child, the same as grace in the Kingdom of heaven. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.
Let's think, if a man have 100 sheep and one of them go astray on the mountains, will he not leave the 90 and nine and go after that which has gone astray, till he find it and bring it back?
If my brother sin against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gain thy brother the energy of grace, going out, going out to seek the game. If that's refused again and again, then discipline has to come in. But the heart should harbor not ill feelings, but forgiveness towards those that have offended towards us.
Principles relating to the assembly. If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them.
Where dwellest Thou
Address—D. Andersen
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Shall return to John's Gospel chapter one.
In this gospel we get introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We mustn't forget that that He is the Son of God. He is God and we have to do with deity. We have to do with Him who is the Son of God from heaven, the eternal Son of God.
And just one verse here, perhaps two, and John chapter one.
Verse 37.
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?
They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, Master being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? That's an important question.
I wonder if everyone here in this room this afternoon has settled that question.
Or has gotten it answered where the Lord is? Where does he dwell?
That's very important for us to know in this period of time.
And which we are living.
Where dwellest thou? And if you want to know the question, the answer to that question.
Just ask him.
I had to learn to do that.
When I was still in Africa, knowing nothing about gathered Saints. When I was just a young man in my 20s.
The Lord exercised me about this, not knowing anything about.
Gathered Saints, but in translating the scriptures and John's Gospel was one of the 1St that I translated into the language of the Bayaka tribe in Africa.
And I came across this question.
Where dwelleth thou?
Oh, I came across many things in the Gospel of John that exercised my soul. I came across that verse in Chapter 7, verse 17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.
So if you want an answer to your question, there's the challenge. Do you want to do God's will?
If you really want to do God's will and walk in it, He will show you the truth.
And the Lord will show you where He dwells.
Where it willest thou?
He said unto them, Come and see.
Come and see.
We may have had those that asked us questions about our gathering.
And how we carry on in our gatherings, I think the best answer to give them is this one right here. Come and see, come and see.
Because how can you experience anything of the Lord's presence unless you're in His presence?
So he says, come and see.
They came and saw where he dwelt. Then what did they do?
And abode with him that day. I believe this is a dispensational day.
Here it is, a day in which we are.
And you can come and see the place where the Lord is dwelling.
And you will have the privilege, if you want to, of abiding with him.
During this whole day until the Lord comes to take us home.
They're not nice.
I am so thankful that God by His Spirit and by His Word.
Showed me where the Lord is and I believe today.
In that place where the Lord has placed His name, where He is dwelling in the midst of His people. Now, we must distinguish between the individual presence of the Lord and the collective presence. And what we're talking about this afternoon is the collective presence of the Lord in the midst of His people. But it is true that the largest with every individual that knows him as Savior.
Because the Lord has said.
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Now there are those that get the individual presence of the Lord mixed up with the collective presence. And when we speak of a certain place where the Lord is present collectively, they do not understand and they will say, well, the Lord is present in any group anywhere.
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But is this really true? He is with individuals there who know him, but he's not present in every place collectively.
There is a place where the Lord is present collectively, and this is what we should be exercised about and what we try to talk about this afternoon.
Now let's go to another question.
Over in John.
Chapter 6.
John John chapter 6. And the Lord was giving the people something to think about in connection with the bread of life.
And there were those who didn't understand what he was talking about.
And we read that.
Verse 66.
From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the 12 will ye also go away?
Oh, I love Simon Peter's answer.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
To whom shall we go?
There is no one else to go to if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
This afternoon.
I trust that you say this. To whom shall we go?
There is no other one to go to but the Lord Jesus Christ.
All you say I know him as my Savior. I came to him, received him as my Savior. I obeyed the little song that said come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus just now. I did that.
But have you come to him as the center of gathering?
That's another thing.
That's another thing for exercise.
And I believe everyone needs to go through some kind of exercise in connection with this.
Even as everyone who is saved must go through some kind of exercise in connection with being saved.
To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
There's no one else to go to, Peter says. And we believe in our sure that thou art, that Christ, the Son of the living God.
For that's lovely, to be assured that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one to whom we can go, and he wants us to come to Him. Then let us look at a verse in John 12.
John, Chapter 12.
In the first chapter there were those that asked the Lord, where dwellest thou? The Lord told him, Come and see.
And Peter says there's no one else to go to but the Lord. So here in chapter 12 of John.
Verse 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be.
If any man serve me.
You profess to serve the Lord well. I believe everyone who is saved professes to serve the Lord. I don't know how well we're serving Him. We feel very often that we're very weak and our service is very poor.
But still, if any man serve me, the Lord says, let him follow me.
Let him follow me.
Now that's important to follow the Lord.
Follow him. Why did you accept him as your savior?
After you had accepted him as your savior, did you expect to just go off on your own?
And do your own thing and please yourself.
Well, I'm sure in the beginning you didn't, but sometimes things of the world come in and different attractions. The first thing you know, we find ourselves not following the Lord.
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Sort of losing heart for him and like we had in.
The Bible class this morning, like Peter following a far off.
Well, it's sad, isn't it, to think that we have been watched in the precious blood of Christ.
We've been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who lay down his life on the cross and who suffered that awful agony.
That our sins might be taken care of. He took all the judgment.
And then we accept Him as our Savior and then stop there.
And do not follow Him. This is really sad. How can we, how can we cease to follow Him when we think of what He has done for us? He came all the way from Heaven's glory. He came all that way. I don't know how far it is.
It's way beyond where the astronauts went. It's way beyond the stars.
He came all the way down.
To suffer for us. To die for us.
Is he not worthy?
Should we not follow him?
All that the Lord might really store our hearts.
That we might devote ourselves to Him, consecrate ourselves to Him.
Give her all to him.
Just let him be our All in all. He wants to be our All in all.
Then it goes on to say and where I am now. Why does that follow?
I believe it's there because if you really follow the Lord.
And you want to do His will. It will take you right where the Lord is, where He is dwelling today, here in the midst of His people.
Or sometimes the Lord has to deal severely with us.
The Lord had to speak to me. The Lord had to stir me up. He was showing me things from the Bible.
Concerning these things, the truth of the church and the only thing I knew really.
Was what I was learning from the Scriptures because I hadn't been taught much of anything about that in Bible school. I've been taught a lot of other things, but that was not taught.
And the truth of a gathering was not taught, and the truth of the way to behave ourselves and act in an assembly meeting wasn't taught us.
In fact, in one class when they were studying in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, that came to chapter 14, and the only comment the teacher could make about it was, as far as I know, there's only one group of people that seek to practice this chapter and they're known as brethren.
And he went on to Chapter 15.
Was that enough to say about that chapter? No, but he couldn't say anymore. If he didn't know anything, he didn't dare say it, because he'd probably be out of a job. Let him follow me in where I am there shall also my servant be so. Evidently part of serving the Lord is following him.
And finding the place where he is.
And dwelling there.
There shall also my servant be. Have you found that place where the Lord is in the midst?
Have you taken your place at the Lord's Table there? What a privilege.
If you're the Lord to do that very thing and enjoy that place where He is in the midst.
Well, with that in mind, let us go to Matthew 18 and 20.
You notice this verse?
After the introductory word of four starts with the word queer.
And there were those that asked the Lord where?
What did they mean by where?
Well, I just meant where is the place you live? Where is the place? What is the place in which you dwell? Where? Where speaks of a place.
So here it says for where.
Two or three are gathered together in.
We must use the word unto there, unto my name. There am I in the midst of them.
00:15:08
You notice you get 2 words and there's something in between the two words. There's the where.
And then there.
Where then you get two or three are gathered together in my name there.
Am I in the midst of them?
So it's very important to look at those words between where and there.
Because that gives the characteristics of the place where the Lord is present.
And if you don't find those characteristics?
You cannot say there.
And the Lord isn't there.
I was tested on this point because the first company of brethren I came in contact with.
Were independent brethren. They were brethren that had gotten away from the Lord's table, the Lord's presence, by failure to vow to discipline, and they formed a party or division.
And they were away from the Lord's presence. They were away from the Lord's table.
And after some time I began to circulate among them.
When I was exercised about going back into the Lord's work again, this was after we'd come back from Africa.
The final return because in Africa we were not allowed.
To do the work that we felt that the Lord wanted us to do.
And so they forced us, the Mission society, forced us to resign.
And we had to come back to this country, but on the way back through South Africa, we got in touch with the company in Bulawayo in Rhodesia.
We thought they were the gathered states.
And we thought this is wonderful. Well, we did go on with them a while. But as I say, after we came back to this country, I worked a while as a Carpenter, farmed a while, and then I felt that I should go back in the Lord's work.
So I traveled around amongst them and it wasn't long until I had a lot of questions about.
What was going on?
And there were things going on that were not according to the truth. I was ministering in the Assembly.
In western Kansas.
Preaching the gospel, ministering some truths that the Lord had given me and those brethren in that assembly.
Said We feel that what you're giving us is the truth from the Word of God, but we're not practicing that.
We're not going on according to that. Well, I said, what are you talking about? What do you mean? If you're really gathered through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you should be. Well, they said we're not.
They said there's a man that used to come here from Arkansas.
He used to break bread with us and he had some gift and could minister.
Then we heard that he was put away for sin, a moral sin, and he kept on coming, and he still comes and breaks bread with us and ministers. I said, brethren, if in the name of the Lord he's been put away there, how can you receive him up here?
We're all members of one body, and we're responsible to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.
In the uniting bond of peace, and to bow to the truth, to bow to an assembly judgment.
Well, they said, we can see, that's right. But we don't know what to do. We're helpless.
Well, I searched into it further, more deeply and I found out.
That these things that are between the where and the there did not characterize them. So the only conclusion I could come to was the Lord isn't there and I didn't break bread with them anymore.
I believe the Lord guided me by this scripture. I thank Him for these words in this verse. We get so used to quoting it, so used to reading it, that perhaps it doesn't mean very much to us. But there is a lot of truth in this verse.
There's more in it that I can bring out.
But there is a place.
Over in Deuteronomy chapter 12, you read about it that when they were the children of Israel were to come into the land of Canaan. Moses is giving them instructions as to what to expect.
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Moses says when you go into the land of Canaan, there shall be a place where the Lord shall place his name, and that is where you are to go. You are not to do the way the pagans do here, worshiping God under every green tree and in every place of their imagination. You're not to do that way to God, but unto thee place, one place.
That's where you were to go, not to all of these places.
So there is a place. According to God, there was a place in the days of old, and he was jealous for that place.
And when the children of Israel didn't go on, well, finally they were all taken captive.
And Jerusalem was destroyed. But Daniel over in Babylon, he still regarded that place at Jerusalem as the place, even though it was in ruin.
And Christendom being in ruins today, in the outward way, we may say, well, what's the use?
But the Lord still has a place right in the midst of the ruin. And Daniel turned to that place. He opened his window toward that place. He still recognized that place. And I trust that we might be like Daniel.
Then it says two or three.
Two or three. What's that? Well, that's given to us over and over again in Scripture. We have it in the Old Testament. We have it right here in this passage of Scripture in verse 16.
In connection with this personal trespass, and it's to be settled in the mouth of one or two witnesses.
Two or three witnesses.
It says take with thee one or two more in verse 16, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses.
Every word may be established.
Two or three is the number of testimony.
Are we shaking by the grace of God to be a testimony today, or are we careless?
And indifferent about it.
We have to warn ourselves about this because it's so easy to become careless and indifferent, and we have to testify that really we are in a Laodicean state.
And we need to bow our heads and humble ourselves before God.
And seek unto the Lord and cry to him that we might go on as a testimony for Him. Now, we're not to be occupied with being a testimony, but the important thing is for each of us individually to walk with the Lord, and the Lord will take care of the testimony. That's why it's so important that we all individually feel this.
Feel the responsibility and seek grace to go on with the Lord.
A little while we remain here because if each one of us individually goes on with the Lord.
There will be a collective going on with the Lord. We can be a testimony.
For him walk with the Lord. Oh, I remember, I think it was brother.
Chapter Brown told us at one conference there was a brother that was always talking about the testimony, trying to be a testimony.
And an old brother gone to be with the Lord years ago. He said, brother, you be occupied with the Lord, you walk with the Lord and the Lord will take care of his testimony. That's important for us. But it says two or three, You want to be part of that testimony. Go on with the Lord. There are some being carried away. They leave the Lord's table.
They leave the presence of the Lord now and then. Here is another one goes and another one goes. Why?
They've lost heart for the Lord.
Something has happened, they've got intercede or something has happened to carried away and they're not where the Lord is anymore. Oh, this is so sad.
Two or three.
Are we really looking to the Lord for grace to go on with Him that we might?
Please Him, be a little testimony for him down here. It's a matter of exercise on the part of each one of us. We don't have anything to boast of, but what is their exercise in this? What do we want? Do we want to follow the Lord? Do we really want to serve Him?
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Are gathered.
Are gathered. That tells us that there is someone else that does the gathering.
We do not gather ourselves. Sometimes we may, without really understanding or without knowing, say we gather, we gather.
But the scripture word is our gathered.
We are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if we can say that we're not boasting in what we have done.
But we're boasting in what the Lord has done by His Spirit to gather us to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's just like a person is saved, he says. I am saved, we are saved.
We are saved and have eternal life and we are on our way to heaven.
Well, sometimes people when we talk like that with assurance to say who do you think you are? You're boasting, you think you're better than we are. Well, there might be those that say it to us the same thing when we say we are gathered under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are where the Lord is in the midst. But it's not that we're boasting in ourselves. We're just thankful to God that by His grace He has not only saved us, but He has gathered us too.
Are gathered. It's a very simple thing. It really speaks of separation.
I think most here know something about picking fruit.
The people go out into the orchard with their baskets.
And they picked the fruit off the tree and they put it into a basket. After those oranges have been picked, if those oranges could speak, they could say we are gathered.
Yes, they're all together in the basket, are gathered together in the basket. There they are all together in one basket.
They were on the tree, now they're in the basket.
Some of us have been in various places.
And some have been raised up amongst the gathered Saints right in the assembly.
But I believe everyone.
By God himself, by the power of His Spirit, must be picked, as it were, and put in that basket in that place where the Lord is. It's a work of God. It's not a work of anybody. The Lord may use different ones to speak to this one and that one, or the Lord may use the word that's preached.
Or ministered, or that's taken up in the Bible reading. But God is the one that's doing the work of gathering.
And when you have taken your place at the Lord's table, where the Lord is in the midst, you can say, I am gathered. I am gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's God's work. It's God's work of separating us to himself, to the Lord, because separation has two aspects from.
To from wherever we are going on.
Apart from the Lord.
Being gathered to the Lord Jesus Christ around himself. And that is important because it's not enough to be negative. We have to be positive, finding the Lord as our center of gathering. Now sometimes when we read this verse, we leave out together, but the word together is a very, very important word.
It speaks of oneness if you look over in the book of Acts chapter 2.
We read about the believers on the Day of Pentecost.
Says in verse 44 of Acts 2.
And all that believed were together.
The same word together.
This is God's mind for his people, that they all be together.
But the enemy has come in and he's done an awful scattering of the people of God, but God wants them all together around the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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He wants them all together.
As one.
Well, it's been spoiled.
You say, well, does that mean that we're all to get together with all save ones everywhere? You couldn't do that today.
This morning we were sitting at the Lord's table with the Lord in the midst.
And while we were sitting there, we did something.
And the first thing we did was to break the loaf, Break bread.
Why is it that we don't drink the cup first?
Because the blood, the cup, speaks of the precious blood of Christ that was shed, whereby we're cleansed and which is the foundation for salvation.
But no, it's the loaf you meet first when you eat the supper.
In chapter 10, the cup is mentioned first.
Because there the subject is the Lord's table.
And the title to be at the table must be settled, so the cup comes first because to sit at the table.
You must be assured that you are washed in the precious blood of Christ.
And those that have been there before you and feel a responsibility as to who should sit at that table, they must necessarily be assured that the one who comes and wants to break bread has been washed in the precious blood of Christ, that he has a title to be there, and that he's walking as one that's clean and he's in the good of the cleansing of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's important.
So in chapter 10 it's titled to be at the table, but in Chapter 11.
It's eating the supper.
Ground upon which you eat it. That's why the loafers first.
You have to settle that before you even start to eat the supper. You have to have it settled that you're eating it on the ground.
Of the one body of which the loaf is assembled, that is, when it's on the table whole.
Have you settled that?
Have you seen that the loaf speaks of that, the oneness of the body together, as we have here? That's important.
Well, I was Speaking of being with those independent brethren.
And I pursued this to the end, and I was at a conference where they were reading an Acts.
And there were five leaders there and had a strange way of carrying on a reading meeting. They sat on a platform around the table and the rest of us in the audience could ask questions, but we were not allowed to take part in the discussion.
But I took advantage of it because I wanted to find out whether they were on that ground of independence on the at the very present moment.
Because I'd read about how they acted independently in their history back from the days of about 1849.
But they didn't want to answer my questions. They bypassed in three successive days a question each day just avoided me. I wanted to find out what they would say about the truth of the one body they didn't want to get on the subject.
They were reading in the book of Acts and on the 4th day in chapter 15, and there we read about the assembly at Antioch sending down to Jerusalem, about the question of circumcision, keeping the Law of Moses.
And I asked them this question, is this a practical working out of the fact?
But these two assemblies were one body.
They were members of one body.
Lest they should avoid me, I said, I'll pose a case. I'll say suppose in two assemblies in adjoining communities.
These two assemblies know one another.
They have a major fellowship together.
And in one assembly they put away a man.
If that man doesn't want to be put away.
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He goes over to the other assembly, presents himself there for breaking the bread.
What are they to do with him? They didn't want to answer that question. Finally one one of them sat up on the edge of his chair and looked at me and said when that man goes over there.
That assembly can do with him what they please.
If they judge he's all right, they can let him break bread. If they judge, he's not.
They can refuse him. Every assembly is independent one of another.
I got my final answer. I never broke bread with them again because as I said before.
I could see they were not on the ground up together.
And also they were not on the ground of bowing to the authority.
Of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bowing to an assembly decision.
Together, it's very important.
That we understand that. That God wants us to be gathered on the ground of the one body, not on the ground of division, not on the ground of scattered companies of the believers, not on the ground of independent companies of believers. I'd had enough of independency while I was insistent, because I belonged to a system that had for their doctrine.
That every church is independent of every other church.
And when I found myself amongst those who professed to be brethren, having the same kind of doctrine.
I said I haven't bettered my condition or position at all. If anything it's worse because these people profess some truth as to the church.
Well, my sister says you're wrong in leaving us. I said. If I'm wrong in leaving, I ought to go back where I came out of, separated from the first place.
Well, I'm thankful I didn't have to do that. God in sovereign grace.
Through exercises and asking questions, I finally got in touch with her brother. Chapter Brown in Des Moines and we carried on a continual correspondence and finally I was satisfied that there was a place where the where the Lord had placed his name and.
My wife and I took our place there.
Oh, it's so wonderful to be in the place where the Lord is is present. There's something else here. It's not only a testimony or being gathered.
Or being on the ground of one body together, but unto the name of the Lord Jesus, unto my name. What is the name of the Lord Jesus stand for? Well, if you read in that same book of the Acts, you'll find time and again that the apostles did this in the name of the Lord Jesus. They healed a man in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when?
Peter and John were questioned about that. It came out in chapter 4.
There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
One name for salvation. And now we read there's only one name for gathering.
Only one name for salvation, only one name for gathering.
In my name.
Well, it's so sad to see that there are those that will not respect the decision.
Of an assembly that has made a decision in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they do not believe they have to respect it. But I read up here in previous verse in verse 18, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
When that man, when that man at Corinth, when that man at Corinth was put away?
There was Number thought that that man could go anywhere else and break bread.
No. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven. And that means, of course, if heaven respects the decision, we down here must respect it too.
But there's a great tendency today.
To just cast that aside.
And if a certain brother says so and so he's regarded as having more authority than the assembly, well, that's going back to clericalization, the thing that I came out of.
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Yes, there was a day that I had authority and I could make decisions in the church.
But that's all wrong, because the Lord has not vested his authority.
In a person, in any persons, but it's been committed to the assembly, that authority. Now it's true that the assembly can make a mistake.
But that does not give anyone any, right?
To refuse to bow to that decision.
You know, in ordinary courts of the land.
A court makes a decision regarding a certain thing or person.
Well, there are those that want to appeal the case, but do they appeal it back?
To the same court or to a lower court?
No, they go to a higher court.
And if we feel we have an appeal and we don't really feel happy about a decision.
And assembly is made. What are we to do?
Make trouble, stir up division.
We're to look to the higher court, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the supreme authority.
Wait upon him and all that. The illustration that her brother Eric Smith has given about a certain brother in an assembly in South America and Bolivia? Really.
Fits here I believe.
He said in a certain assembly, a man was put away.
Well, I don't know what he did, if he protested his innocence or not, but anyway, he just kept coming to the meetings, He sat back, kept coming to the meetings.
Year and a half without causing any trouble, just sitting back quietly looking to the Lord to settle things.
For 18 months.
He sat back, finally.
On a reading meeting night.
A man got up in the reading meeting.
And he confessed that he was the man that had done the thing that that man was put away for.
He says I'm the guilty one. That man didn't do it.
Who manifested that?
That man sitting back.
I'm sure was looking to the law, the High Court, the Supreme Authority and the Assembly had to acknowledge that they'd made a mistake.
But all if we would remember what that man did.
To just look to the Lord.
If there is a mistake made, the Lord will set it right. Isn't it wonderful to have such a savior?
And to have him for our center of gathering and to have him as our supreme authority.
Always looking to him, always doing things in his name.
And the assembly ought not to make any decision but in the authority and in the power of that name.
What a privilege, and I might just mention here that we need to be careful.
At brother's meetings, do not make these kind of decisions.
There are things that the brothers meeting does.
Take care of the business matters of the assembly and so on. But when it comes to these decisions of receiving and putting away, it must be the assembly that doesn't.
And when the assembly has done it, we bow to it.
And if we have some question about it, just wait on the Lord. He'll answer our questions.
So we have come now to the there.
If there is an exercise testimony in a place.
And they are gathered by the Lord Jesus Christ and then on the ground of the one body, not on the ground of independent churches or assemblies. And if they acknowledge and respect and reverence the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the authority in that name, they bow to the authority of that name. It's not necessarily bowing to the assembly, but it's bowing to the authority, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Invested in the assembly. That's why the assembly has to be so careful how to use it. But then he says there, there am I, there am I.
Perhaps there are some that have been asking the question, how do I know where the Lord is? I believe the answer is right there in that verse.
There my, he says.
Who the Lord Jesus Christ, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, is there?
He was here this morning.
Did we see him?
Did we understand he was there? Did it mean anything to us that he was there?
All we need to be exercised in this, exercising ourselves with our eyes of faith to see the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
And if we're looking for the Lord and looking to the Lord and occupied with him will not be occupied with what a sister is wearing on her head or what kind of a dress she's coming with or how her brother looks and so on. We were just thinking about him.
Dare I? He said.
And I'm so thankful that the Lord has helped me to find that place.
Where he is and he's not only present there.
But He is the center there in the midst.
In the midst, the central one, the one of whom around whom everything revolves. And I'm sure that if an assembly is in that state of soul and they see everything revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord will keep them.
All that our individual lives and our assembly lives might be such.
That they are all revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the pivot, the center. We might imagine that we have a large wheel laid down in this room, and instead of sitting on chairs, we're sitting on the spokes of that wheel, or maybe out on the rim of it, or right close up to the center of it, the axle of the wheel.
There is one thing sure that if everybody starts moving toward the center of that wheel.
Something else is happening. They're all getting closer together.
And that's what we need today.
We need to be close to the Lord Jesus.
And that will answer so many problems and questions.
Closer together, closer to the Lord Jesus. Yes, just getting close to the Lord brings us all closer together.
You might say that's just an automatic thing. Get close to the Lord and you're close to another brother or sister that's close to the Lord.
All how we need to feel that today that we're one and be close together.
Loving one another, going on with one another. Oh how wonderful it is to see brethren dwelling together in unity. This is what we need today.
So may the Lord give us grace to be occupied with Him, the one who is the center, the gathering center, the meeting center, whatever you want to call him, the center that our thoughts are engaged with, that we're thinking of. We had the privilege of remembering him this morning. What a joy it must have been to him. And the angels were looking down and they were observing it, and they see the sisters with the covering on.
And they see that mark of subjection and all they say, this is the way it ought to be. Every knee ought to be bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ and owning his authority.
Well, may the Lord help us just to be drawn closer to Him, that we might be drawn closer to one another. But there's another part to this verse, the end of it. Of them I read in Second Timothy chapter 2.
That and we might just well turn to that verse because we want to look at two parts there.
In Second Timothy, chapter 2.
There's a word there about.
A time when ruin characterizes the whole of Christendom.
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And it says here in second Timothy 2 verse 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God stands ashore, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that name is the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Now, if you've been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you're at his table. You're at the place where the largest in the midst. That word is not for you, but it's for everybody that's not there.
Let him That name is the name of Christ, depart from iniquity. It's an individual thing.
I tried to set the system right that I was with, but I soon found out I couldn't do that.
I found out from this verse that I should set myself right.
Let everyone that name is the name of Christ depart from iniquity, and then further down it says.
Follow verse 22. Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them.
Calling the Lord out of a pure heart. There is a company that the scripture designates as them.
Wouldn't you like to be part of that company then calling on the Lord out of a pure heart going on with the Lord going on, characterized by these things we have here and Matthew 1820.
Oh, every one of us should covet this, and to covet it more and more to be characterized by these things that we've gone over the midst of them, to be the company that the Lord is in the midst of.
And that doesn't mean then that we're the company or that we're the whole church. We mustn't forget that.
Because there are many dear souls out there, and there are members of the body of Christ too.
And we yearn for them. The Gospel preacher yearns for the Sinner. The Saint of God yearns for those who are not gathered.
Our heart should be in this and seek by the grace of God.
To be used to help the Center Oregon, help the one who is a believer but not gathered in the place where the Lord.
Is in the midst, not gathered together unto his name. But there are many that don't want over in Ghana.
There are many that are being contacted but it just costs them too much. It costs too much to take their place outside the camp with the Lord bearing His reproach. So there are very few in the assembly there, perhaps half a dozen, only three over Nigeria and so it is in many other places. But may the Lord just use these few remarks.
This afternoon, to the help and blessing of everyone of us.
The Lord's Hand upon us
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to read the 4th and 5th chapter of Revelation.
Revelation chapter four and five.
After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me, which said unto me which said, Come up, hit her, I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a Jasper and a sardine stone. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, insight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and 20 seats. And upon the seats I saw 4 and 20 elders sitting clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And one of the And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like on the crystal. And the midst of the throne, round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf. And the third beast had a face as a man, and the 4th beast was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about them, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord, God Almighty, which was and is and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honor, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and 20 elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him.
That liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within, and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof.
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the Book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not, Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of a throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.
Having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and 20 elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of Saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.
Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation that has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 * 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying.
Blessing and honor, and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and 20 elders fell down, and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever.
Well, the Book of Revelation is indeed a very precious book. I don't suppose there's any book in the Bible where we have brought together such astounding things, such things that would strike terror in our hearts if we didn't know about redemption. Because the most solemn and awful judgments that God will bring upon this world are brought before us in the Book of Revelation. But it also opens up to us.
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A beautiful scene, a scene of glory in which all the redeemed will have a part.
And so I say, there's such a opening up of what is so very terrifying if we didn't know the Lord is our Savior, and yet so very blessed for those of us who do know Him and can in confidence look forward to the time when the Lord Jesus has his rightful place.
As we know, the Book of Revelation is divided into three parts. There is the first chapter where John saw the Lord Jesus.
In the character of a judge, and it was said to him that he was to see the things that are.
The things that he had seen, the things that are, and the things that shall be hereafter. And so he saw the Lord Jesus in that character glorified. And then in the second and third chapter of Revelation, we have the things that are the church, which is intended to be a light bearer, a Candlestick in the earth. And so we have in those seven churches, as we all know.
A prophetic picture brought before us.
Of the Church's history as a light bearer in the earth. Always see how sadly the Church has failed.
We have to hang our own heads in shame as we think that we're part of the failure of that testimony. And yet in it we see the faithfulness of God. And I've always enjoyed that. In the very first one in Ephesus, the Lord had to point out to them how he felt it that they had left their first love. And then in the very last one, he says, As many as I love.
I review can chase them if they had left their first love and it's a whole history of the seven churches show what a sad departure they had. There had been his love hadn't changed and if he had to correct and if he had to seek to set before them that which was displeasing and dishonouring to him, it was not because there was not love in his heart. Our brother brought before us last night God's great love and giving his blessed son.
For sinners and then two to think that those of us who know that love who profess to have responded to that love, who can say from our hearts the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me how little we respond to that love. But all I say, brethren, and may just touch our hearts. His love never changes. Having loved his own, which were in the world. He loved them under the end and if it's necessary that he would speak.
Even in the way of Chase name, it's still because he loves us and he wants to have our affections and there's two ways that he speaks to us to draw out our affections. He reminds us of his love which surely ought to stir our hearts affections. How could we sit down for 5 minutes even and think of how much he loves us without feeling some response in our poor cold hearts. But if that doesn't cause.
To have a response, then he must lay His hand upon us, because, as another has said, the worst of all chastisement is that he should leave us to our own ways. Aren't many of us glad, as we look back over our lives they didn't, that He didn't leave us just to go on our own way, even as believers. But when he saw we were getting cold, he did rebuke us and chasing us and drew us back.
But it's always his love that really brings us back, brethren.
It's always the knowledge of that he has not changed and so he draws us back with cords of love. Well, when we come to the end of the third chapter, the churches history as a Candlestick has come to an end. John is about to see the things that would be hereafter. That is after the church's history. I think it's one of the simplest.
Passages to show us that the Church will not be here during the tribulation.
Because what is brought before us from the 4th chapter on is things that shall be hereafter.
And so we don't see the church here on earth, but we see the redeemed in heaven. We see a scene opened up before us where the redeemed up there in the presence of the Lord. And then we have the judgment of this world. And thank God, it's blessedly true. Hello. Many dear Christians are not in the enjoyment of it. But when the Lord Jesus comes, he is going to take up every one of his own.
00:10:20
It says Christ the first fruits afterwards.
They that are Christ that is coming. There are some that believe in that is called a partial rapture.
Well, you know, it just shows how the enemy does things to get us occupied with ourselves. Those who believe in the partial rapture believe that only of those who are devoted and who are watching and waiting for the Lord will be caught up. And what does that do? Well, it just fills you with pride. Is there anyone here I'd like to ask not to ask you to answer me, but I'd like you to ask your own heart, would you say?
Well, I'm one of the faithful ones. I have been so devoted and I'm watching for the Lord. I'm sure I'll be caught up. I know a lot of other Christians that wouldn't, but I'm one of the better kind and I'm sure I would be caught up. Don't you see how that sort of thing just leads us to look in? But all when he comes, it's they that are Christ. He's going to take each one of His own up. I believe for some it will actually be a surprise, but nevertheless, it's blessedly true.
That he is going to call each one of his own at that moment, and those who have heard the gospel and rejected it are left behind and left behind for judgment.
4th chapter then opens with that blessed event I believe in picture it says after this I looked and behold was a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said come up, hit her and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. Well that's what we're waiting for tells us in First Thessalonians chapter 4 the.
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God, and they and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. I like to think, brethren, of those three things, the Lord descends with the shelf, because he's waiting more anxiously for that moment than we are.
And I believe it will be a shout of joy that at last the moment has come when he is going to have his bride, the church for which he gave himself, as well as all his redeemed. And so shall I say for himself. It's a shout of joy. And then it shows the voice of the Archangel. I would like to think of it in this way, that it tells us that the angels are ministering spirits.
Sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.
And we are thankful for angelic care in our pathway here. But that's going to come to an end too. The angels won't have to help us any longer. They will not have to be our protection and care, and many of the difficulties and dangers to which were exposed, that service on their part will have come to an end. The Lord is going to come himself to take us up to be with him.
And then to the trump of God, the trumpet was to call together the people of God.
If you remember in the 10th of numbers, why those trumpets that were made for first for the calling of the assembly?
And when those trumpets sounded, why the people were to gather themselves together.
To the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. There was to be a gathering together to that place.
Where the Lord was in the midst of his people. Well, sad to say, today all dear Christians are not gathered to Christ.
We have to sadly think of how many are scattered instead of gathered to Christ. But all it won't be so when the Lord comes and and Paul speaks of that in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, when he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him, That's the blessed event.
When every one of his own will be gathered to that glorious person.
And John saw this in picture and he's caught up and he is now in spirit in the presence of the Lord. Well, brethren, we're soon going to be there and glorified bodies. That's what we're waiting for. And if the Lord is in patience waiting, and he tells us the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ.
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I believe it's important for us to be patient.
Things may get worse brethren, but why is he waiting? Or he's waiting in patience. There are more to be gathered in. Well, someday the last one is going to be gathered in. One brother said I'd like to be preaching when the last soul is saved. He said what a moment it would be, but there is going to be a last moment. There is going to be a moment when the last one is brought in to form that glorious company as a redeemed to surround the Lord Jesus in the glory.
John gets here a preview of it and he says immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne. Now I might say that I believe in the 4th chapter we have the Lord Jesus writes as Creator brought before us and in the 5th chapter we have his rights as Redeemer. He is the one who created all things.
And so as a creator, everything belongs to Him.
And he's going to take what is rightfully his. We hear about man and his world.
And men certainly act as though this were their own world and that they didn't have any need to be responsible to God. But the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. He's going to have what is rightfully His as Creator. And then in the 5th chapter we have his rights as Redeemer. You'll notice in the 4th chapter at the close it says.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.
For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are.
And were created and then in the 5th chapter, in the ninth verse.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation.
So there's no singing in the 4th chapter there is the declaration of that the Lord is the Creator and it was for His pleasure, and He is going to set things right. He's going to bid the desert to blossom as the Rose. The lion is going to lie down with the Lamb, and they shall not hurt nor destroy. And all God's holy mountain. It'll be a great time of blessing when the Lord takes His rights in this earth as Creator.
But he also has rights as Redeemer, for He bought the field as we have in the 13th chapter of Matthew. He bought the field for the treasure that was in it. Satan had come in as the usurper. You remember how he said to the Lord Jesus when he tempted him, He said.
That if the Lord were to bow down to him and worship him, he would give him all the glory of this world, for that is mine to give, he said.
It wasn't in reality, but he was the usurper. And we know very well, but today Satan is spoken of as the God and Prince of this world, but there's one who's going to take his rights, his rights as Creator. And so that's what's brought before us in this 4th chapter. And so the Lord Jesus is brought before us in this third verse.
He that sat was to look upon like a Jasper and a sardine stone.
And there was a rainbow around about the throne, insight like unto an emerald. I think this is very beautiful. The Jasper and the sardine stone make me think of the breastplate on the shoulder, on the breast of the high priest. That is, There were different stones there, and the first one was.
Asardius I believe, and the last one was a Jasper, the exact opposite of the order here.
And I believe it brings before us this fact, that when the Lord Jesus is spoken out as bearing our names upon his breast in figure as the High Priest, while we find the order actually reversed. And did not the Lord Jesus say, many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first?
Some might have thought, well, I think I occupy quite a prominent place, because my name is first, for on those stones were grave in the names of the children of Israel.
But here, when we see in the glory above, it's the very opposite. And you know, brethren, heaven is going to bring many surprises, some that perhaps we thought were first, maybe last. And those who may seem like the last may be first. It's a very precious and comforting thought to know that the Lord makes a right appraisal of everything. We don't. We often go by appearances.
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Were often like Samuel when he lies stood before him. He thought he was a very fine specimen of humanity, And he said, Surely the Lords anointed is before me. And the Lord said, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature. For the Lord see us not as man see us. Man looketh on the outward appearance.
But the Lord looketh on the heart, and in a little hymn someone has written these words.
Deeds of merit as we thought them. He will show us where but little things, though long forgotten.
He will show we're done for Him. The Lord values those things that were done for Him.
Perhaps unknown and unnoticed by others, but the Lord sees them and He is going to make mention of them. It's interesting to see that when David speaks about his mighty men, why the deeds that he records. I believe almost all of them were completely unnoticed as far as scripture is concerned at the time they were done. There's no mention of them until David chronicles his mighty men. Some of those men, others might not have known.
They did. The man stood alone and defended the field of lentils. Might have been called a foolish man if anybody did know about it, but we see him among the top ones of those whom David calls his mighty man. Well, brethren, may have teach us to be content to have his approval to be gone, as the Scripture tells us, and to live in his presence, and to be satisfied that the Lord seeth not as.
That he looks upon the heart and values what he's done from the heart to please him.
And then it tells us there was a rainbow round about the throne. We remember when the rainbow was given after the flood. It was a sign that God gave that there was not going to be another flood that would destroy the earth. And that rainbow is set in the cloud so that when a rainstorm comes, it's a constant reminder to us that God hasn't forgotten his promise. He's not going to destroy this earth again with a flood.
It's interesting to see that, to see that not just ourselves look at that rainbow, but God said that he would look at it and he would see it and those promises would be fresh in his mind. And so when it says here insight like an unto an emerald, I believe the thought simply is an emerald is green and it represents freshness. You know, we make promises, but we forget our promises sometimes they're not fresh in our minds like they should.
I have to acknowledge sometimes that I'd forget promises that I have made, even to my children, but every promise that God has made is as fresh in his mind as if He made it yesterday. He is going to fulfill, as Peter speaks of, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, all those things in the word of God.
At sometimes in trial, the devil would try and dim them in our minds.
But all they're true. They're as true as God spoke them. And so when they're redeemed or caught up to glory, here's the one who sits on the throne bearing still those names. For we're dear to his heart, and then to all his promises, everything that he has promised.
Still fresh in his mind. And so that when judgment does fall upon this earth, he is not going to forget that he has promised to bring an earthly people into blessing. And he's going to. When those awful judgments fall, there will be those who have the mark of God in their foreheads, and not one of them will be destroyed by those judgments. It will not be an indiscriminate judgment. And you know, brethren, the Lord has an individual care for us too. We have a right to enjoy this.
In our souls. So here is the Lord in the midst of the throne in this character. And then round about the throne were four and 20 seats. And upon the seats I saw 4 and 20 elders. Perhaps we could say those seats are empty now, but they're going to be filled. They're going to be filled. There will be no empty seats there. Everyone is filled. So he saw the seats and everyone had some person sitting on it.
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Thoughts in connection with these 24 elders? But I've enjoyed the thought that in Solomon's temple there were 24 courses of priests and those 24 courses of priests, when the temple was dedicated, it says they did not then wait by course, and they made one sound in praising and thanking the Lord. You know when we come together.
It says that things are to be by course.
So one brother may give out a him, another brother may pray in ministry. It also has to be by course. Wouldn't it be a lovely thing if when a hymn came before you, it came before everyone else in the company at the same time, and that they were enjoying exactly the same hymn? Well, that's the way it was when the temple was dedicated. They made one sound in praising and thanking the Lord. And I believe it simply shows us brethren.
That when we get to glory, everyone is going to rise to His full place and privilege as a priest to worship for it says now that we're holy priests to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
And so often today, when we come, we have to hang our heads and acknowledge that there isn't the enjoyment of that holy priesthood. There isn't the enjoyment of our privilege to be worshippers. Our minds wander and things are bothering us, and we're there in body, perhaps, but we're not in the enjoyment of His presence. And there's little praise that ascends but all. What a company this is.
All these four and 20 priests there around the throne, every one of them, as we'll see in the next chapter, in the full enjoyment because everyone had a harp with golden vows full of orders, the prayers of Saints, of the glorious. Stay ahead of us, brethren. The Church has failed as a Candlestick, but there's something worth looking forward to, something worth living for when we begin to think about it.
Some of that of those four and 20 priests is representing the Old Testament Saints.
Because there were the 12 tribes of Israel and then the New Testament Saints, the 12 apostles of the Lamb. Well, there may be that thought too, but I do enjoy the thought that there were the 24 courses of priests and that this is the position which the Saints will occupy in that coming day. Not just the Church, but all the redeemed, the Old Testament Saints as well as those brought to the Lord in the Christian period.
And they it says they were clothed in white raiment.
We know that in Revelation 19, the white raiment, the fine linen, is the righteousness of Saints. Sometimes we sit down in the Lord's presence, and maybe our walk through the week hasn't been all together what it should, but it should be, but not so there. Everyone will be clothed in white raiment. There'll be nothing that we'll have to get before the Lord about, like it says, but a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, but not.
Brethren, there be no wandering thoughts, nothing to distract, nothing that we'll have to say. Well, I'm going to be in his presence today, so I would like to own to him anything that's come between my soul and Him. Oh no, what a glorious scene will always be in His presence, as one dear brother brought before us. When it says in the heavenly city, I saw no temple there in.
Why? It simply refers to the fact we won't have to go anywhere.
Lord's Day morning comes and we have to go somewhere, but we won't have to go anywhere because the whole city is that temple. And the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb of the temple of it will always be in His presence. We'll always be filled with His love and with praises to Him. And they had on their heads crowns of gold, because we're going to reign with Him.
And then it tells us, and out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.
Which are the seven spirits of God? I believe this brings before us the fact that God's character has not changed. Grace has not changed his character. It tells us that grace reigns through righteousness because the question of sin has been settled. Now what is in the heart of God can come out, and I'm sure that you recall that when the law was given.
00:30:00
It tells us when the law was given that out of Mount Sinai there were these very things.
Bitings and thunderings and voices. Their God made known His demands to man. But we know that no one kept the law. It tells us by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. Sometimes in school, if no one measures up, they might lower the standard a little bit. God never lowers His standard.
When the Lord Jesus suffered, he suffered the outpour judgment of God.
And sin was dealt with, not according to our thoughts, not according to our conduct, but according to the wholly unchangeable character of God. And so that will be a glorious scene, but a holy scene.
And these lamps of fire before the throne, the seven spirits of God, spoken here in this chapter, and then also in the next chapter.
Perhaps you if you go back to Isaiah, I think it's the 11Th chapter to get a little thought about this.
The 11Th chapter of Isaiah.
Verse One. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge.
And of the fear of the Lord. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.
And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
There were, there was the seven branch Candlestick, as we know in the temple, and here we have the Spirit of the Lord, and then three groups of two which make the seven. And so it's the fact, brethren, that the Lord knows everything. That's why it goes on to say that He'll not judge after the sight of his eyes, nor reprove after the hearing of his ears.
In every court case today, the judge has to listen to the evidence.
He has to see what can be shown in the way of evidence, and then he bases his judgment upon that because he doesn't really know all the facts of the case and so he has to judge by what is showed to him and what he hears. The Lord doesn't have to judge that way. He knows everything.
He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. It's a comfort to us if we're trying to please him.
But it's a serious thing when he acts as judge upon this world. People often get away with things in this world, but all there will be no getting away with things in his presence. He knows everything. He judges according to his perfect knowledge. Eli, you said this to Job when Job said to that to the Lord that he and he would just like to have a trial and lay his case before the Lord.
Elijah said.
Doesn't need to do that, he said. He knows our actions, he knows our thoughts.
We don't have to have a trial with Him. And so these lamps are fire before the throne. Show us his knowledge and that there's nothing hidden. There was a sea of glass there. Glass speaks of transparency. We can hide things now, but not there and not in his presence either, because he knows everything. It's good for us to remember this.
And then it tells us too about these four beasts.
Sometimes translated as four living creatures, I believe these represent to us the the charity of them, and sometimes they're brought before us. In the character of the seraphim, you notice the different characteristics. The seventh verse says the first piece was like a lion, which pictures strength. The second beast was like a calf that brings before us stability, the largest.
Of the tame animals. And the third, the face of a man, intelligence. And the 4th beast was like a flying eagle that speaks of swiftness, the face of a man of intelligence. And so we see these four characteristics. You'll find them in the Old Testament. And Ezekiel, you find them again here. And there were the cherubim too, and they looked down upon the blood in the ark and I believe.
Before us, God's governmental ways, you know, when it's when they're brought before us in the character of the cherubim, I believe they represent to us God's governmental ways associated with mercy. And so the cherubim looked down upon the blood in the Tabernacle, and very often we see God's governmental ways brought before us in the.
00:35:23
1St chapter of Ezekiel. As I said, you have the chair, you've been there.
God's people had been carried into captivity and Ezekiel is visiting the captives by the river Chibar. He feels very sad as he sees the condition in which God's people had been placed under the governmental ways of God. But it's interesting in that chapter, although he couldn't understand it all and he saw wheels and lights. Perhaps you've read that chapter and said, I don't know what that means at all. Just seems a confusion to read a chapter like that. But.
After he had viewed all this, then he looked up above and he saw a man, the likeness of a man on the throne. Oh dear friends, there may be many things that we don't understand that are going on in this world, but faith can look above and know that there's a man on the throne. He's in control, and in all his governmental ways, he's in control of everything.
There has never been a war in the history of man. There's never been an event in your life and mine of what God, who is behind the scenes is in control.
And as the Lord Jesus said when he rose from the dead, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And yet we see, as I say, those governmental ways with man always mingled with mercy. When Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden and the cherubim were placed there, they weren't driven out naked, they were driven out with cults of skins. When the cherubim were placed in the Tabernacle, they looked down upon the blood when God's people were carried into captivity.
Ezekiel is Sin brings before us the most beautiful and touching picture of the Restoration.
And the temple being rebuilt and the glory that will be seen in that future temple, Oh, how good to know, brethren, that God's governmental ways now with man are mingled with mercy. And many a person has been saved through some calamity that's happened in their life. And even those things that come in our lives, God intends them for blessing. But there's a day coming when God's government, as we have brought before us in the latter part of the Book of Revelation.
It says his wrath is poured out without mixture, without mixture. That's the seraphim you have that brought before us in the 6th chapter of Isaiah, where we have a little picture of the cross. And when the prophet found himself unclean in the presence of God, one of the seraphim flew with a live coal from off the Otter altar and said.
Lo, this hath touched thy lips. Thy iniquity is taken away in thy sin purge. There was a scene where God's wrath was poured out without mixture for you and for me.
It was Calvary brethren, all had a scene for us. But what an awful thing when God's judgment falls upon this world unmingled with mercy. People talk about catastrophes now, but when the Lord deals in vengeance upon this world and upon those who are eternally banished from His presence, it'll be judgment without mercy. But all how good it is for us to know.
That a low If we deserved it, there was one who bore it for us. And so.
Here we have the cherubim brought before us under the figure of these four living creatures, and they cry, Holy, holy, holy Lord, God Almighty, which was and is and is to come. You think God's going to allow evil to go on forever unchecked? Oh no, indeed he's not. He's going to step in. He is going to manifest his holy character. And so it tells us here when those.
Gave thanks, give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne. The four and 20 elders fall down and worship him. They cast their crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy. Oh how beautiful this is. You and I are going to have part in this scene brethren.
This is only where John was in spirit, but you and I are going to be there in reality and we're going to surround our throne. We're going to acclaim the Lord Jesus as the worthy one and acknowledge that all rights are His. If there has been any reward given for faithfulness in our lives, for there will be crowns that will be given for faithfulness, all we'll do is cast them at His feet and claim acclaim him as a worthy one, and He is worthy.
00:40:07
And so here, as I say, there's no song. It's his worthiness as creator.
He has a right, and it's good for us to remember this in all our pathway to that this world belongs to the Lord, Paul said to the believers at Corinth, All things are yours, whether life or death, things present, the world, life or things to come, everything's yours and your Christ, and Christ is God. So we have a right to be in the enjoyment of this. This world in which we live belongs to the one.
We know as our Savior and another day He's going to assert His rights to it and we can live in it. And I just say this, even in our enjoyment of what He has given in creation, let's never forget His rights. It's His. We can't properly enjoy anything of creation apart from the Creator because He's the one who made all things. And isn't it beautiful?
It says Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. We can't properly enjoy anything of creation apart from the Creator, because He's the one who made all things. And isn't it beautiful? It says Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Perhaps some of you heard my father speak about how in Gray's Elegy it says Pull. Many a flower is born to blush unseen and yield its sweetness on the desert air.
And he used to always say it's not true. He said, God looks down and he sees the beauty of every flower. And that's the thing that makes it wonderful to us, that as we look at creation, we can see the handiwork of God. As two men were looking over the side of a bullet and watching the sunset, one who was not a believer said to the other, I don't know of anything more beautiful than to watch the sunset at sea. Oh, he said, I know something more wonderful than that. And.
Know that the person who made the sun is my savior, and I'm going to be with him another day. Oh, that's the difference, isn't it? And so He is the one who created all things. He's going to have his rights. May we give Him his rights in our lives. May we recognize that all things are truly His.
Well, now when we come to the 6th of the 5th chapter, we see His rights brought before us as Redeemer. And there was a book written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals. The rights of the Lord Jesus are not recognized in this world. We haven't time to turn to it. But if you go back and take a little time to read, I think it's the 32nd chapter of.
30 CFS the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah. You'll find there that Jeremiah was in the court of the prison.
And a relative of his came to him and asked him to buy a field. And why would he buy a field when he was in prison? That he was telling the people that.
Nebuchadnezzar was going to come up, and Jerusalem was to be given into the hands of the Nebuchadnezzar. What was the use in buying a field at that time?
Well, he bought the field and it tells us that the evidence was taken and it was put the evidence that was sealed and that which was opened and they were taken and they were placed in an earthen vessel for many days and.
It says there that houses and lands and fields would be possessed again in this land. Well, you know, when Hezekiah, when Jeremiah Rather brought that field, they didn't seem to be any outward evidence.
That he was going to be able to possess it, but he believed that God was going to bring his people back and that the time would come when he would be able to bring out this evidence and prove that that piece of property belonged to him. And now, you know, friends, it's hidden that the Lord really has rights to this earth. People talk as though he didn't have any rights at all. His name is blasphemed when you talk about.
Redemption and Christ the Creator shedding his precious blood at Calvary. Why all this is despised and set aside. And so the book was sealed, and just as in Jeremiah, there was that which was.
Put it sealed and put in an earthen vessel for many days, but it says here there was also.
In Jeremiah that which was open and here it says the book is written on the backside.
00:45:05
It was written on the backside. And so although the world doesn't recognize the rights of Christ, you and I, when we pick up this book, we see something that the natural man doesn't see. It's the revelation to us that there is a person who does have these rights. He has the right as creator and he has the rights as Redeemer. And although it's sealed now, and as I said, the Scripture tells us that Satan is the God and Prince of this world and.
Go on from day-to-day and God doesn't interfere like it says in the prophet how the cut that was read to us the other day in one of our homes why it tells us that there wasn't it were the hiding of his power there isn't open manifestation of the power of God but there is going to be that and so here this book was written within and on the backside and the question was asked who would open the.
And as we look around and see the confusion in this world, men are constantly expecting that the next government is going to be a little better. There's going to be someone rise. And when the beast finally does rise, they're going to think that they have the answer. They're going to say peace and safety. They're going to say who's able to make war with the beast. At last we've got the answer in a man, but God's awful judgment is going to be poured upon that man, and God is not going to allow.
Government to bring about a settled state of things in this world. He holds things in control so that we can meet here together tonight, and we thank him for it. But we can't expect, brethren, to see things that right. And it says I will overturn, overturn, overturn it till he shall come whose right it is, and I will give it to him for whom I those who are in authority.
Their hearts can fail with fear because they can't see a solution to the world's problems.
And John wept when he lost sight of the Lord Jesus, but when his eyes were turned and he saw that one in the midst of the throne, and then it says, one of the elders said unto me, weeknight, I enjoy this little thought about the elders, that every time any question is asked to the elders, it just, it doesn't say one special one, but just.
One of the elders. They always knew the answer.
Isn't that lovely? You know, we're going to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We're going to enter into these things fully another day. God wants us to enter into them now. He has given gifts in the church so that these precious things might be made known to us. So we be in the present enjoyment of them, but all will be in the enjoyment of them up there.
Well, the elders, one of the elders said there is one.
And he turned, and he saw in the midst of the throne a lion of the tribe of Judah.
And he was the Lamb that was slain, the one who came down into this world, and was led as a Lamb to the slaughter, and before his shearers was done the one who was the very picture of weakness. For it says He was crucified in weakness, but he liveth by the power of God. That one is the lion of the tribe of Judah. The world is our brother brought before us last night, could spit in his face, they could crown him with thorns, they could take a tree which that dirty one made to grow.
And the very iron that he put in the hills to make nails, to hold that onto the cross, they could do that. And God didn't interfere. He allowed all this to take place because he wanted to redeem you and I to himself about the Lord. Jesus is not going to be despised when he comes again.
He's going to come in power and glory. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David will take his rightful place, that one will assert his rights to this world. He is worthy, and he's going to open the seals, and he's going to say publicly to this world that all these things belong to him. And as we find in the 11Th chapter of Revelation, the triumphant voice goes out.
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.
And he shall reign forever and ever. Will the world be glad when that takes place? The 11Th chapter of Revelation tells us the nations were angry. They didn't want it that way. They wanted to have the world for themselves. They wanted to have their sins. They wanted to live as they liked, enjoy all the good things God gives in this world, and leave out the Creator. But it's not going to always be so. This blessed One is going to open the field. And just as that.
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Was brought out after the captivity and Jeremiah could prove his rights to that property. So the book is going to be opened, the rights of Christ are going to be asserted, and you and I delight to give that place to him Now little him says Christ of God, our souls confess the king and sovereign even now, oh brethren, may we give him that place in our hearts. May we own him as Lord. For owning him as Lord means that we recognize his right.
And his authority, and I believe it's a truly happy path to acknowledge his rights, even though we may be despised for it. He is worthy.
Well, then we come. We see in the seventh verse he takes the book, and it says in the eighth verse when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and 20 elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of orders, which are the prayers of Saints.
I believe, and it says having everyone of them harps, it means that everyone of us will praise perfectly. Then you can't always sing the best. Now it tells us, though, or I believe this is a thought of not man's, shall I say, not man's work. It tells us in another place I heard the voice of Harper's harping with their harps. And I like to think, brethren, that all our voices are going to be perfected up there.
There's a very interesting verse.
In connection with the creation of Satan in the 28th of Ezekiel, and it says the workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes was prepared in me in the day that thou was created. I believe with Satan, who was the greatest of all gods created intelligences that he showed that his plan was to put all capabilities of the very finest music, not by an instrument that man makes, but just inside the human body. When I see some of these.
Organs where you can just press a button. I think how wonderful it's going to be on every voice is just like that, and all the voices will be just so perfect that.
All that workmanship of God will be manifested in the vessel and everyone.
Will break out in praise not only a heartful, but even our voice is perfected in that day, having everyone of them harps, the one of the hymn writers picked it up harps harp strung and tuned tremendous days and formed by power divine the sound in God the Father's ears, none other name but thine. And then these golden vials full of odors. We know that the Saints will be crying out to God.
In that awful day when God will allow evil to rise to a height it's never risen before in the earth, and they'll cry out and their prayers will ascend as incense, and God will answer them. God is going to intervene. But I believe we can also apply it to ourselves, brethren, because every one of us experience in some measure or other the pressures of this world in which we live.
And our prayers go up, and God puts our prayers in His bottle. And just as he hears those prayers.
For earthly deliverance in the Tribulation day, I believe every prayer that has ever gone up for deliverance will be answered in that coming day. I like to think of it that way because, you know, all of us day by day are looking to the Lord about different things that beset us in the pathway and those pressures that surround us. And when we get there, why every one of those prayers, so to speak, will be answered in His presence, because there will be no pressures there.
We'll never say I want this, or I hope this happens, or I I hope this difficulty is removed. Not there, No. All those desires will be fully answered, and they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy host. And I will make them to drink of the river of thy pleasure. So here we see the redeemed praising.
Every desire fully fulfilled in his presence. And a song, a new song.
There's no singing in heaven yet, brethren, though singing is waiting the time when they're redeemed, it will be there, and when the redeem get there, then singing will begin, because singing is for the redeemed, and those who have gone before are their absent from the body present with the Lord. But when the redeemed get there, I believe the Lord Jesus will introduce us to the Father's house with singing.
As he himself will lead the praise.
For it says, He will joy over us with singing, He will rest in his love, and as he breaks forth, that his desire to have his own with Him has been fulfilled, when the redeemed enter those courts of glory. And then we too will join in that song, and then we will acclaim him as the worthy. 1 Thou art worthy to open the book, and to open the seals around. For thou was plain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood.
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Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation here we see that there's a vast number of the redeemed that are brought before us here. Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. I rather enjoy thinking, brethren, that the promise that was made in the book of Genesis is going to be fulfilled. In thee shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
And I believe there's going to be representatives from every kindred in that glorious scene above. Because in these heathen lands where the gospel is not preached, the Lord knows how to take many of those dear little babies home to be with himself. He knows how to bring that company to surround the throne. Here's a, here's a family group. And they, they're infidels. They don't believe in the Bible. They say they're atheists.
So the Lord reaches in and takes a little child out of that home and takes it up.
To be among the redeemed company, to sing the praise in that day, all is going to be a representation every, all the kindreds of the earth are going to be blessed through him. Oh, what a wonderful scene this is that is brought before us. Perhaps some know that even the word us is omitted in the new translation has redeemed us. Because I believe this song is so wide, so glorious, that it really brings before us the fact that they.
That there's only one ground of blessing, whether it's heaven or earth, they're sharing in the earthly, in the heavenly part of it. But there is a blessing that is going to come. And in the 7th chapter we see an earthly company brought before us who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And so the heavenly company is going to rejoice and say there's one title for blessing when Christ has his rightful place. And that's the blood. It's redemption. And So what a song.
As we see the redeemed, their singing, and as it should read, reigning over the earth because so here we have the heavenly ones. We're going to reign over the earth while Israel reigns on the earth.
And now we see another company, The 11Th verse I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 * 10,000, and thousands of thousands.
He has represented this company as 24 elders, but this is showing us that it's not a literal number that it's talking about. It's simply our priestly place. But here we have the redeemed singing, and then we have the angels not occupying the nearest place to the throne, but saying and what are they saying?
Worthy. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessings.
You notice they, they recognize his place and they say to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing, because it's his power that has preserved those elect angels. I'd rather enjoy the thought too, brethren, that the only ones who are going to be brought into blessing will be elected ones. And so we have those who are elected to be among the.
Redeemed, who will surround the throne and praise him in that coming day?
But it's also true that the only angels who will be brought into blessing are also elected. It's going to be all God's choice. Brethren, isn't it wonderful that He chose you and me? Can't we praise him and thank Him for it? And so he had two different plans. He planned to bring a company of angels to surround the throne and to praise him. And they were preserved from sinning. And they won't know his heart. Not in the same way that you and I did. They.
For his greatness and His power. They will know Him as the one who went to Calvary, but not for them. So they can't join in the song. They just simply say about His power and his might and His glory. But you and I, from the wreck of ruined humanity He's picked us up, brought us into a nearer place, given us to know His heart in a fuller way. We can sing, we can enter into his thoughts and counsels and purposes.
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Some people find fault with election, but there be no blessing if it wasn't for it. Some of the angels are fallen and it's only His electing grace that has picked us up. Let's praise Him for it. We may not understand that brethren, but we can thank Him for it. Many a person has said I don't know why I was chosen, but He did chose us and we give thanks for Him. So don't allow yourself to get upset and perplexed because you don't understand.
It just thank him.
I often have things that happen I can't understand, but I'm thankful the Lord chose me. Oh, let's thank Him for His electing grace. Well, they too join to speak of His worthiness. And then the whole creation, every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all are in them heard eyes saying blessing and honor and glory and power.
Be unto him that sitteth upon the throne.
And unto the land forever and ever. There we see now others brought into blessing. And that is not to be able to enter into the thoughts of God. But it's a wonderful thing, as it was mentioned in some of the meetings, that even the lower creation is going to be delivered from its grown and be brought into blessing. Who through?
Through new veterinarians who have understood animals a little better. Oh, no.
Through the one who is the 2nd man on last Adam, the one who went to Calvary Cross, and there the question of sin was settled. And in resurrection he takes his place as the head of new creation to bring in a glorious scene where God will have his rightful place. And brethren, isn't it wonderful that you and I will be there to share and all that the Lord Jesus I say, has a right to this earth as Creator?
He has a right to this earth as Redeemer. We're glad to give him his right as Creator. We're glad to give him his right as Redeemer. Now just let's notice this last verse. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and 20 elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. This to me is quite interesting that we have this little expression. And the four beasts said Amen.
I mentioned a few moments ago how they represent to us the governmental ways of God all through this earth. There is a movement of events right from the very beginning. There are those wheels and wheels within wheels. They're moving forward, and as time moves on, they're moving on to the time when all is to be brought to its fruition. And here we see the blessing that has come to those who share.
Heavenly scene of glory. And I like to think of it this way, that when those four beasts said Amen.
They are practically saying this, this, this just displays to us the wisdom of all God's ways. You know, to me, that's a great comfort to my soul. As you look out, you say, why did this happen and why can't we have better government and why?
Our people losing their jobs and so on. But do you think when we get to the end of the journey, we're going to say, oh, we wish it had been different. If God had only planned it some different way in the course of humanity, he could have planned it differently. Are we going to say that the four living creatures, when they come to the end of these governmental ways, they say Amen, they say for Amen means. So let it be.
Or let it be established, and then what to the fore and 20 elders do they fall down and worship?
And brethren, we're going to have a backward look there in glory. It'll be a wonderful thing as we look back. And I believe we'll trace the whole history of God with man and all the things that seem perplexing and those things in our own lives. When our lives pass into review, we're going to see the wisdom of all his ways. And there's not one believer that's going to say, oh, I only wish it were different. We're going to say Amen to all his ways. We're going to see the.
He wants us to accept those things in faith. Now. He says blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. It may be hard at times for us to do this, but oh brethren, it is the path of peace and blessing. We're moving on to this event that we talked about. We're moving on to those things that open up to us here. The Lord Jesus, our precious Savior is going to take His rightful place.
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Heaven on earth are going to own that place.
The Creator, he has a right as such, He's the Redeemer and he has the right as such. And you and I delight to acknowledge that place to him even now. May we be in the enjoyment of it. Now, I believe if that's if that were more true of us, the peace of God which passes all understanding would Garrison our hearts and minds. We'd say, if it's going to turn out that way in the end, then I can safely trust Him. Trust.
Simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all. Oh, May God grant that the thought of this blessed scene that's ahead for us cause us to have more peace and joy in our souls, and also to give the Lord Jesus His rightful place and to acknowledge Him as rightful Lord in everything in our lives, day by day.
Swimming - A Spiritual Life and Exercise
Address—P.L. Johnson
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I'm going to read the first portion and 2nd Kings chapter 6.
Second Kings 6.
And we'll read from verse one.
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elijah, Behold now the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us.
Let us go, we pray thee unto Jordan, and take dance every man a beam, and let us make us a place. There we meet where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
I will go. So he went with them, and when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water, and he cried and said, Alas, master, for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, where fell it? And he showed him the place, and he cut down a stick and cast it in thither, and the iron that swim.
I call attention to that last expression. The iron did swim. Now we'll read in the Acts chapter 27.
And verse 39.
And when it was day, they knew not the land, but they discovered a certain Creek with a shore into the which they reminded if it were possible to thrust in the ship.
And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves under the sea, and loosed the rudder bands and hoist up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground.
And the four parts stuck fast and remained unmovable, but the hinder part was broken to the violence of the waves.
And the soldiers counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape.
But the centurion willing to save Paul kept them from their purpose.
And commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get the land.
And the rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship.
And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land.
And one other portion in the 47th chapter. Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 47.
And verse one.
Afterward he brought me again to the door of the house.
And behold, Waters issued.
Out from under the threshold of the house eastward.
For the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under the right side of the house.
At the South side of the altar.
Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward and LED me about the way.
Without under the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters. The waters were to the ankles.
Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters. The waters were to the knees.
Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters were to the low ends after he measured 1000 and it was a river that I could not Passover for the waters were risen.
Waters to swim in a river that could not be passed over.
Perhaps you noticed in each one of these?
Portions we read, we have an occasion where swimming is brought before us.
The iron, the head that fell into the water.
In second Kings 6.
The scriptures speak of it this way, that the iron did swim.
A rather unusual statement because.
It isn't natural that an iron would float Swim.
Contrary to nature, but nonetheless that's what we read there, and we have no doubt of what had happened, even in a literal sense.
My thought, of course, was to take up the these occasions of where we have swimming brought before us, not to speak of it in any literal way.
Even though it is quite a miracle that the iron would swim, it wasn't my thought to draw attention to a miracle and the fact that some in Acts 27 when the ship was wrecked, that some cast themselves into the sea and swam to the land. We're not going to dwell on any physical aspects there and likewise in connection with what we read.
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Swimming in Ezekiel 47.
We would like to take up these three passages and the thought of swimming.
As being an indication of spiritual.
Life and exercise.
We know that even from the from the natural standpoint that swimming requires a certain amount of exercise.
It involves energy and certainly would involve life. One could not do so if he did not have life and it certainly if he didn't expend a little energy and some exercise, he couldn't. So my desire is to bring before us everyone in the room, what it is to have life in Christ.
To have that which is really life.
Not just physical life.
That which Scripture speaks of as really life, life in Christ. And then to be able to have the energy that would give us to go through a broken state of things in regard to the church set up here in testimony in this world, and then as to our own individual.
Exercises that we might have energy to to go against.
The currents that we find around about us now you remember in the.
The book of books of both Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we have the unclean and the clean foods that the people of God could eat of in the Old Testament. And you remember in regard to the fish, the fishes of the sea, they could eat only those who had fins and scales.
Perhaps that's not familiar to all, but to most of us, I'm sure that at some time or another we have heard these things spoken on or have read them for ourselves. In the Word of God, they could only eat those fish that had fins and scales.
Well, I want to draw attention especially to the thought of the fins. We know, of course, that the scales would be that which would insulate the fish.
Against the pollution that might be found roundabout the waters in which the fish are found, that would be a thought of the of the scales. But what about the fence will the fins? I believe would bring before us the fact that it would give the ability to the fish to go against the current.
Without the fins, the fish would merely have to flow along with the current of things, whatever that current might be and wherever that current might take them. But the fins would enable the fish to go against the current, so that they might not just drift along and find themselves in the place where the currents would take them.
Well, I would like to say especially in the beginning to.
Those who are younger in the room with us this afternoon that I believe this is a very important consideration for you as well as as those who are older, that we not be those who just are carried along with the currents that are all around us in this world. We know that there is a tendency to do so.
That what prevails in the world.
Becomes, you might say, that which prevails among the people of God. That is only the case if we are in the currents of this world and you know where they all end up.
We know that this world is passing away, and it's fashion.
It's only that which is of God, he that doeth the will of God, that abides forever.
Well, I trust that the young people in the room this afternoon will be very much aware of the fact that there are strong currents all about us, currents that will take us off into areas and places and a condition that is not only dishonouring to the Lord but damaging to your own soul.
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To your own blessing, and even if it does not result in eternal lost, lost, because we know that the Lord Jesus says concerning his sheep, they shall never perish. And one would never suggest that any who might be truly the Lords, if you are a believer on the Lord Jesus, that you would ever perish. It may be that you might not suffer loss eternally in that sense.
But there will be the suffering of loss at the present time.
Loss as to the enjoyment.
Of the Lord.
Enjoyment of the Father's presence, enjoyment of the spiritual blessings, the peace and the joy.
Oh, it's very sad as we pass through this world to see that even though we are living in a very affluent society.
And with sometimes individuals speak of conditions being very difficult today.
But we know, of course, that it isn't really so.
When we think of all of the material benefits that that people enjoy in this country, but with all of that, how much discontent, how much sorrow and unhappiness and unrest?
And we find that even sometimes among young people, we think of young people who have been reared in times where.
Need, has or want has been virtually unknown.
It's been many years since there have been real want and need in this country and there are many who have been raised and never know what it is to really do without and to really suffer need.
But sad to say, it hasn't made them more happy. It hasn't made them more content.
It hasn't brought them more joy, but in many cases it's their lives are filled with sorrow. And why is it because it it really comes down to this that if one is not in right relationship with the Lord, if your soul is not in right relationship with God.
Why? You can heap up all of the material benefits that one could gain in a day like this, and it will never bring joy and peace and satisfaction.
It never will because you're caught up into the currents that are all about. Well, my thought was that we would consider these cases of swimming because it indicates, you might say, going against what is just current.
And I'm not speaking now as we will see not only what is current in the world that makes no profession of Christianity, but even what is current in the professing Christian world. Turn back to 2nd Kings.
6.
We might see this. We I believe we should take them up in this order. At least this should be the first one taken up.
Or it's the one that there's not much point in speaking on the others if one is not in the good of the swimming that we have here.
I assume that.
We understand, of course, in taking up the.
A circumstance such as we have recorded here.
That we're to look beyond the letter of the word as to the actual historical circumstance and to see in it a spiritual meaning. For we know that these Old Testament occurrences, the Old Testament is, was not written for the people who were involved in these circumstances. In other words, this wasn't written for Elijah.
This wasn't written for the children of Israel in that day.
We read in the New Testament that they are written for our admonition.
These things were written for you and me today that we might learn from them, so we want to.
You might say, get our minds out from the from the literal circumstance here to see what is involved in a moral and spiritual way. Well, we have the circumstance of one who found the place too straight for him and he goes off to as we read.
In verse four that they had gone off to cut down wood.
In a way, this order reminds me of the prodigal. You remember the Prodigal found things a little bit too, perhaps straight for him in his father's house. So he asked for the portion of goods that belonged to him, and he went out too.
Sometimes we find this is a characteristic in the minds of many of the young people that they feel that if they could go out, as it were, on their own, where they are without restraints or where where they're out without any.
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Giving account to others that they would be far better off and happy. Do you know what happened in this case? This one who went out?
And when he was occupied in the in the cutting down of wood.
We read in verse 5.
That as one was filling a beam, the axe head fell into the water.
The axe head fell into the water.
Well, we know that water is used in various ways in the Word of God, and sometimes water is a figure of death, and I think that's what we have here.
The acts had falling into the water is a figure of death.
Not primarily what we speak would would speak about as physical death.
But it's the fault of death, like we have in the first Timothy. You remember there is a remark made like this, that she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. That speaks of one who is very much alive in the body and having physical life. But they're really living in the region of death because they're living in a region of doing their own will.
Seeking their own pleasure.
Seeking to satisfy only themselves, without regard to the will of God and the mind of God.
And without any reference to God just going on in their own way.
We read that one who sows to the flesh. You love the flesh, reap corruption. And we read that the wages of sin is death.
Well, that's even now. Now I know that it has a reference, perhaps even to final judgment.
But even now one who goes on in sin and when we speak of going on in sin, we're not going to limit that to what society would speak of is sin. If you were to ask the man on the street for a definition of sin, well, he might say, he might say, I think that doing this is a sin or I think that the person who does another thing is sin. And each one would perhaps have their have their little.
List and catalog of what they would consider to be sin. But the Word of God tells us that lawlessness is sin.
Sin is lawlessness and the epistle of John, sin is lawlessness. And one might be very moral and upright and going on in his own way according to his own will and living in sin. And it says the wages of sin is death. And I think that's what is the figure here of this axe head falling into the water. He says it fell into the water, it fell into the place of death. So it speaks of.
One who does not have life.
He might have physical life, but he has no life in his soul. Dead in trespasses and sins.
Sometimes we wonder why it is or how it is that young people.
And perhaps even others can sit under the sound of the word and be completely and totally impervious. You know what I mean?
You might as well be speaking to a Stonewall. But you know, when you think about it, that's what would happen if you spoke to a dead person, one who is dead in trespasses and sins, hears nothing, hears nothing. And it's very sad. But the, the, the passage we have before us is that there is there is rescue, there is hope.
And here we see that when this accent fell into the water, there was an exercise on the part of this young man. He cried out.
He noticed that he cried out. We read in Scripture that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, well, now you know no one will call upon the name of the Lord unless he feels some distress.
If God has worked in your heart so that you feel distressed and you feel the fact that being a dead in trespasses and sins and being without Christ.
Is a dreadful condition.
You could be like this one here who cried out. Notice what he said. Alas, master, for it was borrowed.
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And what have you ever thought about that?
It was borrowed.
I suppose that even the ones that get older.
We might say that you would think that as one gets older, he would be more or less inclined to think of of death.
But in the mind of man, it's death always seems to be a long way off.
A long way off.
But we might say that every individual.
Who is not the Lord's? If you're here this afternoon and you can't say you're a Christ, a lover of the Lord Jesus.
You can't really say you are the Lords.
You have, as it were, just a borrowed life.
God said to Adam that in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Well, he didn't die on that that particular day in which he sinned. But we do read that Adam died. And we read of men who lived many years, one who lived 969 years, but he died.
You see, everyone born into this world in a sense has a borrowed life. I mean in the sense that one cannot retain his life and and the sin is that which causes one to forfeit his life. You know, I thought of it this way, that every person walking through this world without Christ is living a forfeited life.
And if you're here this afternoon without the Savior?
You're living a forfeited life, just a borrowed life.
That we thank God that there is provision whereby we might have life.
Really life, Life in Christ and life in Christ is eternal life.
Life in the flesh is not it comes to an end.
And it may be, as the Word of God says, we shall not all sleep. That means that all Christians are not going to enter into the go through the article of death, but we shall all be changed. Flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.
So that if we do not have that life in Christ.
Why we we have not that life that abides.
We do not have that life that abides, and this life is in his son, John tells us.
So that he that hath the Son hath life. Well, we read here that this man.
He felt his distress and he recognized that he was only a borrowed life, a borrowed axe head, that is. It would speak of a borrowed life, forfeited life. But notice what the man of God said. Where fell it?
And he showed him the place.
Well, I wonder if if we've ever thought of the place, you might say, where our acts had fell, the place of death.
And why is that important? Because of the action of the man of God. He took down a stick. He took wood.
And he cast it into the place where the axe had fell. It cast it into that very place.
And it's when.
But I have no doubt but what we have here, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ in manhood.
The one who became flesh and the one who dwelt among us, and the one who went to the cross of Calvary and his man laid down his life. He went into death. He went into that very place, you might say, in which we were. And I think that's why as the as people of God, we want to look back, as it were. We want to see the place where we were, because that's the place the Lord Jesus Christ entered.
And he entered that place.
In order that he might bring life to you and to me, that we might have life.
He says in John's Gospel, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.
We know that in him was life.
We know that He was that eternal life manifested here in this world, that eternal life that was with the Father and manifested here.
But except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and died abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
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And he in his going into the place of death, and coming forth in resurrection.
He has brought to you and me that life, that life that is in himself, that eternal life, not the character of life that we find in man, in the flesh, here in this world. A life that is lived for self, a life that is lived without regard to the will of God, a life that is lived without the knowledge of God.
You know, we read in John 17, this is eternal life.
To know thee, the only true God.
The only true God to know him, in contrast to all of the false concepts of God.
To know him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
That brings before us the Lord Jesus as that humble, submissive one, the one who came to do the Father's will that would deliver us from lawlessness. We find that what characterizes the life of man in the flesh. And I'm speaking now of the life of those who are outside of Christ, those who are lost, those all about us who know not the Lord.
That life is characterized by ignorance of God.
Or they might have some. They might even have the Bible. They might say certain things about God.
They might say God is a God of love and things of that nature, but they do not really know the only true God.
They have not the knowledge of the true God. The God of their concept is not the way God is presented in the Word of God.
And they're lawless. They're lawless. We find that lawlessness characterizes the life of man in the flesh. Eternal life is not of that nature at all. Eternal life, we see there is characterized by the knowledge of the true God and of Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. It would deliver us from all of the false concepts of God and from lawlessness itself. But this life is in his Son. He that hath, the Son hath.
And it was only it's only been made available to you and me through his going into the place of death.
You know, that's the way it's presented. I believe in First Corinthians 15, the gospel there you remember the apostle says how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried. You see, he comes into the very place in which we were found as those who are dead in trespasses and sins.
Just like the stick here, the wood is cast into the place where the axe head fell.
So the Lord Jesus came into that very place, but we read that he was raised again the third day according to the scriptures.
Well, I believe that's sort of like we read here at the end of.
Verse six The iron did swim. It came up.
It came up to the top.
And so you and I have a life that is outside of this scene in association with the Lord Jesus. That life is in Him.
It's in him, risen and glorified.
And here we see the iron did swim, as I mentioned earlier that it's unusual or.
You might say, contrary to nature, to speak of iron swimming, the.
And so I believe it would indicate that that life that you and I have in Christ is not the life that is native and natural to man in this world.
This enables us to go against the currents.
One who does not have this life is, you might say, at the mercy of the currents of this world. He has to flow with the currents.
But the child of God does not have to flow with the currents if we are in the current of things of this world.
It's by our own choosing. We do not have to be there. We do not have to be there. We have a life that is outside of that entirely.
It's like the iron that swims it's it's a life that is, that would elevate one above the currents of this world.
This is the life that we have read Romans 6. I could refer to some verses there, but Romans 6 speaks of that, that newness of life, a new kind of life, a life in which God is the object.
It says there about the Lord Jesus that in that he died, He died unto sin once, but in that he liveth. He liveth unto God now. That's the newness of life. Do you live under God? You say, well, I don't think I would be very good as going out in some Christian work.
00:30:17
Well, I didn't say anything about that. Living unto God.
In all of the circumstances of life.
In whatever pursuits that the Lord has set out for you and your circumstances.
As a young person that may be in school, as one a little older, it may be with rearing a family and in work or business, But are these things taken up in reference to God? That's living under God. But we have a life now. It's a newness of life. Newness of life is read in Romans 6. And so we see that here in this.
Iron that did swim.
Think of that, the iron swimming. Do you have that life? It's available.
It's the gift of God.
That's what we read. It's the gift of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And it's available for those who will receive it and receive it from the hands of the Lord. But it's only in Him. I I've repeated that because it's important. This life is in His Son, and he that hath the Son hath the life.
Now we'll turn over to the 27th of.
Acts where we read of another.
Occasion of swimming.
But here it's in relation to a shipwreck.
Perhaps.
Many in the room are familiar with this chapter, this voyage of the Apostle Paul.
And the shipwreck. And here we have a little picture of the assembly.
Established in this world as the testimony of the Lord, the pillar and support of the Truth.
At Hillary, it's the witness as the ground. It's the support pillar and ground of the truth as the King James says.
The witness and support of the truth.
And it was through the ministry of Paul that the assembly was so endowed.
With the truth we know, of course, it was established on the day of Pentecost, but it was through the ministry of Paul that the assembly was endowed with the truth of God. In Acts 20 he said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So the assembly was that a vessel of testimony set up in this world.
In possession of the whole Council of God.
What a wonderful thing.
Thing we see established.
But just as we have in the 27th chapter of Acts.
The ship in which Paul was to make the journey to Rome.
Fell into.
Hard times and rough seas.
And became a wreck and he became a wreck because the owners and the the captain of the ship, the owners did not listen to Paul rather, but to the captain of the ship. You remember Paul cautioned them as to taking the journey they were.
In a place called the Fair Havens and Paul said they should not take the journey. But they didn't listen to Paul.
They got away from the from the word of Paul, and they followed the word of man and the result was disaster. And that's exactly what has happened in the in the course of the history of the assembly, in testimony here in this world.
It got away from the.
Teaching of Paul the truth of God committed to it through the ministry of Paul.
Taking up rather the thoughts of men and introducing man made ways and practices and teachings in place of what had been divinely given through the ministry of Paul. And we read how that this resulted in being in a period of darkness for many days, neither sun nor stars.
Shine for many days.
Darkness.
Well, those who are familiar with the course of the testimony.
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Through the years from its inception knows that that is exactly what happened. There were many years of darkness.
And then finally, you might say Paul reappears.
When they gave up all hope of being saved, why Paul reappears.
And he speaks to them, and he speaks to them comfortably.
And he tells them that all on board will be saved, and he gives the conditions for it. Well, no doubt I believe that I would bring before us the the recovery that God has affected for his people in these last days.
In recovering and restoring the truth that had been lost for centuries.
Through those dark years, the truth of the assembly, its true character.
It's true testimony and its destiny and its function.
It isn't that new truth was given, but the truth was brought to light.
Paul was restored, so to speak, and then we see that despite the fact that Paul was restored and Paul speaks, he says there must be the loss of the ship.
Those on board the souls would be saved, and it's remarkable that we read at the end of the chapter the very last words. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land. I like to think of this in regard to all of those who belong to the Lord.
You know, the Lord Jesus could say in John 17 that He hadn't lost a thing that was given unto him, except the Son of perdition. But he wasn't one really given. He wasn't a sheep of Christ.
He was an imposter from the very beginning, Judas. But of all that the Father had committed into his hands, not one is lost. And that's true today. It's true today when the Lord comes, you know, we read in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul charges them by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him.
And I might say in passing, you know, in Matthew 1820, it doesn't say where two or three are gathered together unto me.
Says gathered together unto my name. I believe that.
That is in view of his absence.
Gathering together unto his name doesn't say Gathering together unto him.
But unto His name, because he is absent now, he does give the promise of coming to his own. He does come to his own, but he's not here. He's absent. So it's gathering together unto his name. But in Second Thessalonians it's gathering together unto him, because the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. It's the Lord Himself, and so all of his own are gathered unto him.
And you know, it's remarkable. It says where two or three.
And I don't think you can read that without seeing the fact that the Lord understood that it wouldn't be all gathering under his name, just could be only two or three. I don't say it has to be two or three, but it shows a sort of a, a remnant character. You might say not all, but the gathering together unto him includes every believer when the Lord descends from heaven with a shout in the voice of the Archangel.
God, every believer.
Is going to be gathered unto him.
Gathering unto Christ includes every believer gathering together under His name.
Alas, may not be, and we know it isn't. It might be only two or three, but not when it comes to gathering unto him. He's going to gather everyone of his own. Whether they swam to shore, whether they drifted ashore on broken pieces of the ship, they all escaped safe to the land.
And I believe that we we can rejoice in that.
Satan may have.
Succeeded to a certain extent in dividing and scattering the people of God and perhaps deceiving many and thinking that they have to cling to the ship. But nonetheless, everyone is going to be brought safely to shore. Every sheep of Christ is going to be preserved. We sometimes sing in one of our hymns. We look to meet our brethren from every distance shore.
And not only those with whom we can walk in a day of ruin and failure.
You know there's a difference.
00:40:00
We we read in two Timothy about.
With those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
That's quite a quite a contrast from first Timothy, a First Corinthians one, when he speaks about with all of that in every place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. With all that in every place that when you come to second Timothy, it's more restricted, says with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
But in that day.
When the Lord comes, everyone, wherever they are, we might not be able to walk with them at the present time, but we'll all be gathered under the Lord. But in the meantime.
What I wanted to point out, especially here, was that the the ship I believe would represent.
You might say what the the church or the assembly has become.
In an outward way, and would in a sense correspond with the great House of Second Timothy 2.
Now it's God is very careful not to call that great house in Two Timothy 2 The House of God because it's lost the character of the House of God. It no longer has the features of the House of God, although it is responsibly dealt with as such.
And you might say here the the ship when it becomes a wreck.
It it is in a sense of the responsible, the assembly and responsibility.
But it really represents the great house and what it has become in the hands of men.
And so as we read there in verse 43.
That Paul commanded that they which could swim.
Well, I I wonder if we can take this up.
You have life in Christ. We know something about the axe head. Swimming is having life.
Do you know something about being able to swim against the currents of Christendom? I believe that's what's involved, those that could swim.
They weren't just carried with the tide, so to speak. They weren't just carried with the current. They could swim. They had the energy of faith to leave the broken pieces of the ship.
You might say they had the faith to be cast on the Lord.
And I believe it again in Second Timothy, you know it says they that call upon the Lord.
Calling upon the Lord would be dependents, would it not?
It speaks of a dependent people, those that call upon the Lord, and it seems to me that those who cast themselves into the sea and swam to shore.
Where those who call upon the name of the Lord, they were cast upon the Lord. They didn't trust to any human institution, they didn't trust to any human innovations. They could leave the pieces of the ship entirely.
They had the energy of faith to be cast upon the Lord and to trust the Lord.
Do we have that energy of faith to trust the Lord, the head of the church to trust and the power of the Spirit of God?
Or do we resort to human maneuvers? I think that would be involved in those in verse 44.
The rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship, There were those who still clinged.
To portions of the ship.
They didn't have that energy to cast themselves, as it were, into that tumultuous sea and independence upon the Lord, to go against the currents.
They had to rely, they had to rely to on the parts of the ship.
Well, I trust that there might be an exercise here of energy, and it does require energy, you know, sometimes if we take up a path.
That our intellects.
As having some understanding of the word.
Gives us to know is right and correct, but we don't have the real spiritual energy for it.
And the next thing you know, we we want to get hold of some of the pieces of the ship.
We can't really go on in the energy of faith and counting on the Lord as the head of the Church in his spirit and perhaps we turn to the to the things that man has brought in in the great house, the aids and and human.
Expediences.
Those are the broken pieces of the ship.
Would to God that we did have that energy to continue swimming on in you might say in faith. I think of Peter. You remember when the Lord came walking to his disciples on the sea and they were in the ship and Peter when they saw the the Lord Peter said Lord, if it be thou bid me to come unto thee. And Peter actually walked on the sea when he got out of that.
00:45:22
That ship, the ship there, I have no doubt, would be a little picture of Judaism.
A human religion, that is, after Christianity was inaugurated, it had no divine authority at all. And he actually walked on the water. That would be contrary to nature. And as long as he had his eye on the Lord, he walked. But when he saw the seas boisterous and the waves, then he began to sink.
Well, I think that's a little comparable to what we have here. If we're going to cast ourselves into the sea and swim to shore, we're going to have to have our eyes on the Lord and not all of the difficulties and problems that arise. The boisterous sea, I have no doubt. But what those who were swimming, these who cast themselves into the sea and swam to shore, they could hear perhaps the waves beating against the rocks.
But they had to get their minds off that. They couldn't be thinking of all of the dangers.
And you might say the difficulties, but they had to have their eyes on the Lord. But they didn't reach out and take hold of those pieces of the ship. They continued to swim. And this is what I would want to bring before us, that even though there may be difficulties, and if they see maybe boisterous and tempestuous with our eyes on the Lord, we want to swim to shore that energy of faith.
That would maintain what is of the Lord.
And refuse and reject the broken pieces of the ship, those human expediences.
That man has brought in in the great house will now turn to Ezekiel 47. I'd just like to touch on that a little.
We have.
What might be for our help in individual exercise?
I think the swimming would involve a collective exercise too.
Being together.
Well, here we have waters.
And I said in the beginning or a few moments ago that water sometimes used in a different figure in Second Kings, I have no doubt, is a figure of death.
And I suppose in the 27th of Acts the water there would have reference to the adverse circumstances.
That those who swam to shore would have to go through, but here the water is more.
A figure of refreshment and blessing.
And perhaps would be a little figure of the word of God is that which brings refreshment. And to us that's really the way that God reaches us is through his words, through his word.
Now I know it's the Spirit of God who makes the word good to us, but we don't want to get over into what I would speak of is fanaticism.
We know that there's some who get carried away with with the Spirit in such a way that they have all sorts of visions and revelations by the Spirit, they say, but not according to the Word.
God refreshes us through His Word. He speaks to us out of this precious book. It's the Spirit of God taking the Word and making it good to our souls. But you'll notice how that the water in verse one issued out of the house out of the presence of the Lord. It's what comes from the Lord.
And we see that.
It comes out eastward. Well, we know of course, that in Scripture the the various.
Directions are have significance. In the east, of course, is the the place from which the sun rises.
And it speaks of the, of the hope that the believer has. And it's, it's a favorable direction, you might say eastward. And not only that, but we read at the end of the verse that it comes out at the South side of the altar. Well, we know that the South side in Scripture is the pleasant side the north speaks of of.
Trials and tribulations. The westward would speak of that which wanes where the sun goes down, but the South side is the favorable side, the pleasant side. So it speaks of the what comes out from the House of God that is favorable to his people, refreshment from himself out from under the altar. It's not judgment coming out from the altar, but what flows to us. And we know that you might say this flows out to us in blessing.
00:50:16
Because the Lord Jesus was offered is aware upon that altar.
And now there are great benefits that flows out to us and it comes to us in the word.
If we're going to enjoy what God has for his people, if we're going to be.
According to God's mind and be strengthened according to God, it's going to be through His word and in the power of the Spirit of God. And so we see where this water, we see the source of it. You know, we find that in Scripture that if you find the source of a thing, you can tell what its character is.
And the source of this river is the House of God in the altar.
On the east side, coming out from the right side, that would speak of strength would it not? The strength and power of God and and refreshing for his people.
Reminds us of what the Lord Jesus says in John 7 when he spoke of the Spirit. Out of his belly shall throw flow rivers of living water, refreshment for the believer and the power of the Spirit through the Word. But he remember the man goes out and measures the waters. And we read at the end of verse three when he measured the waters there it was under the ankles.
Well, that would cover the feet.
And I take it here that it would be the word of God reaching us to govern our walk.
Covers the feed here. Oh, we find much in the Word of God that that relates to our walk, even to children. Children, obey your parents and the Lord.
And even to servants.
Being subject to their masters, husbands, fathers, brothers, sisters, we find much of the word of God to regulate our walk and it really is for our refreshment. Sort of like the Lord washing the feet of his disciples. It wasn't a difficult thing. It was a very pleasant thing that the Lord did. It refreshed them, but it it had to do with their walk too.
And then we read then that he measured the waters again in verse four, and it was to the knees.
Well, others might have thoughts in regard to this, but I've taken this that in connection with that verse in Hebrews 12 That we're to, we're to strengthen the feeble knees. That is, I think this is the word of God that encourages us.
Or how we need this to be in the Word of God for encouragement. Many of the Lord's people are are cast down. There's so many difficulties in trials and there's much confusion and we're conscious of our own weakness, our own failure.
And how often we have to confess to the Lord our lack of energy. And all of this, I believe, tends to to discourage our hearts. But how encouraging it is to read in the Word of God of what He has made us to be.
And his thoughts toward us.
We read there that the Father himself loveth you.
And when we read.
What we are to God and to Christ.
Of what great value the value he places upon us, and what he has.
Brought us into at the present time.
How it would encourage us while taking our eyes off ourselves and our failures and our weaknesses. How it would build us up in our most holy faith and encourage us as to what we are in the Lord.
You know, the apostle Paul said he could boast of a man in Christ. He couldn't boast of what he was in himself. But when he thought of a man in Christ, and you and I are in Christ, as believers always said, I can boast in that.
And it would encourage us. And we only learned this from the Word of God. You'll never learn what you are to God by your own experience.
You learn what you are to God, into Christ in the Word, and to lay hold of it by faith.
Well, now we read after that the waters in verse four were up to the loins. Well, the loins in Scripture speak of affection.
The seed of affections. And here I believe it's the word of God enlarging our affections.
Oh, the more. The more we learn of Christ, the more the Father is made known to us. As we increase in the knowledge of God, it would increase our affections. If it's true spiritual knowledge and understanding, it will increase our affections. We will. We will find our affections enlarged.
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You know the Corinthians, their affections were narrowed.
The apostle Paul had to say, you're not narrowed in our affections, but in your own. And why is that? It was because they were worldly. There is nothing that will narrow and wither the affections of the people of God more than association with the world. But the moral of one is in the word of God, in an association with the Lord's people, how their affections are enlarged. The water is under the loins. And then finally in verse five, the waters rose so high.
That he could swim in them here, it's not the word that would.
Affect our walk or correct our walk. It's not the word to encourage us or to enlarge our infections.
You might say it's that in which we find our enjoyment.
You know we read in Romans 5 about those the Saints who joy in God.
Think of that to find your enjoyment in the things of God.
You say, is this possible? Yes, it is.
But it's possible only in the spirit. It's not possible in the flesh, but as we are in the Word of God and in a spirit of humility and self judgment.
Why? We find that the Word of God will so enlarge us that we can, as it were, swim in it for enjoyment. Enjoy the things of God as set forth in the Word of God, and there's nothing greater to enjoy. We find that this is one thing that we can enjoy that never leaves.
Anything unsavory in its wake, we find that every other source of joy in this world, the sting is always in the tail.
It's afterwards, but here we find that which leaves, as it were, no after tape.
After taste at all.
He has no sorrow with this something we can joy in. Well, I trust that we might have the energy to to enjoy the things of God through the Word of God. This wonderful refreshment that flows out from the presence of the Lord. Do we have that life in Christ? We have an exercise and an interest to go on in the position of dependence upon the Lord as Head and the Spirit of God and apart from any human.
Age.
And then to have the Word of God is that refreshment and the joy and rejoicing of our heart.
Revelation 1-3 1 of 2
Address—C.E. Lunden
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Turn to the first chapter of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he said and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John.
Who bear record of the word of God, love the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw, blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy.
Keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand.
John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us, and whilst us from our sins in his own blood, and have made us kings and priests, unto God and his Father Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord. Which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty.
I, John, who also am your brother, the companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
Was in the aisle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet.
Saying I'm Alpha and Omega, the 1St and the last, what thou seest write in a book, and settled unto the seven churches which are in Asia and Ephesus.
Under Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and the Thyatira, and the Sardis, and on the Philadelphia, and on the Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned I saw 7 golden candlesticks.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one, like under the Son of Man, clogged with a garment down to the foot.
Wrote about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, And his feet like on a fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. And his voice is the sound of money waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars.
And out of his mouth, when a sharp 2 edged sword and his countless resides in the sun shineth in his strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me.
Fear not I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead.
And behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.
Write the things which thou seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be.
Hereafter the mystery of the seven stars, with thou sawest in my right hand.
And the seven golden candlesticks, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. And the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. I'm going to read the first few verses the next chapter.
Under the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, right these things, said he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand.
Who worked in the midst of the seven golden counter sticks? I know thy works and thy labor.
My patients and how thou canst not bear them, which are evil.
And thou has tried them, which say they are passes and are not, and has found them liars. And it's born and has patience. And for my namesake has labored and has not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou is left thy first love.
Repent therefore from one star of fallen, and remember therefore from one star fallen, and repent, and do the 1St works. Or else I will come unto thee quickly. Will remove my Candlestick out of his place, except thy repent. But this thou hast, that thou handest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He that happened here let him hear, but the Spirit stuck under the churches.
00:05:04
Doing whatever cometh when I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. In this Book of Revelation, the apostle John is seen at a distance from the one who's speaking and beside that he stands in between the one who's speaking on the assembly. It's not it's not like we have an Ephesians where believers seen this in that nearest place.
To God, because this is the book of judgment.
And it's the judgment on the assembly.
We found here in this chapter, especially the next.
Prison them before us the whole profession of Christianity.
And we're quite well aware today what's going on in the profession of Christianity.
But there's the time coming when all this will come to a head and God will judge it.
Now God never judges his own work.
So if you are in Christ tonight.
We have the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
You will find there will be no judgment upon you.
But still this is so written that it should exercise the heart of each one.
Because the very things that characterize Christendom about us, there's always a danger that we take up with them ourselves and measure.
And so this book is to exercise our hearts.
As to our own actions as believers.
In a day like this, so he says, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Which God gave unto him to show unto his service things which must be hard to come to pass.
And he sent and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John. That's quite a ways, isn't it, From God himself at the distance. Now they it says, who bear record of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I believe that Aaron should be left out of all things which she saw. That is what we have in this chapter of Jesus Christ, as good as the thought.
Now there's a blessing here.
It's rather interesting. In this book of judgment, there are 7 blessings.
The first ones in the first chapter.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they to hear the works.
We can explain it this way.
In most days they didn't have a Bible like we have.
That is, they weren't, in fact.
There probably 1 Copy and one person would read it. In fact there were simply letters.
That were read except the Old Testament.
And someone would get up and read to the assembly, and that's the way they have the word communicated to them. So it says, blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words.
Of this prophecy and keep those things.
Which I wouldn't know in for the time is at hand. Now what time is there that is that that is at hand. He's Speaking of a specific time.
When I will notice in the next verse.
Now John addresses the churches. John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace be able to you, and peace from him which is.
That's.
We said this was a book of judgment. God will never give up his rights as being God overall and.
To dispose of the government over man, you allow us to have that place. That will never change.
He was.
He is and is the one who is to come.
This will never change forever, but now.
The time is at hand.
Read There was a Kingdom of Israel.
And in reading the history of it, we find that they failed in the year 60 AD. I believe that.
The whole nation was done away with.
Scattered. Nothing left.
But as set aside Israel because of their failure, now God intends to have a Kingdom.
In this world, and he intends to have a man over that Kingdom now that Kingdom could have been given to the church, but the church failed. We find in the early part of Acts that.
00:10:07
Before the truth that the Apostle Paul brought out regarding heavenly things.
The assembly would have been in the position to have governed the earth if they had been faithful, so the Kingdom could have been in the hands of the Church.
But now you see, the Church has failed, and we have the record of that failure in the following two chapters. Well then, what is that which is to come? It must be a Kingdom, and it's a Kingdom.
Over which there will be a man. That's the man Christ. Jesus will know in the second chapter of Hebrews that God has not put in the hands of the angels. The world's to come. The angels today have dominion.
That is, they are the servants of God, ordering the universe. They are not seen, but still behind the scenes they are ordering it up. But there's a day coming when this will not be so. Because He is not put in the hands of the angels. The world's to come. He put in the hands of man. Well, that includes more, of course, on Christ, because Christ has a body.
And that's the church.
Now if there's any failure.
That's worse than Israel's. It's the failure of the church. But God deals with his creatures in grace, and he's going to raise the church up to the highest place with Christ. That's in the first chapter of Ephesians. When Christ comes forth as King of kings and Lord of Lords, the Church will come forth with him. Glorious day is coming for this world.
So we learn a little later that Christ is the faithful.
Witness God has placed responsibility in the hands of many priests, kings and governors Rulers.
Prophets.
But they're only each one, a little picture of the one who's going to come and fulfill all of these offices in his own person. That's Jesus. Now Jesus is our Savior. If you're a believer tonight, you can claim Him as your Savior. As we said before, there will be any judgment.
On his own work, but the judgment is going to file on the 1St profession those who claim to be.
The disciples or servants of Jesus, but who never in their hearts have received them as their personal savior. I trust there's no one in this room like that this evening. It could very well be, you know, very well be.
There might be someone in this room this evening that has passed. As a Christian, I remember a young lady.
Probably near her 20s who got up at the close of a conference, went up to the front and she said I've always passed as a Christian, but it never was one until tonight. Think of it awkwardly going on as though she were a Christian.
But never really in her soul to receive Christ as Savior. Well, that's what the judgment is about.
Because God will not have anything but reality.
And sooner or later.
Everything will be tested now. We have 3 big bucks in here. We have first of all, God.
Fourth verse Which is and which was and which is to come? He's over all.
Then we have the seven spirits which are before his throne.
Well, the Spirit of God has spoken of connection with the church. It's one spirit by 1 spirit. Are we all baptized into one body, and one is the question of his government. With seven spirits, 7 is a perfect number and it speaks of the government of God going out to the whole earth or even universe.
Every direction so the spirits, 7 spirits which are before his throne. Now the third is and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness of the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
We have God, then first of all his position of authority over all things. We have the Spirit who carries out.
I like which is has to do with the glory of God.
And his actions in connection with his creatures.
And then we have Jesus Christ mentioned as.
The faithful witness.
There never was a faithful witness before.
And there must be a faithful witness if God is going to have a man on the throne of this world. Jesus is that faithful witness beside that.
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He has a title of.
The first forgotten or first born?
From the dead.
And the Prince of the kings of the earth. So here's the man then that's going to reign the man Christ Jesus. We have gone out, we have the Holy Spirit and now we have Christ who who publicly is going to have to do with the administration of this earth in the millennial day fellow. And we've noticed that we've had Israel as God's testimony and it failed.
The church was raised up and the churches failed.
This one will never fail. He's been proved even unto death. A man who has been proved, he'll never fail. And that's where our souls rest tonight who are saved. We're resting on a man who cannot fail.
It's impossible for him to fail. Is that not some comfort for you tonight as a Christian, that your soul is resting on a person that cannot fail? Now John's ministry and John wrote this book is protectively connected with eternal life, but not eternal life in heaven particularly.
But that eternal life as it was seen down here in Jesus on the earth, that's his ministry.
He rarely speaks of heaven in the sense that we're going to go there. He speaks of it on the 14th of John, the 17th.
But it's usually connected with the man Christ Jesus down here in this world. Who is that eternal life?
Now that really is a wonderful thought, is it not?
But you and I are associated with the man, the man Christ Jesus, and he is that eternal life in his own person.
And suddenly in the epistles of John he writes about the believer.
And he shows the believers partaking of that very same life you and I now have, that same eternal life that was found in Jesus when he came down here.
Are simply believing on him as our savior. Now these are wonderful truths but the book of the Book of Revelation takes us to the time when God is going to judge our laws have refused that eternal life. But first of all he's going to take up the church which has had the highest privileges. No one has been privileged like the Church of God, but we have to distinguish here between.
That which is merely profession and that which is real.
And so at the very beginning, we have the Spirit of God introducing.
That rest of that fifth verse under him that loved us.
Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests under God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen. I'm sure that the Spirit of God put this in so that at the very start you and I can rest assured.
That in the face of all these judgments that are going to file upon Christendom.
The believer has peace and rest will never be touched by one of these judgments.
However, we said before, let's sub to the churches for all of us to be exercised with. But the destiny of each church is spoken of and we have to distinguish between those who are real and those who are unreal. Not that we can determine it in another.
That we can in ourselves.
Now the next verse, seventh verse, introduces him again to the earth.
He's coming back. The Lord Jesus was here the first time and he was cast out, but he's coming back.
Now, the first time he came, He came in lowly grace to be the Savior.
But the next time he comes.
Growth is going to mourn, you know.
Man can go on and on and on, day after day.
As though all things will continue as they were, as it says in Peter. But it's not son.
God has something to say to this world, but especially to those who have made the profession of Christianity.
The Jew never had what you have as a believer.
They never, they never saw themselves seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. That's where God sees you tonight if you're a Christian. But if you made the profession of being in such a place and you're not real, there's nothing left for you but judgment. And there's no judgment as severe as judgment that will roll over Christendom.
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Because those who have the most light will be held accountable for the light that they have had. Behold, he cometh with clouds.
That's his kind of glory, and every eye shall see him.
That's the character of the Millennial day.
This world was actually going to see the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will see him in flaming fire and judgment.
Some will see him as their deliverer because his feet will yet stand on the Mount of Olives.
It is saying that He will bring the little remnant of faith, and He will set up the Kingdom with a little remnant of Judah.
And then the 10 tribes will come back. Then shall a remnant of his brethren return to the children of Israel.
After the Kingdom is set up in the tomb, when the remnant of the 10 tribes will come back.
And John the two, and the Kingdom will be established in the 12 tribes. All these things are coming, and all this could take place and be over in seven years, if the Lord came for us this evening very near to it. And though also which pierced him, that's Israel, they also which pierced Him. And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him, Even so.
Amen. Now the earth is not the world. You may.
Wonder why I said that the earth is a moral expression connected with that part of the world that's going to be under judgment. When I judgments are on the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteous. The judgments will not cover the world, they will cover only the earth. Now the earth is that part of the world that has had a testimony from God.
The Jew, the Church, and in a in the coming day.
Before the Lord Jesus returns the gospel, the Kingdom will go out to the nations who are the neighbors of Israel, and they'll all hear the gospel of the Kingdom.
And those who have rejected that gospel in the Kingdom will wail when he comes. I'm Arthur Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord. Which is and which was and which is to come. Now this is taking us back to God's original revelation of Himself, like He made known himself known to Abraham the Almighty. He's the beginning and the end.
The ******* and Omega.
Find this at the end of the book as well.
Here is spoken of as the beginning and the end, because it's the beginning of the book, the end of the book. He says the same thing because it's the end of the book altogether. Says which is and which was, which is to come the Almighty.
I, John, who else? And your brother and companion in tribulation.
And in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was in the Isle that is called Patnos for the word of God.
For the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Now John is speaking here of proper Christian position.
Not as the Apostle Paul speaks of it, of course.
But.
As to everyday testimony.
Companion in Tribulation and in the Kingdom.
And patience of Jesus Christ.
It's not only given to you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but also to suffer for His sake.
You and I do not know very much about this.
Suffering for Christ's sake.
As we notice in the next chapter, we'll see a reference to those who had passed through deep, deep trials.
For the name of Christ burnt to the state.
For his namesake.
We don't know anything about that today.
But there is suffering for Christ, and maybe a little different way, because he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
And so we can use verses like this to test whether or not.
We are suffering whether we are living godly Christ.
Otherwise, we live like the world around us, and that isn't giving a testimony, is it?
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You know your testimony isn't simply getting up and speaking about Christ.
Your testimony is living it.
It's a practical everyday life. That's the testimony. And no matter what we say, if there isn't that accompanying it, there's no testimony. It's a solemn consideration, isn't it? You know, every believer in a sense, is a testimony. You can't help but be the very fact that you're a believer.
But that's not quite the same, you know, as following with John in the path of persecution and tribulation. But then we have something else. Notice what it says in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom supposes the lordship of Christ in our lives Kingdom is always a question of.
Obedience.
Responsibility.
And patience is a mark in the Christian of spiritual power.
When everything around is opposed to Christianity.
Post your testimony.
It requires a lot of patience and that is a result of communion.
You have spiritual power manifested down here.
The Kingdom.
Owning the Lordship of Christ in our lives.
And the patience of Jesus Christ. Now, I suppose this includes the patient waiting for Christ, because Christ is waiting for the church right now. He's waiting to hear that shout just as much as you are. More so.
It's the Father who gives the signal, and then Christ comes.
But he is waiting patiently, because the dearest thing to his heart is the Church.
He became a man, and as a man it is not good for man to be alone.
And so that just as God prepared a bride for Adam, God is preparing a bride for Christ.
And if you're a Christian tonight, you're a part of that bride. And he's waiting, patiently waiting for that moment. And I trust each one here is waiting like he's waiting. If we're waiting, we're not becoming engaged in the things of this world.
We're not allowing our whole life to be occupied with the present. There's a class spoken of in Revelation who are like that. They're called earth dwellers, and when the true church is gone, they'll be left behind because they loved earth more than heaven.
And that's solemn, too. I know that one person is very young. There's a tendency to be attracted to everything down here, and God is patient with us.
And little by little these things dropped off. If we want to work with God, nobody can force you, force them away from you, except the Spirit of God. You can draw your heart to Christ, and these things will drop off little by little. Patience of Christ with the patient, waiting for Christ. Now the apostle was on the Isle of Patmos. Oh, you say this is terrible, to have a man banished like that because he believes in Christ.
Well, what happened when Paul was put in prison?
We got those epistles which give us the highest truths that we've ever been given, and now that John is banished to this Isle, we get these marvelous truths as to the coming glories of Christ. Because that's what Revelation is all about, the book of judgment, true.
That the scene has to be cleared because the Lord Jesus is not going to reign until it's all cleared.
All evil has to be put away, put down. Then he's coming to reign. He's going to send these angels and cleanse his Kingdom of all things that offend them members to iniquity. Then he's coming to rape. This will come take place as soon as the church is gone. The true church is gone because the false church was stay for judgment. Now he's to write what he sees in a book.
He was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and heard a great voice behind him as a trumpet.
He turns around to see it and 1St he's told what thou see us write in a book. We have it tonight.
But haven't written before us.
Who sent it unto the seven churches which are in Asia at Ephesus?
And bergamot and Thyatira Sardis in Philadelphia, Laodicea.
Now these seven churches, it doesn't mean that there are only 7 churches.
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That day there were many churches, but these churches have the certain characteristics.
Of the failure.
That the Lord.
Is going to bring before the whole church down through the 2000 years. Now that doesn't mean that this all happened at once.
During these 2000 years, these are 7 distinct stages that the Church has gone through.
During these 2000 years and what does he see? He sees 7 golden candlesticks. Now those candlesticks represent the churches. You get that in the last verse of the chapter and the Lord is seen in the midst of them.
Now he is not seen in this picture like he was seen when he was here the first time among men, feeling the sick and cleansing the lepers and raising the dead.
No, he is seen here as a judge. He has a garment down to his foot.
No mercy. He's girded with a golden girdle. Divine righteousness.
He's judging. It's not a time of mercy, it's a time of judgment. Same person.
The same person who was here offering mercy whosoever will, but now he's come as a judge.
For the first to be judged as the professing church. Christendom. 7 golden candlesticks.
God speaks of divine righteousness.
That was the profession of each assembly professing to maintain.
The testimony of divine righteousness down here. Has the church done this? You know very well it's not so.
You know very well how we failed in testimony, even the little things replaced in our hands, and yet this is the standard divine righteousness. Where else would there be a testimony if it weren't in the place where God had set up a testimony here on the earth following Israel's?
There is no other testimony to go out on the earth.
And if there's any testimony at all today, it's in those who really have received the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts as Savior and are seeking by grace to walk in the path that He's laid out.
Without pretending anything. So that's what's left of the testimony, Son of man.
Says one like him of the Son of Man. Still distance, but it was the Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paths with a golden girdle. All the affections enclosed his head, and his hairs were white like wool as white as snow. Now he's the Ancient of Days, same one has spoken of in Daniel.
God himself and his eyes were as a flame of fire. Fire speaks of judgment, and he misses nothing.
He searches everything no one can escape.
To search against. Now. This is true for us as Christians. He knows everything that goes on in our lives and in our hearts.
There's going to be a reward for faithfulness. You know, every Christian, of course, has the salvation that's in Christ Jesus, but there's also reward for faithfulness.
Beside that and so his these piercing eyes, they see everything in our lives.
Things that we might think, well, we can allow this, but no one else knows about it.
No, no it's not. So we have to do with one who's who has piercing eyes.
From a fire his feet like a divine brass if they burn in a furnace.
Now brass speaks of judgment. Really.
The thought of He has the right to judge.
And so everything on the earth that his feet touches will be tested by fire. Fire God's character that tests everything. And his voice is the sound of many waters. That's the majesty of his person.
It's that very same voice by which he judges it was the majesty of his person, and he had in his right hand 7.
Stars out of his mouth when a sharp 2 edged sword.
And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. The judgment isn't in this chapter yet.
But we see the one who's going to judge, and this is what the apostle is given to see.
00:35:00
That is, to write about the character of the person who is the judge. His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Our sun is the symbol of supreme authority. The Lord Jesus as a man has supreme authority over all things. Besides that, he is God. He's the Son of man because he's taken a place as man, but he has gone marvelous glory of his first God over all blessed breath. So we read in the 17th of Acts that he's going to be the judge.
By that man that is ordained.
Why is God going to use a man for a judge?
So man will never be able to say when he's judged. You don't know anything about man. You've never had my experience.
Because the very one who's the judge has been through all the experiences of this life, Sienna Park. So when he judges, he judges with the full knowledge of the experience that every man has passed through in principle.
And his judgments are right.
But think of the judgments here which have to do with the testimony of God on the earth that's been committed.
Demand.
Now Israel failed and the Church will fail.
But still, each individual person is accountable for his actions.
All this will come out in the judgment in that coming day, because God is going to judge the secrets of man by Christ Jesus.
According to Paul's gospel.
It is Sodom time for man.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I'm the 1St and the last. I'm he that liveth and was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen Have the keys of hell and death. But here's the one who has the keys of hell and death.
John.
Fell before him prostate.
Because of the glorious person.
But he gives John to see that he was the one who has the keys of hell and death, and John was the one who could enjoy now that that place, even though it is in the midst of judgment.
It's rather interesting why John was chosen to write the Book of Revelation. John was the one who lay on Jesus bosom when you think about all those visions that John has.
He had to be.
In the in the enjoyment of the love of Christ to ever to be able to stand to see all those visions. So it was repeated over and over again. That disciple which lay on his bosom, right. The things which thou seen, that's the first chapter. The things which are it's the second and third chapters. That's the present day.
Christen them.
The present testimony of the Church down here, then from the 4th chapter on.
It's the things that are after these, not hereafter, but after these. The things that are after these first chapter, the things thou seen, That's the person who's the judge.
Then the second and third chapters, those that he will judge.
The things which are.
Are today in these 2000 years?
Then the things that will be after these.
And that's the judgments that will come upon this earth after the true Church is taken out.
The things after.
These.
And so he explains in the 21St The seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand are the seven golden candlesticks, and the seven golden candlesticks, the seven stars, are the angels of the seven churches. Now the angels, the word Angel, is representative. And so.
The picture before us is those who have the responsibility.
In each assembly, in one sense, everyone in the assembly has that responsibility because he's speaking to the whole church. But there's a special responsibility for those who are in that position place there of God as overseers in the assembly.
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Now those are the ones that are spoken of as the Angel of the church, which is at Ephesus, and so on.
Now that doesn't relieve the responsibility of each one, but there is a special responsibility attached to those who take the lead.
And they'll have to give an account in that day. So we have the first one mentioned here, Angela Church at Ephesus. And just speak briefly of it tonight. These things said he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.
I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience.
And how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou St. them which say they are apostles, and are not as found in liars. Not in these verses we've read. It looks outwardly as though everything is all right.
And to the average person, it looks as though the assembly at Ephesus was in a rather a good state. But if you would read it carefully, you'll see that there's quite a difference between the state of Ephesus here.
And the state of one Thessalonians, if you compare the two, because you see here, if you'll just turn to that passage for one moment, First Thessalonians first chapter. I'm going to read this while you look at the one in Ephesians in Revelation verse 3, remembering without ceasing your work of faith.
Faith is missing.
The labor of love.
And patience of hope.
You see, Michelle was there, but the inner life was gone. So that's how the church felt and never recovered as an assembly. The works were there, but they weren't works of faith. There was labor, but it wasn't labor of love. There wasn't patience of hope. All that which would appear well outwardly was there.
But what was missing was the inner life. Now those who do not have Christ as their Savior have no inner life.
They can carry out the outward line of things, but if there's no heart in it.
No faith, no love, no hope. Now God has given us these things to test our hearts, to see where we are tonight in the things of God.
You know there's a day coming when God is going to.
Judge those who receive not the love of the truth.
Had the truth.
They had the outward shell of it. They didn't have the love of the truth.
Solomon probably deceived in their minds all the time.
Until that murmur of judgment, receive not the love of the truth. What else do we have here that that needs to be tested? How thou canst not bear them which are evil. How did the evil get into the assembly? Do you know, beloved, if if each believer was walking in communion, there wouldn't be any evil come into the assembly. So it's lack of watchfulness on the part of each of the ones in the assembly. It wouldn't be an evil there. Now they have to bear with the evil.
Instead of being in the enjoyment of the things of Christ together, they're occupied with evil.
And that's been the history of the people of God down through the ages because of what happened in the first church and was never judged. Evil, evil, evil all the way. Satan wants to spoil everything that God has set up.
And he will try his best to do so.
Thus try them which say their apostles and are not, and has found them liars.
Well, it's rather easy to sit in judgment, you know, except here. And that's what we need because he said repent, repent. It's easy to judge those who are false apostles. But what about the next?
Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou left thy first love.
All that Christ did for us.
The work on Calvary's cross.
They made sin for us.
It should dry out our affections, should keep us fresh in our souls.
But he said, Thou hast left.
By first love, be sure of this. This is the secret of declension, whether it be at the beginning of the Church's history or whether it be.
Today, that's the secret of declension, leaving first love. The church never came back to it.
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But you and I can come back to it individually.
There will never be a corporate testimony on the earth again like the first.
Never be recovered, but that shouldn't hinder each individual soul being in the enjoyment of first love, affections for Christ, occupation with Christ. And how does this come about? By reading the gospels. We want our hearts warmly read the Gospels. We want to be established in doctrines we read the epistles. Thus left thy first love.
Well, may the Lord then impress this verse upon ourselves tonight. The declension of the First Church.
Based on this very thing that's left by first love.
Revelation 1-3 2 of 2
Address—C.E. Lunden
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We turn to the second chapter of Revelation, under the Angel of the Church of Ephesus. Right these things, said He that holdeth of seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them with your evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not.
And has found them liars. And that is born and has patience. And for my name's sake has labored.
Not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the 1St works, or else I will come under thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
And unto the Angel of the Church in Smyrna right these things, saith the 1St and the last, which was dead in his life. I know thy works and tribulation, and poverty, that thou art rich. I know the blasphemy of them would say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of these those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold the devil.
Shall cast some of you into prison.
That you may be tried, and you shall have tribulation 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of light. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. And to the Angel of the church in Pergamos right these things, saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan.
And thou hold us fast, my name, and has not denied my faith, even in those days we're in antipasm, was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balik to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, who eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolait.
Which thing I also hate, I hate. Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with a sword in my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. And unto the Angel of the church in Thyatira right these things set.
God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the 1St.
Standing, I have a few things against thee, because thou suffest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants, to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed with them that commit adultery with her.
Into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins. And the hearts now will give unto everyone of you, according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none of the burden.
But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my works, under the end, to him will I give power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as a vessel of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received in my father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit set under the churches.
Will read on the next chapter and under the Angel of the Church in Sardis right these things, saith he that hath the seven spirits of God.
00:05:01
And the seven stars I know thy works, that thou hast the name, that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember, therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If, therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on me as a thief, and thou shalt not know what I will come upon me.
I asked a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment.
And I will blind, I will not blot his name out of the Book of life, but I will confess his name.
Before my Father, and before his angels, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And unto the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia right these things, saith He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, He that openeth, that no man shutteth, and shutteth no man openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.
But thou hast a little strange, and has kept my word, has not denied my name. Behold, I'll make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not.
But do lie, Behold, I'll make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee because thou has kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which will come upon the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar.
In the temple of my God.
And he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, I let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, and unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, right.
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness.
The beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works There are neither cold nor hot. I would thou were cold or hot. So then, because thou art Luke warm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew the out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and in need of nothing, and knowest not that they are wretched.
And miserable and poor and blind and naked.
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, white raiment that thou mayest be clothed. Are not the shame of thy nakedness? Do not appear and anoint thine eyes with Isab, that thou mayest see as many as I love. I rebuke and chase them. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock if any man will hear my voice.
And open the door. I will come into him and will suck with him.
And he with me, to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne.
Even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. We may take a few moments more time than the hour because of the subject, but as you see, we won't be able to cover too much detail of each of the churches because being 7. And we find in each church something that.
Should not only encourage us, but exercise our conscience.
We've already been over some of us, the 1St chapter, and we've already spoken a little on the first church at Ephesus, and we find that in the first church.
Everything seemed to be outwardly all right, so that we learned from this that only a spiritual mind can discern evil that enters into the assembly.
Evil is there and we find that it says here thou canst not bear with them which are evil. Well, you say that's that's a wonderful spirit not be able to bear with those that are evil. But how did the evil get in, you see?
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And that's the secret of the first Church. If you and I, beloved, were going on with Christ in our souls, each one in the assembly, evil would never enter. The testimony would be clean. There wouldn't need to be any evil to be judged. One is walking in communion is not going on with evil, or he wouldn't be in communion. Every believer is called to the fellowship of the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. No evil there. That's what we're called to. If our wills go to work, then evil Enders.
And that's what happened in the 1St December.
The very fact that they didn't determine the evil was because they were not in the state of soul to do so. They could judge the false apostles. They couldn't bear with evil. They had outward discernment.
But they missed the vital part, and that was state of soul. Everything in the assembly can be right outwardly.
And still everything can be wrong. There was labor, but the labor of love all mentioned here.
Patients no. Patience of hope? Yes. No Works of faith works for their labor.
And patience. But what was vital was gone. Well, that's what characterizes the church, is the believer being taken up with Christ in the object. And this is what keeps his heart fresh.
And so he is maintained in communion, and evil cannot enter. That's the lesson we learned from the first assembly.
Now the word to the assembly is, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left.
Thy first love.
They left their first love being out of communion.
Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen and repent. There is no use to say we are not fallen, because that's the condition of the Church. Now we must distinguish, however, between the church as a whole and the church. As God sees the church composed of every true believer, we must distinguish.
So we have the overcomers mentioned and they are the ones who are the true believers.
Every true believer is an overcomer.
Now, that doesn't mean that every believer is acting like an overcomer.
But in God's sight, he's an overcomer because Christ is the one who's overcome. But while we know the truth that we belong to Christ and he has overcome.
The reason he's written this for us is so that we might practically be overcomers in our lives down here. Now, to be overcomers doesn't mean that we have to go to work and develop different means by which we might overcome. We are overcomers if we remain in communion, and that's the secret of the first assembly.
Just being maintained in communion in the path, as Abraham's servant said, I being in the way the Lord led me the difficulty there. And when trouble comes into our lives and trouble comes into the assembly, it's because this isn't so and all that we do to correct it.
Is of no avail. Remember from whence thou art fallen.
And rate panel, the way of correction is the way of life. This is a constant thing with the believer.
Exercise of soul before God in connection with our failure. Now I don't mean that we should be all the time occupied with failure, but I believe we should be alert so that failure will not come in, but that I mean to be in the enjoyment continually the things of Christ. Now much can be said about this in detail. We don't have time this afternoon.
But you know very well the first thing to do when you come home from your work or school, whatever it is.
If your table is loaded with magazines, that's the first thing you'll pick up, isn't it? Am I right? Wrong. You won't go and reach for your Bible because you have a nature that is attracted to these things.
But if you and I are going to be in the enjoyment of the things of God, we have to have purpose of heart and we have to employ self-discipline in this life. So remember from whence thou art fallen and repent, Repent and do the 1St works.
What we were set up with, we're in communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Now you know very well that you and I would love to be there all the time. It is this old self that hinders us.
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Yet there has to be that exercise of soul, or else I will come, and they quickly will remove thy Candlestick out of his place.
Except thou repent.
And the Candlestick has been removed and now what's left?
An individual path. I don't mean by that there isn't the opportunity to gather with other Saints, but no one today can claim and say we are the Church of God in any one place. All we can claim is through grace. We desire to gather on that ground. We cannot claim anything today gone into ruin, but the original principles can be maintained individually and in measure with those.
Who maintained them in fellowship? The original principle of what was set up at the beginning, and God recognizes it as the remnant.
There are no two remnants, you know. Just one. Don't ever let anyone tell you that there's a remnant within a remnant. That's only pride. Only pride.
Thank God there's a remnant, but thou this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. So there are things that you and I should hate. Now was this. The deeds of the Nicolaitans had come into the assembly. It develops finally, but it starts with the licensing of evil. In other words, frowning upon evil. That was what began to come in in the early church.
Nicolaitan Part of it is that there were those who lorded over the people and enforced this, as you'll get in Pergamos. They made it a part of the doctrine of the assembly to license evil, eventually forming the vast Catholic system of idolatry and so on. But it begins in the First Church. It doesn't say they held it, but thou hast there then.
It never would have entered if the state had been right. And so he that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit said under the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Now the Tree of life was in the Garden of Eden, but it was not in the paradise of God. And when God takes something away from man because of his his evil, when it's restored, if man repents, he always gives him something better. So now the Tree of Life is in the paradise of God, not in the Garden of Eden. And that's what the overcomer is looking forward to, the one who?
Christ is looking forward to the paradise of God, but it isn't just that you and I are looking forward to a certain day, it's that we in spirit are in the enjoyment of it now because that's where Christ is. And we can enjoy already anticipating being there with Christ. Otherwise we're occupied with the things of this world which will not profit us in our souls.
So he sets before the 1St church the highest blessing, that is the paradise of God.
And the tree of life in the paradise, which is Christ. Of course, the tree of life is Christ. Now we have Smyrna. Smyrna was that period of the Church's history where they were persecuted. Now why were they persecuted?
But because they had not repented, they had not repented and gone back to the 1St works. And so God and His marvelous grace, he allows the Satan to take over just like he did with Job and with the apostle Paul, the thorn in the flesh. God allows Satan in these things, and it's for the good of the assembly. The same principle is true in the life of the believer.
And when trial comes into our lives, it's because He wants to bless us. What characterizes the testimony of Christ here on the earth is tribulation, not prosperity. If it is prosperity and where the heart goes after it, it's all wrong. Prosperity has never developed Christian character in the Christian.
Only degeneration. This is not the day of prosperity. Satan may use it.
In our lives, but it will not bring us on our way, rejoicing in the things of Christ.
No persecution comes in.
Now this is a wonderful subject because it leads to into so many avenues trial. I know most of the older ones here have have experienced some trial of some kind.
And maybe some of the younger ones have never experienced very much trial, but you will. You're left here because the Lord loves you. And there's different kind of trials. So you can't say, well, I, I know how to do this because so and so has had the same trial. No, yours is different. No, he works differently with each one. But he has a purpose in the trial. And that is first of all, repentance on the part of the believer.
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If he hadn't before.
And also to develop the spirit of develop the graces of Christ and the believer. Now the believer has every grace that's in Christ Jesus undeveloped. We're not missing one of them. The day is coming when we're going to be just like Christ physically and morally. But on the cross of Calvary. He gave himself. That was not only giving his life, it meant that He gave everything that He has and is as man to you and me.
Every grace that's found in Christ Jesus is yours. It's undeveloped, that's true.
But it's yours. And so part of this persecution, you see, has to do with this coming out in our lives. And that's our testimony down here too. But you know, there's also that other side, Although afflicted and tossed with The Tempest, and not comforted. Behold, I will set thy stones and fair colors. All thy foundation shall be sapphires.
In the 12Th chapter. In the 21St chapter of Revelation, we have 12 Stones.
Believer and there's a color formed in each stone in the lower parts of the earth under heat and pressure. It's a picture of the work that's going on in the believers soul under trial. And that color developed in the believer is like the color in a prison where the light of the glory of God will be radiated in the coming day to all creation through the church.
That's the last verse of Revelation. First last verse of Ephesians 3.
Where the believer will be the one through whom that light of the glory of God will be seen throughout the whole creation. God will manifest His glory through the church in that day, in the varied colors of the various prisons developed down here in the lower parts of the earth under pressure and heat.
So remember, when you're going through these trials, there's more than one reason for them. He has nothing to say against this Church of Smyrna. Not a thing. And it's during this period that the church grew under persecution. It's not under prosperity that the church grows. It's under persecution that it grows. Then we have the promise to the Church of Smyrna. First of all, their tribulation will be measured. It's 10 days.
It probably was 100 years, but the point is that it's.
It's measured. It only continues as long as God will allow it to continue. So he promises them that be thou faithful unto death. That's martyrdom. Many of them were martyred. You've read church history and have the whole account. And I will give thee a crown of life worthwhile. The world is not going to have a crown of life. The believer will have one. And so whatever you're called upon.
To down here.
Perhaps suffering, possibly martyrdom. You can't expect it, you know. This is what you're called to. It's not only for us, given to us to believe on the Lord Jesus, but to suffer for his sake. That's the portion of the Church. And so it may be that you'll be called on for martyrdom. Not likely today like in the old days, but it may be. And you and I should be prepared for it.
And the soul that's prepared for it is the one who's walking in communion with the Lord Jesus. There's no other preparation for martyrdom then we have.
The Church at Purge. Amos Constantine.
Marched his heathen armies through the river and baptized them, and the church and the world were joined. Satan couldn't gain his purposes through martyrs, so he decided he'd mix the church and the world up, and it's largely been that ever since. That's where you get your Christmas and your Christmas trees. Probably don't know it, but that's the way it came. All these things that are brought in through from hidden hidden down were mixed in with Christianity during this period, and now they have the favor of the world.
The Church in the favor of the world.
That's not, that's not good, the church to be separate from the world. So we find that.
Thou dwellest even where Satan's seat is.
All that a word for our conscience is, brethren, the world is where Satan's seat is. Now, what part do you and I have with this world? We crucified our Savior. Are we going on with this world in any part of it?
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For passing through it.
But we don't need to have a part in it.
It's opposed to God. Now in each of these churches He says I know thy works, true of all of them, I know thy works. So be sure of it. Whatever you do, the Lord Jesus eyes resting upon you and he knows exactly what you're doing for two reasons. Anything that's contrary to his word comes into judgment. Anything that He approves of will meet his reward in that coming day.
I know thy works and where thou dwellest too. But now there's one thing about Pergamos. They confess the name of Christ.
They didn't deny it in the midst of all the confusion and worldliness.
There was the confession of the name of Jesus, and whatever the Lord sees that he can approve of, he makes it known that he approves of it. It's a wonderful thing, you know, even though we may fail.
He's very patient, and he'll let us know what he approves of in our lives. I have a few things against thee, because thus there are them that hold the doctrine of Balaam.
Now Balaam was the one who brought in idolatry.
And the mixing up of the people of Israel with the nations about them.
Spiritual fornication so that they are now holding this.
But also they're holding the doctrine of the Nicolaitans now that's the doctrine where evil is approved as though it were right in the church.
And enforced by leaders who once were.
Took the place of the succession of the apostles. There's no succession of apostles.
But there were those who took that place when the apostles died, and the enforced evil, as it were, though it were truth.
And the reason for this was they didn't understand the truth.
And so they made-up their own interpretation of the evil of the truth to make it evil, not knowing what they were doing.
Then they went to work and enforced it as a doctor, and that's where these doctrines that are being introduced today are not new.
The very same doctrines that were introduced in the early church. For instance, the doctrine that Jesus Christ could have sinned, that was introduced in the early church.
It's coming in today. So he says again, repent. But there's a word for the overcomer here.
To him that overcometh in the midst of all this confusion of the Church in the world.
Well, I give to eat of the hidden manner will give him a whitestone and the stone a new name written which no man knows, saving he the receiveth it. So there's a promise to the overcomer. The hidden manner in the Old Testament, some of the manner that the children of Israel had provided for them at that time was taken and put in the ark and hidden in the ark. The ark is a type of Christ. Now you and I the one here.
Overcomer in this world has a portion, even though the church around us, the professing church around us, is in utter confusion and mixed with the world. You and I have a portion of the hidden manna, and that's in our New Testament, the four Gospels. It's the pathway of our blessed Savior through this world that you and I have to be occupied with now.
But with us added that he's now on high. You get that in Luke's gospel. You get his ascension there. He's on high.
It's the Christ who was down here, who came into this world as man, passed through this world and all the perfection.
That was expected of man because he always walked in obedience, and he's now on high at God's right hand, and the one who's occupied with a hidden manner realizes that his portion is exactly that that Christ has up there.
And all we're doing is waiting for the shout and we'll be there. The hidden manner will give him a Whitestone. A Whitestone now the Whitestone.
You know, in this assembly you have quite a few, but there are some assemblies where there's only one or two, just a few gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus. And oftentimes there may be one individual alone. And that helps us to see the principle. You'll never be without someone to be in communion with. It's Christ. You'll never be in a position where you can say no one understands me. There's no one I can commune with.
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This is the happy privilege of the overcomer in the midst of worldly Christianity. He has the privilege continually of going into the presence of the Lord, whatever comes into his life, and he knows there's someone that enters in to understand every secret in the life. He can open up to the Savior, and he'll understand.
And the overcomer will have the consciousness that he understands.
So that's a precious thing. This is what will keep us from discouragement to know that there is a person, a man, Christ Jesus on high.
Who wants us to come and open to him every little detail of our lives? The opposition of the enemy, yes.
Whatever it is, children at school have this, have it in the shop.
Where you are, and you may be cast out even among Christians.
But you know there's one, understands one you can go to about everything in your life. You'll never be alone. But he gives you a name, a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.
There are precious secrets between the soul and God.
That no one else understands.
No one else under sorrows that come into your life, and you know that no one understands. You have the comfort that the Lord Jesus understands all about it in a world that's opposed to Him. You have that refuge, that hiding place, that resource.
The Person of Christ, and then the Angel of the Church in Thyatira.
Now we have the Son of God. Why? Because back to the original character the 1St chapter. His eyes like a flame of fire and his feet are like fine brass. Because thy attire it. He gave her space to repent and she repented not.
Though now judgment comes, and the professing church, Now what is the trouble that Thyatira? Well, we have Jezebel the prophetess. She teaches, and she seduces his servants to commit fornication, that spiritual fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Now he gave her space to repent, but she wouldn't repent.
The professing church completely set against God.
And so judgment comes, and there's a new beginning after Thyroid tyrant.
Tyra set aside. But then we have.
An overcomer here too. Under you I say, and unto the rest, and fire, Tyra. This is the depth of Catholicism. The dark ages as many as have not this doctrine that is idolatry.
And the mixing with the world and the enforced mixing with that which is evil.
Which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak. I will put upon you none other burden but that which you have already. Hold fast till I come. Now this is the first time we have the coming of the Lord mentioned. It's not exactly the rapture, because what's in view is the Kingdom.
As we said the other evening, Israel had the Kingdom and they failed.
The Church would have given the Kingdom, the Lord would have given the Kingdom to the Church, but the Church failed.
So the Lord is going to take the Kingdom himself. He's going to set up the Kingdom, but the overcomer and the church will be associated with Him in the Kingdom. The true church will be associated with him in the Kingdom. And so He's coming here is in connection with the Kingdom. You notice in the last verse to him will I give power over the nations.
You get some of that in the Gospels where he speaks of those who had talents committed to them and they were faithful. Be there over 10 cities. Be there over 5 cities.
Did you know you're going to reign over cities? You're going to reign with Christ, but only the true church?
Who are they? He that overcometh and keepeth my works. Now the one who overcometh is the one who has Christ.
As his Savior, no one else. Not one who makes a profession of it merely, but one who really has Christ as his Savior.
Says in Thessalonians, who received the love of the truth, not just the truth. There has to be the affection for Christ that comes through a new nature entirely, not just the knowledge of it in the head works under the end. Him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a Potter shall be broken to shivers, even as I received to my father. What else does he get? The morning star that's.
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Himself, the morning star comes just before the sun rises with healing in his wings for Israel. So we have the hint here at least that hope before us of his coming in that sense for us, not only those who have Christ as their Savior and have this hope.
The church has one hope and that's spoken of in Ephesians 41 body, one hope, one hope is the Lord's coming. And that's our portion now in the midst of all the confusion of that day because we have 7 distinct periods of the church's history in this these two chapters. And so you can understand it was a very evil day, the dark ages. If you want to read the details of it, get some of the Francis Bevins books, Francis Bevan.
She wrote several books in the history of the church during those that period, very instructed besides the regular church histories. And there was terrible persecution for those who were real, that there was a marvelous reward for the faithful. Persecution didn't end with Smyrna, you know. Now we have Sardis, the new beginning, retirement. Sardis is Protestantism. Protestantism claimed now that they were through with all the evil that had gone before.
But they didn't have anything to replace it. They didn't have anything to replace it. And so they're spoken of his death again. He says, I know thy works. You'll notice here it doesn't say holds the the seven candlesticks, He just has them. The other churches, he holds them. But now it says he hath them, not holds them. Thou has to name that. Thou levest a new beginning.
We've gone away with all evil. We're separated from it, but they didn't have anything to replace it. And why didn't they?
It gives us the reason here. That's the name that thou liveest in our death. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die.
For I have not found thy works perfect before God. Now here's the answer. Remember therefore, how thou hast received and heard. This was in the time of Luther and the Reformation, when the truth began to be revived again to the Church.
They had received and they had heard, but they didn't hold it. Didn't hold it. So that's the secret here. Remember how thou hast received and heard. They hadn't received during the Dark Ages.
They were blindly following in a formless forms and the only contact they had with God.
Was individually, not through anything outward that they could attach themselves to in the midst of all the ruin and darkness. And yet there were those who were overcomers. There have always been overcomers, but now they have the truth. The pressure is off in the sense, and the printing presses are started.
The gospel is spread, and now they are exhorted. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard. Hold fast and repent. Why repent? Because the very truth that they read exposed the heart.
And day by day, you and I have, as we read the Scriptures, things in our lives that have to be judged. That's the benefit of reading the Word continually.
To exercise our hearts because we have a very evil nature when we're saved, as much of it hangs on to us. That is judged as we read the word of God. And so the promise here, if you not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt know what hour I will come upon me. The last four churches, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, go on to the end.
In fact, Sardis goes on after Thyatira is gone, after Laodicea is gone.
Sardis continues until the Lord comes himself as a thief. That's Protestantism. Even after Catholicism is wiped from the face of the earth charters, Protestantism will still be here. If you get it in the 16th chapter, again, the warning, second warning. Now the promise to the overcomer. He that overcometh verse five shall be clothed and no.
Fourth verse. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments.
Walked in separation, they shall walk with me in white. Divine righteousness, overcoming righteousness, for they are worthy. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment. And I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life. The Book of Life is a record of all profession, and those who are not real will be blotted out. The Lamb's Book of Life no one will ever be blotted out of. That's vital.
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I will confess his name before my father.
Before his angels. You get that in Luke the 9th chapter. We confess his name here, you confess our name up there.
And the overcomer confesses his name down here. You notice that in this.
Church, and the following ones that he that hath an ear comes after.
Where the others had come before, it's all individual now.
Individual exercise of soul. And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, he has nothing to say against Philadelphia, just like he had nothing to say against Smyrna. Smyrna, there was persecution in Philadelphia. We don't see any pretension, no pretension, no claim of anything. You and I have no right to claim anything but the grace of God. That preserves us in a little testimony down here.
We can't say we are anything.
Except what grace is.
Wrong. No pretension whatever, but what is true of it? These things saith he that is holy.
He that is true, and that's what characterizes the state.
The period of Philadelphia.
Attaching themselves to the one who is holy and the one who is true. And this is what should characterize each one who is seen as identified with the Lord in that day, he that is holy.
Holies suppose the separation from evil entirely. He that hath the key of David he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.
I know thy works. He knows them. You don't have to tell anyone about them. He knows about them.
It wouldn't do any good to tell anyone about the many. How would it? He knows all about them. He's the one that's going to reward it in the coming day. You don't need to tell anybody what you're doing for Christ. He knows all about it. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door all at liberty in this day for the gospel. And nobody's going to shut it until he shuts it either. The door is wide open for the gospel.
Distinct period of the church's history. Now what is else is true of this company to he speaks of here?
He doesn't have anything able to say of them. Thou hast a little strength or a little power. Still have some power? Oh, it's very little.
But this is characteristic of faith, because faith has power. It may be very little power, but unbelief has no power. Faith has power has kept my word. In Pergamos they confessed His name, but here it's a question of keeping His word.
The whole of truth has been recovered to us. Now we're to keep them.
A trust in Philadelphia to keep his work. The complete recovery of all truth in this day is put in our hands to keep it, to preserve it in these very last days. And this is a responsibility of each one in the assembly to hold it, to keep it the lot, not let it mix with the world again, just to keep it.
Nor spirit in all its purity, not denied my name. Now the synagogue of Satan or the the ones who pretend to be the continuation of the testimony because of having an organization of some kind, eventually they're going to have to confess that the Lord has recognized the little remnant of overcomers, that he's loved them.
They're going to have to confess it at the end. They're going to have to confess that those who walked in separation.
Those who were despised, those who had no place in this world are the ones that he loved. And now what do they have as reward? He's going to keep them out of the hour of temptation. That's a great That's the tribulation that will come over the Gentile world. You read of it in Revelation 8. Dwellers on the earth are those who are left behind when the church is taken, the false Christian, the one who has professed Christianity.
The dwellers on the earth, Don't be one of them. Don't be one of them.
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Settled in this world as though it's your hope you're a dweller of the earth. No, the believer, is not this all that fast which thou hast? No man take thy crown. You're going to have a crown. And so a pillar in the temple of my God rejected down here. But one of the stays in that temple up there. That's the reward for the overcomer. Philadelphia.
Killer in that coming day. Cast out down here should go. No more out. No name down here. He's going to write him. Found him. His new name. Oh, what a blessing for those of Philadelphia who have gone on seeking to be faithful in connection with the truth. Now we have Laodicea. With that, we'll close. The Laodicea is the last.
Part of the history of the church here on earth. And of course it runs along the same time as Philadelphia.
It's that which is left of Sardis really in a sense, or at least we'll say it springs out of Sardis.
Now it has certain claims. First of all, he says, I know you're not cold or hot. I wish you were either one because you're you're not either one. You're so nauseous I'm going to spew the out of my mouth profession without reality. What's needed here? Thou sayest I'm rich, increased with goods in need of nothing but knoweth not that thou art wretched. Now wretched isn't exactly the same as miserable. I can break a leg, you know.
Very miserable, but not wretched. Wretched is a result of walking in a path that's contrary to the word of God and knowing it. That's what makes you wretched. It's a result of doing my own will. That's wretchedness. Wretched and miserable is added to it. And poor. Oh, they say they're rich, but they're poor.
Who was rich? Go back to the.
9th, 1St And you'll find out who's rich. Smyrna's rich. They're under tribulation, they're rich. Their eyes are not any longer on the things down here, because they've taken, been taken away from them. They're all occupied little things of Christ. They're rich. I counsel thee to buy of me gold. Poor the blind and the naked have something now. They're counseled for this. Gold is tried in the fire is Christ who's already been through death for us.
That's what they need. They made a profession of Christianity and they made a profession that everything.
Authorably is going on fine. They have a system that they've made-up the profession of Christianity. You see it all around us. It's religious confusion, whether it be in the in the church or in the school, whichever be sure of it, It's religious confusion. It may seem all right, but it's not right now. What's next? White raiment that thou mayest be clothed. The white raiment is the character that is received by one who has taken.
As their savior divine.
Our practical righteousness in the life is the garment that the shame of thy nakedness. Otherwise one is naked before God do not appear.
Anoint thine eyes with eyes. That's the Spirit of God giving me to see that thou mayest see.
Having confessed Christ, having believed, you're sealed without Holy Spirit, divine intelligence. The anointing of the Spirit is the presence and the energy of the Spirit of God in the intelligence and power. That's the anointing of the Spirit. That's what they lacked. So you see, they're dead, nothing for God. This is the only church where you have the Lord standing outside and knocking so the individual can come if you want.
The last call you might say to the individual to come as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. That's why he chastens you. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. The old I stand at the door and knock. If any man, it's not if the whole assembly hears my voice. No, no, that's no longer that's, that's the first church. But now it's been reduced to one individual.
Any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him.
And Sup with him personally. This is true of the whole Church and the whole period.
There has to be a personal.
Attachment to Jesus.
Every decision that's made in the life of the Christian, this vital, is made alone personally in the presence of God. Every vital decision that you make in your life, it has to do with your life is made alone in the presence of God. Now, the overcomer.
00:50:12
Because he told that he's going to be given the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God, no.
No, he's going to reign though, and that's the lowest part of the blessing.
It's glorious to be able to reign with Christ, but it's not like eating of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God. The rain with Christ will be a wonderful thing, but oh, what will it be, beloved? To be in the Father's house is part of that family, the heavenly family up there to enjoy everything that God enjoys, which of course is Christ.
Defeat on that full ripe fruit of the tree of life that will be our eternal portion. He sets that before Ephesus, but here, Laodicea, everything complete ruins.
He still sets before them the promise of the Kingdom. Now it's true, the overcomer will enjoy it all.
But what he wants to do is exercise our hearts that we be in the state of Ephesus rather than that of Laodicea.
Not Ephesus in its ruin, but the Church of Ephesus that's been given all the full truth to enjoy originally. That's where He wants us to be. Oh, May God bless His word then to our hearts.