Open—M. Payette
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1St I believe is in Romans, the book of Romans.
Yes, Romans chapter 4.
Verse three. First part.
For what sayeth the scriptures and there's a question mark.
Next is a familiar portion in first.
First Corinthians, chapter 14.
29.
Let the prophet speak two or three, and let the other judge if anything be revealed to another, Set us by Let the first hold his peace. We may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
For God is not the author of confusion.
One more in first Peter.
First Peter, chapter 4.
1St 11.
If any man speak.
Let him speak is the oracles of God.
Let's pray.
To be some verses from Revelation chapter 3.
Certainly those verses that were read to us make us feel our particular responsibility.
And also I would like to say that.
If any of you or myself.
Are given the privilege of Speaking of the Lord Jesus in any manner in the gospel or in encouraging one another. It's on the basis of his grace and his supply has nothing to do with our personal value or Excellency. That has no matter to do with that. I seek to have a few thoughts brought before my brethren that I've enjoyed and I've been encouraged as I considered the send these cool message this morning about these vessels and these cups.
And also by what our brother brought before us as to loving one another.
I'd like to read from Revelation chapter 3, verse 7.
Revelation 3 and 7 Into the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia right these things, saith He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, He that opened it, and no man shut it, and shut it, and no man open it.
I know that works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut.
No man can shut it, for thou hast little strength, and hast kept my word, and has not denied my name.
Before they will make them on the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee because I have kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which will come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast. Let no man take thy ground.
But as most of you know, Philadelphia means brotherly love. We're called to love one another.
But I've enjoyed in here what the Spirit of God has laid before us and to connect it to with some obvious passages in the Old Testament that are brought to our minds. But here the Lord just commends the fact that he, his word has been kept and being kept and His name not denied. You know, keeping his word has to do with more than just holding on to a good version of the Bible and claiming it to be the inspired word of God. It has to do with.
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Keeping it in our lives in a practical way.
Remember an argument somebody was relating about?
Versions of the Bible and the.
Different translations, and the man said that, well, the best translation I know is my grandmother's translation. She translates it in her life every day.
That's the translation that we need. We need practical Christianity, we need practical relationship with the Lord Jesus. We need to manifest him in a practical way. But you know here it says of the Lord Jesus as to his character.
He that had the key of David and that opened it, and no man shut it and shut it.
And no man opened it and.
This is an obvious reference to Isaiah chapter 22, which I'd like to turn for a few moments.
For some thoughts there Isaiah chapter 22.
I'd like to read from.
The 51St.
Isaiah 22 and 15 And thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go get thee into this treasure, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, Well, that's now here. And whomest thou here that tells you the out a sepulchre here. I see that you with him out a sepulchre on high, and I grave at an invitation for himself in Iraq. Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with almighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country. There shut thou die, and there's a Chariots of thy glory shall be the same of thy Lord's house, and I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. It shall come to pass in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Al Qaeda, and I will clothe him with thy robe and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hands.
And you should be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the House of Judah. And the key of the House of David will I lay upon his shoulder. And he shall open. And none shall shut. And he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a short place. And he shall be for a glorious throne to his Father's house. And he shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's house. The offsprings and the issue.
All vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flag ONS in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in a short place be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off, for the Lord had spoken it.
Well, I understand from this portion.
To bring prophetically before us what the Lord refers to in the church to Philadelphia, one who has the key of David.
And the 25th verse speaking, Speaking of that nail to be removed, I believe it refers to Shebna, who is going to lose his, his job, you might say, and be replaced by Eliakim. Eliakim means the Lord shall establish the son of Al Qaeda, the portion of the Lord. That's what his name means. Oh, God will establish the portion.
Of the Lord's not obvious. Now the portion of the Lord in this world is not obvious. You and I know about it, but it's not manifest when in the coming day you will have what is rightfully His, but at the time of His rejection.
He is in that holy place, in the presence of God Himself, and here this one is compared to a nail fastened in a sure place.
You know this one represented here.
The figure that's used.
Everything depends on him. We have that dependence. Everything hangs on that nail, fixed in that short place. That's what it is today. You know this unknown one to the world. Everything hangs upon him.
Father was mentioning in one of the readings as to the foundations of the world, you know.
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The whole foundation is the world is on that cornerstone, the Lord Jesus. The purpose of this universe is for the manifestation of the Son of God to the glory of His Father.
And you and I have been introduced by the Word of God into these wonderful treasures. But here we see.
That the glory of the Father's house, all the glory of the Father's house, hangs upon him.
That one who was hung on the cross.
All the glory of the Father's house hangs upon him.
No cross.
None of this glory for the Father's house, but through the cross He has glorified the Father and He has brought glory to the Father.
And these vessels here which are hanging upon that one, dependent upon that one, I'd like just to speak up briefly. It speaks of the offsprings and the issue. And I have in my version dependence or descendants and offspring.
We think of the ones that were there in the 1St century, the apostles as they were referred to in John 17, and then those that would believe through their word. You know, I wonder if the believers in the 1St century, the believers that were around that never had the word of God as we have in our hands, if they enjoyed to the extent that we can enjoy those things that are set before us in the Word of God by the Spirit of God. They didn't have this facility that we have these resources that belong to us in the last days.
What blessing? Surely we can think Well, they, some of them saw the Lord, some of them saw the apostles. We never saw the Lord, we never saw the apostles, but we have in our hands, as they never had the word of God in its fullness and the Spirit of God in us to bring out these treasures, to thrill our hearts, to have a loved one we've never seen in a matter. Perhaps it could even be greater than those who actually saw him. So they're working in the Spirit of God.
And then it refers to vessels.
It says this, all the glory of the Father else hangs upon him, and this, this is where the glory of the Father's house is made of descendants and offsprings.
We're gonna be to his glory, all those of us that are the fruit of the travelling of the soul of the Lord Jesus. We're gonna be to his glory. And then it goes on and it says vessels of small quantity.
Or small vessels.
No big vessels here.
No big names.
All small vessels.
To the glory of the Father.
His strength is made perfect in weakness.
He uses small vessels.
In special ways to His glory are we happy to be small vessels.
You wanna be a big vessel, you might not be in his glory.
You can be a small vessel. Tears Glory could depend on him if you hang up on him and then it says the vessels of cups. We had cups this morning and I was thinking about that at cups. You know, a cup is a portion for one person.
We had coffee at lunchtime there and we were missing some cups. Some couldn't have coffee. We called for more cups. Everybody had their cup and they could have their portion of what was provided.
You have a cup, I have a cup.
You know, we have this verse in Ephesians chapter 3 and we use it in chapter one rather verse three, and we use it often and it's a precious verse blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
But if I ask you today, dear one.
What's in your cup today? You don't have it all in your cup. You must be enjoying something in your cup today.
Is there something in your cup today? There should be something because there's something in the Lord's heart for you to enjoy today about himself. There'll be something tomorrow and the day after. Your cup can run over, has to be filled to run over. So I asked you the question. I asked my heart the question. I do have a cup. What's in it today? I can say things. I can say I'm blessed, I can recite verses, but I'm enjoying them in my soul, in my heart. And if I have, if I am, I will be talking to the Lord and being in a thankful spirit.
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And desiring in my life to walk in a way that's pleasing to him. And then it says even all the vessels of flagons in my French Bible there the word that's used is amphora, and amphora are.
Common vessels. When you dig up ancient cities, they find piles and piles of broken pieces of encore. They use this for all sorts of things. Everyday vessels.
You and I, you know, the Lord can use this in special service, small vessels for special service. He has a function for you in the body of Christ, something He'd like you to do for himself. He has a portion for you to enjoy every day about himself. And He knows the common life that you and I have where we work, where we live, where we go to school, we live as other people. We walk the same way as other people. We walk with different motives, and there's things that we don't do, but we just look like normal people.
And as we look like normal people and behave in common circumstances of life.
We are there dependent on Him for the glory of His Father. You can glorify the Lord in your neighborhood, in your school, in your workplace, and give them great delight because you're enjoying His love. Your cup is full and you're living for Him. Well, you know this church in Philadelphia?
What characterized it was weakness.
And what weakness can produce in you and I?
Is dependence, reliance on one that has strength and has provision for us. So he says in the Church of Philadelphia. I'd just like to go back to the 11Th verse. I don't want to be too long. Leave room for others, definitely.
Verse 11. Behold, I come quickly.
Hold that fast which thou hast.
That no man take thy crown.
I'd like to refer to a verse in Exodus chapter 25.
Exodus 25, verse 23.
You should also make a table of **** in wood. Two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof, inertial overlay with pure gold, and make their 2A crown of gold roundabout. And thou shall make unto it a board of a hand breath round about, and thus shall make a golden crown to the border thereof roundabout.
Just a thought in connection with the table here.
As we enjoy and minister often on the truth of the Lord's Table, there was that table in the Old Testament.
It had 12 loaves on there.
And two crowns.
And a hand breath between the two crowns. That's what I read.
In the New Testament we reveal the table of the Lord. Not 12 loaves, one loaf, one loaf that speaks of the one body.
That's not denied my name.
To be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I believe is part of.
Not denying his name.
And to enjoy the simplicity.
Of gathering around himself.
Of giving him the joy of answering to his request.
Remember him in death at his table, from the principles that He's in instructed us from the Word of God.
It's something that brings criticism and judgment from others because they would call us exclusive. And I trust we are not exclusive. I hope we're not exclusive. I hope we're faithful. And faithfulness would prevent us from receiving some and would allow us or bring us to the obligation of separating from some. I trust with sorrow, but we're encouraged.
For faithfulness here and I've enjoyed this.
In connection with the table, there were two crowns there, separated by a hand breath. And I thought of the hand as responsibility, you know, as the hand of God. And there's the hand of man, and He's committed things to us. Hold out fast that which thou hast, so hold on and to be faithful, and the Lord will reward that. He has a crown for faithfulness to that Church of Philadelphia. And I have by no means a pretension of being in Philadelphia or Philadelphia itself, but I believe the character of Philadelphia should commend itself to our souls.
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Individually and collectively, and seek by His grace to keep His word, not deny His name, and to go on for a moment still till He comes. And so there's responsibility connected with that. There are two crowns, you know, there's two hands. There's a hand of God. The Lord is able to preserve His testimony, and we need to keep ourselves, brethren, from stepping over to what He is of God's domain of administration.
I say this with with love, I trust that the Lord Jesus went in Matthew 28. He says all authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth, and we have the privilege of being added to his name to loosen bind in his name. And what we should be doing is carrying out his mind, having the thoughts of his heart and doing so not administering things by ourselves in lack.
Of dependence. So that nail in a high, in a fixed in a fixed place speaks of the Lord Jesus soon to be manifest in glory. Every eye to see him every month to confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And you and I small vessels, small cups, everyday vessels that we carry on our lives with, depending on Him to be to the glory of the Father. And surely we understand that as we regather this morning.
In quietness and simplicity.
Just to be around Himself, we could think of the Lord's joy in His heart to have a few of His own anticipation of having them all there gathered there to His name, in accordance with His Word, in the right spirit, to allow Him to enjoy the presence of His people. And He would enjoy His. May Lord bless His word to our souls.