Shadow Hills Conference: 1985
Table of Contents
Talks on the Tabernacle Part 1
Talks on the Tabernacle Part 2
Talks on the Tabernacle Part 3
Talks on the Tabernacle Part 4
The Window, The Pathway, The House
Address—P.L. Johnson
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But the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore I pray you swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness unto my Father's house, and give me a true token. Verse 14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business, and it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
Then she let them down by a cord through the window.
For her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt from the wall.
And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers be returned, and after it may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou has made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou just let us down by.
And thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's households.
Home unto thee.
And verse 21 And she said, According unto your word, so be it.
And she sent them away, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet line.
In the window.
I will turn over to March Gospel chapter 10 and verse 46.
And they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples.
And a great number of people blind Bartimaeus the son of Timis, set by the waist by the highway side, begging. And when he heard that he was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
Many charged him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more a great deal. Thou, son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, Rise, he calleth thee.
And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith have made the whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
And another passage in Luke 19.
Luke 19 and verse one.
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus.
Which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich, and he sought to see Jesus, who he was.
And could not for the press because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a Sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for the day. I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that he was going to be a guest, to be guest with a man that is a Sinner.
And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord.
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him forefold.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation. Come to this house, far so much as he also is the son of Abraham.
Now these three portions that we have read.
Don't really. They do not all speak of the same thing, as you could see obviously in the reading of them that they are in one sense diverse.
And yet there is a link with all three of them, and that link is that each one of them bring before us an event that occurred in connection with the city of Jericho.
It was a Jericho that Rahab was found and being a Jericho where she was brought into blessing and association with God's people. And it was a Jericho that the blind man Bartimaeus had his eyes opened and followed the Lord Jesus in the way. And here there was a Jericho in connection with Jericho that Zacchaeus.
Is brought to the Lord, and the Lord speaks of salvation being brought to his house.
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So, as I say, each one of them brings before us a different thought.
Some different, different aspect of what the Lord has accomplished and what He has wrought for himself and for His people. But they're all linked with that city of Jericho. And my thought in taking them up in connection with Jericho is that we will understand that Jericho is a type A picture of this world as being under judgment.
We know that.
There are various types in the Old Testament of the world in which we live. I'm not going into the detail, but we know at Egypt the type of the world.
Babylon is the type of the world, and Jericho is a type of this world. Not a type or a picture of the world in its wisdom or in its religious ways, but it is especially a type of the world as being under judgment.
Now, of course, we know that that judgment is not executed as far as this world is concerned.
As the apostle Paul said to those in Athens that he is going to judge the world in righteousness, and yet the Lord Jesus in John's gospel says, now is the judgment of this world. Now is the Prince of this world cast out? This world is under the lies, under the judgment of God. God's sentence is opponent because it has rejected.
The Lord Jesus it's under the judgment of God, not only because of the.
Violence and corruption that has filled this world.
Going back to the days even before the flood.
But this world is brought under judgment because of the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what the Lord says. When the Holy Spirit has come, He will afford a demonstration.
To the Saints as to the state of this world of sin and righteousness and judgment.
Now I know it's a little digression, but I'd like to mention that verse that it might be some might feel it's a little difficult to understand. I know in our King James it says he will, I believe, convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. And that might lead one to think that the Lord is saying there that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of men to convince them or to convict them of these things.
Of course we know the Spirit of God does work.
Any work of God in the souls of any in the soul of any individual is the work of the Spirit of God. That's true. But what that verse is really saying is that when the Spirit of God comes to the believer, he indwells the believer and he gives us, he affords in our soul, He gives us a a knowledge and understanding of the true character of this world.
The true character of this world, that is.
That it is guilty of the sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus. That it is devoid of righteousness.
And that it is under judgment. Now we know that there are many who are.
Occupied and concerned.
About the course of things in this world morally, Some of course are quite concerned about how things are going politically. Others may be quite concerned as to how things are going financially. But we find many Christians are quite concerned about how things are going morally.
And perhaps many are inclined to think of the sin of the world or the condition of the world.
The state of the world as being characterized by.
The various corruptions that have come in and the violence that fills it. But really the the Christian view, the true Christian view of this world I believe is what we have in John 16, that the Spirit of God gives us that the true character of this world.
Is that the sin of the world is not its debauchery and its violence, but having rejected the Lord Jesus. So that wherever we find the Lord Jesus rejected, we find that world that lies under the judgment of God. And we find that righteousness is not found here, but only at the right hand of God, because we the only man who had a right to live.
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World was denied that right.
We hear a lot about rights and persons rights being denied, but you know this world denied the most basic right, the only one whoever lived in this world who had a right to live. Because scripture says the soul that sinneth it shall die, and in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And we read that death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, so that every life.
That has been lived in this world since the fall.
Was a forfeited life.
But the Lord Jesus had a right to live.
Because he did no sin and he knew no sin, and in him was number sin. There was number cause of death in him, but he was denied the right to live in this world. So that unrighteousness characterizes this world because of the rejection of the Lord Jesus, and judgment lies upon this world because of the rejection of the Lord Jesus. And Jericho represents that world.
As under judgment.
And I like to think of it in this light.
That even though the world lies under judgment.
And as John says, the whole world lies in wickedness, or in the wicked one.
The whole world, but in the midst of this judged and condemned, seen this poor world that has the judgment of God upon it, having rejected the Lord Jesus, and lying in the lap of the wicked one. God, in his goodness, God, in his mercy, and in his grace, has worked in such a way so as to secure something in this.
Judged world for himself.
And to secure something in this world for his people.
And I believe we have it in these three that we read in connection with.
Rahab, we have the prominent thought there of a window and I would say at the outset, I believe that would represent the the prospects or the outlook that the people of God have. Now as a result of the work of God through the Lord Jesus and in the connection with Bartimaeus, we see that God has secured for his people a pathway through this condemned and judged world.
And in connection with.
Jericho and Zacchaeus, we see that salvation.
Is brought to the households, to the houses of the people of God, that even though the world lies under judgment and is characterized by sin having rejected the Lord Jesus and is characterized by unrighteousness, there is salvation for the the households of the Saints.
When it turned back into that first passage we read in Joshua.
Chapter 2.
As I've already mentioned, the prominent thought in connection with rehab is the window.
The passage that we read of the spies who came to spy out the land, and of course they were the forerunners, the precursors of judgment. They were to spy on the land because that land, that city was going to be destroyed as the people of God entered into their enter into their inheritance in the promised land and.
Rahab was a dweller in that city that condemned city.
And she was a prominent person there, well known as, you know, she was a harlot.
And we read there that her house was upon the town wall in verse 15.
Her house was upon the town wall. I suppose that would speak of some. You might say she dwells securely there, and yet God worked in the heart of this woman.
God wrought in her heart that she might.
Turn from that city where she had been, that she had been associated with, because she saw that it was under judgment. She recognized that the city and all of the inhabitants were going to be destroyed, were going to be slain, because God was leading His people into their promised inheritance. And everything that stood in the way, every enemy and every foe was to be defeated.
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And set aside that they might be brought into their inheritance. And God worked in her soul.
And she wanted to enter into that inheritance with them. She wanted to enter into that promised land.
And so she turned her back upon that city where she dwelt.
And received these spies. They are called those spies here.
But they are also called messengers.
They are also called messengers.
In the New Testament, because while they came to spy out the land in view of coming judgment, they were messengers to bring a word of hope.
Or rehab. They brought a word of hope to rehab. We might just read those. Perhaps some may not be familiar turn to.
The Epistle of James, where we have rehab mentioned in James 3.
And verse 25.
Likewise also was not rehab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers?
And that sent them out another way. Now compare that with the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
Where we have rehab mentioned again.
And verse 31.
Hebrews 11.
Faith the harlot Rehab perished not with them that believed, not when she had received the spies with peace.
You see, in connection with there being spies, we see that the city was to be destroyed and it says.
That she perished not with them. The city was being destroyed. That is those that came to the city of Jericho and to Rehab's house as spies.
They were the forerunners of judgment, but as messengers, they brought a message of hope. And what's connected with the thought in James is that she sent them out another way.
She sent them out another way and that's what I want to emphasize now in connection with Rahab. They came in by the door because Rahab's house had a door and a window. They're both mentioned in Joshua Two and.
The spies are messengers. Now we're Speaking of them as messengers. They came to Rahab's house through the door.
But when they left Rahab's house, they went out by the window. Verse 15 of Joshua 2.
Then she let them down by a cord through the window. They didn't go back out the door. They came into the door, but they went out of the window. She sent them out another way. And I was thinking that expression another way. And that's really what we see with rehab. We see with rehab a type, I believe, of the believer who has now been turned from this world.
He has been turned so that he no longer has his aspect.
Toward this world he no longer has his hopes and his desires.
And his aspiration, everything centered in this world.
That would be the door side which opened up to the city, the door of Rehabs House opened up to the streets of that city and if you went out the door you would find yourself in the city of Jericho, that condemned place.
But she sent them out another way. So another way is now opened up, and that other way opened up to the outside of the city. Her house was upon the wall of the city, so that that window opened up to what was outside the city of Jericho.
And she let the messengers out that other way. They went out by the window. And so we find the prominent thought here with rehab is that she has a window.
And there's a cord in that window that she let them down by, spoken of as a scarlet cord.
And that chord was to remain there.
That chord was to be there to indicate.
That those in that house, though, they were in that condemned city of Jericho.
That they were not to be brought into judgment. They were to be delivered from judgment.
Because they were identified with that which was outside that condemned city.
They were identified with those who were outside, in this case, of course, the children of Israel.
They were identified with them, and that's what this scarlet cord would bring before us. This scarlet cord in the window would remind you and me that we are not identified even though we're in this world. We're in a condemned world. We're in the world that lies under sin. We're in an unrighteous world, but we are identified with another world. We're identified with that which is outside and apart.
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Together, from this world, even though we're in it, we're not of it. That's the thought, and we know that what identifies us.
With the world outside is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ has been turned out of this world.
He has been rejected and turned out he was cut off out of the land of the living. You know, it's remarkable in the book of Acts.
When that eunuch who is traveling back to his home like down into.
Egypt, and he had been up to Jerusalem to worship. He was a Jewish proselyte, and he was reading as his chariot was going along in the office. Isaiah and the Spirit of God LED Philip to join himself to that chariot, so that he heard the reading of this eunuch in the prophet Isaiah, and he was reading there in the 53rd chapter.
How that he was cut off out of the land of the living.
And it was then that he asked Philip about whom the prophet was speaking, opened his mouth, he remembered, and preached unto him Jesus.
He told him that was Jesus who was cut off out of the land of the living well. Then right after that, the unit says as they come to water, he says here is water.
What does hinder me to be baptized? And I thought that was remarkable that that man would would bring in baptism in connection with the reading of Isaiah 53, that he was cut off out of the land of the living.
Because that's really the meaning of baptism, isn't it? In Romans 6, that's the many of us who have been baptized under Christ have been baptized unto his death. And his death took him out of this scene. His death cut him off out of this world. He was cut off out of the land of the living.
And really, as being baptized unto Christ, we are like rehab here.
We are disassociated from the world in which we live. We are disassociated from Jericho.
Place under judgment and we are identified with one who is outside of it all.
The Lord Jesus and his people are all outside of that.
So that everything that we that is truly ours as Christians and our I emphasize that word ours.
Because the material things that we have while we are down here in this world, which we will not be able to take with us.
As we read in Timothy, you know that.
We cannot take anything out of this scene. It certainly came into this world with nothing. We take nothing out.
That is of material things, because they're not really ours. In Luke 16, the Lord.
Speaks there it says that if you're not faithful in that, which is another man who shall give unto you?
Your own, that which is your own. He's talking about the mammoth of unrighteousness.
And if you're not faithful, he says in that which is another man's the material things that we have.
We're going to leave the mall behind. They're not really ours. They're ours to use.
They belong to another man, they belong to the Lord, and he's put them into our hands to use for a little while, but they're not really truly that which is ours. And I like to think of it this way, that that which is truly ours, we're going to take with us.
Everything that is truly ours, that has been given to us in Christ, every spiritual blessing.
We're going to take with us. We're going to take all of that out. It's ours and it's ours.
Now it's ours for eternity, but all of the other things are going to be left behind.
We use them, but they're not really ours, only use them for a little while.
And then we leave all of those things behind and what is really ours as to what we have.
What we have laid hold upon and entered into the blessings that we have in Christ.
Or, you know, in Matthew 13, the Lord speaks.
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In referring, I believe to his people, he says those that are instructed in the Kingdom of God is lack unto a householder.
Our householder is a person who has possessions. A householder is a person who has possessions.
Everyone who has a household has a certain amount of possessions and generally.
The longer one has a household, the more possessions he gathers, and we find that after a number of years that we've accumulated various.
Household items, various things and possessions.
Well, I believe that the Lord is saying to us that we should be that way in spiritual things, that we should be like a householder accumulating spiritual wealth, accumulating spiritual things, because we're going to take all of those with us, every one of them. Well, I don't believe we'll leave one thing behind that we've enjoyed of Christ or known of Christ, every bit of knowledge, every bit of appreciation and enjoyment of Christ that we have.
We're not going to lose any of that.
We want to be spiritual householders. Well, I believe in that's all connected with the thought here of Rahab. She was turned from this scene of judgment and now she says everything that is really mine, everything that I'm looking forward to, everything that I'm going to enjoy and possess is outside of this scene.
There was a little time that she had to be there in that city, but she was waiting.
For the time when she would enter into all of that, that she had title to, as was evidenced by that scarlet thread in the window. That scarlet thread was that which gave her a title to all of that. So that when the city was destroyed, she and all of those in that house would be spared. Well, I have no doubt too, that the thought of a scarlet thread would would remind us of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. He gives us title to that.
And identifies us the death of Christ identifies us with the.
Where to come and that which is outside this world. I like to think of Rahab as giving the Christian.
The true Christian outlook.
The true Christian outlook and it does not have this world.
Or anything of this world as its object.
The prospects of the believer does not have anything in this world as an object. His prospects and his outlook is all outside of this world. There is a world above, there is the world to come. There is that which is entirely of God and we're already identified with it, Paul says to those Hebrews.
In the chapter 12 That they've come unto Mount Zion, we've already arrived.
We are already identified with that world to come. We'll now turn to Mark's gospel and that passage we read in the 10th chapter of Mark, and again, it's associated with Jericho.
Associated with this world under judgment and condemnation. But here it's not a window that would give us an outlook or.
Prospect that we see at the end of the chapter that this man.
Bartimaeus.
When he received his side, he followed Jesus in the way.
In the way that speaks of a pathway, the path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more under the perfect day. There is a pathway for the righteous. There is a pathway for the people of God, and we know that.
We are not Wanderers and one wouldn't make anyone an offender for a word. But only recently a brother was mentioning to me. I was visiting in his home and he mentioned the fact that in one of our hymns it speaks of the Lord wandering.
As I say, we would make a person an offender for a word. We know what is in what is really meant by that. I'm sure that the writer of that hymn.
Had in mind the thought that he had no dwelling place or home here. But we're really not Wanderers, are we? I think of man away from God in the darkness as a wanderer. That was the that was what characterized Cain when he went out of the presence of the Lord in the land of Nod. He was like a Vagabond, a wanderer. A wanderer doesn't have a definite path.
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A wanderer is just going here and there because he doesn't have direction.
He doesn't have a definite path.
While a Pilgrim would.
A Pilgrim would have a definite path. Well, I think we have here in Bartimaeus the fact that God has secured for his people in this world a definite pathway, a definite pathway. We find that the of course, as far as the as man outside of Christ, those who are unbelievers who not who are not really the Lords.
We find that each one has a path of his own, more or less, because every man does that which is right in his own eyes. But the Lord has marked out a path in His word. And I think here in connection with Bartimaeus, we have, or in this 10th chapter, even before Bartimaeus is called, we have some of the things that characterize that path. Look back earlier in the chapter, I was thinking of verse 17 in chapter 10 of Mark.
Speaking of the Lord Jesus, it says when he was gone forth into the way.
We have the thought of the path away and again in verse 32.
And they were in the way, the disciples with him, and then later Bartimaeus followed Jesus in the way. So we have what we have emphasized here is a pathway in the way. The Lord Jesus is in that way, His disciples are in that way. And now this man Bartimaeus is brought into that way, and we see that the way is going up to Jerusalem.
And the end of that pathway into Jerusalem we have in Chapter 11 when they come to Jerusalem.
That the Lord Jesus is celebrated there as the King. I don't say he's received.
Because we know he wasn't. He was rejected, but he is celebrated as the king. He is praised as the king. So it's really a pathway that is associated with the testimony of Jesus.
It's associated with himself, the testimony of Jesus.
And we know that we have different expressions in Scripture of the testimony, the testimony of God.
The testimony of Christ, the testimony of our Lord, the testimony of Jesus would.
I believe involve a pathway of humiliation and loneliness and rejection and I think we find that if we were to read the the verses between verse 17 and and the healing of the blind man, we would see that what characterizes this pathway is one of self denial which the rich young ruler didn't understand and didn't want to take.
And it's a pathway of suffering because the Lord says that when he goes up to Jerusalem, he's going to be.
He's going to be taken to the hands of men and put to death and it's a pathway of humiliation. We find too in chapter 10 when he speaks about taking the lowly place. It's a pathway of rejection, suffering and self denial and it's a pathway of humility and a pathway that is associated with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The testimony of Jesus.
Well, you know the Lord never promised.
To his people. And it's not promised in the word that the pathway that He would set out in His word and mark out for you and me as believers in this condemned scene would be an easy pathway.
He never did say that it would be an easy pathway, but the wonderful thing is that we have the Lord in this pathway with us.
And not only that, but I was thinking of what he says to Peter in verse 28 when Peter says that they had left all and followed him.
Why he says in verse 30, the Lord answers to Peter and says he shall receive a hundredfold now and this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions. Not an easy path, but it's a path of blessing. It's a pathway of blessing and in the world to come, eternal life.
It's not only a, it is a pathway of of.
Difficulties.
But it's a pathway of blessing now.
And it's a pathway that issues in blessing. Blessing the path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more under the perfect day. Well, I'd just like to touch one or two points in connection with Bartimaeus because he brings before us how we're brought into this pathway.
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You know, we're not, we're not in this pathway by nature. That is we wouldn't take up this pathway is natural with our natural propensities.
We like Bartimaeus. We were blind.
Like Bartimaeus, we were blind, and I and anyone who is here this afternoon and in their sins, they're like this man Bartimaeus, you're blind. They cannot really see the pathway. The pathway may be there as it is, as the pathway was here. Jesus was in the way, the disciples were with him in the way, but Bartimaeus could not follow him in the way.
As long as he was blind.
But we see there was a desire on his part when he heard of the of the tumult and he asked who it and what was going on and they said it was Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth, but I believe God was working in the heart of this man. And when he cries out, you notice in verse 47 he says Jesus, thou son of David, he doesn't say Jesus of Nazareth have mercy on me, but he says Jesus thy son of David.
I think that indicates that God was working in his heart. Those standing round about, they said it's Jesus of Nazareth. They didn't really see in him the one who was bringing the testimony of God as the Son of David. He was the one bringing her the testimony of God. That's the way he's presented in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter one, where we have the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.
The son of Abraham, as the son of David, He's the Christ. He's the anointed man.
He's the man who brings the testimony of God into this world well.
They saw in him just a man, Jesus of Nazareth. But here we see that Bartimaeus heart was open, and he saw in him what the others didn't see. He saw in him the Son of David. Well now I know today.
As today we the testimony is not that of Jesus as the son of David, that was what was here when he was here on earth, but there is a testimony concerning the Lord Jesus today.
That testimony of himself not only is the one who has gone into death and accomplished atonement, redemption, and that great work, but as the one who is raised again and exalted and glorified, the One who has sent the Holy Spirit down here to unite us to Himself as as well as to one another, So that there is formed, 1 Newman, and so that there is formed this.
According to that mystery of God.
Christ in the church. What a wonderful testimony. What a wonderful testimony. It's called the mystery of the gospel. It's not the gospel itself, the mystery of the gospel, because the gospel has in mind not only the saving of souls from a Christmas eternity, but to gather those souls who would be united to Christ and to one another.
As members of his body united to him in sharing that place.
That he has before the father is sons with himself. Well, Bartimaeus entered into the testimony.
And then his eyes were opened.
I believe that means that he had to.
He gained an understanding, He was able to see things. And this is what the Lord would do for you and me. He would open our eyes.
By His spirit, through His precious word, that we might see the path that is marked out in His word for us.
Through this scene, this Jericho world under condemnation, but we see also that he cast aside his garment in verse 50. He cast aside his garment even before his eyes were open. Well, I suppose that casting aside the garment would speak of casting aside all of that that characterized his manner of life heretofore.
Garments speak of behavior in scripture. I believe it's a picture of a little type picture of of a behavior.
And so there's an entirely new exercise now with with him in connection with the being in the way and in the path and those things that once marked him and his in his past as identified with Jericho, as identified with this world under judgment is cast off.
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Sort of like the grave clothes. The grave clothes would be perhaps more religious marks of the world.
The garments would be perhaps the walk in ways that characterizes this world under judgment and those garments are passed off as being in this pathway. He did not want to have the marks of Jericho on him. He did not want to be identified as to his manner of life and his walking ways with that scene that was under judgment Jericho.
So this pathway is one of separation from this world.
And then in verse 52, he followed Jesus in the way he followed Jesus.
In the way what an object? Well, here is the pathway.
A pathway that has been secured by God and His grace for you and me as His people through this condemned scene. Let's turn to the 19th of Luke.
With the rehab.
The prominent thought was a window, and with Bartimaeus the prominent thought is a pathway, but here with Zacchaeus.
The prominent thought is the House.
Notice the end of verse five, the last words there. For today, I must abide.
At thy house.
Verse nine And Jesus said unto him, This day, as salvation, come to this house.
Well, no doubt it was.
Salvation was brought to Zacchaeus.
Real deliverance.
And Deliverance?
From this scene, the deliverance from this Jericho scene.
That's the thought of salvation. Salvation is deliverance.
Deliverance from man in his world. And that's what's under the judgment of God. That's Jericho.
Man in his world lies under the judgment of God. And now not only Zacchaeus though, but it's his house.
Salvation has come to this House.
So I think we have the thought here that that salvation is not only for the individual believer, but for his household, his house. Salvation comes to the house. Or how that Philippian jailer rejoiced, how he rejoiced not only in his own salvation, but he rejoiced household wise.
Because now his whole house could have the benefits of the salvation in which he had been brought. No longer would his house be characterized by heath and darkness, you know. What do you think about it? Think of that man as he was a heathen, and with the heathen faults and ideas and those little ones in that house.
They would be reared up in that darkness.
They would have no moral light than the head of the House had they would be.
Unless the grace of God came, comes in as it did, they would be destined to go on in darkness and in the ignorance and without understanding and living, just like their neighbors who were also heathen and heathen. Darkness, living a common life with common concerns, common motives, common desires, and in common it all ends in death.
And after death of judgment. But now salvation comes.
Because the word was that not only that he would be saved, but his house. And he rejoiced household wise. He rejoiced that that salvation had come to his house. And that's what we have here, salvation for the house. Well, that doesn't mean, of course.
That does not mean that everyone born into a Christian family is saved in a real way from this world as far as having soul salvation. It does not mean that they are going to be with the with those who are going to be eternally with Christ in heaven. Just because they're born into this world doesn't mean that.
Sad to say that.
One might be in a household where the things of God are found.
And yet it's not really have any effect.
I think in the household of Abinadab.
00:45:00
You remember when David consulted with the people about bringing up the Ark?
It was in the House of Abinadab and had been there, I believe you'll find it, around 70 years after it had gone into the hands of the listings, you remember, and was brought back. It ended up in the House of a Benedict, and David wanted to bring it up to the place that he had prepared for it. And we read there that they put that arc upon a new cart.
And there was Aza and Ohio, the sons of Abinadab that drove, that took the cart and were moving the cart along, well, that cart.
Was an idea that was borrowed from the Philistines because they had brought the art back to Israel on a cart and God allowed that because they were those outside of the of the people of God and they didn't have light as to how the ark was to be born along and carried by the Levites. They didn't have all of that intelligence. So God allowed that they could use the card, but now among his people where they had the light of his word as to how.
To be carried. He would not allow them to use that list and expedient, and he brings in judgment. But my point is that the two men who were who drove the cart were the sons of a Benedict, and that that ark which represents the presence of God had been in that household for all those years, and those men grew up with the ark in the house.
But apparently they didn't really appreciate and and enter into.
God's thoughts in connection with that ark, they didn't know how to act in regard to it.
It really didn't take the true character of the ark. Later on, David says none ought to carry the ark but the Levites, the sons of Abinadab apparently didn't know that. And it's sad to see that that that the art representing the presence of God could be there in a household. And no response apparently from those boys.
So when we speak about salvation coming to the house, we're not saying that everyone born into a Christian family is going to be in the glory and are saved in that sense. But I believe the thought is this, that the houses of the Saints should be, as it were, a little sphere of salvation where those who are in that house are preserved from the elements.
That are found in this Jericho world under judgment.
Now I know we have just a little time, but I want to point out and perhaps you can trace them out.
Some things that are said in regard to houses that might help us as to seeing how salvation can be a practical thing in the houses of the Saints. First in Luke, turn back to the 10th chapter.
And verse 38.
Now it came to pass as they went, that he, that is the Lord Jesus entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Well, this of course doesn't speak of a center receiving Christ. We know that Martha was already a lover of Christ.
She was a lover of Christ, but she received him into her house.
I believe it means that Christ had a place in the house.
She received him in and gave him, you might say, the charge of that house.
He took charge for when he comes in. He set things in order, he corrected Martha.
And he was the one that Mary sat at his feet to hear his word. He took the dominant place.
And I believe this would be a thought of salvation being brought to our house, that the Lord Jesus has a dominant place in our house.
Now we know of course, that the head of the house is the father, the husband is the head of the house. But even there, as we read in First Corinthians 12, that the head of every man is Christ.
And I believe even in our houses, that the thought of salvation being there is that Christ.
Is he's predominant and dominates. Everything is under him and unto him.
Things are done in relation to Christ and I believe it's important for.
Those with young households and children, to instill in children while they're young that the things that are required of them are for to be pleasing to Christ, not just because mother and father say so, but it is pleasing to Christ. And I believe that's involved in receiving Christ in the house, that everything is done in relation to him. Christ took over here. When he came into the house, he took over.
00:50:28
And he said everything in order, and his word and hearing his word was the.
Dominant fall. Let's turn to Acts 16.
We have another house, House of Lydia, verse 15 of Acts 16.
And when she was baptized in her household, she besought her, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. She's speaking to Paul, of course.
Here Paul is invited into the house.
This would represent, I believe, that in our houses there is intelligence.
As to the present order of things in Christianity, because it's Paul's ministry.
That really gives us what characterizes the present dispensation, the present testimony.
The present order of things that God is instituting.
It's Paul's ministry.
Paul's teaching and the light of Paul's ministry. The light that Paul had.
That heavenly light, that light above the brightness of the sun, would be brought into.
Lydia's house. And that, I believe, would be another element in salvation coming into our houses.
When the light of God's testimony at the present time, the light of Christianity, the true character of it, of this present order of things, is brought in, in the ministry of the apostle Paul, as we have in his in his epistles. That's not to say we're not to have other parts of the word. I don't mean that. But I believe that we should have the light of Paul in our houses so as to be intelligent.
And understanding the present order of things.
Now turn to the epistle, The Little Epistle to Philemon, one chapter.
And I read a verse there in connection to the house.
He ranks in verse one to Philemon.
And in verse two he includes.
Aphia and octopus, and then, he says, and to the church.
And thy house are the assembly in thy house now I know literally.
I am sure that this indicated that there was a gathering there. The Lord's people gathered.
In the House of Philemon, where they conducted their meetings in the service of the Lord.
But also I think there is the thought that the assembly.
Should be in our houses. I mean by that, that we should recognize.
We should recognize that as those who are of the assembly.
That our houses are not something disassociated from the assembly. It's as if the two things are interchangeable.
We shouldn't have, as it were, one order of things in our houses and another in the assembly.
What is of God or what is in keeping with the people of God when we come together should be.
Also, in keeping for us in our houses, we shouldn't bring into anything in the house that doesn't have a place among the Lord's people.
And I like to think of this too, in this regard, that the assembly being in the House.
We are inclined, perhaps, to disassociate our families and our house from the Assembly.
And so that when it comes to meeting time, well, we consider it optional whether we go or not, But it seems to me that our daily pursuits in our life and our living in our homes is identified with the assembly. So that we, whatever the assembly is going on with, we go on with the two are are in concert one with another. They're not diverse. He speaks of the assembly in thy house.
But it's thy house.
There it brings before us, and I'd like to give a little word too, especially to those who are younger and perhaps some maybe even contemplating setting up a house, that the husband, the father, is the head of the house.
00:55:00
In thy house, and one cannot relinquish that headship.
With impunity.
We cannot relinquish it without suffering the consequences. It's the assembly in thy house. It was. It was the House of Philemon. He was the head of that house. But now turn back to.
First Corinthians, the last chapter.
And I think this is.
A word that we might address to the.
Sisters.
And their part in the house.
In verse 19 of the last chapter. First Corinthians. First Corinthians 16 verse 19.
The churches of Asia salute you, Acrylic and Priscilla.
Salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
I like that expression. Now here it's similar to Philemon, the thought of the assembly in the house, but it says.
In their house the two are mentioned. Aquila is mentioned first here in Priscilla. If you compare this with Romans 16, you would see that it's Priscilla and Aquila. And again, it's the church in their house.
And I take it the thought here is that while the man is the head, the husband?
The father is the head of the house.
That the the wife and the mother is one with him in it. It's their house. They share a common exercise. It's very sad if we find a division in the household where maybe there's an exercise on the part of the father and the husband to have the assembly in the house. They have exercises is what would be honoring and pleasing to God and going on with the the Lord's people.
And maybe and the wife is not of one mind.
Four Encounters With The Lord
Address—N. Berry
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I'd like to speak about.
Four different occasions.
Long intervals of time between them when four people can.
Come face to face with this one, the Savior.
Four different occasions.
We were speaking about the first one this morning in the Sunday School. Let's turn to the Gospel of Luke for that first one.
There's going to be one thing in common with each one of these occasions.
And we'll see it as we go on.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 23.
And verse 39.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, But this man hath done nothing amiss.
Now this is the verse. And he said unto Jesus.
Lord.
Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him.
Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. So we'll pause there. Here is a man who is dying and looking into your faces. Everybody seems to be healthy here tonight.
Here's a man that is within hours of his death. You might not think that you are, but you may be.
We may be.
And I'm putting our we consider this man, he's hanging on a tree. He has four parts of his body that are functioning. One is his mouth, the other is his.
His heart, two that are not able to work. His hands.
And his feet.
He's dying, he's dying, and everyone of us here in this audience is dying. We are on our way.
To eternity.
And might be awakened tonight to the reality of it. We're living in a time when everyone is saying So what? But here is a man who is.
Without doubt, he knows that he's dying. There is no hope. If the Lord had said to him, do some good deeds and you'll be all right. He could have to. He would have to say I can't, my hands are tied. If the Lord had said to him, turn over new leaf and do a goal to church or whatever, it might be the sin of God.
That is useless to tell that man. He can't. He has no liberty to use his feet. He is tied hand and feet now. You're not.
They're not.
But he had the other two parts of his body, his heart and his mouth.
With those two remaining parts, he now is confronted with this reality of death.
And he says to the Lord, that one word, that one keyword, and I want to emphasize it. I trust that it'll burn into your heart and soul tonight and into your conscience, the word Lord.
It's one thing to know the Lord Jesus as Savior, but it's quite another thing to know Him.
As Lord of our life.
And this man recognizes that Jesus is Lord. Do you?
Do you? I can speak very personally. I heard the gospel since I was an infant, since I was a child, and I rejected that Lord. I didn't want the Lord in my life. I couldn't remember saying to myself, I couldn't live that Christian life and I don't want to. I had a will of my own. It may be that somebody in this audience tonight, young or old, may be.
Using that will of yours to say he's not going to tell me what to do, I'm going to do what I want. Oh forget me my dear friends, forget me. You're going to stand before this same Lord Jesus Christ someday.
00:05:12
That is a fact that the word of God tells us. We'll come to that later. But here is a man that is facing instant death now and he addresses Jesus as Lord. Wonderful that day, so clear in my memory when I face that reality and did confess that very blessed name of Jesus fresh in my memory, though it's so many years over a half a century ago.
Fresh in my memory because at that day I took Jesus Christ as Lord of my life, blessing and happiness that I've experienced. And everyone of us who knows that blessed want a Savior can testify. Oh yes, indeed. But here is the man who makes this decision just hours before he's dead. Might be a question of minutes because the blessed Lord Jesus is hanging beside him.
There the Savior you are in that situation, the Lord Jesus has gone into death. This man was seeing this man when he was alive, the Lord Jesus when he was alive, and he recognized that he was the Lord, and he said, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom, as we were saying this morning.
In the Sunday school, one of those soldiers, they didn't want to have these bodies hanging on the cross.
On the next holy day, the next day, and he goes to the governor to ask permission to to take the bodies down and put them into a grave.
He comes to the first one, and the poor thief is still living. He breaks his legs, He hurls them into eternity. And if that man was the one that had scoffed at the Lord Jesus Christ, he's gone into the blackness of the mists of darkness forever. What about you?
The man on the other side was the one who said these words. Lord, Lord, Remember Me.
The soldier came to that man, broke his legs, and he's hurled into eternity. Oh, I look into the face of everyone here in this audience, and I know that every one of us is either one or the other of those men. Now it is for you to recognize.
If you are one of those ones who might, through indifference, say, well, some other time, I'm young now.
I have a lot of time to think this over, my dear friend. You haven't got a minute. It's 7:15 tonight and you're never going to have 7:15 again in your life on a Sunday evening, November the 24th, whatever the day is.
Never will be again. Tonight when you sit here, you're facing this reality. You're going to face that same one. And this man, he made that decision for Christ and he called him Lord. And when those men came, those soldiers came to Jesus. They found he was dead already. They didn't break his legs because the word of God says that a bone of him is not to be broken.
Those nails went through the nail. The bones of his feet. 27 bones in a person's foot.
And those nails went right between those bones. Not one bone was going to be broken of that blessed Lord Jesus.
And they found that he was dead already. You know the story, I'm sure. A soldier with a spear plunges that spear into the side of the blessed Saviour. Dead now. And from his side came that precious blood that can wash away your sins tonight. Nothing else, nothing else but that precious blood can do it. And as I often delight to say, the blood of Jesus Christ is able to.
Half billion people in this world tonight, and it's powerful enough to save the the man that shed that blood, that soldier, that blood is able to save your soul tonight if you will face this reality that you have to have that savior for your own or you will perish forever. You will die in your sins. You'll be raised in your sins, those books containing the life that you have lived.
Recorded in heaven already, and that day will come when the Lord will stand.
00:10:01
Who then you'll stand before the Lord and have your life reviewed? Oh my friend, awake, awake. Don't be indifferent to this all important thing. You wouldn't treat any matter of life as casually as this. How awful it is to be blinded to the reality of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That blessed Savior died on that cross, and He shed His blood.
In order that you tonight would be able to accept him as Savior and say before this meeting is out, Jesus is my Lord and Savior. That's the first one.
He's gone.
The history books, they'll get nothing about that poor fellow, see gone into eternity. He's with the Lord.
Now we go on in another story a little bit farther on in the book of the Acts 9th chapter.
Now here is a man that is not dying. He's in the full bloom of health, we presume. Act of man.
You might not be that thief. You might not even be this man. His name was Saul.
Saul hated that name of Jesus with indescribable hatred. His life was composed in time of doing nothing but eradicating from the face of the earth the name of Jesus, and he is on his way to Damascus.
Walking on that road to Damascus.
He has in his pocket authority from the chief priests, the elders of Israel, the religious leaders to go to Damascus and get certain ones that were preaching the name of Jesus. He has that power and that authority is on his way.
And all of a sudden on that journey, a light from heaven above this and light the sun at noon day, it tells us it shone right down on that man and knocked him down.
Would to God that you tonight, as you sit here, would realize that the eye of God is on you, on you. You can't. The escapists, the Lord Jesus is looking down in hell from the heaven into your heart tonight. I I don't know you.
But he knows everything of your life. He knows everything of my life.
You little dear boys and girls that are here, sometimes the boys and girls are more conscious of their sins than adults are. Sometimes when we get older, we get hardened in our heart and blase, as they say, dear children, you must realize that those sins that you have committed are recorded against you and they're either in that book, those books in heaven.
Or they've been washed away in the blood of Christ. Here is the man now, and we're going to read about him in Acts Chapter 9.
And here in verse three. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saw, saw why persecutors thou me? And he said.
Saul said or Paul said. Saul said, Who art thou?
Now, it would be impossible to describe the surprise noted of this man's soul to have had such an experience as this. He's on his way to to kill and to destroy that blessed name of the Lord Jesus and those who would proclaim it. And the Lord watching, looking down from heaven, sees that man on his journey.
And arrests him would to God, as I said, there would be somebody that would be arrested here tonight.
And that light shone and knocked him down. And what does he do? Oh, he looks up with blinded eyes.
And he has no sight now for any person or anything on this earth.
But he can see with those eyes into to heaven.
And he looks up there, and he says, Who art thou, Lord?
00:15:04
Oh what an experience that must have been. And what does the reply from heaven come saying I am Jesus.
Oh, how touching that is.
I am Jesus.
What does he say now? Next question, he says.
Verse six. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do so?
Twice he says this word. Lord.
1St as to who he was and secondly as to what the Lord would have him to do. I just ask you this in your life now you might be saying in your heart, I am a Christian.
They ever said if you are, I'm just going to speak for a minute on this if you are.
They ever said to the Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?
If you and I know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we are absolutely spoiled for happiness on this earth. If we're trying to find it from circumstances, we never can. It's only going to be from doing the will of the Lord in your life and mind. Here is the road of happiness. Years ago when I was in business, my brother worked for me and he came. He added the office next to mine and he came.
To my office and he said, you know, there's only one thing I ask in life and I said, what's that? And he said that I could do what I wanted for one year, one year. He said you just let me do you can say let me, but I would just could do what I wanted for one year. And then he said you could have my life. And I got an answer. I believe right from the Lord that it just affected me, I think more than affected him. I said to him.
Serious threat. And he said yes. I said to him it's just a very opposite.
Happiness is not doing what we want, it's doing what the Lord wants.
You walked out of the office and he came back an hour later and he said to me, I have not found, not chosen the road to happiness. I ask you this tonight, have you chosen the road to happiness? I see a lot of young people here tonight. Oh, we're living in a dark day in the history of this world. And this world is so in utter confusion and the values of life are so completely distorted.
That there is so much utter confusion. Oh what we are presenting here is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that can give your life a purpose and fulfillment and for the Lords glory and for blessing and happiness in it is all through the blessed Lord Jesus Christ and no one else.
And here is this man Saul saying.
Up into the open, heaven's Lord.
Who art thou? And the answer comes back, Jesus, one of the other. When he's reciting it later on, he says he hears the voice which says I am Jesus of Nazareth. That's a humiliating title, isn't it? Not a humiliating title, but it was a little village up in the north of Israel. None of the educated people came from there. A despised little village.
And from the glory.
From the glory. Think of it from the glory.
The Lord Jesus gone back to heaven, a glorified man, forever looking down onto this earth and saying I am Jesus of Nazareth.
Christianity doesn't.
Cover. It doesn't pretend. It's reality, it's reality. Do you want reality in your life? Oh, turn to the Lord.
There's the second one.
He turned to the Lord. We know the story of his life. Blessed.
We go on a little bit farther now in time.
And we're looking on into a future day.
The first one is past, second one is past Paul Saul, third one is future.
00:20:00
Let's go to Matthew's Gospel. I think it's Chapter 7.
This is, as it were, God pulling back the curtain and letting us look into a feature day.
As I look into your faces.
I just, I don't know what to say if this is going to be your situation.
I just trembled a stand here.
But I must, I must warn you that this is a possibility that there's somebody in this audience here tonight who's going to have this experience. But.
On the 4th one we're going to see.
The difference? But let's read this now. Here is when.
People will stand before the Lord Jesus. Everyone, everyone.
Verse 21. Matthew Chapter 7.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord.
Shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father.
Which is in heaven. Let's just stop there.
Now it is possible that you may be posing as a Christian. You may be saying yes, I'm a Christian, but there is no vestige of evidence in your life that you belong to the Lord.
You young ones here, it might be that you tell your mother, yes, I'm saved when she asks you. But what about our life? What about our life?
Calling him Lord, Lord, even it's double their Lord Lord, that's not going to save your soul.
It must be to acknowledge that you and I are sinners and that the blessed Lord Jesus is the only one who can wash those sins away. And here the Lord Jesus is saying this himself. I didn't write this. He says this not all that say unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into heaven in the Kingdom of heaven. Now look at the next verse.
Many will say to me in that day.
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
And in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto you then.
I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity.
What a solemn statement, and serious statement that is. Is the day going to come or would to God that you would realize this now?
That if you pass on to this scene.
That we're reading about and you stand before the Lord. Now I realize that this is the living people.
I'd like to just explain this after the Lord Jesus Christ comes and he might be coming.
Tonight.
All the believers are going to disappear and look into the faces of many of you that I know and I know that you're going to go, but some who may not know the Lord Jesus as Savior, you're going to be left behind.
Living, living.
And it may be that this would be a description of you living ones, because when the Lord Jesus comes back seven years or a little longer after this, he's going to, in his appearing, when he comes, he's going to call all the living people. And the 24th chapter of 25th chapter of Matthew tells us that every living person is going to stand before the Lord Jesus.
On this earth.
People talk about the year 2000 or 1985. We may never, This world may never see that.
Year 2000 in its present stage. Because if the Lord Jesus comes tonight, as I said, seven years later, he's going to come back in his appearing, and he's going to come back in fury, fury and rage and fire coming out of his mouth. No longer is the Lord who loves and is of willing and patient Savior waiting. I heard a man curse God because it rained on the Sunday and he couldn't play golf.
00:25:04
Blaspheming God, I heard a man in England one time.
On the beach there in Blackpool, he was trying to draw an audience around him. And as he did that he got more and more of a crowd. And I stopped to listen and he said no. When he had his crowd in front of him, he said, I'm going to prove that there's no God. And as he spoke, the people became very attentive. He rolled up his sleeve and he shook his feet, face into the sky. And he shouted with a satanic voice.
And he said, if there's a God, strike me dead. And he shook his first into the heavens that evening. There and then he said, see no God now, you might not be doing that.
You might not be challenging God. God in His mercy didn't strike that man dead in mercy to your soul. God is keeping you alive here tonight. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It's the mercy of God that you have your breath from minute to minute. But don't count on it because this day is going to come if you go to that door tonight.
Without Christ as your Savior.
And you're going to maybe go out into an eternal night. You might die, you might pass out of this world in this, which case you wouldn't be in this circumstance because you would lie in that grave for 1000 years.
And at the end of those thousand years, you would be raised from the dead. And the books, as I said before, would be opened with your name and everything that you have ever said, thought or done recorded in that book in heaven tonight so far. And that book will be opened, and the blessed Lord Jesus will be sitting there on that great white throne, and the earth is gone. And you're standing there alone, naked before a blessed.
Holy Lord Jesus on that throne and he's going to look into that book and find your name and your deeds there is that you. Is that going to be you If you are unsaved here tonight. If you don't know as the Lord is your Savior. It is in all it is a possibility that this is so either this judgment or the next one that later on, but you're certainly not going to miss it.
What an awful occasion this is. And what does this man say? He says Lord, Lord.
You're going to crawl that way. It's too late when that cry goes out. Too late, too late.
Now we come to the last one, the 4th, 1:00.
Two of them passed, one of them future and the 4th one. Now right now in this room, 25 minutes to 8.
The fourth one, let's go to Romans chapter 10.
The fourth one, let's go to Romans chapter 10.
Romans 10/9.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, or Jesus as Lord, and shall confess in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. There's the 4th occasion.
Not past, not featured now present as we sit here in this.
Audience tonight, this is your one opportunity. I can't say that you're going to have another one tomorrow. It's now. It's now.
Romans 10 And I that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the thief on the cross, confess that.
Jesus says Lord, he confessed that.
And believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. That thief on the cross did more than that. He believed that that man dying beside him would be raised again. We believe a fact accomplished. He believed something that hadn't yet happened. But God says to you tonight, do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead?
That won't save your soul, but if you say.
Well, he was only a man. The word of God says, if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins.
00:30:06
Well, this is the reality. This is for you tonight as you sit here. I've sat in these gospel meetings unsaved for many years. And oh, the agony of it as I look back now in my life, dreadful agony. So I one time looked around an audience of people and I saw and I knew every one of them. And the man was talking about the Lord's coming. And I saw that there wasn't one soul there that wasn't ready. And the man was saying of the Lord.
Jesus comes tonight. Are you going to be left sitting in this chair alone? I said to myself. Yes, it's me.
That's me. What about you?
This is the occasion.
This is your one moment passing now when you can do just what this says.
To believe in your heart that God has raised the Lord Jesus from the dead.
That He was the savior that you need. You need.
And to believe.
That He is going to, that He is in the glory, and he is that coming again. And what does it say then with the mouth to confess with the mouth? I'm going to ask you, have you ever done that?
I know that I knew I wasn't saved until that moment that I those words came out of my mouth and I can freshly remember just a very spot in Montreal in a little Sunday school.
Poor section there and there was an old stove there and a tin around the side of it and the boys class was in a circle there and I could take you right to the very spot where.
Just the man was standing speaking there about Romans 10 and nine, and oh, just like an arrow from heaven itself striking into my heart and my conscience. And I told that man, I take the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. Oh, blessed Lord Jesus, He wants to save somebody in this audience tonight, and he's waiting. He's waiting for this moment.
You may never have another moment. I was speaking in one of the largest cities a few years ago.
We had been out to dinner with the with some of the folks. A girl was there, unsaved girl, the boy that was going with her to his shame when I tried to bring the subject of the seriousness of life and so on. The saved boy was going with his girlfriend and he just tried to prevent my talking seriously at the table. I left that table very sad at night.
In the gospel, and the girl was sitting down there, and as I talked about Romans 10:00 and 9:00.
There was number interest no response, but as the time went on I began to see her face getting red. I just trust that the Spirit of God is working here in someone tonight because that girl gradually got became more concerned and listened. The word of God says here and your soul shall live. Are you hearing tonight? Not me, but are you hearing the word of God that is speaking to you?
Jesus Christ, He's speaking to you. Are you hearing Him?
And I noticed that that was still when the gospel was over, quite a crowd. I went down to the back and there was the girl with the boyfriend's mother. And I saw them in a little circle and I saw her beautifully made-up face with all her. And I saw a track of tears running down her cheeks. And she said to the woman.
Taking the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Two weeks later to the day.
For the 13 days later, she and that boyfriend were out.
He had a private plane, he said to his mother, come on, we're going to take a little trip. And she said, no, you're fooling too much. And he turned to Susan and he said, come on. And she got into the plane and they were watching, They're watching there. And that plane was circling and doing some stunts. And that stalled in the in the air. And it plunged there right in front of them. And the boy was picked up dead or the girl was the boy lived for a few hours and she was gone.
Both of them into eternity.
They went to the house to tell her mother.
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And the mother said that's strange, that's strange.
I want to look and see what was in that Bible that she was reading for the last two weeks went up to her bedroom and they looked in the Bible and the Bible, I don't know whether it was open, but they looked at Romans 10 and nine and there Susan had put a mark beside that verse. So listen is with the Lord in glory tonight.
Two weeks warning Two weeks. How long do you have? How long do you have?
You don't know.
It comes. I trust it won't go without someone here tonight doing what that verse says, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus as Lord, and believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, God, God says that you will be saved tonight.
Don't let this opportunity go.
I know I don't often do this, but I'm just going to say this. But if you want to be sure before you go out of that door tonight, come up afterwards, come up here. Don't put it off. Don't put it off. I'm not I'm trying to buttonhole you, but I am just saying this that the Spirit of God working here tonight to the salvation of.
Take this upper generator, the 4th 1:00.
Take it now, accept the Lord Jesus as you sit in your chair here to just look with the eye of faith to Christ and just confess to Him in your heart, from your heart that you are a Sinner, that you have sinned against the Holy God and you believe that the blood of Jesus Christ can save your soul tonight.
And tell somebody, I'm not asking you to come and tell me, but tell somebody before you go out of that door tonight.
That you know the Lord Jesus is your Savior.
That's what God tells us to do, and this is what is necessary for your assurance. You might believe in your heart that you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. You're not going to be sure if you don't confess that name. Have you ever confessed that name?
You might be older here tonight. You might be posing as a Christian and never have said to anyone your wife or your husband or your mother or your father.
I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior. It's as simple as that. Some of one of the students in Montreal, I was talking to him after the Gospel meeting one night and I quoted that verse to him, and I said that's what it means to make a confession of the mouth. And he said that's easy.
I read the verse over again and he said that's easy.
I read the verse over again and he said it's not so easy, is it? No, it calls for reality.
Reality now Are you real? Are you real with God tonight?
Going to face Him later on tonight. You have this one golden opportunity to make that decision for Christ. November the 24th, 1985 will live in your memory throughout eternity to thank God that the Spirit of God ever touched your heart or or.
You're going to remember this night for eternity.
With weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Forever you'll never forget this night, it says in the gospel where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. It is awful to contemplate a dear friend, that if you died, or at least if you pass out of this little gospel meeting tonight, without Christ as your Savior the door.
The Spirit of God would be knocking to not to ask you to ask the Lord into your heart, but to convict you of your lost condition without Christ.
And to turn to him, and then to confess to somebody.
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I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and God says.
Thou shall be saved. Let's bow on her.
The Love Of Christ
Address—L. Judd
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Possibly we could say aspect of his coming that I would like to look at, but before turning to them, if we could just turn for a moment to Ephesians chapter 5.
Verse 25.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.
And gave himself for it.
Christ also loved the Church and gave himself.
For it.
Now who is the church?
Of what is it composed?
And all for you, dear younger ones especially.
I want you to realize.
The church is composed of every redeemed child of God.
Everyone that knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Everyone that has been washed by his precious blood.
I ask not what denomination they may be of the questionnaires and the question in every heart.
Should be.
Am I redeemed by the precious blood of Christ?
If we know Him as our Savior, we are part of that church.
One of those that Christ loved and gave himself for.
Think of the relationship into which we've been brought.
Notice verse 29.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord, the Church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, of His bones.
Yes, beloved, Christ is the head in heaven, and we are the body down here on this sea.
And everyone that is redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Everyone that is saved.
Is a part of that body, a member in particular? Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Now notice verse 31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a Greek mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
One flesh.
Obolog we could not be brought.
Into any closer union.
A part of his body.
Members of his body.
In very truth.
Now, dear ones, having been brought into such a relationship, what effect should that have in our walk, in our ways?
Oh dear ones. And I speak for my my own soul. If we only realize that relationship into which we've been brought.
And we only realize that at any moment we might be with Him in glory.
What a difference it would make in all that we do and say.
Think of Christ there in the glory.
Waiting. No. With what eagerness? He must be waiting for that moment when he can come and claim his bride and take her home.
He is longing for that moment when he can come and call us to Himself. But it's sovereign grace that is holy, and by all that the Father hath given me shall come to me.
There are a few given by the Father to Christ and they haven't come yet. He is waiting in long-suffering, patience and grace for those few to come to Him.
And then we will hear that call to meet him in the air.
Oh dear ones, that we might indeed realize that that could take place at any moment. We might be ready when He comes. Well, we could just turn to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 36. Out of heaven, He made thee to hear his voice.
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That he might instruct thee, and upon earth he showed thee his great fire.
And thou heard his words out of the midst of the fire, and because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seat after them, and brought the oath in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.
He loved thy fathers. His love was before.
We came on the scene and now if we go back, we might just turn to Proverbs 8 for a moment.
Proverbs 8 and verse 30 for this is surely Speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.
There we have God the Son.
And God the Father.
God the Son, rejoicing always before the Father.
Daily his delight. Verse 31 rejoicing.
In the habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men there in the past eternity.
Christ was looking onward to that time when He would have a bride from amongst the children of men.
Oh dear ones, I ask you, why was it?
That God spoke to you and spoke to me.
Why is it He has brought us to know Him as our Savior?
Why is it that we know and rejoice in that wondrous hope?
Sure uncertain hope that soon we'll be with Christ in glory. Dear ones, it was His sovereign grace that chose us in Christ. Before the world began, there was nothing in us. He simply chose to make us His own.
And so here I believe this love that we have brought before us, because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them. I believe it would take us back.
To that past eternity.
When God set His love upon us, we might turn to Deuteronomy Chapter 7.
Verse 7.
The Lord did not set His love upon you.
Nor choose you because you were more in number than any people.
For ye were the fewest of all people, but because the Lord loves you.
And because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the House of bondsman from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Oh, here we have that love displayed in Redemption.
Because the Lord loved you.
At the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the House of bondsman from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Well, there are two aspects of the cross of Christ we would like to consider.
Both of them shone forth. There's the Children of Israel were brought out of Egypt.
One was in the Passover.
And God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. His word had gone forth that he was going to slay all the first born in the land of Egypt.
Again for you that are younger, just notice it doesn't say he was going to slay all the first born of the Egyptians.
He was going to slay all the first born in the land of Egypt. And the children of Israel were in Egypt just as much as the Egyptians. They came under that sentence of judgment.
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And if there is one here?
That does not yet know.
The Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, even though you might have parents that know the Lord Jesus, if you have not accepted him as your Savior, if you have not believed in him.
You're still lost and you come under the sentence of judgment that has already been pronounced on this world.
Solemn thought.
But there in Egypt, they were instructed to take a lamb.
And that blood of that slain lamb was to be put on the doors and the doorpost, on the lentil of the houses wherein they were.
It was that blood of the slain lamb that sheltered them from the just righteous judgment of God about the fall in Egypt. They were sheltered from the righteous judgment of God by the blood of that lamb.
And so the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
Is that which has a tone his precious blood?
That which cleanseth us from all sin. But then again.
We find they were delivered from all the power of Pharaoh, and so we find who at the cross of Christ.
That, through death, he delivered.
Those.
Sorry, we'll turn to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 2.
Verse 14 For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same that through death He might destroy or annul him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to *******.
Yes, they're the Cross of Calvary. We have been forever delivered.
From Satan's power.
Wherever delivered from Satan's power, there at the cross of Calvary.
And all the beautiful illustration. First Samuel 17.
We find David smites Goliath with the sling of the stone, but then there's no sword in the hand of David. So David stands upon the Palestine and draws out Goliath's sword, and with Goliath's own sword he smites off Goliath's head.
All then we read the children of Israel pursued the Philistines, but all they did was take the spoil. David had won the victory, and David took the head of the Philistine in his hand and brought it to Jerusalem.
A picture, I believe, of Christ gone up on high with the proof of victory in his hand, but he put his armor in his tent. Oh dear ones, we still have a foe down here.
A defeated foe, but nevertheless, just as the Philistines were still the foes of God's people, so Satan is still our enemy.
And so the armor is left here in the tent, that which would speak of our pilgrimage in this sea, left here for us.
And all dear ones, we need to take that armor. But such is the wondrous love of God to us in redemption.
Meeting us in every respect.
Having.
Satisfied all the claims of a holy and a righteous God against sin. Delivered us from the power of the enemy. Set us free, free to belong to Him. Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price.
Let us turn, then to Deuteronomy 23.
Deuteronomy 23 and verse 5.
Nevertheless.
The Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balam, but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
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The Lord thy God loved thee. Oh, now the children of Israel knew nothing.
Of Balak seeking to hire Balaam to curse them.
This was something that went on behind the scenes and they were not aware of, but God was aware of it and we find that God would not allow Balaam to curse his people.
Know how many times?
During our soldier down here, during our lifetime.
As God delivered us, no doubt from Satan's power, and we may know nothing of it.
Other times we do know how he has come in, in marvelous ways.
And delivered his own from the power of Satan.
One thinks of an instance with dear brother Eric Smith. I'm sure you've all read of it or heard of it, how the Indians had been persuaded to attack him.
In his little cabin that he had.
And they heard them coming inflamed with drink.
And they got down on their knees and started to pray. They knew their only resource was in God. And the Indians kept coming until suddenly they turned and fled. And they knew of no reason why they should flee, but they did.
And then later on when the matter was investigated by the authorities.
They asked the Indians, why did you flee, he said. The light, the light.
And so the authorities asked Brother Smith what light was that? And I believe his reply was the Angel of the Lord in campus round about them the theory, yes, they had caused those men.
To see a light, although Brother Smith knew nothing about it, and they turned and fled. Well, dear ones.
That is only one instance of the delivering power of God as we go onward day by day. Turn to Hebrews Chapter 7.
Verse 25.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost.
That come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth.
To make intercession for them.
Now this has been used in the Gospel.
No objections for being so used, but its primary meaning.
Is to you and I that know the Lord as our Savior, we who belong to Him.
There is no circumstance in our lives that He cannot lift us out of. He is able.
If we bring these things on ourselves, he may see fit.
To chastise us, but nevertheless He is able to pick us out of any circumstance in our lives. You think of Abraham, he went down into Egypt of his own will and he got into trouble there.
Sarai was taken from him and there is no way that Abraham could deliver himself from Egypt, but God came in and rebuked Pharaoh and caused that Abraham be sent out of the country.
Yes, God was able to pluck him out of those circumstances into which he had gone by his own will.
On their ones such a God is ours. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. We think of Peter, he said, The Lord said to Peter, Simon, Simon, Satan that desired to have thee, that he might sift thee his wheat, but I have prayed for thee.
All we find that intercession before Peter had ever fallen.
Well, such a one is our goal, Interceding for us, the Lord Jesus Christ there at the right hand of the majesty on high, interceding force such as the one that is watching over us, keeping us and guarding us as we go through this life.
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Then we may turn to Deuteronomy 33.
Verse 2.
And he said the Lord came from Sinai.
And rose up from seer unto them.
He shine forth from Mount Peron.
And he came with 10 thousands of Saints. From his right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yeah, he loved the people.
All his Saints are in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet. Everyone shall receive of thy words.
Oh, how lovely this is.
Yeah, he loved the people.
He loved the people. All his Saints are in thy hand.
Oh is not a blessed place to be in His hand.
We read in Revelation.
Chapter 2.
And verse one.
Under the Angel of the Church of Ephesus rite these things, saith he.
That holdeth the seven stars in his right hand.
Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks?
Beloved, we are safe in that right hand of power.
That hand will never lose its power, and we are safe in that hand.
No man can pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave to me, is greater than all.
And no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand. Dear ones, that is good for time, and it's good for eternity. We are safe in His hand.
They sat down at thy feet. Oh, what a blessed place it is to be at his feet.
Mary sat at his feet and heard his word.
And the Lord commended her for it. Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.
We might be found habitually at his feet, hearing his word.
They sat down at thy feet. Everyone shall receive of thy words.
Now I've enjoyed in Exodus chapter 19.
Now the Lord brought them out from Egypt.
That he might bring them into the land of Canaan, that place of blessing.
But in Exodus 19 verse four, ye have seen what I did under the Egyptians.
And how I bear you on eagle's wings and brought you.
Unto myself, Oh dear ones, yes, He has blessed us, blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In Christ. The dear ones, He has brought us to Himself.
Is brought us to himself.
Christ also loved the Church and gave himself.
For it, and we have been brought to himself.
Brought to where he is in the midst. Oh, I ask you why, Sovereign Grace?
Its sovereign grace that has brought us to know Him as Savior and to discern where He is in the midst. It is His Spirit that has gathered us around the person of Christ. He has brought us to Himself.
And all that is where God has ever desired that His people be. He came down to talk with Adam in the cool of the day.
He said to Moses, let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. He wanted to dwell in the midst of his people, and in Revelation 21.
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Verse three And I heard a great voice out of heaven say, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.
They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. He will dwell with them.
No, some of us this afternoon we're looking at a verse in Zephaniah, Zephaniah 3 and verse 17.
The precious verse.
The Lord thy God in the midst of the is mighty.
He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy.
He will rest in his love to notice the marginal reading. He will be silent in love.
Oh, can you not see two people?
Man, his wife or two young people sitting together.
No words passing between them, none are needed. They are satisfied in each other's company, satisfied to be with each other. And I believe this is what we have before us here. God is satisfied in having His own around himself. He will joy over thee with singing.
That God is longing, His desire is right from the beginning.
To be able to dwell with his people, to have them around himself.
And now we have been brought to where Christ is in the midst.
Surely this is a love which will go on throughout those endless ages of eternity. We have His love from a past eternity, His love and redemption, and His love as we go on day by day down here. And that love that we will know throughout those endless ages eternal.
There with the Hebrew servant in Exodus 21.
We find him saying I love my master, God must have the 1St place, my wife.
There I believe we have the Church, my children, those others that will be brought in, I will not go out free. Oh, Christ could have gone back to that glory at any time.
He was sinless, undefiled.
But accept the corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die to bite us alone.
But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He would not go out free, He would not go back to that glory alone. He would go to that cross of Calvary and there.
Accomplishing that work of redemption so that He could have us in that scene of glory with Him.
Turn for a moment to 1St Corinthians 15.
Verse 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall put down all rules, and all authority and power, For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, for he has put all things under his feet.
But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, that put all things under him, that God may be All in all.
God put.
The dominion of this world in the hands of Adam the 1St man, and Adam failed. Sin came in.
Now God has committed everything to the second man, to Christ, the last Adam.
And when Christ has brought everything back into subjection so that God can again pronounce it good.
Then he hands all back to the Father.
Fully glorified God about the question of sin in every respect.
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Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, and for all things under him, that God may be All in all.
All He would not go out free. He should serve him forever. And so Christ remains a man in the glory forever.
That he might have us with himself, and that we might be with him.
He remained the mind and the glory forever. All the love such.
Gives us little glimpses of that wondrous love he has in his heart toward you and I.
Well now then, maybe we could turn to 1St Thessalonians. First Thessalonians, chapter one.
And verse 9.
We think of that wondrous love that's been shown toward us, and this is the one who has such love in his hearts to us. It is coming to take us to be with himself.
For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you.
And how ye turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus.
Our deliverer from the coming wrath. It could read as I read it there.
They turned to God from idols. They had found something infinitely better than their idols.
Oh dear ones, maybe the world wonders why we do not go with it. The reason is very simple. We have found something infinitely better.
We have someone, not something, but someone so far superior.
That the world is simply eclipsed.
They turned to God from idols.
To serve the living and true God.
That was one purpose.
And to wait for his Son from heaven. From the moment they were saved, they were waiting for the Lord to come. They were waiting for the Lord to come. These dear believers in Thessalonica.
Disturbed because some had died before the Lord came for them. That is how much they were looking for Him for his immediate return.
Now, nearly 2000 years later.
A lot we are still looking, and he that shall come will come and will not carry.
Or that we may not give up looking for him. It's not when they gave up.
The thought that he was coming at all. It's when they said my Lord delayeth his coming that evil began to creep in. Declension the Lord let us hold fast through that precious truth that at any moment we may see our Lord and Savior face to face.
Now going on to the second chapter and verse 19.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing?
Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at His coming, For ye are our glory and joy.
Again, the apostle was looking forward with joy.
To seeing those dear Thessalonians.
In glory the results of his laborers in Thessalonica. You have the same thought in Philippians chapter 2.
And verse 16.
Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ.
At that moment when we'll be with Christ in glory, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain.
Neither labored in they. Yes, again, He would rejoice in seeing those dear ones from Philippi there in glory, the fruit of his labor, and Philippi for dear ones. This touches our service then. And so not only is the Lords coming connected with our salvation, that ever present hope should be of every believer.
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But also with our service while we wait for him down here.
We read in Luke how he delivered to his servants.
10 lbs and he said occupy till I come.
Occupy till I come. We're to be occupied in His things until he comes.
And So what are we doing day by day? Are we living for the Lord? Are we living for self? What is the motive?
With which we are doing what we are doing.
You can wash the dishes.
You can weed the garden. You can do your daily work.
As unto Christ.
Carrying out His injunction that we provide things honest in the sight of all men and doing it for Him, that it might bring glory to Him, or we can do it for self to get ahead in this world, to gain something for ourselves and the love. There's a big difference. Notice Hebrews. Hebrews 4 and verse 12.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul that I believe refers to the old nature and spirit that's the new nature and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Lord discerns whether the thoughts of our hearts.
Are the fruit of the old nature or the fruit of the new nature? He discerns the intent.
With why we do something, do we do it for So do we do it for Christ? Oh dear ones, that all that we do day by day might be with the sense of doing it for His glory, for His approbation.
And 1St Thessalonians chapter 3.
And verse 12.
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father.
At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints.
Now this refers to his appearing that time, I believe, when rewards would be given.
And I believe it refers to our conduct down here.
The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father.
Well, Peter would tell you, Be ye holy, for I am holy.
We went back.
To Numbers Chapter 5.
Is command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone that is a leper, everyone that has an issue, everyone defiled by the dead?
Our dear ones, there must be that separation from evil.
Or goes on to say that they defile not their camps in the midst whereof I dwell. It's because the Lord is in the midst.
Because He has brought us to where He is in the midst, there must be that separation from evil, separation from evil in our walk, in our ways.
Separation from all that is contrary to the Word of God.
Association.
Often not realized, but association or contact with evil is defiling.
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Not only when we send ourselves are we defiled, but we are defiled when we come into contact or association with people. If you go to the 19th of numbers.
It's been most striking to me.
Eliezer the priest.
And one that burnt the heifer, one that gathered up the ashes, one that sprinkled the water of separation. Every one of them were clean to start with. Every one of them were doing exactly what God told them to do.
And every one of them became defiled, became unclean.
Dear ones, it's a solemn fact a contact or association with evil is defiling.
We need the washing of water by the word and how careful we need to be.
Of our conduct as we go through this scene, remember we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We belong to him, ye are not your own. You're bought with the price and consider the price he paid for us. We have cost him everything.
And dear ones, how we should shrink from doing anything that would bring this honor.
On him.
Well, we go on.
To chapter 5 and verse 23.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.
And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, we belong to Him, spirit, soul and body.
Or we may indeed be kept of him.
Turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 6, verse 15.
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?
Verse 19.
What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own, For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
Yes, dear one's.
He has given everything for us. I think of that parable of the merchant man seeking goodly pearls.
Where he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought.
He sold all that he had, he gave himself for us.
Dear ones, we have cost Christ everything. He has purchased us with His own blood. We belong to Him.
For the little while, we are left here in this scene.
May we seek to walk pleasing unto him.
Ever bearing in mind, at any moment we may see that Blessed One.
Face to face.
He said Surely I come quickly, quoting the words of another. That is the last promise of scripture. Surely I come quickly.
Amen.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
May that be the prayer of our hearts and we find it's the last prayer in Scripture.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. The last provision and all that grace is what will see us safe. Hope to the guard, to Him be all the praise and all the glory that one who has loved us with an everlasting God. Therefore, with loving kindness have I grown.
That One who has given everything for us, all our hearts might indeed be drawn out in some small measure for the great love wherewith He loved us, we love him.
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Or we love because he first loved us.