St. Louis Conference: 1999
Table of Contents
Hebrews 1:1-3
Reading
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What is my favorite swearing on again?
Reply.
After chapter 5 and verse 6.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.
For they shall be healed.
Also in Psalms.
Psalms 107.
00:05:12
And verse 5.
Hungry and thirsty.
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
All that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.
And for his wonderful works to the children of men.
For he satisfied the longing soul and Philip the hungry soul with goodness.
Should we just look through the Lord together?
Second chapter of the book of Hebrews. I realize there's a great deal in those two chapters.
In regard to just three reading meetings over this weekend. But it does bring before us a glorified Christ. And someone mentioned in their prayer already this afternoon that a glorified Christ is God's object, and that's the one that he would have us to be occupied with as well. So I might just make that suggestion that if it was the mind of the brethren, we could read those two chapters.
You want to read both those chapters at one time. It might be nice, at least initially, to read them together. They're intimately connected.
The book of Hebrews chapters one and two.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, and in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, Who, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels.
As he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they, for unto which of the angels said he, at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee, And again I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.
And again when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the sun he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.
Above thy fellows and thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of thine hands they shall perish. But thou remainest they all shall wax old, as doth A garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail. But to Which of the angels said he, at any time sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, less than anytime we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast in every transgression and disobedience, received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also, bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles?
And gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will, For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, wherever we speak. That one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, That thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and did set him over the works of thy hands, that was put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all things all in subjection under him.
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He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him For whom are all things, and by whom are all things? And bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one.
For which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them? Brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee, And again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children which God hath given me. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the saying, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to *******.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, and things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself had suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
Well, I believe the book of Hebrews opens up to us, the heavens, in a very wonderful way, so that we can, by faith brethren, look up and behold the one that, as I say, God would always occupy his people with, and that is a glorified Christ. In the book of Hebrews. It's not so much the work that's taken up as the results of the work, it's His ascension and his enthronement. There's only one specific mention of the cross in Hebrews, that's in the 12Th chapter. Who for the joy that was set before him.
Endured the cross, despising the shame. And there's only one specific mention of the resurrection. You get that in the 13th chapter, because it's, as I say, it's His ascension and enthronement. It's the results of the work and where He is now, having glorified God on the earth and finished the work that was given him to do. And every time you have the heavens opened in Scripture, it's always in connection with some aspect of the person and work of Christ.
And when the Lord Jesus was here, the heavens opened up and all heaven gazed down at that blessed object as he walked here in this world. Here was as another, as said an object in this world that finally commended the place. And heaven would open up and gaze down at this one and a voice declare, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, but the heavens are opened in Hebrews, not so much that heaven can look down, but so that we can look up and brethren, if we get a fresh glimpse of the man in the glory during these meetings here in Saint Louis.
Then it's been worth our while to be together and if we get a fresh glimpse of him, truly a fresh glimpse of him.
Then will not our hearts go out to him more that it would have a practical effect on our lives as a result of being together over the word of God?
We know that.
Each the epistle has a special character or subject that is set before us. We realize that the book of Hebrews is not like the book of Ephesians.
Where we're seen as seated into heavenlies. But it's nice to understand. Perhaps something about the subject here in this epistle.
And that is that he is writing to these Jewish believers.
When all that now in this world as God looks down, he sees 3 distinct groups.
The Jews, the Gentiles and the Church of God. So when one is redeemed, he's brought into the church and now being there.
He has things to set aside, and especially for these Jews because.
They were accustomed to all the ordinances of the old, and now they're brought into something absolutely new.
And the great leading of this epistle is really access into this sanctuary of God, God directing us in that which would bring us into that place.
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That, oh you know, the very holiest by the blood of Jesus, which we have in chapter 10. But it's what it's taking place taking up is that.
They're to leave the old, come into the new, these Jewish believers, and it's very helpful epistle, teaching us about access into God's presence and into the holiest as priests to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ. So separation leads us into this vessel, onto a person, let us go forth.
Unto him without the camp.
As a real application to our day too, because we have a lot of religious activity in our day. A lot of.
Big movements in the world, religious world. But what is it that constitutes Christianity? It's having Christ.
Revealed as never before, having God revealed as never before in the person of Christ.
And He as the center of all God's counsels and purposes.
And it's interesting that this book mentions no author. We believe it's the Apostle Paul, but the only apostle that it speaks about in the third chapter is the Lord Jesus himself. And if it is true, and I believe it is that the Apostle Paul wrote the book, why he so wanted to be out of the picture so that Christ could be shown as the central figure in Christianity.
Christianity, brethren, isn't a religion. That's the way the world looks at it.
It's a person. It's knowing him in the fullness of his being, and that's what's set forth in the 1St, 8 chapters of this book. In the 9th and 10th chapters, you get his work touched on, and his work is the basis upon which we can have a relationship with him. But what is the attracting part of Christianity? What is it that attracts in Christianity?
It's a person. It's God's beloved Son, right from the beginning of Genesis, right to the end of the Bible, who occupies the central position in the Garden of Eden. What was at the center of that garden? The tree of Life. What is it in? Where's the Tree of Life? In the last chapter of the Bible? It's in the midst there just as well, and that's what God wants us to get our eyes upon.
And I say, brethren, we can lookout. And sometimes we lookout and we say there's the camp out there, the people that are not gathered to the Lords name. But brethren, we have to be careful because if we get looking at people or programs or anything other than the person of Christ, that's the principle of the camp and we can fall into it in so many ways. And so it should be a constant exercise as we come together to these meetings.
Are we looking at some brethren that are here that may minister the word, or are we looking up into the glory to that man on God's right hand? That's the one that's going to give us a portion. And it has impressed me, brethren, when there's simplicity.
In local assembly meetings of looking up into the glory to the Lord Jesus, the blessing that results sometimes some of those meetings in South America where.
You see brethren that are new in the faith and you say what do they get when they come together? Brethren, if there's simplicity in looking up to that man in the glory, I find there's tremendous blessing. But what I find sometimes happens is that we get looking at each other. Nobody here really knows how to minister the word. Very well. Well, we might not, and it's good. Better if we admit that we can't brother and look up to the Lord and he can give.
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And I often think of.
How he gave when there was those 5000 He said to the disciples, Those 12 disciples give you them to How much did the 12 disciples, those that were in positions of giving something, how much did they have to give? They had nothing to give.
Lord tick a little boy's lunch and blessed it. And they all went away fed. And there was some to take to those that hadn't come as well. Oh brother, the Lord give us to look up in more simplicity to the very object of what Christianity is, God's beloved Son.
To realize, do we not that the Lord Jesus is in the glory, but in his departure? He said he would send the Comforter the Holy Spirit.
And this person, God the Spirit, is a person in the Godhead, the same as the Sun is a Divine Person and a Father a divine Person.
And we have to recognize, and I think it's very important that we do, that God, the Holy Spirit, must have His place that has been given to Him in this world at this time.
To direct us using the Word of God to fill our hearts with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, well, we can't have it apart in reality.
Apart from the Spirit of God, God the Spirit must have that place that God has given to him, and in much of Christendom there is not room.
For this person to direct and having the privilege of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, and perhaps even owning that this is so that He must have His place. We have to be careful that he does have His place given to him by our precious Lord and Savior. The Comforter was sent and is here.
Now.
Of God in this book of Hebrews, very patiently goes over all that these Jewish believers had been taught under the order of things in the Old Testament, very patiently goes over it, and shows that those things were right and proper in their place and or and instituted and set up by God Himself. But shows I believe, that that which was in the Old Testament was just reflections and foreshadows of what has been fulfilled in Christ now.
13 times he uses the expression better in the book of Hebrews, pointing out that these believers now have something better than just those types in the Old Testament. But those Old Testament types are very important, aren't they? It's good to go back over them. And I say that because we don't want to give any thought in these meetings, that the Old Testament is not important. Those types and shadows and figures help us to grasp in our souls what it what it is to be sheltered from judgment, what it is to have one who's living for us.
What it is to have a hope. There are illustrations of the truth that is presented to us in the New Testament, and this illustration has been used before I realized. But when I was engaged to the one who later became my wife, there were several months between the engagement and the marriage, and we were separated geographically by many miles during those months. And so I had a large photograph that assumed a very important place on my desk and in my life for those months while I waited for the marriage to take place.
But after you came into my home after we were married, you'd be very surprised if I was more occupied with the photograph than the one who had become my wife, who was with me. Now you'd say, well, Jim, you have something better than just the photograph you have, the one of whom this is just a picture now. It's not that I've thrown out the photograph. I still value the photograph. It's still on my desk at home, but I'm not occupied with it. It doesn't have quite the same place.
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As it did in those months when I was waiting for the time that my wife, the one who had promised to be my wife, would become my wife and share that my home and life to get our lives together. And so I just used that perhaps as a feeble illustration of what we have in the Old Testament and what is presented here. The Old Testament was the pictures, and it all spoke of Christ beginning at Moses and the prophets. He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
But in Hebrews he says, you have the Son, now you have the one who has fulfilled it all. And this is the one now, brethren, that he would have us to be occupied with, And we can't stress that enough. In these meetings I'll do open your eyes, the eyes of your understanding, and the eyes of faith, to be occupied with the person of Christ, because nothing will dry out your heart like him. If the sun, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed, because we can't be occupied with the sun and not have the heart engaged. And that's true Christian liberty and freedom.
In connection with your illustration, Jim, the tendency and the danger there was with some of those professing Hebrew believers was not only paying more attention to the photo than your wife, but it was to turn away from the reality of who Christ was and turn back to Judaism. That is what is called apostasy and you and it helps to see that that was in view in the apostles mind.
If you look at the second chapter, we read and he says we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard.
Lest at anytime we should let them slip or we should slip away.
Can a real believer slip away? No, that's not the point. It was that there were perhaps those who had made a profession of Christianity without reality, and there was the danger that they would turn back from the living person of Christ and turn back to the forms of Judaism. And that was a real danger. And there's a real danger of that today, too.
Amongst those who profess Christianity of making an outward profession of Christianity.
And then turn back afterwards and turn back to the weak and beggarly elements. It was Judaism in this case.
But turning back from Christ is apostasy. We are living in the days of apostasy. It is getting stronger, turning back from Christ to the forms of religion. Lord help us, brethren, because our hearts are not taken up with the person of the Lord Jesus. There is going to be something that will take the place of that person in our hearts.
And there's a real danger of that.
I think it's also helpful for us to see and prove that it gives great emphasis to our relationship with God.
We have certain epistles, such as John's Epistles, in which we come to know God as our Father and enjoy the relationship we have with God as our Father. But there's great emphasis given in the Epistle to Hebrews, and it's not.
Without reason that it starts with the word God, because in the Old Testament the Jewish believers.
Had a distance between themselves and their God, and it's through the Lord Jesus Christ that God has been fully revealed to our hearts and we sing. Sometimes we joy in our God, and as we read through the epistle, we can see great emphasis is given to the throne of God.
To the things which Christ does for us before our God, to bring us into the enjoyment of our relationship with Himself.
And so before there was distance, there was a veil between themselves and God. And yet we have now brought before us in these better things, that we may draw near unto God, that we can enjoy the One who is our God, and know Him in an intimate way, as we had not known him, or he had not been known before. And the very one that makes him known to us is the sun. The very one that brings stands before us this afternoon.
At the throne of God as our intercessor, as our high priest, is Christ. And so I think it's well, I believe it's of the Spirit of God for us to enjoy much of Christ as his emphasis given to himself. But also we will miss something if we don't recognize that it's also to bring us into the enjoyment of God.
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That was real Magdalene, wasn't it? When she was looking for the Lord Jesus with a heart so full of devotion that she wanted to be close to him, even if it meant being close to his dead body. But he appears to her in resurrection, and he says, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father to my God and your God, He says, Mary, you're going to be associated now in a relationship, in resurrection and ascension.
That you've never been associated with me before and you go and declare this glorious message to my brethren, and brethren is our brother, Don says. That's the relationship that you and I have been brought into this afternoon. May we enjoy it more and more.
Out in the first 2 verses that I think help to get the picture God and then in verse 2.
Half spoken.
God has spoken. What a tremendous thing that we have in our hands. The words of the living God, brethren. Nothing to compare with it.
In the whole of the universe, God has spoken.
He spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, but those Old Testament scriptures, although very much the word of God, just as the New Testament equally important still they were partial revelations. But now in these last days He's spoken by his Son, or in Son in the person of his Son, because the Son is God himself.
God has spoken in Son, the person of the Son, and then it goes into those.
Little phrases beginning in the middle of verse two that.
Describe who this person really is. Tremendous.
To meditate on these little phrases that tell us the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God.
There is a person that God delights to make known to us.
That this person is the delight of the heart of God.
When the Lord Jesus was here and we learned that.
Therefore, that my father loved me.
What a person this was that God found his delight in.
All that perfection.
For that person, as he walks through this world, delighted the heart of God, and God opened the heaven, and said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
You also know that that sacrifice he made.
Was the greatest sacrifice that could be made. He gave himself. We learn about it in this epistle. He gave himself. He became the sacrifice.
That would glorify God, that God would be pleased with, and all the perfection of that sacrifice in that path of obedience.
I'm delighted in that. That's how he delights in this person.
So what? Our God is desirous that we would be drawn into, that we would be divided in the same person. So he reveals himself in Son. He had one that he could make himself known to us, the one that's in the bosom of a Father.
He has.
I come into this world to reveal the Father. And he said to Philip, he that hath seen me hast seen the Father. And so we have an object. But it's the same object that God finds his delight in. And that's the sun. So, brethren, we need to make much of the sun. He's the one that God would have us to be occupied with.
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A person, a person who is hearing this world, who laid aside his glory and became a man. The person who now lives in the glory, seated at the right hand of God. A person who.
Who is coming himself?
To take us to be with himself.
That person is the delight of the Father, and God would have that person.
To reveal himself in and fill our hearts as it fills, as he fills the very heart of God. His name is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Very beautiful. And what has impressed me, particularly in Paul's ministry, and we get it in these two chapters, is that God would direct us to His beloved Son, but first of all to His thoughts concerning that blessed one. And so we get the Lord Jesus presented, if we could put it this way, as to His glories in creation.
In the first chapter, perhaps more his glories as Redeemer in the second chapter.
In the third chapter, he's referred to as the apostle and high priest of our profession. And so we could say perhaps that in the first chapter it's more his character as the apostle, in the second chapter more his characters, the high priest. But it seems to me that, as in Paul's ministry elsewhere, he first of all directs us to God's thoughts concerning that blessed one. And I say that because without wanting to be critical, there's so much today.
And the tendency is in our own hearts, too, to look at God the Father, to look at the Lord Jesus Christ and think, if I could use these words, what does all this mean to me? What does the relationship mean to me? And that's well and good, and that's proper. And that's woven into the word of God in a wonderful way. And it's right that we should enjoy all that we have in Christ. But there's something even more precious than that, and that is to get around the other side, out of ourselves.
And to see what that Blessed One meant, and all that He was, and in all that he did to God the Father, what delight it was for God the Father to look down and see that Blessed One, who was the brightness of his glory in the express image of his person Walk through this world, displaying the heart of God and the character of God in every step, going to Calvary's cross, now risen and glorified, the One in whom all God's purposes are centered.
Well, if you and I can get hold of that, it takes us out of ourselves, doesn't it? And gives us to see all the blessedness of Christ, not only because of what it means to us, but because, as our brother Curry has been mentioning, we have fellowship with God in His thoughts concerning his beloved Son.
I believe, Brother Bill, of what you're talking about just in type in Genesis. And we won't turn to it, but we will remember the story of of Joseph. And when Joseph is revealed to his brethren, Joseph sends his brethren back to get his father. And he says these words ye shall tell my Father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that ye.
Have seen there was a report to be given to the Father. And doesn't it delight, brethren, the heart of the Father, for us in the way that we can, and whatever measure we can to be able to go into His presence and tell our Father of the joy and the glory and the delight that we've entered into that we've seen such as it is of His beloved Son. He's spoken to us in the person of Son, what it must mean to his heart to have us come into His presence and tell Him.
In the measure that we can what we've seen of that beloved son.
Produces true worship, isn't it? Because true worship really springs from a heart overflowing with an appreciation of what the person and work of Christ means. To the heart of God has been said, we it ought to mean everything to us. But I think sometimes too on Lords Day morning, brethren, it's good when we are we are gathered together to remember the Lord Jesus that we seek to move beyond what the work means to us and see what it means to the heart of God.
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That's the burnt offering. In the burnt offering, the sweet savour offering, everything was for God. It's what he is to to God the Father and how good for us. So it's good to see what it means to us. But oh, I say true worship is produced as we see what it means to him. And I believe this is what we get in the book of Hebrews. Because when we look up brethren and see this blessed one seated at the right hand of God, we see that this is God's. Amen to the work of Calvary.
It shows us what it means to his heart. The resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Christ are God's. Amen to the work of Calvary. And in Ephesians chapter one, as a proof of God's eternal satisfaction, he set him at his own right hand. We find he's given him two in Philippians, a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. And as we look up and we see where he is now as a result of the work.
Can we doubt God's joy and eternal satisfaction in the sun? No, not for a moment.
Son in the second verse, having spoken to us in Son, then he goes on to say whom he had appointed heir of all things.
The glory that belongs to this person.
His son.
And he delights to speak of him as his beloved Son. Do I want to speak well of this person who is the beloved Son of God?
Made air of earth.
Whom he hath appointed heir of all things.
And that Blessed One is not going to take that which he has.
As his inheritance until he has his bride there with him to share that Doesn't it overwhelm you to think of that, That Jesus Christ is going to share with his bride all of that inheritance of his heart, His as a result?
Having glorified God in going to the cross of Calvary.
Then it says, by whom also he made the world's. Everything came from his hand. He made the world and then?
This next verse, these first few words for being the brightness.
Of his glory.
The express image of his person. How little, beloved brethren, we realize. The glories of this person. How little.
This I suppose we would put who made the world's by whom he made the world's first, and then we would talk about being heir of all things after, wouldn't we? But it's not that way in the order it's given, because in God's eternal purpose before.
Any worlds were in existence before there was any inheritance.
In existence he was already in those eternal councils.
Purpose. To be the heir of all things. I think it's so beautiful to to see the way God looks at it from his viewpoint of it. And So what a tremendous person this is. The one who's going to be the heir of all things, and the one who spoke it all into existence by the word of his power. I just marvel, you young people.
To study the universe and.
It it really.
Interests me the more I learn about the billions. I heard a calculation the other day of the they've calculated about how many stars there are in the universe. They say there's about 100 billion trillion stars in the universe. I don't know how they even calculate such a thing, but but it's innumerable. I mean, there's billions of galaxies.
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Think of this one who just spoke and it was done. What tremendous power. And even I think we have problems in our lives and we we don't trust this person to take care of our problems. Have we got a glimpse of who we're talking about?
I don't think we let the weight of these little statements sink into our souls. This is our God. This is the central figure that God is attracting us to. Before we go on along with that, would just like to interject one simple thought Here, beloved brethren, it says, hath spoken unto us. We look around this afternoon in this room and we see a company of people sitting here.
Who is this directed to? Just those who are older, who have walked the Christian path for a few more years? Just a certain class of people? Oh, I think it's very precious. Everyone from the youngest here who knows Christ the Savior, who can understand these words?
Youngest to the oldest. We're part of the US. We're part of the US that this is directed to. And so as we sit here, I just want to encourage our hearts for the young and for all of us, that these things that are being talked about are not just for a certain group of well taught brethren or a certain group of of those who go in and out among brethren. It's us. It's the those assembled here by the Spirit of God.
This afternoon, who are part of this wonderful little phrase? Think of it the one that Bob has been Speaking of, that by the word of his power spoken, this universe came into being. He's spoken to us, all of us, Brethren, beloved young people, to you, to me, to each one. He's spoken to us.
Well, isn't it to think of that.
Immensity of all of this.
And this person.
Who spoke?
And everything came into existence.
And.
As we think of that and we think of a verse like we have in Second Corinthians, ye know.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That though he were rich.
What cost to himself?
To lay aside his glory, he who was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.
To be forsaken of God, to be made sin for us, this person.
The very Creator, the glory of the heavens.
In this person he lays aside his glory. He becomes a man.
That he might answer to God is a man that could lay his light down as a man.
When that cross, he was a real man, very gone, but very man, and he laid his life.
Naked to the judgment of God.
For a poorer wretched Sinner, a helpless guilty Sinner, naked to judgment in the eyes of God, for for me.
What is sacrifice God made in giving us? But what a sacrifice He made and coming into this world and now the same blessed person, I can look into the heavens and I see Jesus.
And each of us need to have a fresh.
View of this person as the one who made all things, who died there on the cross of Calvary, who lives in the glory, and who is coming at any moment now to take us to be there on a thing, to be a child of God. If there's a person in this room, that's still in their sins.
Come to Jesus now.
00:50:00
What is most amazing to some, at least to me, is he who spoke in the universe, came into existence and he made.
The the birds, the fish, the animals and.
Finally, the human body.
Then he.
Came into the world.
As a babe born in the stable, cradled in a Manger, grew up in obscurity.
And then it was revealed at the age of 30 to the world.
And what about doing good and healing those that were oppressed to the devil?
Finally, when his hour was come.
That he should truly, in all things, in his very special way, glorify the Father.
In obedience, dependent submission, he would there in the Garden. Pray, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done three times.
Then when the soldiers with Judas came to take him, he said, Who seek Jesus of Nazareth? I am, he said, And they fell to the ground again. Whom seek ye Jesus of Nazareth? I am.
And he submitted himself at that point.
To the to the soldiers and went with them in submission.
To the powers that be and was crucified.
He knew beforehand the price he must pay if it be possible. Let this cut pass from me and the there was a certain.
Yearning to be delivered from it, but there was a greater desire on his part.
To glorify his God and Father.
So as we have.
And the end of the verse 3.
When he had by himself purged our sins, that was the greatest.
Act.
Least at this moment, I cannot think of anything greater.
That he did.
It's true, it's great to create a universe, but to bear in his own body our sins on the cross?
Was the most marvelous, marvelous thing the Lord laid on him, the iniquity of us all.
And he knew this beforehand, that he must endure the wrath of God during those three hours of darkness. He's satisfied. God was satisfied with his work. He was satisfied in finishing the work that God gave him to do.
To being the brightness of his glory. It's the full outshining of the glory of God. There was a glory when the law was given.
Through the instrumentality of angels at Mount Sinai. So much so was it glorious that when Moses came down off that mountain, his face was shining. There was a real glory about it, but that was not a full revelation of God's glory. But in the person of the Lord Jesus, we have the full revelation of the glory of God, the full out shining of that glory.
Is in the person of the Lord Jesus over other and tremendous. To think about something. As I say, you go outside and try to look at the sun. Don't do it because it will harm your eyes. You can't do it. It'll make you blind. That's only a part of infinitesimal, part of the creation of the one we're speaking about who made it all. Think of it. The full out shining of the glory of God is in the person of the Lord Jesus.
And then that second expression, the express image of his person.
Image is representation. He's the image of the invisible God it tells us in.
Colossians. I think it is So if you want to know God, you look at Jesus and you will know God in the fullest sense of the word. Think of him as he passed through this world and was interested in the smallest details they thought he wouldn't be interested in. Little children. I take these children out of here. They're bothering us. He rebuked them. He took.
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Little children up into his arms and bless them. That's our God, brethren. He's interested in little children. Take a bunch of little children to President of the United States. Does he have time to take him up in his arms? I don't think so. Probably he might do one or two, but he's not really interested in that. That's not his purpose. But here's one who although he controls the full universe in his extension, he's has time for the very minutest details of our lives.
That's our God. So when we go through the Gospels, read it, we see the person of the our God. We understand now who God is like because he's been fully revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus. He is the express exact image of his person, tremendous to to meditate on everything.
I'm the only begotten who was in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared him. And we also read in John chapter one the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. I might just say, too, that I think it's helpful when we take up the book of Hebrews to notice that there are 4 occasions here that you have the Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of God. The first one is in the verse that we are considering.
And here, brethren, I believe he is seated having made full atonement. And if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, I believe it ties in with what we've been saying in connection with his being creator. Because I believe you'll notice here it's a broader thought than just our being brought into blessing. It's true, we are brought into blessing. But if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, it says having made the purification for sin now, it's true he has purged our sins. And we find out later on in this epistle in the 10th chapter.
That by one offering he a perfected forever them that are sanctified. But I would suggest that here in the first chapter it's a broader thought than just our being brought into blessing. Because when man sinned in the garden, not only did man come under the curse of sin, but the whole creation came under the effects of the curse of sin. It tells us that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. And this creation is waiting for the redemption. And he's going to take it all back, brethren, not just as creator, but he's going to take it back in redemption.
You get that thought in Revelation 4 and five. In Revelation 4 we have him brought before us more in the aspect of Creator. In Revelation 5 it's in the aspect of Redeemer, and it will be the fulfillment of what John the Baptist said when he saw the Lord Jesus walking here in this world. He said behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. That hasn't happened yet. He's taken away our sin, Our sins are gone.
They are washed in the blood of Jesus, and as far as the East is from the West, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. But there's a day coming, brethren, when this world is not going to feel the effects of the curse the way it feels them now. Because he's going to take it back and things are going to be brought into blessing, and a king is going to reign in righteousness, and he will have his full exaltation here on this globe, in this world that rejected him and cast him out.
And all how the heart of God is looking forward to that time. Perhaps I could just say in passing to follow what I said earlier, that is that he's seated four times in this book. If you just trace it out, it's very beautiful to see that here in the first chapter he's seated at the right hand of God, having made full atonement in the 8th chapter. In the first verse, he's seated as our high priest, and that's a wonderful thing to be able to look up into the open heavens this afternoon.
And see that there's a man in the glory taking up our interests. One who not only knows our situation, but one who fully understands and feels what each one goes through. Maybe there's someone here and you say, oh, I just don't think anybody knows what I'm feeling. No one understands what I'm going through. There is one. It says that he cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like us. We are yet without sin.
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It behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and a faithful high priest. He never passes any of his own through anything, that he as a man hasn't felt himself so that he enters into it and suckers with us for us fully. Then we find in the 10th chapter he seated, and there he seated, having offered himself as the supreme sacrifice. And there it's in connection with our being brought into blessing, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins.
Forever sat down on the right hand of God. And then in the 12Th chapter he is seated as the object for faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the majesty on high. That's the object for us as we pass through this world in the path of faith. Well, I just mentioned this because I think it helps us to see the again the character of Hebrews bringing before us an exalted, glorified Christ.
And one who's seated at the place of power. And that's the one thing that's consistent in all those four portions that we mentioned.
It is the place of power.
These little phrases are linked together.
In such a majestic way, upholding all things by the word of His power.
Think of it, brethren, when he was just born and laid, as was mentioned in that Manger, seemingly helpless little babe, but at the same time upholding the whole universe by the word of his power. How can we understand that the mind doesn't grasp such a thing, but it makes us fall and worship Brethren when we consider think of him when he was hanging on that cross and those intense agonies.
Of the hours of darkness, at the same time he was upholding the whole universe.
By the word of his power.
What a guy.
And that is we have in this verse.
Race and it is not mentioned, but I think we need to take it into consideration because.
Recently to begin reading again in Genesis and in Exodus. And there we have the Lord. What brother brought before us in the address was.
The manner and you know, it struck me that the Lord told them, Moses told them that they were together manna, just for a day.
And they didn't do that. They didn't listen.
They went on out the next day and then on the 6th day he told them gather for two days. Well no, they weren't going to do that. They'd wait till the next day and they'd gather. Beloved. What I'm trying to say is hear early in scripture God was speaking to his people. God who in sundry times and divers manners he spoke in times past and he spoke plainly to them and they didn't listen. And then we have.
The the prophets we have Isaiah, we have Ezekiel, Jeremiah.
And all the minor prophets He was speaking to his people, and they would not hear.
They went on and like when Jeremiah, when he revealed what God had to say to them, they say we will not. So what we see here in this first verse is the matchless grace of God, because he spake and spake again and again to the fathers, and they did not hear.
Now we come to this and he says, now he's speaking to us by his son and son. Sometimes one wonders, it's like the good man that let out his vineyard. And and so it comes to the point, he says, what shall I do? Well, it almost makes one think. In the 400 years of silence, we'd almost say, God is saying, oh, what can I do with this people? What can I do? Well, I know what I'll do. I'll send my son.
And so, beloved, now we have what we're taking up here in the Hebrews. All that has passed is matchless grace, because he he could have easily done what our brother mentioned in the Corinthians, where he destroyed them in the wilderness. Why would he patiently wait for them? Because he's a God of love. He's a God of love. And so to manifest that love, he sent his son. And that's what we've been Speaking of, is his son beloved.
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It's matchless grace. It's not mentioned here.
But it is nothing but grace that we are able to be here today and speak about that son. And so I trust that the young people as well as we are older, will get a grasp of what is each, excuse me, that is actually what we are reading here. It's a matchless grace of God that he is speaking in son. And so we have. And then I'd like to say also in About the Shadow, you know, one is often thought about the illustration.
We have that intense chapter, don't we? And I've often thought, you know, we've been speaking about the universe and the things outside. Many of us have seen an airplane go over. And perhaps between the son and myself or yourself, the airplane passed through. You've seen the shadow. And so, well, not too long afterwards that plane lands. And so then we come to the epistle of John, and he could say that which we have seen.
That we have handled with our hands. You can go to that airplane and you can lay hands on. Well, that's what the apostles did. That's what China. We laid our hands on him. We've touched him. We've touched who. We've touched Emmanuel. God with us, beloved. That's what we're talking about here today. We're talking about God with us, no longer his servants, but himself with us.
Rather than because these first verses.
I believe if we appreciate them according to the spirit of God will lead us to be worshippers of God. I say that again will make us to be worshippers of God. The first chapter of Hebrews does not bring in the sufferings of Christ. It does not bring in the name Jesus. That's chapter 2 subject. If we see this first chapter in its setting for us, it is God speaking to us.
In sun. And so God has come out in such a way. He says, I'm going to speak to you and you're going to see me in all the full expression of what I am for you. We have people today who say, well, I wish I could know God. And I think of Einstein was a great scientist of this century and was used to allow to see something of the workings of the universe and so on. And he observed it. And he said, well, there's got to be a maker of all this. There's got to be a God. But.
That's not the expression of the fullness of his person. God has come out to us in Son, and he has made himself known to us that we might know him, that we might be worshippers of Him. And so I think we need to give emphasis to it while we exalt Christ. It's the sun revealing God to us that is the subject of the Spirit of God in the first chapter. In the second chapter, Jesus is introduced.
Lowness and his place. But here it's not his loneliness. It's the exaltation of who he is in his person that has given emphasis to. That's why he isn't raised from the dead. Here he seats himself Who but a divine person has the right to sit down and take a place greater than angels. As a man only that would be inappropriate behavior. In the second chapter, he's made a little lower than the angels.
In this chapter he sits himself and it says being made so much better than the angels, but really it's taking a place so much better than the angels. That was his right to take such a place to sit himself down there. Why? Because it's God revealing himself to us that we might become worshippers of our God and of his Son, and so it's both. But here it's particularly the emphasis is to teach us to know our God in a way that the Jewish believer.
Never knew his God. God was at a distance. God was behind the veil. God was too holy to come near to. But in Hebrews we draw near unto our God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is exalted before our souls as the one that has brought us to God. But the glory God has spoken to us. What does that make us think of ourselves and our place? Not so much, or it's not intended so much to think of ourselves and our benefit, but it's the glory to God that he would do such a thing.
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That are the God of all the universe would say, I'm going to speak to you.
Not just in my creation, although I will do that, but also I'm going to come right down.
So that when you ask me in Jesus who he says he that has seen me.
Has seen the Father. And even in this chapter in verse six it says unto the Son, Isaiah thy throne, oh God, thy throne, oh God, giving emphasis to who this person is in his glory, in His Majesty, in the display of himself, in contrast really to his humiliation, to his loneliness, in the in the Manger, and so on, which blessed be God, he did. But here it's that we might see the greatness of him rather than the loneliness of him.
That we might worship him.
It's important to see that worship is really.
Because of who he is more than what he has done, we praise him for what he has done. We worship him for who he is. Look at those seven statements in verse two and three. Only one of them refers to his work directly, Brethren, only one.
And I often think if in our praise and worship of the Lord Jesus on Lords Day morning, we often think of what He did for us. Not that that's wrong, that's all right in this place, but I think it would really deepen our worship and our expressions of praise.
If we would remember more, who was it that hung on that cross?
Who was it that gave his life for us? It was no mere man that hung there. And I don't think we get, I have to say, from my own self OFT times we don't get very far past the fact that he simply died for our sins, which is right and good and proper, But, oh brethren, so much more the glories of his Person, this one that it says in verse three there when he had by himself purged our sins, there's his work.
He sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Think of it, when he was purging our sins, it was by himself.
No one, absolutely no one, could participate in what was done there. When the Ark was going to cross the Jordan River, there had to be a space of 2000 cubits. There was a space there, brethren, that no one could follow him.
There by himself. And think of it. He's hanging on that cross in the intensest agonies, being made, sin in the full weight of God's judgment, falling upon him for those sins, and then God forsaking him at that awful, awful, awful moment.
He yes, he knew what it means to be alone by himself.
No one of us will ever be alone like he was alone. There's a lot of lonely people in the world. But isn't it wonderful that we know one who knows what means to be alone like no one else could ever know it? He was by himself. He made the purgation of our sins. It's the person that gives weight to the work, isn't it? We don't want to reduce the truth to secular history this afternoon.
But if you read the history of the Roman Empire, you'll find that there were many who died on Roman crosses.
For one reason or another. But none ever would or could die for my sins. It took that perfect, sinless Son of God. That's the sacrifice without spot and without blemish. And perhaps that's one reason why when we are gathered on Lord's Day morning, he says this do in remembrance of me. It's true we do remember the work, we do remember him in death. But, brethren, it's the person that gives weight to the work.
And it's by himself. And then I'd like to just stress what Don said, because if you again if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, he sat himself down. Now it's true in Ephesians one God has set him there, as we were saying earlier, as his proof is Amen to the work of Calvary. But here he sets himself down. When I was in business, I'd often be called to do a job for a large company or corporation and I would go in and service or install their equipment as was required.
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And then I usually head at the end of the work, an interview with the man who hired me, and I would be taken into this man's presence to sit down and to go over the work and to present my invoice. But when I sat down in that man's presence, it was rarely with a feeling of real confidence, because there was always in the back of my mind that maybe the work hadn't been done to his satisfaction. Maybe I hadn't included something that he felt should have been included in the contract.
Maybe I had forgot to do something that he felt should have been done. It was rarely with a feeling of real confidence. But oh, think of it, brethren. On the one hand, God seats him. There. On the other hand, with perfect confidence he leaves this earth and returns to God. And in perfect confidence, knowing that nothing had been left undone of the work that had been given him to do here, he could say, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work.
He could say that in utmost confidence, and in perfect confidence he seats himself down. What a feeling must have passed between God the Father and the Son, as God receives him back, fully satisfied, fully glorified, and the sun, in perfect confidence, seats himself down there, rather than what confidence that ought to give us, because that acceptance back to the Father, that confidence in which he goes back and is accepted.
Rather than we have that confidence in Christ, now we're accepted in this one. We can come with holy boldness and confidence because that one has been accepted there, and because he could in confidence seat himself down. Oh, how precious it is to get ahold of this in our souls.
On his Father's throne is seated Christ the Lord, living one all his toil on earth completed all His work for sinners garden in the glory, seeing him, God, eternal God.
From his father's strongest age and.
Why the landing 11 red story longer is complete?
As long as it works for.
The tongue.
And the glory and the glory. And the glory. And the glory. And the glory. And the glory and the glory.
Eternal.
Sun and the Glory and the glory.
Spring in God, sleep clear Mozart.
Greeting cards up now.
It's worth crossing man across here in my Lord.
My favorite cruise paper.
Let the world judge and stand straightforward.
By the glory, by the glory.
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To God.
May the glory by the glory.
Rise was plain.
Rise for the last verse.
Three and six. Another 150.
3.
1000.
Away from rated.
To.
Heavens being.
Awkward.
Hebrews 1:4-14
Reading
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Lord, we adore me.
We must be with.
Friends.
Verse four of our chapter but.
I'd like to also suggest that perhaps we could finish taking up this chapter. I know there's lots here this morning, and then perhaps this afternoon we could go on and make some comments concerning the second chapter.
Hebrews the Ugly Just chapter one. This one, perhaps just this morning and then this afternoon. Chapter 2, Hebrews chapter one.
Starting with verse 4.
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Front of which of the angels said he at any time Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And again I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son. And again when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. Then of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels and spirits? And his ministers a flame of fire, But on to the sun he saith.
Thy throne, O God.
Is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness, is a scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of thine hands they shall perish. But thou remainest, they shall all wax old as death of garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed.
But thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? And they are they not all ministering spirits send forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.
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Ministry in the Old Testament. And they still have an important ministry, as is brought out at the end of this chapter. But as we said yesterday, he takes up everything that is what's before them in the Old Testament, and he shows that it was right and proper in its place. It was good in its place and ordained of God. But he sets that all aside in light of the one of whom we've been Speaking of in these meetings, his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we don't want to overlook the ministry of angels.
They are God's servants and they do his bidding. But isn't it a tremendous thing, brethren, to think that well, God used and does use angels in various ways? There are certain things that he takes up himself not using angels. And when it came to the redemption of man, did he send an Angel? I speak carefully. No, he came himself as we had in the verse before us. He couldn't send an Angel to take up the work of eternal redemption. God had to send forth his Son.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He came, God the Son, to die on Calvary's cross and to take up the question of sin. So let's say angels have an important place. But there are certain things that he does, He has to carry out himself. This is a little out of context, but just in connection with the coming of the Lord. He's not going to send an Angel for us. It's true that we'll hear the IT, it speaks of the voice of the Archangel and so on, But the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.
He came to die for us, and he's coming to receive us unto himself that where he is, there we're going to be.
Of God's creation and a very.
Interesting part of God's creation because in rank of creation they are higher than men and they're known for their power. They excel in power. That's what angels to do his bidding. And so in the second chapter it says when the Lord Jesus became a man, he was made.
A little lower than the angels because human creation is lower than angelic creation.
But the Lord Jesus was not part of creation as such, He was.
The Creator. And so he is much better than the angels being made, so much better than the angels. And I think when it says being made, it's interesting that it must take in the thought of his being a man here in this world because he has obtained.
More excellent name than they by inheritance is entained, and more excellent name than they so it talks about obtained and being made.
He was not made the Son of God. He was the Son of God from all eternity. But as a man this is his place now, much more excellent than the angels. And then in verse five, beautiful statement that is not well understood so often.
Thou art my son this day, Have I begotten thee? It's a quote from the 2nd Psalm, and it's quoted 2 Times in the New Testament, if I remember right.
But it's a beautiful statement as that first part thou art, my son, is a statement of his eternal sonship. God speaking Thou art my Son, was something that was always true from all eternity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the eternal God.
That we know now in three persons, but here is the one who is the eternal Son of God.
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Thou art my son, Then when it says, this day, have I begotten thee?
It's his incarnation, He came, and we could say never before was the Son of God a man. There was a new, something new that had never been before. The Son of God was now a man, and as such as a man in the creation.
The Father could open the heavens and say Thou art my beloved Son. Perhaps there was a question. Could a man down in here in this world?
Be the Son of God in the sense that we have it here.
The Lord God himself answers that question. He opens the heavens and after the Lord Jesus comes up from his baptism.
Is the heavens open and the voice of the Father. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. What an object. What a tremendous object. A man who is the very Son of God.
As we go down into chapter, that is going to fold it up.
As doth the garment that waxes old.
This blessed one from eternity.
As we have in verse.
12.
But thou art the same a title, so that same one from eternity.
Was here in this world.
And that word I went to that grass and ladies life down.
Because his God, he could never die.
But he became a man.
They never ceased to be gone.
Never cease to be that one from eternity.
And now we look into the heavens, and we see the same person.
Do I am sitting at the right hand of God?
The same.
From eternity to eternity.
And we'll learn in this book about this person.
Was the same yesterday.
Going back into eternity today, where He is forever.
We change. We sing. He changes now. And he loves us. He died for us. He lives for us. He's coming for us. He'll reign.
Glorious person, the same yesterday, today and forever.
Came into this world and took manhood. He brought all his, eternal all his.
God had glories with him.
Is the same.
That blessed One is He's truly God and truly man. He brought all his glories with him. He just seemed not. And there he is in the glory. Now he's sitting there at the right hand of God.
John's Gospel, Chapter One.
And verse one.
John's Gospel chapter one and verse one.
The word was.
In the beginning was the word.
Let's do his existence eternal.
The Word was with God.
But He was divine. He was there.
As to his nature divine.
The word was gone.
His person distinct.
Think of this one the word and then just turn over.
And read.
Verse 14.
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Verse 14.
It's the same person.
The word.
Was made pleasure.
He took a party.
And her body was prepared for him.
Back in eternity, when he took that body, when he came here in this world, that he might do the will of God in this world, that he might go to the cross of Calvary.
That he might dare not cross offer himself without spot to God the Word was made flesh.
This blessed you, dwelt among us.
Was here among us, God with us, His name Emmanuel, God with us.
And we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father.
Will a Grace and truth and now.
He lives in the glory a man.
In all his glory the same.
Human was a veil, wasn't it? It speaks in Hebrews chapter 10 of Through the Veil, that is to say, his flesh. And so to many people they didn't see anything more than a mere man. They said we know who this is, the Carpenter, that's all they saw in him. But he was no less God when he was becoming a man.
Than he ever was. Still it was just the human form that veiled that glory. And if he were to come in all his glory, we couldn't have stood to see it. But even then the glory shone through at times, and the amount of transfiguration is official glory. His face shone as the sun. Imagine that. And his garments were white as the light.
And when he rose to calm the storm, it seems like even the disciples didn't realize who this one was. And they marveled and said, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the waves obey him?
And it really makes you marvel, brethren, do we grasp the glory of the person that we profess to have in our midst. I say it will deliver us from looking at men. So often we get occupied with one brother and another, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. But, brethren, the Lord give us to be delivered from that, to be occupied with the glory of this person.
The more we see him, the more everyone else is going to fade out of the picture.
And this is what Christianity is, a heart that is drawn after this glorious person of our Lord Jesus. Lord help us. I really believe we're like those disciples. We don't, just really hasn't dawned on us yet.
Who this person is that we're talking about?
This marvelous truth that.
This person who was here in this world is now in the glory, and he still has those nail prints in his hands and his feet and the spear mark. And his son, Why did he remain a man? Why is he there as a man?
So that I could look into his blessed face. I'm going to see him. I'm going to see that man. What a joy overflow from our hearts when we realize that when we enter heaven.
Enter that glory. No man has seen God at anytime, but we're going to see the God man. The man Christ Jesus. Oh brethren.
How blessed that we have the privilege of coming into His holy presence here.
Gathered to his precious name, to come as priests into his presence, to offer him before God.
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In order that we might enjoy him forever.
We're going to forever.
It says, for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
This is never.
How we as man would have planned for God to come into this world? Is it very unusual? But he's not like us. Look what it says in verse three. He is despised and rejected of man. And of course it's the same today, isn't it? We read those wonderful verses in Peter that say unto you who believe.
He is precious. What a wonderful thing here in verse three. Look at this. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. This is God. Like I was reading in Matthew, it says, oh, let's just read it. Matthew 1.
Here we were hopeless, helpless, lost in our sins. Not a not a thought towards God, but his heart. It was aimed right at us, wasn't it His heart? Was not his judgment, His heart.
For Matthew 123.
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.
God had to do all the moving, didn't he? Because we would have never made a move towards him.
But he did all the moving. And what an amazing thing. How he came so low being being born in a thing that would not being after he was born, being put in a thing that animals would eat out of. This is amazing. I dare say probably no one in this room was ever brought into this world this way. But the Son of God, that's how he came. Isn't it amazing? Isn't he wonderful?
Our brother John mentioned about that time when we're going to see the glories of this person in the Father's house. And the Lord Jesus expressed it in his prayer to the to his Father in John 17, Where he said, Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me. And that's something that in in that sense is yet future. But I believe there is something for our exercise now, brethren.
Because we don't have to wait until that time to behold the glories of this blessed person. Just go over to Two Corinthians chapter 3.
Where you have something that is for our present exercise and enjoyment. Second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18. But we all with open face. I'm going to read this in Mr. Darby's translation. But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. And so, brethren, we can, as we said yesterday, by faith, look up into the open heavens.
And behold this glorified man at the right hand of God, and in the measure in which we are occupied with himself. There in that measure there will be a change in our lives. In that measure we will reflect something of Christ in our lives.
We sometimes sing a little prayer. Not we may live while here below, but Christ our life may be. And it's not that we try to generate within ourselves some testimony for the Lord or two from within, try to generate a Christ likeness or some outward moral conformity. But, brethren, in the measure I say, in which we look up, and we're occupied with the glories of this person, in that measure those glories will.
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In some measure, reflect in your life and mind.
And this is important. And this gets our eyes off one another, as our brother Bob was saying, not to be occupied with one another and perhaps some gift that the Lord has given another or some ministry, wonderful as that is. And those things are for the blessing and edification of the Church of God. But to see beyond that, and to see Christ reflected in our in our lives, oh, this is what's going to lift us above this world, lift us above the circumstances of life.
And I just challenge each of our hearts. Get a fresh glimpse of Christ, Be occupied with him.
We sometimes sing a little prayer, and I have to say for myself, I sing it so often that perhaps the import of it doesn't fully grasp my soul. I'll fix our earnest gaze so holy Lord on thee, that with thy beauty occupied we elsewhere none may see. We used to sing when we were young people. That home, that hymn, looked full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
In the light of his glory and grace, you're going to say something, Brother Don.
Helpful and important to see the difference between the first chapter and the second chapter. In chapter one, the blessed person that we speak of is the Son, and that's what's in view. In chapter 2, it is Jesus as the Son of Man, and the two chapters are kept distinctly different in what's presented to our souls in them.
In chapter one, which I believe corresponds to His person presented to us in John's Gospel as Son, he is in every way superior to angels. In chapter 2, when He's presented to us as Jesus and the Son of Man, we see him made a little inferior to the angels in chapter one, when He's presented to us here as God coming out in the full revelation of Himself in person and Son.
And he's contrasted to angels throughout this chapter. It's always as superior in every way to them.
When he comes an incarnation, it says the angels worship Him. When it is a matter of His taking his throne or taking His place in Godhead Majesty, He just does it in chapter 2, where he's presented as Jesus. It's God that makes things subject to Him, and so we are to see him here in this first chapter, not in His humiliation.
Not as Jesus, as Luke's gospel presents him to us, but the man that we see in this first chapter is John's ministry to us of God having come. And when you trace him through the Gospel of John, he's always superior to every circumstance. He goes right on to do the Father's will and he goes on to the cross. It's the only gospel, for example, where he could bears his cross.
Instead of having in the other three Gospels, someone else bears it with him or after him. But it's a wonderful thing, Brethren, to just see him in this first chapter in all his glory, and in chapter 2 to see him made a little lower, to see Jesus as it were, the one before our eyes. But in chapter one we're to see a person that we worship. And so when he's here and he's likened, he says thy throne.
Oh God is forever and ever.
And so it's his deity presented to us in manhood. But always his deity in chapter 2 is his manhood, but he doesn't give up his deity in manhood, and so it's a blessed thing. Can I say to keep the two chapters in their perspective? Or we'll mix the two and we'll miss something of the glory that God intends us always to have in reverence for himself.
Even in manhood.
One poet puts it.
The marvel of the old eternal word.
Confining himself to folds of infant flesh.
We have.
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That wonderful truth that's been brought forward, and I believe here this day have I begotten thee refers to.
The babe at Bethlehem's Manger, doesn't it?
Yet the eternal God, as our brother rule is brought out, it's the confines.
Touched upon in chapter One, but it is the eternal Son before the heart.
There's a remark in the Old Testament in Proverbs chapter 8. It says Speaking of the eternity of his person. I was daily his delight. That's a remarkable statement.
Sometimes said I don't have any sons, but I do have two daughters. And while I love those daughters very much, I can't always say that their daily my delight. There are some days that through their actions they grieve me.
It's not that I love them any less, but because of their actions I'm grieved. But here was one from a past eternity who could say in perfect confidence I was daily His delight and interesting that that expression daily is used in connection with eternity, because time has to do with the creation and man on this earth. But He puts it in that way so that we can understand that here was one who never from a past eternity.
Did one thing to grieve his Father. And then, as we've been speaking, when he came forth in the incarnation as the Son, the heavens could open up, and the voice declare, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And then to think that at the end of his pathway he could say, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work that Thou gave us me to do. Because, brethren, it was more than just finishing the work. It's true, He did finish the work, as I think we mentioned yesterday.
But every attribute of God was brought into full display in the Lord Jesus coming in incarnation. Because I believe that's what to be glorified really is. It's to have every quality and every attribute that makes up a person brought into full display. And so he glorified God on the earth. Every beauty and attribute of God was brought into display by his life here, his perfect life and in the work of redemption.
Another illustration that I know I've used before, but I might set one of my children to a task, and when I come back after giving them ample time to complete that work, I might find that they have done that work to my complete satisfaction. But it may be no reflection on myself. You wouldn't say that I was glorified in the work. I was satisfied with it, but oh how much more with the eternal Son who came in incarnation.
He didn't just complete the work, he didn't just finish it. But I say every attribute of God the Father was brought into full and distinct display.
Timothy the apostle speaks of.
God the blessed, and only potentate the king of kings, and Lord of Lords, who only hath immortality. He dwelleth in the light, which no hand can approach, unto whom no man hath seen or can see.
Well, no.
It was in the mind of God that he should be, that he would manifest himself.
And his beloved Son took manhood. And a wonderful thing it was that he chose manhood in order to manifest God, in order to manifest the Father as he was already remarked. All those blessing attributes, all those wonderful traits of character, we see in that blessing God whom we've come to know, they're all told out, all manifested there in the person of the Lord Jesus, that blessed man here, down here in this world.
Thing to see that when he leaves the place when he sent forth, as it says, when he bringeth in verse 6, the first born into the world, he does not set aside his place in God had glory.
He was the Son from all eternity, but when he becomes a man, he does not put that aside. He remains that, and the Father acknowledges him that in manhood that is, that we might always while we see his humiliation here on earth as a man, we might also see that he does not put aside what he was from all eternity, and becoming a man, and so immediately upon coming into the world.
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And in fact, scripture carefully doesn't say his birth or something like that. Although it's true that he comes and he is born in in a Manger and so on. The intent of the Spirit of God is for us to see that he does not put aside his glory of his person in becoming.
Into this world as man. And so the Father immediately acknowledges him, And he says, Thou art my son.
And so he was Son in eternity. But the moment he comes into this world in manhood, that's the first thing. As a word, God says thou art my son. It's not now you become my Son. But it is an affirmation and an acknowledgement of who it was that had come into this world. That we might worship him, and that we might always honor him, but never lower his person down in our thoughts or in our hearts to be less than thy throne, O God, that we like the angels who saw him here.
Worshiped him.
Here as man.
Six That beautiful verse says It's so wonderfully how exact scripture is unto us a child is born.
A son it doesn't say is born. That's what we have to say when we have our children. But a son is given how exact scripture is. The sun didn't begin to be at that time. He always was.
But he was given a son is given beautifully the exactitude of Scripture. And I think it is important these points because there is the idea, and some of the modern translations definitely suggest the idea that when Jesus became a man, he ceased to be God in some sense of the word. And that is not true at all. He was always.
An ever God over all things, blessed forever.
The glory was veiled. We use that term in our hymn 27, a beautiful hymn that it's lay thy glory by.
Personally think it's even more exact to use the scriptural term.
The glory was veiled because the glory was always there and it shone through at times. But that is what we would call, I suppose, poetic license and we understand that. But he was always God over all things, blessed forever. But it's interesting here in verse 6 when he uses this title first begotten.
We know we have the term only begotten, and that was a term of relationship of the Father with the Son from all eternity. First begotten is a relationship that the Lord Jesus has in connection with all of creation, and it's not a question of.
Being born first, necessarily, it's really a question of preeminence. That's the thought.
So as the sun is brought into this world, he is the first born and even those angelic hosts are brought to worship him. And perhaps that's why we see only mentioned in Luke's Gospel, where he's shown to be a man the angels worshipping.
Him praising him, the angelic hosts, with a loud voice.
Praising him. You don't have that Matthew's Gospel. You have it in Luke, where he's presented as a man.
Another in connection with what you say Brother Bob is to see the verse in Matthew one and verse 20. We won't turn to it, but it loses really its meaning in the King James, where it says that holy thing which shelf is in her, is conceived of the Holy Ghost. But if you notice it ought to read is begotten of the Holy Ghost because the scripture is very careful to guard the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I can put it this way, the woman conceives, the man begets.
And so he's the only begotten of the father. But and so I just say that that it's helpful to see that that difference and to notice that it does lose its impact in the King James. But I believe you know some Mr. Darby's translation, it's begotten the scripture so careful to guard these precious, this precious truth.
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Those who ministered.
But this blessed person has his throne.
And so they remain as ministers through all eternity but He.
Always is to have his throne, and so as it says, but unto the sun, verse 7 as to the angels who maketh his angels spirits and ministers a flame of fire. But by contrast but the sun he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And so we see as the Jewish people did. The angels were highly thought of and.
They thought it was a great privilege to have a just manifestation of angels, or to have angels visit them in some way or another. And it was. But by contrast, they're just ministers. But this blessed person has His throne. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And so they are subject to Him. And we ourselves as men will always recognize that it is himself and His throne.
That has the 1St place the preeminent place.
Used to be, at least never get beyond being servants. Today never get beyond to being servant but life. But the blessed Lord is you never said God, never said to an Angel. Sit though at my right hand until I make thine enemies and I put my thy footstool. Never did and I want to pull it is though that.
God's fellow, when we get God's fellow, which is Christ, then we get fellows and he has others are going to share that place, that glory with him. You and I, by grace, are going to share that place that he has a wonderful lady we're going to share. He's going to share it with us.
At love, as Mr. Darby says, which gives not as the world but shares all it possesses with its loved coheirs. And he's going to share it with us. And he's not going to take that. He's not going to take the inheritance in that coming day until he's got you and me and all his own with him there. And we're going to, he's going to share it with us, share it all.
Helpful to have some comments on the difference between the Father's throne and His throne and the position of the Lord Jesus now and the position he will take in the coming day. Might be good to just have some comments to make that distinction.
Of answering.
Sit down, and God says, sit down at my right hand until I make thine enemies, mine thine enemies, my footstool, thy footstool.
But the day has come.
And you're going to come and come and take his own throne. He's going to reign over all creation.
In the second Psalm it speaks about this.
Where he's really seen as begotten of God as a life he he's seen as he says, ask a man I shall give thee the nations of it, the heathen for thine inheritance. It would be a small thing for him to give them the tribes of Israel. But he's going to ask me, and I'll give you all the nations. But then we'll go over to the 8th Psalm. There he's made. There is as we get him in the second chapter. There he is. He is head over all creation wise.
There all creation.
Son of man over all creation.
It will be right.
When he introduces all this, it'll be in righteousness. And as we have it here, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His Kingdom. And then it says, Thou hast loved righteousness, so they can establish it in righteousness because.
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He is there, as that man to reign in that Kingdom.
What a joy it will be to be in Debt Kingdom.
Of righteousness. He loved righteousness.
He looks for in our lives now, doesn't he?
The more Jesus had taken them yet has A and justice notice. We alluded to this verse in Hebrews 12 yesterday. But just notice this verse in Hebrews 12 That we often quote verse two. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and noticed this is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. We sung that hymn yesterday.
On his Father's throne is seated Christ the Lord, the living one. And so he seated there at the right hand of the throne of God. But he is waiting for that day when he will take the throne of his glory and reign in righteousness. And it's just helpful to see that distinction. I'd like to again, I'd like to hear what others have to say, but is that right, Bob, to make that distinction?
Chapter 3 and verse 21.
To him that overcometh this is to Laodicea will I grant to sit with me.
In my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne, there you have the two Thrones distinguished. Where he's sitting now is at the right hand of the throne of God. But when he comes in His glory to take his Kingdom and rule with a rod of iron, he will sit down in his throne, and then those that are.
Overcomers will sit with him in his throne. I think that shows it.
And the chapter in chapter one, where the honor and the glory that belongs to his person is, is emphasized to us. He says in verse 8. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness. This is Speaking of the sun. It's not Speaking of God, but it's Speaking of the sun. Thy unto the sun he saith. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.
And therefore God thy God hath anointed Thee. The nature of God is to love righteousness and hate iniquity. That's God in his nature presented to us. And the Son is of the same nature, being of the same person and same Godhead. And so he is the one who loves righteousness and he hates iniquity. He's the only perfect display of God in loving righteousness and hating iniquity and perfection.
And so, having that same nature, he has that same place, and he's given that same honor and title, Thy throne, O God. And so I believe it. When it's the throne of God, it has more to do with the thought of the nature of God and what he likes and is. But when it is the person Jesus in chapter 2 who is the Son of Man, he receives as Son of Man the whitest possible place of honor and glory over man.
And so in Psalm 8, where he's presented to us that Brother Clem mentioned, he's presented to us as the Son of Man and his Son of Man. He doesn't take a place in the majesty on high he receives it. And so the Kingdom when it's presented to us, and he's looked at as Son of Man, he receives that from the Father as man, and he holds it as man. The glory of the Kingdom is not yet seen, because he's seated now at the right hand of that majesty on high, a son of man.
But he awaits the time of the Father, when the Father is going to give him that place, not only as he has it now in heaven, but it's going to be seen in power and glory on the earth. And so, and yet it's as man He receives it, not he doesn't take it. But in this first chapter again it's the glory of his person as Son, and as Son he is of the same nature and character as he is God.
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And so it's his throne according to his own nature.
Except for answering sometimes those that want to deny the eternal.
Or the deity of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes I've had people say where in the scriptures does.
It say that Jesus is God. Here's one verse that is extremely clear.
Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, Oh God, that's as clear as you want to have it. Thy throne, oh God, Jesus is man, but Jesus at the same time the same glorious person in chapter one is in chapter 2, but distinct in his glories. We can appreciate his diverse, many colored glories.
But it's the same glorious person, but here in chapter one as God over all things, blessed forever. So it's thy throne. Oh God, He is God.
Verses verse 9 To death to meditate on brethren and the day in which we live. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. We're living in a day of of where iniquity is tolerated and embraced. It comes to that point and if we allow ourselves to go in the currents of this world's thinking.
We're going to do the same thing, and I don't think any of us can deny that we're affected in some measure by the culture through which we pass The Lord help us to keep the right perspective. This is the way it is for God.
He loves righteousness. He hates iniquity. Is it right to hate?
Here's a place where it is right to hate iniquity, and people want us to accept things that are iniquity as if they were.
An acceptable form of life. Lord, help us brethren, to see it in the light of God's throne and not in the light of popular culture.
God has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Before there ever was a world, before there ever was a man here on this earth, but before there ever was a world. God chose us in him. And so we are seen before God. And we don't belong to this world at all. We don't belong here. We just we just going through it. We just called to go through it as best we can unspotted, keep our shape ourselves unspotted from this world. But we don't belong here. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, where there ever was a world.
And so how one thinks of what a wonderful.
How wonderful it is to have such an object before our hearts of one who draw this earth, and no one could bring a thing against him.
That was love, righteousness and hate and iniquity.
In second days brought before us, described as the last days in perilous times, days of complete giving up, and the rise of our unrighteousness and iniquity on every hand, days very parallel to the days in which we find ourselves in 1999. But at the end of it all, Paul says, having sought by grace to fight the good fight and to run the race, he says, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.
Which the Lord the righteous judge, shall give me in that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
In other words, Paul says, I've sought to live righteously in an unrighteous world, and now there's a crown of righteousness laid up as a reward at the end of it all. But he says not to me only. And, brethren, if we seek by the grace of God to live righteously in an unrighteous world because we don't have to compromise, we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And if we seek by grace, and it's only by grace, to walk righteously in an unrighteous world, oh, he says, you may be misunderstood.
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You may be reproached, there may be some persecution connected with it, but he said, never mind, I'll give you a crown of righteousness at the end of it all. Well may this exercise us brethren, And then to think too, that the one who's going to take the throne of his glory and reign in righteousness is.
Going to have us in association with himself in that day. In Isaiah 32 and verse one it says, behold, a king shall reign in righteousness. But it doesn't stop there. It says and Princess shall rule in judgment. And brethren, this ought to encourage our hearts when we go to work. When you go to school, when you're in the neighborhood or the community, you live, do you see a lot and hear a lot of unrighteousness? Indeed we do. And the standard is being taken away today. And they say there's no standard and it's just whatever you want to do.
But he says, if you seek to live righteously, remember there's a day when those things won't be openly practiced and seen, and if they are, they'll be judged morning by morning. It'll be a reign of righteousness. But he says you'll, you'll be there too. We're going to have a part in this.
And that's why Paul speaks there, of loving his appearing brethren, as we see and hear all the unrighteousness of the day in which we live, and it abounds more and more.
Does it thrill our hearts to look on to that time when he's going to have his rightful place, his enemies are going to be made his footstool? This is not the reigning time now, but there is a time coming when he's going to reign in righteousness and we're going to reign with him.
Thoughts, beloved brethren, that while.
We have had brought before us how that the world in which we Live Today, morally, is a world that would encourage us to walk according to iniquity. Our consciences be hardened to all that's going on, and we sadly have to say we often come under those influences without realizing it. But notice the rest of that verse. It says, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Just a little application.
It's not only though it's very beautifully so. What's at the end of the path? It's not only that there is the glory that's coming, and we're going to see that and be part of it and see the Lord Jesus in glory. And we want to walk in a way that's fitting for that. But the path walking right now in this world, to walk according to righteousness, is a path of gladness. There are, you might say, not only coming returns coming joys, but there are present joys.
Present happiness, present gladness for walking right now, beloved young people.
According to righteousness and not according to the spirit of this world. Don't think that it doesn't mean something to the one who hung on that cross while people laughed at him and mocked him. And he did that because it was the will of his Father that he go there and he answered to sin and he makes satisfaction for it. Don't think that he doesn't appreciate every little thought and action and step that you and I take.
In order to please him in this world, it's true there's something coming, and he's going to let us know how he appreciated how we live. But beloved young people, and for all of us, beloved brethren, he appreciates right now for us as we take those steps. And we ought to realize that it can be, and it is the only path of joy and gladness to walk according to righteousness right now.
There maybe some have puzzled over those verses at the end of Psalm 139 and I would appreciate.
A comment on them. Psalm 139.
And verse 19.
Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God, Depart from me therefore, ye bloody men, for they speak against the wickedly and thine enemies. Take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine Enemies. Maybe someone could help us on that passage of Scripture.
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Did you finish? Excuse me, John?
Psalm 101 is somewhat of an answer to that also.
Brother London often quoted this.
This is millennial time. I quickly I'll read the Psalm. It's only 8 verses.
I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside. It shall not cleave to me.
A forward heart shall depart from me. I will not know a wicked person who so privily slandereth his neighbor. Him will I cut off.
Him that hath a high look and a proud heart, will I not suffer or allow mine eyes shall be.
Upon the faceful of the land that they may dwell with me. He that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house. He that telleth lie shall not tarry in my sight. I will early in the morning, that is, I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doors from the city of the Lord.
This is characteristic.
Of when righteousness reigns, the Lord Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and he hates sin.
Sin will be greatly suppressed.
Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for the 1000 years reign and if you send today, tomorrow you will be judged.
So there's going to be a very small amount of sin for 1000 years and yet.
The there will be many who were not born again.
They will follow Satan at the end of the.
A Millennium.
To for God a second time for Gog and Magog, and be destroyed by the Lord, as they were, as Gog and Magog was destroyed at the very beginning of the Millennium. But the characteristic of the reign of Christ is what we have in Hebrews.
Oh God, let's see, I thrown. Oh God is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy Kingdom, so it will be a glorious, glorious rain.
Marvelous Time. Perhaps the first helpful John is in Matthew 5 and verse 43.
And 44.
Really to the end of the chapter, But reading a few verses there from verse 43, you have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father.
Which is in heaven? For he maketh his Son to rise on the evil, on the good, and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust. For if you love them, which love you, what reward have ye Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans? So be therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect. In other words, I think it's helpful to see that in the Book of the Psalms it's always the Jewish context.
Where it was proper for a Jew in the earthly picture to hate their enemies, that was proper. But when the Lord Jesus comes into the world, he says to love your enemies. And so I think when he speaks of hate in the New Testament context, it's hating of iniquity, hating of sin that we don't hate people, we hate the sin that's behind it and the sin that they're committing.
That's.
Our proper portion, our proper position in connection with iniquity today. And it's because we reflect the glory of our Father in heaven. And what kind of a God is he? He's a God that gives rain and sunshine on the just and on the unjust. So if someone does this bad, we don't react, as perhaps the Israelites in the Old Testament times would have.
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We desire the blessing of those people all the while.
Never adjusting our standards to the iniquity that they are practicing.
Maybe that helps.
Action. I'm sure we would all agree that God's judgment relative to iniquity has not changed either from the Old Testament to the day of grace or in turn to the millennial day. When the Lord Jesus deals with things, as we have in Psalm 139, his view of that iniquity is just the same as it ever was. But if God chooses to deal in grace, what a wonderful thing that you and I are privileged to be part of it.
But then we need to be exhorted not to become casual toward that iniquity, don't we?
Let's see it first. Let's see.
What is there? Oh, in First Timothy and also and Titus. God takes the He takes the ground of being the He's a savior God will get him savior God. And his grace goes out to all. He would have all men to be saved and to come under the knowledge of the truth. And that carries all through and so that.
And then in Titus Two, he's God.
We have God. He's still a savior, God and the Lord Jesus is brought before us. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And So what a wonderful God, what a wonderful God he is. He goes on and in his mercy towards mankind everywhere, he answered.
He's a savior God.
And the Lord Jesus finally does come to reign in righteousness. There's going to be no doubt as to his right entitled to take up the work of righteous judgment in this world. When the Lord Jesus came the first time in lowliness and grace, they said at his trial, we have no king but Caesar. Then we read two they said in their hearts. They said we will not have this man to reign over us, which was really fulfilled in the stoning of Steven, because they sent a messenger after him saying.
We will not have this man to reign over us, but in Ezekiel chapter 21 There's an interesting verse that says I will overturn, overturn, overturn it until he come. Who's right? It is if you just notice a verse in the 19th of Revelation in connection with that day when the heavens are open. We've been Speaking of open heavens in these meetings and the heavens are going to be opened in a coming day to reveal this one coming forth in power and glory to reign.
But notice what it says in Well, I'll read verse 11 to get the connection. Revelation 19 and verse 11. And I saw a heaven opened, and behold, a White Horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, And on his head, I want you to notice this. On his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.
It's interesting and we'll notice this when we go on to the second chapter this afternoon.
That the word for crown, usually in the New Testament in the original, denotes that which is given as a reward, that which is earned. And that's the way it is in the second chapter of the book of Hebrews, where he's crowned with a crown of glory and honor. But here the word is a little different. In fact, the word is only used three times. And it's not that which denotes a reward. Mr. Darby translates it diadem, it's that which is worn by.
Right, and title. As by royal birth, it's only used three times. You have it earlier in this book in connection with the beast.
And he has 10 crowns on his head. Satan has seven crowns, the dragon. But when the Lord Jesus comes forth, he's not wearing a set number of crowns. It's many crowns. And we had a little experience some years ago that helped me to appreciate at least part of the thought in this many crowns.
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Several years ago my wife and oldest girl and I had the opportunity to be in London, England, and we had opportunity while in London to go to the Tower of London where our house the Crown Jewels of the British royal family. And as we were taken from 1 dazzling showcase of jewels to another, I was impressed with how many crowns the Queen of England has as sovereign of the realm. She doesn't just have one crown, she has many crowns.
In fact, the day that we visited the Tower, one of those crowns was not on display, because either that day or the next day, the queen was going to have that crown placed on her head, and that crown was going to give her the right entitled to perform some official function as the Queen of England. Next week she might have another crown put on her head, and that crown would give her the right entitled to perform some other function. And I'll just think of it, brethren, when he comes forth and the heavens reveal him.
Is there going to be any question as to his right entitled to take up the work there was when he came the first time? But he's coming in power and glory, and he's coming with his brow decked with many crowns. And there will be no doubt in the minds of those that see him as to his right, entitled to take up every aspect of the work, of executing righteous judgment, because there will be different aspects in Revelation 4, as we mentioned yesterday.
It's his right and title as creator in the 5th chapter. It's more his right entitle as to Redeemer. And so there will be no question as to that right and title. And then I say again to think that we're going to come with him and be associated in that wonderful reign of righteousness.
He says.
And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest.
And so on. I'd like to go back to the 102nd Psalm where we have these words.
And in their context, we see a wonderful.
Presentation of our Lord Jesus as a man here on earth in Psalm 102.
It says in verse 23.
He weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days. If you read the whole Psalm, beginning in the first, we won't but verse one hear my prayer, oh Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me. In the day when I am in trouble, Incline nine year unto me in the days when I call, answer me speedily, for my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as in hearth. My heart is smitten and withered like grass.
And here we have prophetically something of the feelings of the Lord Jesus as he was here on earth as a man, and going through these things and coming to the end of his life. And he says he weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days. And we know that he was cut off in the midst of his days. And he was a perfect man. And as a perfect man, he felt it. He wasn't indifferent to it. He wasn't, didn't. It wasn't that he didn't feel these things. And we see his feelings expressed.
But what a tremendous answer God gives him and when he says.
In verse 23, he weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days. I said, Oh my God, take me not away in the midst of my days and right there.
There's a change of speakers. God stops. He steps right in at that point when the Lord is presenting these things to him. And he says, and it's really what's quoted in Hebrews One, He says, thy years are throughout all generations of all. Thou hast laid the foundations of the earth. That is his place, and his person is brought out here. And he said, as man would view it, your days are shortened.
As the feelings of man might see it, everything is lost. But what a tremendous answer is given to the, you might say, the need of his heart at that moment. He says, God says to him, Thy years are throughout all generations of old Taoist laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure. Yeah, all of them shall wax old as a garment, as a vesture.
Shalt thou change them? And they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy year shall have no end. Oh, what a blessed answer given to this man on earth, to have that honor given to him to bring out who he was. And that is His Majesty that we see in our chapter.
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This man that we're talking about. This person and it what what majesty, Brethren, We were talking yesterday a little bit about creation and the tremendous expanse of the universe that man can't find the edge of. I really believe it has an edge because it's created. But man can't find an edge to it. He looks out there as far as he will.
But here God says the time is going to come and he's going to take it off as a vesture and fold it up and it's going to pass away. But there's one that remains. Oh, he's the same. He will always be there. So there's going to be a change of this creation. People worry, and it's kind of interesting for us who are believers and have this perspective, to see people worrying about some meteorite hurtling towards the Earth and sending a rocket out there to explode it before it hits the earth.
Preserve mankind. That oh brother, we know the one who's going to fold it all up and it's going to be changed. What? Majesty, brethren, the Lord help us. This is Christianity. To get this glorious person before our souls to enjoy them. I'm honestly convinced, brethren, that many of our problems that we have as individuals and collectively too, is a lack of appreciation of the greatness and the glory of the person.
That we're talking about. This is Christianity. You got big problems.
Yeah, I've got some big problems too. But we got a bigger God and Savior. Tremendous. To let this soak into our souls. Brethren, to enjoy, to appreciate it. Oh brethren, it is going to help. It's it's not a matter of me solving my problems. It's a matter that he's dealing with me and the problems that I had, he's fully able to resolve.
In the tremendous to be able to say this God is our God forever and ever.
And he is interested.
Difficulty in situation in our lives knows us through and through.
So much does he know us that the very hairs of our head are all numbered. And brethren, I know our time is gone. But I would like to say something as a warning, particularly to those who are younger, because at the end of the chapter he comes back here to the ministry of angels, and they do still have a ministry. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation? But, you know, there seems to be a great movement in many circles today to make much of the ministry of Angels.
And we don't want to overlook the Ministry of Angels, but we don't want to take it up at the expense of the precious truth that we have just had before us in this meeting. Something that helped me go back to the 34th Psalm, where David speaks of angels.
And I know there have been many brethren who have felt the real.
The Lord undertaking for them in connection with the Ministry of Angels in various situations. Sometimes you get into a country where there are no 1800 numbers or anyone in a uniform that you can turn to that you can trust. And I believe the Lord does still send His angels to take care of His own. But notice what David says here. Let's get the context of.
Verse 7 by going back to verse 6.
This poor man cried unto the Lord, a cried, and the Lord heard him. And I want you to notice that we find here David doesn't look to angels to deliver him from his problem and his situation. This is a Psalm of David, and he doesn't look to angels or pray to angels. He cries to the Lord.
And it says, He cried unto the Lord, And the Lord heard him. And who saved him out of all his troubles? Not angels.
But the Lord saved him out of all his troubles. Now go to the 7th verse and it says the Angel of the Lord in campus round about them that fear him and delivereth them. And so the Lord may use at times angels there is ministering spirits. But notice then in verse eight he goes right. He doesn't dwell on this. He goes right back and says oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in angels no trusteth in him.
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And so it's the Lord we look to, this one who is all powerful, and we've been Speaking of the glories of this person, those glories from a past eternity. This is the one brethren, that you and I have the privilege of going to on a daily, hourly basis. The one who's interested in every detail of our lives, the one who is able for every situation, the one who's ordering all things after the Council of His Own Will and working things out for a purpose of blessing in our lives. Let's look to this glorious person. Be thankful that perhaps he does.
Use angels as ministering spirits. But I only say this as a warning, And there have been many books written recently by different ones, and they're out there on the bookshelves. And I'm not saying that these books are wrong or that there's false doctrine in them. But let's be careful, brethren. We can be so occupied with the servants that we lose sight of the one who has sent them to be ministering spirits to those who shall be heirs of salvation.
#82
on hardware.
For thy love.
Mercedes.
For.
My word.
Old name.
Grace and grace and grace and pray.
Make Love.
Your voice.
And prayers.
Right and praise and praise him. Praise him.
Shall we stand?
Hebrews 2
Reading
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01.
Day all right.
With these words.
Organisms.
Who can bring us from our land, from the brave.
Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.
Less than anytime we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast in every transgression, and disobedience, received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed on to us by them that heard him? God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will.
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come wherever we speak.
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, That thou art mindful of him, Or the son of man, That thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Thou promised him with glory and honor, and had sent him over the works of thy hands. Thus put all things in subjection under his feet, for and that he put all things in subjection under him? He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things but under him.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.
For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
For it became him, For whom are all things, and by whom are all things? And bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both. He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one for which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them. Brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the church, will I sing praise unto thee, And again I will put my trust in him.
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And again, behold, I and the children got which God hath given me. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to *******. For verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it befooled him to be made like unto his brethren.
That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, and things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered. Being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
Chapter again, Brother Dawn.
Like I said this morning.
In Hebrews chapter one we have the glories of the sun presented to us.
And as the Son, he is in every way superior to all others.
He has the first place.
In everything. And He's superior to the Angels in every way in which he is viewed in chapter One.
And even in his incarnation.
He has worshipped the angels, worship him, and he has spoken to as Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. But in contrast to that, in this second chapter, it's Jesus that is presented to us, the Son of Man.
Mentioned it before. It helps my own soul. But the first chapter he's presented to us in a way similar to the way he's presented in John's Gospel. He's presented to us as a man in John's Gospel, but there's no birth mentioned in John. It's the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us, and we behold his glory. And that's what we have in the first chapter here.
But when we come to the second chapter, it's more, can I say Luke's gospel that's presented to us. He is a divine person. He is holy in every respect, but he's presented to us as one that comes down in every way that he can to be made like unto us. Of course sin apart, but in the chapter he comes down that he might. Jesus the Son of Man might.
Have Brethren brought into association with himself.
And so he's made like unto us in that way that we might become in relationship to God as brethren. And so we as it says He he talks about bringing many sons to glory. He tastes death. He comes into the place where we are, and he takes that place lower or inferior to angels, as a creation. For man is a lesser creation than the angelic creation.
And so when he's viewed in that way, he comes right down to where we are. He tastes death for us, that he might bring us into association with himself before God. And so he says, my brethren. And in the midst of the church, he sings, praises. He leads our singing, and he brings us as many sons to glory. And So what a wonderful thing that this blessed person would stoop so low.
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That we might be brought so high.
That we.
Sinners might become the sons of God, that we might with him have a place before our God in nearness and in relationship to him. And if you think of it, in its Jewish setting, and for he was writing to Jewish believers. They never knew such a relationship to God. He was always someone that was at a distance, someone they could not come near to. And a Jew never said of himself in relationship to God my Father.
But this blessed person has brought us into a relationship with God that we might say, God is my father and I'm his child, and my Savior is going to lead me on to glory to my proper home there with my Father and with himself as the captain of my salvation.
Beautifully and concisely they put it something like this. The Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God. And that really sums up what we have in these two chapters, doesn't it?
Versus are a warning that we can.
Accept these things as doctrine and be completely straight as to them, without letting them penetrate into our hearts, and then it's possible to let them slip, or for us to, as it says Mr. Darby's translation, to slip away.
And that was the danger when in the beginning of the days of Christianity, there was such a tremendously marked movement of the spirit of God that.
Many souls were being saved by the thousands they were being saved in Jerusalem.
And when the apostle Paul went to Jerusalem, he was told, You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are that have believed in all are zealous for the law. So they're.
Were those who had outwardly endorsed Christianity and accepted it without being inwardly real with God. And that's always a possibility amongst those who profess to be the people of God. And so there's a real warning through all these epistles about that a real believer can never be an apostate, but a person who makes.
A profession of Christ.
Without reality.
May be a candidate to becoming an apostate, and it's a very serious thing and it refers to it in a number of places in this epistle to apostasy I just like to point out in chapter 10.
A verse that perhaps helps to understand it.
Verse 26.
Chapter 10. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fire indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Notice in verse 26 what was received was not.
Necessarily the truth. What was received was the knowledge of the truth. And a person who is not a real believer may have outwardly a knowledge of the truth without being real. And so it's a real searching thing and it's spoken of a number of places.
And people sometimes use these scriptures to show that a real believer could be lost. That's not the case.
A true believer, the Lord Jesus can never be lost. But there are those who perhaps we think are true believers, who are lost and who fall away and perhaps were never real at all. And that's the searching thing of verses like we have in the first part of this chapter too. And I just mentioned that sure, our purpose is to meditate on the person of Christ.
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And the verses that follow that.
It's important that we're worn.
In Hebrews is to.
Is to take up Christ. Is to take up Christ and then give him up and go back.
Sin willfully in Hebrews.
There are four no mores in the 10th chapter of Hebrews. One of them in the first. First is the three of them are all blessing, and the last one is final judgment, complete and final judgment the.
I see it.
The second verse, well, he's speaking about there. But then would they not have ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged, should have no more conscience of sin? No more conscience of sin? Well, how wonderful that is through the work of Christ.
He's been down here as he's gone to the cross.
He has shed that precious blood which has cleared all, cleared everything before God up there, all clear up there for the believer. And he has he has a clear conscience. His conscience is purged down here well then in the.
17th verse There he says, there are sins and iniquities. Will I remember no more. How wonderful that is through the work of that blessed one their sins, and Achilles no more.
And then on the 18th verse now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. That sin that offering of Christ there was once and for all.
No more, no more offering for sin. God has nothing more. There's nothing more to offer. God is completely satisfied, and we are satisfied as well. How blessed that is. But then when we get down to the.
When we get down to the 4th one, which I believe is in the.
26 Yeah, no more sacrifices, For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. He's really writing the Jews here, but it's good for us all.
But if we receive the knowledge has just brought us, Bob has been bringing out of the truth. But give up Christ and go back. Go back to Judaism. Go back. Give up Christ and go back. Then there's no more sacrifice for sins. Well, there's nothing more. God has nothing more than such a one. But.
Complete and final judgment.
The letter here to the Hebrew salvation is something that they look on to.
In other epistles we look at salvation as a present possession of eternal life that we have in our souls. But in Hebrews actually it goes on to the end of the ninth chapter, where it says there in the 28th verse of the 9th chapter. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Or Mr. Darby translates it the second time without sin 4.
Salvation. And so the end of this first chapter, this thought of salvation, is introduced into the epistle, he says in verse 14. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
And so, he says, Aren't these Angel angelic hosts that you see They're ministers of God to the end of.
Those who are heirs of the salvation that's being brought to them. And so he says in chapter 2 and verse 3, how are we going to escape if we neglect this so great salvation that is for us? And then later down in the chapter, he says.
Verse 10 Bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.
And so Christ is seen as one, Jesus is seen as one who has come, and he's the captain of our salvation, and He leads us on.
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To the end. And when he comes again from glory for us, it won't be to take up the question of sin at all, but it will be for our salvation that is to take us on into the glory. And so we see Him pictured. Or can I say we see this for those that who embrace him by faith.
They're taught to run a race, to go on with him in fellowship with himself. He's going to be our apostle and high priest to care for us and take for us. He makes provision for us on the journey.
All the way, as we see in chapter 4, He's there for us in the glory, but we're on earth, and for us the salvation is seen as that which takes us into the glory.
And will be safely home at the end of it. And so it's a terribly serious thing. In fact, this has been seen in chapter 6 and 10 for someone to embrace that faith, to start out, as it were, to follow the captain of their salvation.
And then to turn back and to say I don't want that, I'm going back to something else.
It's an awful thing if there's someone that sits in this room this afternoon in your heart and you said I have embraced Christianity, I've say that Jesus Christ is the Lord and the Savior, but then your life says something else and you say, but I want the world.
And so you leave. And if you start out in that path, the day may come when you say, oh, I used to believe that.
And now I have something else, and you give up the very profession that you once held.
As a Christian, and God has to say in principle, as he said to these Jews who were in danger of turning back and the writer urges, encourages them, don't dare think about it. Don't even let it enter your mind, as it were, that you would turn back from this, because if you do.
God has absolutely nothing to offer you.
He gave the best. He gave you a Savior in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood for you. And if you despise that, if you turn away from that, God has nothing else to offer for you, and you'll perish in your sins. And so it's important that once we embrace the Christian faith that we maintain that all the way home.
To the end. And when the Lord Jesus comes the second time, it won't be to take up the question of sins.
He did that the first time, but it will be to safely take home to the glory for salvation those who are his own.
You use the word embrace the Christian faith. I think that's pretty significant. And justice before we go on, we'll turn to a verse well known which which is along the lines of what has been brought out about the knowledge of the truth. Turn over to 2nd Thessalonians and Chapter 2.
And this very, very solemn passage about those that come to that point when all hope is gone because of their rejection of Christ. But it says this in verse 10.
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth, And that's very, very important. I want to, if I may be allowed, emphasize again what our brothers been saying sitting here this afternoon is a company of people who know very, very much more in their heads than perhaps many or most companies that would sow meat in the city of Saint Louis today.
These there are so many things that we know. The question is, do we love them? Is there love in our heart? Are we in love, embracing them? And so the Lord Jesus says, if ye know me, if you know about me, keep my commandments. If ye love me, keep my commandments. It's a matter of the heart, beloved young people. And for all of us, beloved brethren, it's a matter of the heart. And I can know ever so much.
And there be no love. And then in practice no embracing, really in love of the truth of the word of God.
Speaking to a young man one time, and he had professed to be a Christian. And there came a point in his life where there seemed there was no outward testimony or fruit for God. And I talked to him a number of times, and finally I said to him one time I said, if there's no desire in your heart to please the Lord and live for him, then I really question whether you were ever saved or not, because a true Christian will never fully apostatize.
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Norris has been already said, and we want to emphasize this, Nor will they ever lose their salvation. We've been saved from wrath through Him, and our salvation is securing Christ. But what a warning we have, because I believe it is possible nevertheless for a Christian, a true child of God, to get to such a point where we have to say in the language of Second Timothy 2, the Lord knoweth them that are His, and so we can't judge.
I didn't tell this young man he wasn't a Christian, I said. I wondered if he ever was because only the Lord knows the heart. Lot was won in the Old Testament who was a true believer. We know that from the New Testament because he was a righteous man. But there came, it came to such a point in his life that outwardly there was no testimony. So that he was so entangled with the things of Sodom that he had to be dragged out of Sodom. He didn't come under the judgment, but he had does it were be dragged out of Sodom. And I'm thankful that the New Testament confirms that Lot was a true believer. He was a righteous man.
But he had a lost life nevertheless. He had a saved soul, as another has said, but he had a lost life. And this is the warning to each one of us. If we're truly saved, we'll never lose our salvation. But, brethren, we need to take these things to heart and get them down into our souls. Because as we seek to enjoy the person and work of Christ as we have in these chapters, the enemy is going to be right there. He doesn't want you to grow.
He doesn't want you to have a deepening appreciation of the person and work of Christ. He wants to distract and detract from that one. He doesn't want you to have your eyes fixed on the man in the glory. He's going to be right there. And brethren, we're either progressing or we're regressing in our Christian pathway. And I was glad that Bob pointed out in Mr. Darby's translation. It's us who slip. We can slip. We're either.
Having as a result of the word of God being before us in these meetings, we're either growing in our souls as to a deeper appreciation of these things by the spirit of God, or we may get up from these chairs and we may go back. And if there isn't some progression in our lives, there's going to be a regression. So we're securing Christ if we truly belong to Him. But what warnings we have here?
But we can then in this chapter again turn our eyes up to the open heavens and see this one. And it was mentioned this morning, about that time, when the heavens will be opened to reveal Him coming forth, crowned, with many diadems coming, whose right it is to reign. But isn't it wonderful, brethren, that we can lift up our eyes now and see him crowned when the Lord Jesus was taken and put on trial? We find that in mockery and derision.
They crowned him with a crown of thorns, that which was a result of the curse, and they beat that crown into his blessed brow. And they said, Hail King of the Jews, did they believe he was the king of the Jews? Indeed they did not. It was said in utter mockery and derision. And they led him outside the walls of Jerusalem that had deteriorated to such a point that it had religion without Christ, because it is possible to have religion without Christ. And they had him nailed to a Roman cross.
Just go back to Matthew for a moment, I and notice those scriptures. There's something very significant there just to tie in with what we have here in our chapter.
The crown of thorns is mentioned in three of the four Gospels, but I'll read it in the gospel that is most Jewish in its character. That is where the Lord Jesus is presented as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, verse 28 of Matthew 27. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had plotted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a Reed in his right hand. And they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying Hail King of the Jews.
And they spit upon him, and took the Reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, They took the robe off from him.
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And put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. Now if you notice the account in the other three Gospels, you'll find that you never read of them Removing the crown of thorns from his head, they take the robe off from him and put his own raiment on him.
And led him away to crucify him. But you do not read in scripture of them removing the crown of thorns.
And without being dogmatic, I would just suggest that perhaps, as they led him outside the city, and had him nailed to a Roman gibbet, that those that passed by on that occasion, and reviled him, and those that sat down and watched him suffer in his agony, saw him crowned with a crown of thorns. And that word for crown in Matthew 27 denotes that which is given as a reward.
In other words, brethren, this was the Jews estimation of their Messiah. This is what they rewarded him with at the end of his life. And not just the Jews, but this was the world's estimation of the Son of God. This was the world's estimation of the Lord of life and glory, because when his title was tacked up over his cross, it was written not only in Hebrew, but in Greek and Latin.
And perhaps the last glimpse this world got of the Lord Jesus was hanging on a cross in his shame, crowned with a crown of thorns. But now we come to our chapter and God says, you look up, and if this world crowned, him rewarded him with a crown of thorns. And the word is the same in the original here, that which is earned or given as a reward. God says, you look up and see where I've placed him. You see what I've rewarded him with. I've rewarded him with a crown of glory and honor if this world's estimation of the Lord Jesus.
Is a crown of thorns, God says, you look up and see my estimation of the one who glorified me on the earth and finished the work that I gave him to do. And brethren, I realized that this is not the reigning time Now outwardly, as we were saying this morning, but brethren, he wants us to look up and give him that place in our hearts now. When we were young people, we used to sing a hymn Lord of my life. I crown thee now.
Thine shall the glory be. God says I have given him his rightful place in heaven. He doesn't have it on earth, yet we see not yet all things put under him. But he says, I've given him that rightful place in heaven. Now you look up and thrown and thrown him in your heart and give him that rightful place in your life.
In these verses 5.
And six, introducing the subject of the Lord Jesus as the Son of Man, he says unto the angels, hath he not put in subjection the world to come wherever we speak? It's interesting that when you read the book of Daniel, that God controls the things in this world through the instrumentality of angels.
Today.
It's very interesting to see that in the book of Daniel. And so in high places of government, there are angelic hosts from on the part of God. There are angelic hosts on the part of the devil as well, to influence things according to their respective purposes. But the world to come is not to be put under angelic.
Control. It is to be put under the hand of man and it's interesting, this expression the world to come. Remember some time ago somebody asking another brother, do you think that the age of miracles is over? And the answer was no. The age of miracles is still future. And that's what we have in the day. When the Lord Jesus is going to come back, there are going to be tremendous signs of power.
And wonder on the part of the Lord Jesus. So it's not a matter now being occupied with those signs of power and wonder. There were something of that given at the beginning of the church age. But the age to come, the world to come is the day when there will be great miracles and signs of wonder. And it's the day when man is going to be in control of the.
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Whole world government under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's going to take control in as a man, as the son of man. He's going to reign supreme here in this world. There is a man appointed brethren. Oh, isn't it wonderful? He's already on the throne above and he's going to reign supreme in this world. Our man is already been elected brethren. We don't have to worry about other elections yet. Then there's not going to be lasting peace in this world.
Until he reigns supreme.
They're going to give place to man, Give place to man. Angels have a place in the administration of the world now, but.
They're going to give place to to man Christ Jesus and ourselves. We're going to, we're going to reign with him. And it's wonderful though to think that angels are UN jealous.
They're not. They are. They're not jealous of the place that man's God has given man and wonderful creatures that they are. They rejoiced to do God's bidding as we we find they they serve the Lord, they rejoice to do His bidding, and they sing His praise. But it's wonderful that we're going to be caught up to meet the Lord near and we're going up. We're going to pass angels by.
And we're going to reign with him, and angels will rejoice.
The sea, the sea is there.
Is that right, John?
This is going to change, isn't it?
There that administration now under the Lord.
Under God. But in that day that administration is going to change and speak in the Son of Man reigning with us there. But a glorious day lies before us, and mostly we look up and we see one. We see Jesus.
This one fills our hearts, he feels.
The glory scene he was made a little lower than the angels, but now he's crowned with.
And in the first chapter we have.
This glorious one Christ, and the Son, in all His glories He's presented to He's presented, as it were, and with all His glories to us down here.
But in the second chapter he's presented is that we're up there. He's taken as that we're up there and all his, all His glories, and as the Son of Man. And the 8th chapter and the 8th of 8th Psalm question is asked the Spirit of God, What is man? What is man?
And then the Spirit of God goes off into into those all the glories, the glories of Christ. What is man that aren't mindful of him or the Son of man that don't visit us Him. Thou made us him a little lower than the angels. Thou crown us him with glory and honor. Thou descend over the works of thine hands and so on. And so we in the first chapter we have is that we're the wonderful truth coming down to us. And then in the second chapter is in the Son of Man. He's he's going up, we're going up to see him there in all his glory as the Son of man.
Think of the real.
It is we have in the light of.
Being.
There And when that blessed One says, Behold, I.
And the children which God hath given me.
That's one in kind, isn't it?
He's a man.
And he has that glory as a man, but we're going to be there in that glory with him. And he could say, behold I.
And the children which God had given me, how he will delight to present that which is dear to him, because of the sacrifice He made. He loved the Church, He gave it himself for him. He redeemed it, they might present it to himself.
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A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle. But here he became a man, and he says in verse 11, for both he that sanctifying and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which 'cause he is not ashamed to call him brother. It's one in kind, isn't it? He's a man.
Just like all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Well, how short?
What is the glory of God? There will be no one in glory, but isn't just like Christ.
Such as the work of the Lord Jesus there on the cross. The work has already been done. That inward work in our souls has already been rocked by the Spirit of God in our souls. It'll never be, never be done again, never be more perfect than it is right now. But these bodies were going to be like him.
We're going to be like him, and so here we are.
One-of-a-kind here, just like Christ, wonderful God in that past eternity looked forward to having a people, a people upon which would answer to perfectly everything. That he is himself in his own nature and all the perfection of his nature. And how wonderful to think that he comes down here into this world and picks up poor sinners like we through the work of Christ.
Then through the shading of that precious blood, and he's bringing many sons under glory, and he's going to take us right into the very presence of God, and we're going to be just like Christ, an answer to every, to every everything that God is in himself.
Image of his son as we have in Robinson. Think of that God would have these children, his children, that he and he has no favorites.
Plus, the truth, isn't it? God does not have favorites. He loves all his children, and he's just waiting today when he has that family there. Perhaps we might say families, but they're going to be conformed Christ like him.
The heart of the Lord Jesus will never really be satisfied until he has his own in heaven with him. But we might add that the heart of God will never be really fully satisfied until his Son has his rightful place, not just in heaven. He has that now, but until he has it on earth. Because it was in this world that they crowned him with a crown of thorns. It was in this world where they crucified him and cast him out. And I believe that God is looking forward to that day when his Son will have his rightful place.
And be fully vindicated here on this, on this globe, we want to make two things very, very clear, perhaps brethren, before we move on. One is that, as we've said, and I trust, there's no thought even in corners of our hearts as to this being the reigning time. Now, I say this as a warning because I know there are those in various circles who propagate this thought today, that this is the reigning time and that we need to get involved in things down here, the politics and running of this world.
I said to a brother one time who was speaking in this way. I said, if you say that the reigning time is now, that is a slap in the face to the precious Lord Jesus. How can we look around at the condition of things in this world? We don't yet see all things put under him open sin and rebellion, abounding and iniquity and evil men and seducers, waxing worse and worse. And then to say that this is the reigning time now, this is not the reigning time. He's waiting for that time.
When he will take the throne of his glory and reign in righteousness, I'd like to make something else very clear in connection with what Bob said earlier, And that is that while this is not outwardly the reigning time, yet I believe, brethren, we find from Scripture that God is in full control of every situation, and men on the political forum today may feel that they are arranging everything according to their intelligence and their own devices. They're just puppets in God's hand. And what I've appreciated in this connection is reading the book of Esther.
Because we find that, as has often been pointed out, God is not mentioned specifically by name there in the book of Esther, and it seemed like things were completely out of control and that the people of God were going to be annihilated.
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And don't things seem out of control in this world today that men are just going their own way and arranging everything?
But we find as we read through the book that there was indeed one who was in control, Not outwardly, but we find that he was behind those scenes, like the puppeteer pulling those strings. Nothing was happening apart from that he was allowing it. And then when you come to the end of us there, isn't it beautiful that finally there's a man on the throne, A Jew, more to chaos, sits on the throne next to the king. And so there was a reigning time for and Mordecai sits there.
And brethren, that's the day we're looking forward. There is a day when he's going to be revealed and take the throne, But let's remember that now God is in control, and that doesn't that give us peace and confidence in our hearts tonight? If we had to look around and feel we were a moral force to change, had to help set things right down here, wouldn't that be pretty discouraging, brethren? But how can we sit here with things so out of control and outwardly speaking and wars and rumors of wars and men's hearts failing them for fear and looking for those things coming on the earth?
And yet we can sit here with the peace of God in our hearts. Because, brethren, we know there's one in control and one who's going to put his man on the throne at the end of it all.
You look at.
Let's go back to Genesis chapter one for a couple of verses.
Genesis chapter one and verse 26.
And God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air.
And over the cattle, and over all the earth. And over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
And so God created man in his own image. In the image of God created He them. Him, male and female created He them.
This is that man as he's placed on the earth, and he is given the responsibility by God to have dominion over that creation of which he is a part. And here we see Adam given that responsible place by God over this earth, at least over the creation itself, the animals, and so on. What happens?
He fails in his responsibility.
He disobeys himself his God and totally spoils.
The place of responsibility that he had for God over the earth and having the oversight of it. And we might look at the picture like that. And man often does, and he mocks God and he says look at what God did. Couldn't he manage better than that?
Look at his creature man, who was supposed to be over it all, and he sins and everything, after all the animals and so on, suffer as a consequence. And so we might ask that question, What is man that thou art mindful of him?
And the son of man, But thou visitest him.
Is God been dishonored in such a way that you might say he has to hang his head and say, well, I guess I failed in that experiment, No, no.
This second chapter is intended to make us see the answer to that question, for God introduces the man Christ Jesus.
Jesus comes, and here he lives, and he perfectly honors and glorifies all that God has in his heart and his thoughts concerning man.
And now in answer to that man and Adam had dominion over the fish and the creeping things and so on. But this man that we are looking at this afternoon is so honored God that he says I'm going to put him over all the universe.
He's going to have dominion over all this earth, that's true. But he's going to have, and he's going to reign over it in power and glory.
But he's going to pass angels by. They had administration in the heavens, But no, he said. The only right place for man, and before this man, before my soul, is to sit down at my right hand in the majesty on high and I'm going to put over this man everything that has ever been created, including all the starry heavens and all the angelic beings in their place before me. He's going to be in charge of everything as what is man.
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This man.
He glorifies God and he says besides that this man is going to bring sons.
Before Me. And when the work is done, they will be maintained by Him in perfection for eternity. No sin is going to spoil the creation of which He is the head, neither in the heavens nor in the earth. It's going to be a perfect creation, and He is going to be the head of it all. And so God answers for us what is man, that thou art mindful of Him? And the Son of man that thou visited Him?
Is he who died in God's own nature glorified and so?
To me, it's a wonderful thing we've been speaking. He's not reigning yet, and in one sense what we see in this chapter. He can I say from his perspective, not yet, not only because he waits God's time, but he's the captain of our salvation. We have been made the children of God. And what does he say he's going to do? Oh, he's going to have us there with himself. He says, Oh my children, they're going to go not just to earth that Adam had, but no man is now taken right up into the glory.
And there's going to be the whole family of God, the heavenly family, as well as the earthly family.
And God is now glorified and satisfied in man. And there are many sons being taken through the captain of their salvation on home, as it were, safe to the glory. And when we're there then he as it were, the time comes and he says now let's reign he to reign supreme, and we in association with him.
We've had quite a little angels, but an Angel never gets beyond the being servants, right? Angels were never made to rule. An Angel was never made to rule a name, never made the center of a of a of a vast scene of of bliss or blessing.
Angels are God's servants, but it's man that is made to rule.
God said in the as the beginning, our brother Dawn has been saying that let us make man, let them have dominion. Let them have dominion. And so God creates man and gives him a companion. And man is going, man is going to ruin. Well, no man lost that. He lost that place in his sin. But God, God, God's answer is always Christ. God's answer is always Christ. And Christ comes, comes forward and he's the man that's going to, he's the man that's going to reign and he's going to rule.
And angels will rejoice to see him there. And how wonderful he's going to rejoice to see you and me there too, reigning with him.
Eight of our chapter he says, thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. If you look at Psalm 8, that's the end of the quotation from Psalm 8 really starts in verse six and seven and eight of the first line or first two lines of verse 8. And then he makes the comment on that for in that he put all in subjection under him he left.
Nothing that is not put under him. Isn't that wonderful to get a hold of Indiana, our souls? Brethren, there is a man in the glory. Everything is under his control, even though perhaps not in an outward way. And I like to think that this really reaches to the edge of the day of God, because if you go back to First Corinthians 15, it uses that same quote from Psalm 8.
Through the Millennial day, this really brings us to the.
Time of the day of God. Let's read from verse 24, First Corinthians 1524. Then cometh the end. It's the end of the millennial day, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that is to be destroyed.
Is death, for he hath put all things under his feet. That's the same quote from Psalm 8 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.
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May be All in all, that's the day of God.
And so it reaches through the whole millennial day this.
Verse eight? Really. In God's purposes, that's what is contemplated the whole Millennial day.
Really. When righteousness reigns, isn't it? That's the day of the Lord. Righteousness reigns. The day of God. Righteousness dwells, Does everything is in perfect harmony.
Gone well, as we learn from Philippians chapter 2.
That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. It's at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The glory of God the Father and beloved brethren, we're in this world.
Walking through this world now.
And we come under the lordship of Christ.
An old man can say that Jesus is.
The Lord, but by the Holy Ghost and owning Jesus as my Lord.
Changes my life. It sets aside my will that I might do that which would please him under his authority as my Lord Jesus Christ is Lord, and we can say personally, individually that He is our Lord, my Lord.
Never get far from the cross from beginning to end. And it's that at the name of Jesus. And where does that take us all times? Once the one who suffered upon the cross, he shall name shall be called Jesus, because he shall save his people from their sins. So it's the one who died upon the cross.
Jesus.
Again, isn't it? So we see Jesus, It's the vision of faith. And even though we don't see him with our natural eyes because of faith vision, it becomes so real, as if we were actually looking right up into the glory and seeing him and we. That's what it means. We see Jesus there. He is, brethren in highest glory, a real living man of flesh and bones.
God's right hand set everything set under his feet. It's all a settled matter as far as God's concerned. And down here in this world, there's still a lot of confusion. We don't see it openly, but he's there already. He occupies that place in that tremendous. Doesn't that give us peace as we walk through this world? Nothing can touch a child of God, but what he allows it? Absolutely nothing. That's every choice.
When we.
Jesus in his rightful place.
Up there, our hearts are flowed with a recognition of this glorious person there at God's right hand. I mean, he's so worthy.
And God delights for us to see beauty in his beloved Son, the darling of his bosom, he dear to the Father.
And he said, I love the Father. And when he said those words he said, arise, let us go. Hence I love the Father.
Arise, let us go. Hence he would do the will of God and go to the cross.
Love it. He's a person living now that God's right hand.
You, because you have loved me, father himself loveth you because you have loved me.
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How wonderful.
There's a things here too that I hope we can take a few minutes and consider. And that is that all of this exaltation and glory that we have been speaking about does not in any way take away from his high priestly character that's brought in here. And so, as a brother years ago used to remind us, the Lord Jesus suffered much in this world.
Not only to put our sins away, that was part of it, but he suffered in order that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. And so that blessed man who sits up there, whom God has appointed head over all things, that one who is seated on the Father's throne, now, that one who is destined in the Father's time to take over the administration of this whole universe, nevertheless he is interested and has been through.
Every kind of suffering that a sinless man could go through in order that he could look down and identify and sympathize with you and me in everything that we go through down here.
And there's a him in the little flock Him book that we often sing that I think expresses it so very well. With joy we meditate. The grace of God's high priest above his heart is filled with tenderness.
His very name is Love. He, in the days of feeble flesh, poured out his cries and tears.
And though ascended feels afresh what every member bears. And sometimes maybe we say, well, no one knows what I'm going through. No one understands but we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted. Like us, we are yet without sin. And as our brother Bill has brought out, I don't believe he ever passes his own through anything in this world. That he is a man hasn't passed through himself.
So that he can fully enter in and sympathize with us in what we're passing through.
Did he know what it was to be hungry? Indeed he did. Did he know what it was to be weary? Indeed he did. He knew what it was to be thirsty. He knew what it was to be misunderstood. Sometimes when we're a little younger we feel misunderstood. The Lord Jesus was misunderstood. He could say to reproach hath broken mine heart. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And I think it's helpful to see too, brethren, that in the years that he walked here as the perfect man, he never got used to sin and its effect.
We get used to sin and its effects, and sometimes we even become callous to things. If we see something or go through something another number of times we kind of become callous. Not that we ever should, of course we aren't to become callous, but but that's the tendency in in a day of lowering standards, perhaps we little realize what sin is. Here's one who after 30 some years in this world, he never got used to sin and its effects. And then think of him in the garden as he anticipates that moment.
When he was going to be made sin for us, when he would bear the judgment of God, oh how it pressed on his holy soul. He had not got used to sin and its effects here in this world. And as he thought of that moment, when that cup of judgment would be pressed to his holy lips, he could sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Brethren, this is the person that we have living for us. He could have come as a full grown man, gone to the cross and accomplished eternal redemption.
But he didn't do that. He knew what it was to be a child. Are there children here this afternoon? The Lord Jesus was a child in this world. Are there young people? The Lord Jesus was a young person in this world. Some of us are men a little older. The Lord Jesus was a man here in this world. And I say again, though ascended, feels afresh what every member bears.
They used to impart why the Lord Jesus took a place a little lower than the angels.
That he might go through these things as the captain of our salvation ahead of us.
And then that he might safely bring us along the way to the entire, or shall I say, the intended end of it all. And so is it shows us in verse 9, and we see him made a little lower than the angels. And then in verse 10 it's it became him to do that all things were his. He had the right and the place to all the in itself and in his person and in the magic, the glory that belonged to him for such perfect life.
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And who he was? But no, it says in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their foundation perfect through sufferings. And so he experienced it all, and he goes on as it were ahead. And now then he says in verse 11, both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, he set himself apart for us. Now he serves that place as our great high priest, and is this afternoon.
Laboring in that place, in that glory, that in the place of majesty. But he's laboring there this afternoon for us, that he might maintain us on the journey, that we might get safe home with himself. He's bringing many sons to glory. And so this afternoon he's he's at work doing that very thing for us. He set himself apart for that because we have been set apart for him.
By God. And he's going to take us all the way. So he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. Oh, isn't it a wonderful thing that even as we are here together, he makes our God known to us?
He declares him to us, our God, and we his children, and now He's at work, as it were, by the Spirit directing this afternoon according to the Word.
That as it says here to declare his name, Thy name unto my brethren, those ones that have been given to himself, and the ones that he's not ashamed to identify us with himself. There's no shame in the Lord Jesus. He looks at you and he says, you're mine. And I'm identified with you and as a man too, and I'm not ashamed of it. You're mine and I'm going to take you home. We're going to go.
I'm your captain. I'm the captain of your salvation, and I want to declare my God to you. And we're going to have a home together in that glory. Oh, it's a wonderful thing to recognize how low he went that he might take us so high.
I think of the extent his garments.
We think of it in the light of on his shoulders was 2 Onyx stones.
And another shoulder stands all of the names of the tribes of Israel.
We're there, weren't they?
We might see our place there too, as being secure, like the little lamb on the shoulders of the Shepherd.
But those Arnic stones?
Everybody on all those stones were equal, but then we have the breastplate and it's joined to those Onyx stones with chains of gold.
And on the breastplate was a great of the High Priest. All the stones were different.
And it tells us that he has a special place in his bosom, in his heart for each of us, and his caring is there in his bosom.
And the breastplate was bound to.
His body by a ribbon of blue.
So the heavenly.
And we see him, as we've already heard, as the captain of our salvation.
I won't let us down until he has his home. It wouldn't be for his glory, but for his glory. He'll have us there. And for his love he'll carry us there.
Hand to hand, then Garmadon before he went into.
Into the presence of God He had to have that all. We have to have the breastplate on. I had to have the the shoulder pieces on. They must have them on when going so. But our hyphen Aaron only went in once, once a year.
But our price, our high priestess, stands there before God continually, night and day. Our names are upon His breast. Speaking of the affection is the affections of Christ for us. And we're there in all the strength, and on his shoulders all His strength, and we're there before.
Were there before night and day. He's there for us. Yes. How wonderful.
The how hateful to God when you think of such a high priest as the son of God. How hateful to God must be. It must be to God to think that there is that down here on earth. A system where the of of of priests, of man, oftentimes many unsaved, who are going about and.
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Forgiving people of their sins.
What a statement I am that he makes in verse 13 when he says, Behold, I and the children which God hath given me. What a thing, brethren, that you're going to stand there, as it were, beside himself, and he's going to say, behold, I and the children that God has given me, that ought to give assurance. There's a lot that would exercise us in this chapter and in the chapters that follow in Hebrews, to go on in the path of faith, but.
This ought to give great confidence to our souls when we think of it.
He is triumphantly at the end, going to present us, as it were and say, look, behold, I and the children which God hath given me, you and I, are a gift of love from the Father to the Son. And he's not going to be embarrassed, he's not going to be ashamed. It's not going to be as it were at that time, as poor lowly sinners, but it's going to be as children of God.
Perfect before God, and as those that he will triumphantly declare, Behold I.
And the children which God hath given me.
Of Isaiah 53.
He shall see, he shall see of the travail of his soul.
And shall be satisfied he's looking at look at the redeem the.
And he's going to say.
He's content, he's satisfied. I shall see. He shall see the trail of his soul it cost him, but it's worth it, he says.
212 brother and it's beautiful.
Expression in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee, the Lord Jesus leading the singing. And it's beautiful to think of that when we come together.
He's declared the name of father to us, and now he is in the midst and he's singing.
To God his Father, Are our hearts in tune, Brother? Do we sing his praises?
I really feel a challenge in this dear brethren that we need to be exercised to sing his praise more. We don't praise him enough, just think when we see his face, see him face to face.
It's going to be automatic.
An eternal praise that flows from our hearts. And shouldn't it be more so that way now sometimes think when we come together to the Lords presence to remember Him.
Why the long pauses? We're thinking about ourselves. Thinking about ourselves will never produce praise.
And we need, Brethren, to think of him who is there in the midst.
And if you're thinking of him, it can't help but be but you'll praise him. Lord exercises. I really feel that sometimes the lack of praise is because we're occupied with what we are, and it'll never produce praise. Yes, our testimony has been failure, but brother, in our testimony is not to be thinking about ourselves. It's to be thinking about him, to be occupied with him.
The more you are occupied with him, the more praise is going to flow.
And I really believe we need to think about what it says in the 13th chapter of this epistle. It says, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God.
Continually fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. It should be the daily practice of our lives to praise him, praise him forever. May the Lord exercises, Brethren. It's it's almost seemed like an epidemic thing as you go around.
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To find long pauses in the breaking of bread meeting. What is wrong? Do we not understand in whose presence we are? What is hindering? Sometimes I think it's we're looking too much to specific brethren, and that's Judaism in principle. But it's brethren. It's to be occupied with that glorious man that will free our lips.
To praise him as we ought.
Not only that, Brother Bob, but sometimes you look around the meeting room when a hymn is being sung and there are a lot of silent lips. And I ponder this and it challenges my own heart. Does the person and work of Christ mean no more to us than when a hymn is given out? We sit there and we don't sing the hymn. I realize the response has to come from our hearts, brethren, but as we have these precious hymns before us in the meeting.
Do these hymns the truth that is conveyed in these hymns? Does it mean no more to us than to sit there in dead silence? And perhaps you'll just let me say a word to those of us who are parents. You know, singing has always been a way for the people of God to express their joy in the Lord and their appreciation of the truth. It begins with the redeemed people in Exodus chapter 15 and carries through to the fifth chapter of Revelation, where all the redeemed are there.
Praising him, do you know, I wonder if perhaps, and I can only say this to my own heart, but I wonder if perhaps there has been a neglect in teaching our children to sing and appreciate good scriptural hymns. My family's not here today, but I've appreciated a wife who, when our children learn to read, took the hymn book and in the meetings ran her finger and it takes energy, but ran her finger along the lines of the hymn and made the children open their hymn book. And a wife who appreciated in the home enough to those hymns enough.
To open the hymn book and to sing with the children and fathers and mothers. We can't expect our children at 12 years of age.
To open the hymn book and appreciate those hymns and sing them in meeting if they haven't seen us, appreciate those hymns if we haven't taught them to sing in the home. Well, I remember when I was a child and I I appreciate it. I remember singing in the home and if we went to call on some brethren on a Friday or Saturday evening, why, before you left the house, you gathered around the piano and you sang a few of these good scriptural hymns and we have a wonderful heritage of them.
But those are happy memories in my life, and I'm thankful for parents who taught their children to appreciate and to sing those hymns. Yes, it must come from the heart, but let's teach our children these hymns and let them see the joy in our hearts as we sing these hymns both in our homes and then when we come to the assembly.
One of the Lord's going to be doing when he comes, but we see the same home. He's going to be singing. He's going to lead. He's going to lead the singing that wonderful. He's going to lead them at lesson one who hung up on the cross for us in the glory. Now he's going to lead the singing.
Could I add A to all that has been said, but perhaps?
Add a slight word of caution and that is this and I trust this won't be misunderstood but.
I guess most of you know, and I think there are probably very few who enjoy singing more than I do, but there is a slight danger of turning the remembrance of the Lord into a hymn sing. And I know brethren in the past have mentioned this and I appreciated it very much both orally and in our written ministry, because there is a slight danger if I get occupied with hymns too much.
That I will perhaps give out that which is not the mind of the Spirit that goes far beyond the condition of the assembly at that time, and the only thing I would say is especially speaking to brothers who are in a position to take audible part.
It's far better to recognize our weakness and to get up on your feet and offer thanks according to what you have in your heart, than to seek to give out to him, which perhaps goes beyond what you have now. Of course, the Spirit of God will sometimes give us to give out of him. That lifts our hearts to certain heights, and I think that's what Brother Bob had in mind. At least I think so. Is that right? But at the same time, there is a danger, a slight danger of perhaps.
01:20:25
Singing him after him, and not realizing, perhaps, that our hearts have a very limited understanding of it.
And it would be perhaps better to be LED of the spirit to get up and give thanks according to our capacity, because praise does not have to be limited to singing, although I enjoy the thought very much.
You sing 78.
Appendix.
Number 78 in the appendix.
I'm waiting for these.
Lord, thy beauty deceived Lord.
I'm waiting for these for like coming again.
Thou are gone over there, Lord.
The place to prepare, Lord thy house, I shall share at thy coming again.
78 in the appendix.
That's my grace, Lord.
They promised when I prayed, Lord.
Lord.
'S day.
And my cold day.
01:25:12
Your business.
In the Lord.
No love.
For me.
I started.
But I want to read.
The last three verses of #35 in the appendix.
Now he praises in the assembly. Now the sorrow all is past is the earnest of our portion. We must reach the goal at last. Yes, he praises grace, recounting all the path already trod we associated with him. God, our Father and our God join the singing that elitist loud to God our voices raised.
Every step that we have trodden is a triumph of His grace, whether joy, or whether trial. All can only work for good, for He healeth all who loves us, and hath bought us with His blood. It is finished. It is finished. Who can tell Redemption's worth? He who knows it leads the singing.
Full the joy as fierce, the wrath taken up in resurrection desert ways rehearsed above tell the power of God's salvation and his never failing love.
He Came to God and Said, I Have Sinned
Children—J. Currie
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.
It'll blow up her.
Suppose we couldn't find a little friend for Bethany.
It's all by yourself up here.
You'd like to go over and see if you can find a seat over there.
Perhaps she'll have some companions before.
Good.
Hello, everybody is over here. Oh, here comes some ladies.
My.
Well, good morning.
To the boys and to the girls, and to the big boys and the big girls.
Nice, we can all be together first thing in the morning.
Maybe somebody would like to.
Have a choice of these hymns?
On this little paper.
You have a big voice. I don't hear very good.
4646.
Well, this is a nice little.
Can I use this one?
Glad TIDINGS.
IBRING the Jesus has come to.
Why did he come?
See these hymns tell us all this good news.
Seeing these hymns, I won't have to talk.
To SAVE me. So he came to save me. Not good.
Aren't you glad you came to save me, Jim?
What about you?
Well, and we have a line here.
And it has DI RL.
Do you have any girls here?
No girls.
I was going to have the girls sing this line.
And then the other line has Bois.
The boys here.
Are they going to sing this line with boys in it?
We don't have any girls.
Well, I think girls are going to sing it.
Perhaps somebody will help us with this. And the girls are going to sing Aw. And he calls and he calls all the girls.
And the boys were going to sing. And he wants all the Bo IS2.
So who would like to start the Hingling?
And give once all the answer.
To give you the rest here and him right now all. There's been no wash away.
Try it again.
See if these girls can't do a little better.
00:05:48
Yeah.
What does this little song tell us that he wants us to have?
They want us to have.
If we trust in him, trust in who?
US.
What do you understand? We sing all these words. What did they tell us?
You know that's what words are. They are. They are things that carry a message to you.
What they want us to have.
All these people.
All these people sung this hymn.
Oh, where are you down here?
Yes, that'd be wonderful and have all my sins washed away. I had so many I couldn't even count them.
And there was a big boy. I was a man, and I didn't have my sins washed away. And one day.
I felt the weight of all these sins and I thought I could work my way to heaven.
That I had to learn.
That a Sinner couldn't work his way to heaven.
You know a Sinner couldn't work his way to heaven. Couldn't he just can't take his sins to heaven. So I need to have my sins all washed away.
And there was a man.
He lived a long, long time ago.
And this man, he was the king.
Ever meet the king because you don't have a king in this country?
Well, a king is pretty important, man.
And I was over in England during the Second World War, then one day.
The king was going to come by.
King George.
And we were all lined up along the road.
Of course we are all standing there.
And attention. We're carrying our rifles.
And the king comes by, and he just drives slowly by. But we had to present arms.
Because he was the king.
Now this man was the king, and he did some naughty things. You think the king would do naughty things?
This king did naughty things.
And it was very, very unhappy.
These tiny things that he did, they were terrible.
And so this king.
He came into the presence of God and he said, I've sinned against heaven and against thee. And so he committed these sins. What's he going to do?
And he had a prayer.
And in this prayer.
And you could pray this prayer too. If you have sins, you can have this prayer. This king said, wash me.
And I shall be whiter than snow.
Ever seen anything as way to snow?
Anything whiter than snow.
I'm whiter than snow. In God's eyes it doesn't see my sins.
So washed away he died in the cross. He shed his blood. And we sing, you know.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Well, perhaps.
We'd like to sing another hymn.
Well, we got the boys, but we haven't had any girls yet.
Well, here's the girl over here.
00:10:04
Hymn #6.
God in mercy sent his Son.
That was wonderful, wasn't it?
We didn't deserve to have God send his Son, did we?
Oh.
To him must fall the glory of the grace Pure shining here, frustrating your Spanish.
And Earth.
Cromwell.
Rain every time last Willow drink, must cry, and Lord of all.
Have gone.
Great.
Shining him straight here straight.
This hymn tells us something very important because it talks about God and it says God is light.
And there's no place to hide.
You know, and I, I'm glad of that.
I'm really happy that God is late and I can't hide anything from him.
Are you happy that God is light? But it would be terrible.
If the rest of the story wasn't true, that God is long.
And you know, we have him here and I don't know somebody.
00:15:03
I was thinking about.
This truth and he wrote these words down.
It says Jesus loves me.
And Jesus loves me. Do you ever write something down about Jesus?
Well, there's the girls who can do that.
You can arrange them to get a little paper and write down. What do you think about Jesus He? That's what happened here.
Jesus loves me, and I suppose that's the most.
Sung hymn perhaps that we know Jesus loves me.
And then said where the Bible tells me something. So he took a piece of paper, whoever it was, and he wrote that down. Why don't you take a piece of paper?
And right now, what you think about Jesus?
Do you have a good idea you could write something down about Jesus?
Try it.
Jesus loves me. We have a hem sheet we use for the children.
And that is the first him on the sheet. That's number one.
And we have these meetings and.
Five meetings a week for four weeks.
And.
Him we sing nearly every day is given out by the boys and girls. Jesus loves me. That's the most wonderful thing that Jesus loves me.
Me.
So we're going to pray.
Our God and.
You know, the hymns are really something. And the people that wrote those hymns.
Very often they had serious problems in their lives. I was over in England there and there was this terrible storm this man was in.
This very deep ravine with all rocks, this storm came out and they tell me that this man cut into this little cleft in the rocks.
And he wrote to him. He wrote words down.
And it was Rock of Ages.
Cleft for me.
Rock of Ages.
We can see, and the psalmist said the Lord is my rock.
He's my strong fortress.
See, we can talk that way. He's my rock. Rock of Aegis Cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. And he got into the clap with that rock, and he was saved from the storm.
How are we going to turn to the book of Luke?
In God's word.
Luke's Gospel.
Must be breathing too heavier.
Luke's Gospel, Chapter 2.
And this.
In verse 2421 rather.
Luke's Gospel chapter 2 and verse 21. And when 8 days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus.
So there was this child that was born.
He was a son given, but his name was Jesus and he was here in this world.
And then verse 25 and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
And the same man was just and devoured, waiting for the consolation of Israel.
And the Holy Ghost was upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen.
00:20:00
The Lord Jesus.
The Lord's Christ, and he came by the Spirit into the temple.
And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him, after the custom of the law.
Then took him up in his arms and blessed God and sin.
Lord.
Now let us now, thy servant, depart in peace, according to thy word for mine eyes.
Have seen die salvation.
You know, we have a real joy in having.
A little baby in our arms. So here was this man, and he was waiting and waiting.
And this baby was born.
And they called his name Jesus.
And this man took this baby up in his arms.
And he blessed gone, and he said, I see thy salvation.
And she said let me die.
Because.
He knew Jesus and he was glad he was going to die because he would go to heaven.
So there are no empty seats in heaven, you know.
Every seat's going to be filled.
God's house is going to be full, but the question is.
The question is.
Do you know Jesus?
Do you really know Jesus?
He's a real person. He's my savior.
And a little baby.
I didn't know much about babies when I was growing up.
Because.
My parents died when I was seven years old.
And so I lived with foster parents and I was the only fellow around.
And after I was married, we had this baby girl.
And.
Went over to the hospital to see my baby girl.
And, you know, so sweet she was.
And then her mother let me hold her.
And.
You know, she only weighed 5 1/2 lbs and she had all these blankets. I could hardly.
Hang on to her. I never had a baby in my arms and here I am, you know, trying to hang on to this baby.
It was so cute.
I can think of that man, Simon Simeon, rather, she held that little baby Jesus and he's a breast like this in his arms. And he said this is my salvation.
But he didn't know what we know. He didn't know that that blessed person, when he grew up, would go to the cross and die on that cross.
A terrible death for our sins.
Well, he loved that baby.
Do you love Jesus?
Jesus loves you.
You know, there's a man that.
He was a very bad man.
He didn't like the people of God.
He was going down the road one day and I was just determined.
Who was going to destroy everyone that believed in Jesus when I put him in prison?
God stopped him as he walked down the road, and he said to him.
It's hard for thee to kick against the ****** you know. We have a conscience. That's our ******.
Your conscience.
You know, and you do something bad.
That's what Adam and Eve got.
In that garden, you know, and they took that tree, fruit of that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God gave a conscience.
And because they had that conscience, they went and hide behind a tree.
And we're trying to hide behind a tree.
00:25:01
We just do that, you know, say hide and seek, hide some place.
But they were trying to hide from gone. Are you trying to hide from God? Do you ever think about God?
Everything about seeing Jesus.
Serious, isn't it? God is light.
God is light and in him is no darkness at all, so they couldn't hide behind a tree.
I'd be a poor place to hide. Well there was number other place to hide.
And they had a conscience.
And even if they wanted to do good, they couldn't do good because they had a bad heart. But this baby that Simeon held in his arms was perfect, impossible for him to sin.
For he loved us, He loved us.
Jesus loves me and this man. He was so angry.
He got saved.
They got sad. Do you get saved?
And he wanted to please the Lord and everything he did.
And he said about the Lord Jesus, he said, the Son of God who loved.
Me and gave himself for me. Who is he talking about?
The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Who is he talking about?
How many Mees are here?
Everybody's so quiet.
I have to get this little here to talk up. He got a big voice. You don't know any me's here one. Yeah, I know one too.
What about you, Jim? You know one? Anybody else here that knows 11 me? Jesus loves me, yes.
We say, well, he loves everybody here.
That's fine, that's good, but that won't give me to heaven.
Don't get me to heaven.
I have to realize that Jesus died for me. Meet me.
I'm just going to read another verse.
And my time spent this verse is in Matthew.
Now this is a question. We had some questions.
Last night.
And this is in Matthew's Gospel.
As chapter 27.
Then you can put a marker in your Bible.
So you can find this and you should find this in your Bible and you look at it.
Because God is asking.
Perhaps a question here?
And a man is asking the question. We know he was a ruler.
And he spoke about.
In this verse 22 Matthew 2722.
And I let his name was. I was a ruler.
Said unto all these people.
And this is the question for all of these people here, everybody.
What shall I do then?
With Jesus.
You've heard about Jesus.
Many times, boys and girls.
And you just keep that place and you think about this question because these people answered this question.
And you have to answer this question, What am I going to do with Jesus?
Which is called Christ. Maybe I need to ask this question every day.
When I get up in the morning, what am I going to do with Jesus?
Today I'm going to give him a part in my life.
Well, they said.
Unto him let him be crucified, but he'd never done anything wrong. It was perfect.
00:30:03
He loved people, he helped people.
And they said let him be crucified.
That's what they thought of Jesus.
What do you think about Jesus?
Dear Lana.
Is it important?
What do you think about Jesus? He's the most important person. He's the Son of God, and if you let him in, you'll be in a place of singing and praise.
But if you don't, let him in your heart.
Hey, listen.
What will happen?
You'll be in a place where there's no singing.
We'll come in here and hear the piano playing the piano. We'll hear people singing. We'll rejoice. They're happy they're singing.
But if you don't have Jesus.
You won't be in a place where they're singing, but you will be in another place.
Because if you die in your sins.
Well, it's going to take place there. Anyone know?
Cried.
Hell, that's the plan. What's it like there?
What the Bible tell us.
Anyone want to tell me what the Bible tells us?
Like a fire with a will be screaming and gnashing of teeth. Yeah, it'll be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in darkness. No light.
The blackness, the darkness of everything. You want to go there?
Do we all go there unless you have Jesus?
So let us pray.
If I Cleave to Something Else, Christ Does Not Satisfy
Address—D. Rule
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.
134.
We're not of the world which fadeth away. We're not of the night.
But children of day, the change that once bound us by Jesus or riven.
Where strangers on earth, our home is in heaven.
#234.
Be more of him.
How can flow light?
But I strange that dream around the blood on your eyes and we're together.
All right.
Glad to know God.
Make my day out of falls.
We can't translate.
Water greatly than they played all the manner.
The last couple of weeks.
I've had several conversations with a young man named Brian.
Brian's about 15 years of age.
And.
Unlike anybody in this room, he's not free to go around as he likes because he's presently in a juvenile detention center.
00:05:04
Ryan's reading his Bible, and he's praying.
And he appreciates the privilege of studying the Word of God with us.
But Brian said something on Monday night that really has been going around in my mind ever since.
Ryan was very intent.
Very sincere, I believe.
And he said this, he said, Don, I'm reading the Bible.
And I'm praying.
And what's been said tonight?
Makes me feel about something we've been reading and the word of God makes me feel almost.
Unclean inside.
But he said when I leave here, I don't know whether I'm going to be set free or whether I'm going to DOC, which stands for Department of Correction. That means he would have to serve a prison sentence somewhere.
He didn't know because this court case hasn't come up yet, but he said.
When I get out.
I'm not going to be different.
I'm concerned for you and I'm concerned for me, whether you're 15 like Brian or whether you're 50 or 75 or in between, whether you're younger than 15.
That we can be here for three days.
And we can listen to the word of God. We can pray together.
We can.
In some sense, respond in our hearts to what we hear.
But then maybe not be quite as honest as Brian. But the truth still is that we can go out.
Afternoon or Monday morning or whenever we leave.
And be the same.
You know, it's very easy to be together in this way and in some sense.
Listen to what's said, but it not have the intended effect of God.
Practically in our lives.
So please, let's listen to what God has to say to us and take heed to it.
I was very struck a couple of days ago.
And I read this comment.
The comment was this. Is it not often true?
That Christ.
Does not satisfy our hearts.
How do you respond to a statement like that? My first response was Oh no, that's not correct statement.
Of course Christ satisfies. We sing it in our songs, We often hear it said Now none but Christ can satisfy none other name for me, and so on.
But because I have a high regard for the person that wrote it, he's the author or editor of the hymn book that we just sang out of. I want to repeat it. Is it not often true?
That Christ does not satisfy our hearts.
Rather than it's often true.
Perhaps to our shame, but it is often true that Christ does not satisfy.
Our hearts.
Why?
The brother that made that statement type question said immediately following of course.
If our hearts cleave to something else, Christ does not satisfy us.
00:10:04
If our hearts cleave to something else, Christ.
Does not satisfy us.
You may sit in this room.
And say in your heart, I'm bored.
You may sit here and wish you were somewhere else.
When Christ is presented to your heart, and it is possible that it be so and that someday you're going to be in heaven, and I am too.
Let's look at the Word of God together on this most serious question of.
What it is and why it is that sometimes Christ does not?
Satisfy the heart, turn with me to 1St Corinthians chapter 15.
We're going to go back to the Old Testament.
But before we do, just read a few verses here in First Corinthians 15.
Where the Lord was speaking to us as well as to those in Corinth. And please don't separate between saved and lost.
It's true, at least I believe it's true, that this exhortation here is for those to whom it was addressed, which were the Saints of God and Corinth. But we are very prone to want to separate the word of God and say, oh, that's for the lost, I'm saved. So that's really couldn't apply to me. Brother, sister, let these words apply to you and to me this afternoon. Moreover, brethren.
I declare unto you the gospel.
Sorry I'm in the wrong chapter turn with me to chapter 10. So what I meant to turn to?
I emphasized in that chapter, because it came up right away, the word brethren, but I can emphasize it right here too.
Verse chapter 10 First Corinthians 10 Verse one. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you would be ignorant.
How that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and we're all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat.
And it all drink the same spiritual drink.
For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. For the next three days we're going to drink together of the same spiritual.
Food and the same spiritual drink which we believe by the Spirit of God is going to be Christ presented to our hearts. Are we all going to receive? While the food will be the same, are we all going to receive the benefit from it?
But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were our examples to the intent.
That we should not lust after evil things as they also.
Lusted.
Verse 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted.
And were destroyed of serpents neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured. And were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happen unto them, for in samples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Like perhaps many in this room yesterday noon.
We enjoyed a feast.
Turkey dinner, all the trimmings. Excellent collection of food.
And it was interesting. I don't know if it happened at your table, but I've seen it happen more than once.
Certain food went by.
And it was passed by.
00:15:01
One person took a big helping, the next person took none.
The food was the same.
Very nourishing. And in fact, when it was passed by, sometimes there was a little kidding. Oh, aren't you going to have some of that? It's very good. You're going to like it.
Hey and there was responses.
Are we like that with the things of God when the Lord feeds us?
Do we pass some of it by and say well?
I think I'll pass on that.
And then something else comes by, as it were, and we will take that. We kind of like it.
I would encourage your heart and mind as we go into these three days not to be selective eaters in that way.
Whatever the Lord has is food for your soul. While we're here, take it.
If it's from himself, it's good.
Now.
I'm not talking about the Bereans who were noble and searched the scriptures to see if the things that were said were true.
But I say to you, if it's food from the Lord and it's for your soul, don't be a selective eater.
The Lord is giving you what He wants you to have, and He wants you to take it as from Himself. Now let's go back to the Old Testament.
And to chapter Exodus chapter 16.
Exodus chapter 16 and verse one. And they took their journey from Elam, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came under the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai on the 15th day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
And the whole congregation.
Of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God We had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full. For ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will reign bread from heaven for you, and the people should go out and gather a certain rate every day.
That I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no. And it shall come to pass that on the 6th day they shall prepare that which they bring in.
And it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto the children of Israel at even then.
Ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt, and in the morning ye shall see the glory of the Lord.
For that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord. And what are we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full. For that the Lord heareth your murmurings, which ye murmur against him. And what are they we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses spake unto Aaron, say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel.
Come near before the Lord, for he hath heard your murmurings. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness.
And behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, and the Lord said unto Moses.
Spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying, that even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass that it even the quails came up and covered the camp. And in the morning the dude lay round upon the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing.
As small as the hoarfrost of the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another.
00:20:00
It is manna, for they miss not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. Gather of it every man according to his eating, and Omer, for every man according to the number of your persons. Take you every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.
And when they did meet it with an Omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack. And they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning, notwithstanding they hearken not unto Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning. And it bred worms and stank, and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating. And when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
And it came to pass that on the 6th day they gathered twice as much bread, 2 omers for one man, and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
And so on.
I'm not positive of this, but from verse one it would appear to me that this what takes place here was about six weeks after they crossed the Red Sea.
In other words, a very short time had passed from leaving.
The land of Egypt and going into the wilderness.
These people a few weeks before had united in singing a great song of deliverance on the banks of the Red Sea to God for delivering them from Egypt and the ******* that they found in that land, and they had seen the mighty works of God on their behalf to deliver them from the oppressor of Pharaoh and his people.
And Pharaoh had gone after them and had been killed, and those that went after them were killed. And so they had seen the mighty works of God and they had enjoyed them. They had appreciated them, They praised. The first song recorded in the Bible was sung by them unto the Lord in Thanksgiving. And now it appeared that a few weeks later, over and over, if you'll notice as we read, they're murmuring.
And they're saying Lord.
Or they're saying to Moses about the Lord. Moses, why did the Lord bring us out here in the wilderness?
Remember when we were in Egypt, we had plenty of food to eat.
And now we're out here and we don't seem to have anything.
The world has food. The world is a picture of Egypt.
And we can feed on the food of the world.
And all of us have one time or another in our lives.
And can I say, unfortunately most of us still feed on some of it at some time.
I'm not talking about necessary information to do one's work. I'm talking about the food that the world feeds on to satisfy the cravings of the heart.
And here these children of Israel had been a short time in the wilderness, and their craving what they had left, and they have this certain desire. I want to go back to it.
And I honestly believe that almost every believer has experienced that at one time or another in their life where there has been some craving to go back to some food that was once enjoyed.
But was put aside when coming to the Lord Jesus or after knowing him and so.
They were now not satisfied with what God was providing for them.
And so they say, I want to go back.
And it's the Lord's fault.
Why can't we? He said in Egypt in verse three. We did eat to the full.
And out here.
You're going to kill us with hunger.
In Egypt it was full, but out here it's.
It's to be hungry. It's to lack.
00:25:03
And so the Lord says to Moses, he said Moses.
I'm going to give you some food for the people, but notice he said in verse four. And I'm going to prove them by that food.
I will prove them.
And so he takes them and he makes a provision for them of food that was to be gathered every day. That was part of the proving of it.
There's probably one or two people in this room that didn't eat so far today.
But I doubt if there are many more than that.
Everybody in this room had food, or almost everybody had food today. And many of us have eaten at least twice so far and expect to eat some more.
How many of us have had the food for our souls today?
Or are we hungry?
And sometimes people, I'm told, starve to death. And when they start to starve to death, they're not conscious of their hunger after a while. And perhaps you have been hungry long enough that you sit in your chair this afternoon and you're not even conscious that you're starving to death.
Did you eat this morning?
On your own.
Quietly, before the word, the Lord.
Food that you need for your soul.
Yesterday's doesn't count. We can see it in this chapter.
You have to have had it this morning.
That's practical, isn't it?
Did you eat this morning or not?
Well, the Lord, said Moses, I'm going to give them food, but they're going to have to be proved by it.
I want to say this say it many times in a month now.
Eat every day. Let God speak to you every day.
He speaks through his word specifically, is the way I'm thinking about it.
And speak to God every day.
You know, I find so many people, they only have a one way communication with God. They'll say.
Well, yeah, I'm praying.
I'm praying.
That speaking to God, but they're not listening.
They're not letting God speak to them.
We must.
Have two way communication with God. We need to speak to him every day, multiple times a day and we need to listen. We need to have God speak to us and he says I've given you food.
Eat it, take it for yourself.
So here in this chapter, we're not going to go into too much of the detail of it.
But there's one thing that I really enjoyed about it in rereading it for myself that I'd like to point out in verse 14.
It says.
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing.
What I enjoyed about that is that it would appear that here was the earth.
And then there's due upon the earth.
And God from heaven puts down for the people that day of food that doesn't really touch the earth.
It lays upon the dew.
This is absolutely the only pure food that exists in this world.
This is the only food that doesn't touch, in that sense, the earth.
God has perfectly preserved it in his wisdom and ways in giving us food from Himself.
That is not been polluted in some way or another by the earth.
Let's value that.
00:30:03
You know it says in first Peter chapter 2.
As new born babes.
Desire, the sincere milk of the word. It's also translated Desire, the pure.
Milk.
Or menthol, milk of the word. Isn't it wonderful that God has a pure food to feed us with?
The pure milk of the word.
But I want to introduce, because it passes through my mind at this point, something that we said. Why is it that Christ doesn't always satisfy us? Or can I say the food that of himself isn't always satisfactory to us?
Last evening.
I think it was last evening, sitting at a table eating together, and one of the number was my grandson Brandon, who's not yet two years old.
And Brandon was sitting there and the rest of us were sitting there. And his mother said to him, Brandon, would you like some more banana? He'd have eaten a banana. And there was still some banana left for him. And.
I don't know quite how it happened, but before he got his banana, somehow some had already gotten up from the table and the next thing you knew, Brandon was sitting there by himself at the table and he said Nana, no.
Nana no, can't say banana clearly. So he said Nana no. Nana no. What did he want? He didn't want to be sitting there at the table by himself. And so forget the banana. Let me get up and go.
I want to apply that this way.
Are you spoiled?
From desiring the sincere milk of the word.
Because you might be alone in it.
Because others may want to go do something else.
I remember.
Boy Leonard.
That said, to me, he's serving.
10 year prison sentence. He's about 16.
And I visited Leonard, where he's presently at in southern Illinois.
And he said, you know, it's hard here. He said, I share a room with another fella. He has a television set. And he said it's really tough for me. I know I should read the Bible. But to get up in the morning or at any time of day where I can be quiet and by myself to read, he said it's really hard. There's so much distraction.
Felt badly, I sent him ear plugs but he wasn't allowed to have them. Was against the prison regulations. But God can help a person. Maybe you find it that way.
That you don't want the food of God.
Because of others that hinder you from it.
Maybe you're like little Brandon and say Nana no.
Your appetite for Christ is spoiled through others.
Turn with me over to what I think may have taken place about a year later in the history of Israel in numbers.
Chapter 11 maybe?
Numbers, Chapter 11.
Just to get the connection in chapter 10 and verse 11 it says and it came to pass on the 20th day of the second month in the second year.
And now verse Chapter 11.
And verse four it says, And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting. And the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away, there is nothing at all.
00:35:20
Beside this manna before our eyes, and the manna was an.
Coleander seed and the color thereof is the color of the delum.
And the people went about and gathered it and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent, and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant, And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? I'm not going to very valuable lesson here for those that serve the people of God. You won't take the time, but I would encourage you that.
Are in the service of the Lord and your assembly locally or?
Travel among the Lord's people when the people murmur here again and don't seem to be satisfied with the food of God. The Lord dealt with His servant Moses first before he deals with the people, because it finally affected Moses in his own soul, and he was upset about the burden the Lord put upon him to try to serve the people of God through their dissatisfaction with God's provisions for them, and they murmur against Moses.
But we'll pass that on for here. And it says.
Um.
Umm verse 18 and say thou unto the people, sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh.
For ye have wept in the years of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither 10 days nor 20 days, but even a whole month, until it come out of your nostrils. And it be loathsome unto you, because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying.
Why came we forth out of Egypt?
Statement we began with If our hearts cleave to something else, Christ will not satisfy us. And here we see it in example form, that these people lusted after the food of Egypt and it spoiled their appetite for the food of God.
Brother, sister, I say to my own soul, if I lust after the food of Egypt, it spoils my appetite for Christ, and He won't satisfy me practically when I'm lusting after Egypt's food. If you find this afternoon you are not satisfied with the food of God, the food ministered to your souls in these meetings.
I say ask the Lord, or maybe you already know what it is.
That you are cleaving to.
Of this world.
What is it that has a part of your life that is spoiling your appetite for the Lord Jesus Christ and His things?
These people said we remember the fish.
Which we did eat in Egypt freely.
Readily accessible to them.
They were ready for it, they wanted it, he goes on. And he lists some of the food of Egypt. And my father-in-law used to comment to us. He said it has a strong taste. It has a strong after taste.
And it all comes from under the ground.
00:40:00
MMM, that's the what characterizes the food of the world. A strong taste, A strong after taste.
And it comes from under the ground.
I'll add a word of can I say exhortation to parents.
Remember what food you provide.
For your children.
Does it leave a strong taste? A strong after taste? Does it come from under the ground? The only pure food for the soul, I say pure food for the soul, comes from heaven.
And is unspoiled by anything that has touched the ground.
And so these people.
These are people that had had this food for a year continually.
They're not people that hadn't been exposed to, can I say, the Lord Jesus, not people that had never tasted of the things of God. These were people that had gone on in the wilderness for a year at least having this food.
They had tasted it. They had fed on it.
And yet they say there's nothing before us out here.
But this manna they despised. It really. Isn't that a solemn thing, to think that you and I can have such a spoiled appetite that we despise Christ as our food?
And yet it's true, we can.
Now let's turn over connection with that to Psalm 78 is read in the end of the same song was read to us during the prayer meeting.
And.
Like to read?
Verse 24.
And he Psalm 78, verse 24, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn.
Of heaven men did not. Men did eat angels foods. He sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by His power He brought in the South wind. And He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls even as the sand of the sea. And He let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations, so that they did eat and were filled, for He gave them their own desire.
They were not estranged from their lust or alienated from their lust, but while their meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest among them, and smoked down the chosen men of Israel.
To solemn lesson in this that we can each learn from back there in.
Where we just read in, in numbers. Lord said, all right, I'm going to give you what you want. I'm going to give you food. I'm going to give you flesh to eat. And so he provided the quails, but he said to them, I'm not going to just give it to you for a day. But he said or two days or three days or 10 days or 20 days.
But he said I'm going to give you so much of it that it's going to become nauseous to you.
Here it says He gave them, they were filled, for He gave them their own desire. It is a solemn thing, but it's a necessary thing in the ways of God, in His ways with us sometimes that God says you want it.
You can have it.
I'm going to give it to you.
And if you, whether you're a teenager or whether you've been on the path to glory for 50 years.
You want it, God says, OK, the Lord may say, I'm going to let you have it. I'm going to fill you full of it.
Until it's nauseous to you.
But the solemn lesson to my own soul is, he says here God, and says to us.
They were not estranged from your lust. That is to me that.
00:45:02
While it will never satisfy the soul, no matter how much of it you have, it will never content the soul, and the lust for it will remain even after you're full to overflowing, till you can't take any more.
It's God saying to us, nothing but Christ is going to satisfy.
And if I allow you in my ways to have everything your heart desires of whatever it is you're going after.
You will find in the end that the lust that is motivating that desire.
Can never be satisfied, no matter how much of it you get.
Do you want money?
You can have a billion dollars.
And it won't satisfy if that's the motivation of the soul.
You want the entertainment of the world? You may have it.
But no matter how much of it you take.
In the end.
You will be estranged from that lust. That is, the lust will still remain.
Unsatisfied.
Not a solemn thing, and yet along the way, the thing that your heart goes after.
Spoils your appetite and satisfaction in the Lord Jesus.
All these things happen to them, for examples, that we might not lust.
He says in First Corinthians 11, where we started. Now turn with me over to Deuteronomy.
Chapter 8.
This is 40 years later.
After this journey started.
And he says to them, After 40 years, verse 2. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God LED thee these 40 years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wittest keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither didst thy fathers know, that He might make thee know that man does not live by bread alone.
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment wax not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell these 40 years.
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son.
So the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God to walk in his ways.
And to fear him, for the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land.
A land of brooks, of water, of fountains, and depths that sprang out of valleys and mid hills. A land of wheat and barley, and vines, and fig trees and pomegranates. A land of oil, olive, and honey. A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it. A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten an artful, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God.
For the good land which he hath given thee.
Everyone of us who belongs to the Lord Jesus is going to get to this good land and have this satisfaction eternally for our souls, and are going to enjoy not only the manna of the wilderness, but this wonderful provision of the land of Canaan or heaven, which is now for us to enjoy even before we get there. And in measure, I'm sure each one of us that belongs to the Lord does enjoy it.
But at the same time, you'll notice that the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus along the way.
Is connected with obedience.
There's approving of him.
00:50:02
And the Lord proves his people, and you will not enjoy the Lord in your life in fellowship and communion with himself.
Apart from walking in his commandments.
Not as under the law as Israel was, but as walking in fellowship with himself, in communion and obedience.
You say you have no appetite for the Lord Jesus. He doesn't satisfy you. It may be the problem in your case is that you do not want to obey Him.
Your will is in opposition to Him, and when our wills are set in opposition to Himself, we cannot, we will not, enjoy His company in our lives.
And you know, it's a sad thing, but.
We want the Lord with us when we come into His presence on Lord's Day.
We enjoy in our measure His presence with us in His. When we're together, we enjoy a conference. But is it possible that there are activities of our lives where we have to put the Lord to one side and then we we can't enjoy Him with us in it because He didn't. He doesn't share with us in that thing.
And in the measure in which our lives have those things in it, they spoil our enjoyment of himself. And so here he said to humble thee, and he suffered thee to hunger.
Just quickly give an application of that you'll know in Luke chapter 4 and elsewhere we have the temptation of the Lord Jesus and it refers to these verses here.
The Lord answered from these verses to Satan when tempted of him, and he said, when he, the Lord, had been hungry for 40 days, and Satan comes up and he says, make these stones bread. The Lord answered, he says, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And here where it says She suffered thee to hunger, perhaps you have said to not by eating Egypt's food, but.
There has been a time in your life where there has been hunger in your soul and it doesn't seem to be satisfied.
Sometimes the Lord proves us.
To see if there is obedience to His will.
And it may involve a sense in the soul of hunger. At that moment the Lord Jesus hungered, and he had a need, a thirst perhaps for bread.
But he wouldn't even think of taking any without.
The express will of his father.
For it, and the Lord wants to teach us.
It may take 40 years, but the Lord wishes to teach us.
That we need food.
But we need himself in his will.
For our lives man shall not live, but by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Now.
Just one other verse here in the end of this chapter.
Umm.
Verse 16 Want to read verse 16 and contrast with the first verse?
That we read verse two says to prove thee to know what is in thine heart.
And then here in verse 16 he says.
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee?
That he might prove the to do the good.
At thy latter end.
Your brethren, let's always go forward.
But the absolute sense in our souls, that all the ways of God with us.
Our to do is good.
Absolutely everything in the school of God as the intent to do us good in our latter end.
He may suffer us to hunger.
00:55:03
He may prove us in our lives.
He wants to, as needed, have to show us what's in our own hearts.
And it's a painful process sometimes, but always the end, in view of our Father's heart as his children, is to do us good in our latter end. Let's pray.
Songs in the Night
Address—D. Nicolet
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Hymn #32 in the back of the book in Weakness and Trial with God, we may plead No Fear of denial. We're sure to succeed.
Hymn #32 in the back of the book.
In weakness and trial with God, we may plead No Fear of denial.
We're sure to succeed for the way of grieving his promises clear and love will be lead him, our father will hear against the giant like mine we can bring.
Evans of Fight of Heart, Stone, and A.
Should this have this made us souls and nature?
Let called on to wake us. Our father will hear.
Our calls.
Him and cry our hearts be both way scarcely scarce venture on line, you know.
For us pleading.
May persevere.
Throw him into her sea. Sing our father.
Here.
Let's ask the Lord's blessing.
Our blessed God and Father. What a joy and a confidence to know thou dost here. We recognize our weakness. We recognize our inability and lack of strength to take.
I.
Feel very much.
In fellowship with our beloved brother Don Ruhl.
In a comment he made in the address that he had on Friday when he said that.
The Lord had.
Given him something else than what he thought he was going to share.
With the brethren.
I want to read 2 verses and with the Lord's help notice a couple things and then perhaps.
We will look to him for this to be encouraged, but let's look at a very well known verse.
In second Timothy.
A very, very well known verse two Timothy.
Chapter 3.
And verse one. And I would like to read this to you, dear brethren, from the J&D translation.
Second Timothy 31. But this know that in the last days difficult times shall be there. Now I want to turn to another verse, and this in the New Testament in the book of Job.
Or in the Old Testament rather in the book of Job.
Job chapter.
35.
Job, Chapter 35.
And justice going to read part of verse 10.
God who giveth songs.
In the night God who giveth songs in the night as I sat here this afternoon.
Seeking a bit to consider what the Lord might have different than what I may have thought.
I was enjoying beautiful music and it wasn't a practiced group of people, but oh, was it beautiful.
To hear songs in the night when things tend to at times seem to be dark.
00:05:07
And seemed to be opposed and difficult.
That by the grace of God, you and I by faith.
Can sing. We can sing, and we have every reason to sing.
I'm reminded of a story that I think is very well known, and I'm only going to tell the version I've heard of it, so perhaps there are many other versions. I don't know for sure the details of this, but it was told many years ago by a brother and it was an encouragement and has always been an encouragement to me.
And I would like it to be that this afternoon to my beloved brethren and to my own heart. That's the story of a time when some young Christian men.
We're carrying out a gospel work and at that time they were able to go to in the area. I think perhaps it was in England.
They were able to go to an area of the Oceanside, a beach that was frequented by crowds of people, and they would go there and they were able to have an open air gospel meeting at the beach.
And after one time the young man who was kind of leading in this exercise came back and he met an an elderly brother in the assembly and and this young man was rather discouraged and the elderly brother asked him why he was discouraged. He said, well, he said, I just don't understand. We went there today to preach the gospel.
To tell people about the Lord Jesus and there were crowds of people there and we know more than God ready to start preaching.
Then along came a brass band and set up right near where we were going to preach.
And started playing. Well, the elderly brother hadn't been all that interested, showing all that much interest in what the young man was saying up to that point. But when the young brother said this brass band came there just when we were ready to start preaching, and it was so discouraging.
The elderly brother perked up his ears and he looked and he said what a brass band.
A brass band came when you were ready to start preaching the gospel.
Satan, was that interested in what you were going to do that he sent a brass band?
To stop the gospel. Tell me about it, I want to hear.
About it, beloved brethren, we live in difficult days.
And we need a reality check. I do from time to time to realize that in these well favored lands, Satan is no less interested in, shall I say, sending a brass band.
To stop evident blessing.
Than he is in some of the lands that our beloved brethren have been able to visit and have told us about where we would expect those kinds of things to go on. We live in difficult days.
And we have been taken, brethren. You know as well as I do. From the youngest of the oldest here, we've been taken in these last few days to rare sweet heights. We have had precious things revealed to our hearts, not just for our heads, but for our hearts and our feet, from the youngest to the oldest.
And beloved brethren.
Satan has ways of sending grass bands.
Because he's not interested in our being encouraged in the path of faith. He's not interested that you and I have had a rich and a rare privilege entreat.
And so before, or perhaps as leading into what I have in my heart, that I trust is from the Lord.
I would like to remind my beloved brethren of something.
That we might be encouraged.
And that we might be exercised both.
I was encouraged because I didn't hear a brass band this afternoon. I heard singing from the heart and it was beautiful.
00:10:07
And the spirit of it was wonderful. Praise the Lord for songs in the night.
But I want to remind us, brethren, of a time when there was a work of God that took place in this world.
The like of which has never been seen before.
And the Spirit of God moved in a way, in this world that was incredible, miraculous, amazing.
And that was on that day some 2000 years ago.
When 120 or so believers were gathered together.
In one place, in obedience to the words of the Lord Jesus, to wait for the promise of the Father.
And the Spirit of God came down and dwelt that little company and formed.
The assembly.
And it was marked, beloved brethren.
By the most incredible and miraculous signs and gifts.
And do you think that Satan left that alone?
I'm not going to go through it. I'm going to leave it for each of you to study on your own. Perhaps others here have gone into it far more in detail than I.
But I will tell you that in the book of Acts, we're going to look at two or three.
And then?
Allow that to move us into another passage.
But I would submit to you that in the book of Acts, in the early chapters by Acts chapter 10, there are 7 distinct times.
When there is a very special.
Effort.
Of Satan.
To stop, to confuse, to destroy, if he can the work and the blessing of God.
And I would submit to you, brethren, if you want to study it further, that you could turn back to the book of Nehemiah in the days of the recovery.
When the temple had been built and the wall was now being built around Jerusalem to separate that temple and that city once again from the world and the enemies around and you would find a like number of very distinct times that Satan sought to come in and hinder the work of God.
And I would submit to you one further and then we'll go on that you might find something very similar in the history of the children of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt to be taken to the promised land.
God does not, I say carefully and reverently, do or move in blessing. But what the enemy seeks to come in and turn aside and destroy and confuse that blessing. Let's just look at two or three of them.
In acts and I will leave it to your own joy, on your own time.
To study Nehemiah, and in some of you, perhaps most of you know it better than I those histories to find those similar circumstances. But let's turn to Acts Chapter 2.
And.
Forsake of time we will just remind ourselves of we will read verse.
Perhaps one in two, the first two or three verses and when the day of Pentecost was fully come.
They were all with one accord in one place, a wonderful unity and obedience that Satan hates.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared onto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and sat upon them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost blessed Happy time, wonderful time.
And began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave him utterance. Is Satan going to leave that alone?
No, just a few verses later, verse 13.
Well, verse 12 and they were all amazed and were in doubt saying one another. What mean is this?
Others mocking said these men are full of new wine or these men are drunk. That's the first one. Something wonderful begins and Satan mocks it.
00:15:04
Those of you, all of us, have had that in our lives individually, have we not?
We have come at one time or another to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior or in our Christian life, Beloved young people, you take a step for the glory of the Lord Jesus, and what's one of the very first things you notice somebody has sent along to make fun of you? You ever been made fun of for being a Christian? Ever been mocked? It's because there's a work of God going on in your heart and in your life. You make a commitment to the Lord to seek to follow and please the Lord.
And Satan will be there very quickly to mock. Well, we're not going to spend time on this, but you can ponder that. Let's move on to the next one that I'd like to consider in Chapter 4.
First of all, in chapter three we will remember that a very wonderful miracle was done. A man born lame.
In impossible condition. Those of the beloved brethren sitting here who are medical authorities, I think could give a far better explanation of that. But to be born blind or to be born lame is a rather naturally speaking impossible situation. But this person was healed in the name of Jesus.
Wonderful name Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, He's healed and so.
The word is obviously gets around. The testimony goes out. A man, we've seen him begging all of his life.
He's walking. He's not only walking, he's leaping.
Some of us, the speaker included, couldn't leap right now. There was a man born lame, and he's leaping.
And verse chapter 4 is Satan coming in what a testimony this is.
And they and as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captains of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them. They're not just making fun of them anymore.
But the enemies of the cross of Christ, the enemies of the gospel, come on, these people, the apostles, and they laid hands on them. That's different than just getting laughed at.
This physical contact.
And put them in the hold until the next day. They're going to shut them up, they're going to physically take them and stop.
This testimony did at work. Is the spirit of God going to be stopped? Is blessing going to be stopped by that kind of condition?
Turn over in this chapter.
To verse 31.
And when they had prayed, This is after the Apostles have been released. They go back to their own company. The prayers go up. When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And they spake the word of God with boldness.
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul. Neither said any of them, that ought of the things which he possessed was his own. They had all things in common, and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles Feet, and distribution was made onto every man according as he had need.
When there was mocking.
3000 souls were saved. I think the number here is at least 5000 now, perhaps more.
We've just read the condition. Would you like to have experience a condition like this among the Saints of God, this wonderful and precious? Did the attempt of Satan to put those apostles in prison, to lay hands on them, to come against them like that? Did that stop the blessing? No, indeed.
We'll stop with the third one, and I'll leave you the joy of finding the others. The third one, we won't read. You know it well. Ananias and Sapphire. If Satan can't work from the outside, he'll cite. He'll seek to come into the assembly and work from the inside. And so there were those who were connected with the assembly, and they lie. They live a lie. They don't tell a lie.
But it's a lie, and there is a very solemn judgment.
It is solemn, Beloved brethren, we're in days of great weakness.
And great confusion. But never ever think that.
00:20:05
Being gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not.
Infinitely important to God, And woe be to those who reach out for I'll and touch that which is precious to the heart of God.
Ananias and Sapphira did that.
And there was a solemn judgment.
Did Satan gain his hands by bringing into the bosom of the assembly that which could confuse and destroy?
Look at this.
Verse 14 of that same chapter and believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes, both of men and women, in so much that they brought forth the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might over shadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities roundabout onto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and them which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed.
Everyone.
Satan's efforts were thwarted again. He doesn't stop the very next verse.
I'll give you a hint. I think that's the 4th one, the very next verse.
This time, they're not just put in a hole, they're put in a common prison.
But I stop now. What I want to encourage us, beloved brethren.
Is to recognize the darkness of the day in the United States of America.
And the darkness of the day in Canada.
And recognize that we gather to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In very much weakness and with very much that ought to exercise our hearts.
Are not one bit less the target of an enemy who would seek to come in and divide and destroy.
And cast.
Insults.
On that precious name to which we are gathered.
And I say by way of encouragement that every time.
In this precious book, In the book of Acts, In the book of Nehemiah.
The history of the children of Israel. And perhaps you're thinking of other occasions recorded in the word of God.
When the enemy comes, when God is at work and the enemy comes, it doesn't result in destruction, it results in more blessing. May we be encouraged by that, that there's blessing God desires in circumstances that take place in our lives and in the assembly. He desires to speak to us. He desires to bless us.
May we be encouraged.
And with that, I want to talk about.
A man specifically.
Who lived in dark days?
One of the most horrible.
Corrupted.
Conduct.
That takes place openly in our world today.
Had its genesis during perhaps this man's life, or at least gained its name.
During this man's life. And of course you know, now I'm Speaking of Abraham.
Abraham lived in a very dark day. He lived in a time when the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah ascended up to heaven.
He lived in a time when there were enemies in the land that God said his.
Family and his seed would inherit.
He lived in a time when God told him to walk through that land.
Not for himself to possess it, but to by faith walk through it and know that the time would come when his seed and he had no children at that time, and he was becoming an old man would possess what God was going to, was telling him he was going to give him.
It was a difficult time. It was a time when those that.
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Won that I feel I'm convinced in my own heart, not dogmatic. I trust that Abram loved a man named Lot, that he cared for, that he had the desires of blessing for.
Had separated from him, and had chosen a very, very sad path to become connected with the very thing that was such a horrendous insult, offered up such a stench to the nostrils of God, the conduct of those in Sodom and Gomorrah.
And Abram went through various exercises of faith in his life.
But I would like to pick him up at a time that I think would typically answer to a rather difficult time.
And the reason I want to pick up the story here is because for the last, well, I'm going to go back to our brother Don's address once more to remind us.
That the exercise of that address was that we might be willing to accept and enjoy the food that God wants to give us.
And as many have noted.
The Lord.
In his sovereign ways gave us exactly the passage that we enjoyed here last year.
Hebrews chapter one.
It was rich food, was it not?
It was precious.
We had a wonderful feast.
Now, in the midst of the difficulty that comes, recognizing that the Lord wants to feed us and has fed us, and we have been greatly young and old encouraged.
In the midst of a difficult day in the last days, the difficult times, what I want to exercise our hearts about is do we have some food to give to our God? He has fed us.
Do we have something to feed him? What do I mean by that? Do you remember in the Gospels? Let's turn and look at that first in Mark, Chapter 11.
I just want to read 3 words of a verse mark Chapter 11.
And three words from verse.
12.
He was hungry.
That's the Lord Jesus. As a man walking through this world. May I be allowed to make an application this afternoon, brethren?
There is a sense in which the Lord Jesus, I say reverently and carefully, I believe, is hungry.
And you and I.
In the midst of difficult days as Abraham lived.
Can present to him and provide to him that which will satisfy his heart. And we're going to look at an instance in Abraham's life, and then we're going to look at some things that took place in closing after Abraham had this supreme joy.
Of giving food to His divine guest. You know there is a verse the Mary the Mother of our Lord.
Says in her wonderful little praise there in the Gospels.
Something like this. The hungry hath he filled with good.
Things the rich hath he sent away empty.
Anyone who sat here these last few days hungry.
Has been filled with good things now in this difficult day that you and I are in.
The perilous times, the last days.
Can we find something to give him for food? Let's turn to Genesis chapter.
18 And follow this thought just a little bit.
Genesis Chapter 18.
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And we'll just start with verse one. And the Lord appeared unto him, Abraham.
In the plains of mammary, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
May I say the comments that I trust are from the Lord that I would like to share with you.
Are in application to take these wonderful, precious divine words and apply them to our hearts and lives more.
That, I believe the heat of the day applies to the difficult.
Times.
Anyone who works, I see my beloved brethren sitting here. Who?
Our farmers, landscapers, other occupations that cause you to be outside. I would assume that, at least from what little experience I've had with it myself, that the most uncomfortable part of the day to be working outside is what is recorded as the heat of the day when one feels the pressures. There We read in the Gospels about those who had borne the burden.
Of the heat of the day.
That's the time of pressures.
Of trials, of difficulties, the heat of the day, and we feel that in our lives, individually and collectively, in many, many ways.
And the beloved young people feel them just as much if there's an exercise to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As those of us who are older, we all sense what it is.
To feel the heat of the day. And so here's Abram, the man of faith, the one called the friend of God. And he's sitting out there in the wilderness in the heat of the day, feeling the difficult times.
And he's going to have something wonderful happen.
He's going to have the opportunity to feed.
The Lord.
A divine visitor.
What else can we learn from this verse? We learned he was sitting in a tent.
We know what that means. I wonder if we know what it means in our feet. He was.
Practically living as a Pilgrim going through a world.
Without putting down roots and foundations in that world, because he looked for a city that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God and all beloved young people. That's a whole lot better than a tent.
What God has for you so much better than a tent. But until you and I come to that point where we are brought in to the full joy of that, let's be willing to let our lives be characterized by living in a tent, even as the Apostle Paul, when he worked with his hands. I think it's so lovely, was a tent maker.
That's no mistake, and it doesn't.
Denigrate other jobs, but it's wonderful to see the beloved apostle occupied with making what Abram, the man of faith in a Pilgrim and a stranger lived in a tent.
And that tent was located in Mammary. If we would turn back a little earlier, we'd find that Mammary was a place in a location called Hebron.
May I say.
That when Jacob sent.
Joseph out after his brethren that he sent him out, I believe it says out of the veil of.
Hebron, that is, that talks about communion.
Fellowship.
With God and the richness and the fatness, mammary of such fellowship.
And that I submit, Beloved brethren, beloved young people, if you're feeling the pressures of the day sometimes I submit to you that that is the antidote for it, to find the joy of dwelling in fellowship, the richness and the fatness of enjoying fellowship and communion with the heart of the one who hung on a cross for you and shed his blood for you.
And washed your sins away and suffered in such agony.
Isn't that a worthy object to desire, to have communion and fellowship? And can you find?
A richer, more satisfying object than that. So here's Abram in that place, and what happens? He looks. He lifts up his eyes and he looks.
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And he sees.
Three men who stood by him.
You know, there's very, very much, let me just say.
That.
When Lot looked up in the gate of Sodom, he saw two messengers bringing judgment. When Abram looked up out in the wilderness, in the place of communion and the richness of being in the wilderness as a Pilgrim and stranger, he looked up and he saw three and they weren't coming to bring him judgment. They were coming to allow him the most wonderful privilege to be able.
To offer them something that would satisfy their heart. Is that not?
Something very precious to consider. We have had before us brought out from Hebrews chapter one and Chapter 2 The Lord Jesus Christ as the eternal, the Person, the eternal Son of God, and as the Son of Man. And we have heard and enjoyed.
Some measure fed upon in real sweetness, the richest, the fatness, the sweetness of that blessed person. Now let me ask you, is it not a very precious thing to think that it's possible that you and I could offer him something to satisfy his heart?
That's the privilege Abraham is being offered out there in the wilderness in the most difficult time.
That you could select in the day, the heat of the day, and Abraham.
Had a divine guest and was given the privilege of giving something to him that satisfied his heart.
He says I'm going to go on very rapidly here in verse four. Let a little water, I pray you be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves.
Under the tree.
You know, I want to be very, very careful what I say here, but I suggest to you that the water was not offered to the Lord. And I say this knowing it's true, because there was any defilement that was connected with his walk. That wasn't why the water was offered. I would like to suggest that Abraham was morally in a position that he could offer water to refresh.
The Lord that the word of God, if I may make it this way, this kind of an application.
The word of God had a proper effect.
In Abram's life.
And he walked according to it, and it was able, may I say.
To be that which refreshed his divine visitor, beloved young people. The Bible isn't just something that you read in the morning quickly before you go to school or to work. The word of God is something that ought to so affect your life and mine that we can walk in a way, may I say, that refreshes the heart of God. And so he gives water to them and he says, where is he going to find refreshment?
Under the tree? Under the tree, What is the basis upon which you and I are going to be able?
To have fellowship with the Lord of Glory and offer something that his heart desires because he's hungry for it today.
Where is it? It's going to be under the tree, that glorious cross of Christ.
That every blessing that we have is founded upon the work that took place at that cross under the tree. Well, it goes on and he says.
May I just say before I go on, rest yourself under the tree. That is where.
The basis, may I say, upon which God finds his rest.
The work of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary's cross and beloved young people in a world that doesn't know what rest is, that doesn't know what peace is. I tell you this is true peace and rest to enjoy in fellowship with God.
What he has been satisfied and enjoys the cross of his beloved son.
And then it goes on, and it says, I will fetch a morsel of bread, comfort ye your hearts, and after that ye shall pass on.
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Well, we find out that there are three measures of fine meal.
In verse 6 and verse 7, Abram runs to the herd and fetches A calf. Tender and good. You know, I thought of this last night.
I apologize, Bob. Was it you that spoke about the fatted calf or Jim, was it you, Bob? OK, it was last night. Then the fatted calf. There we have that fatted calf that the father presents to the prodigal coming back. Here's the first mention of it, if I can say it in application. A calf tender and good. But who's it presented to 1St?
Is presented to God.
That work on the cross, so precious soul valuable, that means everything to you and me for eternity, if we accept it by faith.
Think what it means first of all to the heart of God.
And so here's a calf presented. Here's fine meal presented.
Think of it. A man walked through this world.
In absolute perfection, full, abundant testimony to the perfection of his walk.
3 measures of fine meal and that man, and only that man.
God, manifest in the flesh, could go to the cross.
And there satisfy God.
What a feast. What a feast. That Abram.
Could offer this kind of food to the heart of God.
Do you have to be a mighty man of faith like Abraham, to do this? I hope not. I'm not.
I hope you don't have to be, but I think we can offer God this very same feast, and He will accept it. Food that will satisfy his heart that I say reverently He is hungry for.
And then it goes on and it says he took butter and milk. Oh, the richness. That's I think in the new translation. It reads sweet.
Milk, Sweden. Let's see. I've got it here.
He took thick and sweet milk.
What sweetness and richness?
Well, moving on quickly in closing.
The end of that eighth verse, they were standing by him to begin with.
Now he's standing by them. But.
It's under the tree. He is there with the privilege.
You think of it. Beloved young people. There are so many heroes this world has.
Whether they're entertainment or athletic or whatever they are, they have these heroes and they become giants.
To the world.
And so many people would do anything to be able.
To be in the presence of one of those heroes and do something for them to serve them.
In some way.
You have a hero like that here in Saint Louis, as I understand it, last year set a record that had many thought would never be broken in professional sports.
And I imagine there are not a small multitude of people who would love.
To be able to somehow get into the presence of this man, Mr. McGuire, and do something for him and be recognized by him.
Come on, think about it a minute, young people.
Who do you want to serve, Mr. McGuire or Jesus?
Which is a better one to serve?
The Lord Jesus.
Right now would desire that you would stand, I say, carefully and reverently, under the tree.
And offer that which would satisfy his heart.
Isn't that worth your life to have such an opportunity? And knowing day by day I can stand under the tree?
And offer that.
Which Jesus will be satisfied with? Fellowship, communion, praise, worship? What does that mean to the heart of God? Do we have to wait, beloved brethren, beloved young people? Do we have to wait till we get home to heaven to see the realization of He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied? Can we not seek now in our lives?
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To satisfy him.
We have the ability. Can we not do it now? Well, I want to finish up by noticing. Now, remember, we talked here about the heat of the day as a difficult day. Now I'm going to talk very quickly about three places after this, and I think they're the only three that are mentioned in the history of Abraham, where we have it mentioned early in the morning or early in the day. Let's turn over.
To.
Chapter 19.
I think we're going to read all three of these, just the phrase, and then we'll make comment with the Lord's help. Chapter 19, verse 27. And Abram got up, got up early in the morning.
To the place where he stood before the Lord. Now that stood before the Lord, is when he interceded for.
Those in Sodom Lord, if there's even 10 there.
Will you spare the place? Yes, I'll spare the place if there's even 10 there. And in that place where he stood and interceded, he gets up early in the morning, and he goes to that place, and here's what he sees. And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain and beheld. And lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. Let's go on now.
To.
The next one.
And that is in chapter.
21.
Verse 14 And Abram rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it on to Hager, putting it on her shoulder, And the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wondered in the wilderness of Beersheba, and then that precious well known portion that our beloved brother.
Ministered to us from this morning, Chapter 22.
Verse 3. And Abram rose up early in the morning and saddled his *** and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son.
Clave, the wood for the burnt offering. Now let's think about this carefully and reverently, beloved brethren.
Abram has just had the privilege of receiving a divine guest.
And feeding him, and bringing rest to his heart, the Lord's heart under the tree.
Now, may I say very carefully and reverently, wouldn't you think? And I say this very reverently.
Wouldn't you think he'd get a better deal than this?
He gets up early in the morning and what he prayed for is going up in smoke.
He gets up early in the morning and takes a son that he loves and sends him out in the wilderness.
He gets up early in the morning and takes the son that he loves and goes to offer him up.
On an altar.
Difficult.
It is a difficult path.
But God is in it because if we were to go back, I don't have time to develop it, brethren.
But do go back and read these passages.
To natural sight it seems like, why would God do this when Abram has enjoyed that time of fellowship with him and given him that food and had such a sweet time? Why does he have to have these things come into his life?
Because in the purposes of God, there was a greater blessing coming.
And we'll just notice it. Go back now to chapter.
21.
No, I'm sorry, Chapter 19.
And the very next verse, Remember, Abram gets up early in the morning. He looks to Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows that's where Lot has dwelt. He knows he's asked the Lord. And the Lord has promised if there's ten there that are righteous, he won't destroy it. And he sees the destruction.
That's what he views early in the morning. But the very next verse, and it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered. Shall I read it wrong? God remembered a lot.
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God remembered Abraham.
He remembered what Abraham had desired. He remembered that, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow. His answer, his desire, was answered.
But it wasn't answered the way he thought it was going to be answered. But lot was delivered, The city was destroyed, and right that it should be. Beloved young people, Let me speak. I know it's getting late. Let me speak from my heart. Don't you ever give in to this horrible, wicked thought that homosexuality is a normal thing.
It is a gross wickedness.
And don't become so attached to this world that you get hardened by it. And get fooled to think that you have to show love and acceptance for something that is so horribly, horribly wicked it's an abomination to God.
And this was fitting.
I'm not talking.
About an anger towards souls, our brother John brought that portion out in Psalms.
I'm not talking about that. Not that we hate souls, but all that we have a divine, perfect hatred of this horrible, horrible immorality that, more than anything else, is dragging this North American continent to its destruction.
Smoke and fire.
And it was deserved.
But God remembered Abraham, and with Hagar I want to say something.
Here that has been such a joy to my heart.
Ishmael could not be the son of promise. It can't be. He has to be separated. He has to be sent out into that wilderness. And Abraham, the man of faith, who could provide a meal that was acceptable to the Lord, a meal that God could receive and eat under the tree, couldn't provide.
What his son Ishmael needed to sustain him in the wilderness, it ran out.
He got out in the wilderness and the bread in the water ran out.
I want to tell you bothers. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
And I say this not facetiously. The times I've been on my knees saying, Lord Jesus, can't I please go back and do it again?
As a father.
No, I can't.
And neither can you. But notice this, it is so precious.
Chapter 21.
And the water verse 15 was spent in the bottle.
And she cast the child under one of the shrubs, and she went and sat down over against him. A good way off, as it were a bow shot, for she said, let me not see the death of the child, and as she sat over against him and lift up her voice and wept.
Father's helpless, Mother's helpless.
And God heard the voice. I'm going to misread it. God heard the voice of Hager.
Now God heard the voice of the lad.
And the Angel called, And the Angel of God called the Hager out of heaven, and said, Under what aileth thee, Hager? Fear not.
Oh beloved brethren, I want to tell you those of you who are parents know what I'm talking about, to be on your knees weeping. And here the Lord Jesus say, fear not.
Here fear fear not. Why?
For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
What was he saying?
He was doing what he saw his father do. He was praying.
He had a father who failed.
He had a father who believed he had a father who prayed.
And that, son.
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Did what his father did when he was in trouble. He prayed and God heard his prayer and he didn't say, get up to a higher ground.
Change your ways.
But where he was?
In the words that he used, God heard the lad and he said to the lad's mother, Fear not all beloved brother. I want to be careful with this, because there's ever so much more and we don't have time. There's so much more. But let that encourage your heart. He got up early in the morning to do what God told him to do, to send that boy away. But out there in the wilderness, God heard that young man and he preserved him.
He spared him.
And there's more. I won't go further with it, but ponder that beloved brethren, and let it encourage your heart. And then with Isaac, he gets up early in the morning to take every bit of that which he could hope in.
In bodily form, there in his presence, Isaac, the repository of every hope and promise, was standing there, and he's going to take him, and lay him on an altar and give him to God.
Every father and mother in this room knows what must have gone through his heart.
As he reached out to pick that knife up.
And I don't think I say reverently. God let him touch the knife.
He said he stopped it, he laid all of his hopes on the altar, and it says he and Isaac returned to the young men. They came back.
Oh, the joy in the heat of the day and the difficulty of the moment, of giving that which will satisfy the heart of our God, our Savior, fellowship and joy with him, to give him that and then to have the confidence. Because I think that's what Abraham had in every one of these circumstances, when it seemed to the outward eye that everything was so opposed to what he could have wanted, what he could have desired.
That then, in a sweet confidence, he could lay it all out and know that in the end God was there and God was going to bless him.
Light is spared.
Ishmael is spared. Isaac is given back to him.
Everything he could have wanted.
In one sense.
Is oh what a God we have. It's a dark day.
They're difficulties and it's going to get darker. I don't think the difficulties are going to get any easier. I think we're going to feel it more and more.
But are they going to be greater than our God? Are our mistakes going to be greater than our God? I don't tell us to be sloppy parents. I don't say this beloved young people to tell you not to be careful in your lives. I tell you this to tell you you have an infinitely great God and you can trust him when everything to your eyes looks like it's going exactly the opposite direction, the one whose heart you can satisfy today in fellowship and praise and communion.
Is there to do nothing?
But the very best for you and for me. Let's pray, Father. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 2
Address—B. Prost
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Could we sing together #166?
166 Lord, thou hast drawn us after thee.
Now let us run and never tire. And then reading from the third verse.
Unchangeable Thy gracious love, our earthly path hath ceaseless viewed 166.
If I may make a request, this is intended as a happy hymn. Pardon a personal note, but this hymn was sung at our wedding as my beloved wife walked up the aisle almost 30 years ago now. Could we sing it together? But could we please not drag it?
Thank you.
Lord, thou has strong.
Nevertheless.
Our gold desires.
What is my love? All I will pray, Lord.
Are my God and our Son, but they are strangling our hearts are in part we're proud of our lives to tear our brother to the grudges to stay.
Ourselves.
First John, chapter 2.
I think there are at least a few here who had the privilege of being with us at the recent Montreal meetings. If so, you will remember that we had this chapter before us in the readings and the latter part of this chapter, which we did not discuss to any great detail.
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Impressed itself upon me at the time. Not that it hadn't impressed me before, but it impressed itself specially upon me.
And I'd like to read together, if we may, from verse 12 of First John 2.
First John two and verse 12.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His namesake. I write unto you, fathers, because you have known Him, that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young man, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time they went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.
But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us.
But you have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father, and of the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.
And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
But the anointing which ye have received of him, and abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, it shall ye shall abide in him.
And now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him.
This chapter addresses three different groups of people, as we can see clearly.
And I thought of how, as we are gathered here this afternoon, what is said to each one of these three groups has a voice for all of us.
No doubt there are those in this room, and I'm thankful for them. Who would be in the category of fathers.
And I'm thankful for those that are here who are young men or young women. And I'm thankful for those who are here who are little children.
And we might say at the outset that on the one hand, I think that everything that is said here, whether to fathers or to young men or to little children, as a voice for each one of us.
But we might also say that these so-called categories that are delineated here are not particularly graded out according to our chronological age, at least not necessarily.
Because I believe it refers to spiritual maturity, and so one could perhaps have a father's heart and yet not be as old as another who might, as far as spiritual things are concerned, be considered a little child.
And so I believe all of these things are here to be taken to heart by each one of us.
And so I'd like to look at these three things that John occupies our hearts with, but bearing several things in mind.
First of all, that when John speaks to us, he is not giving us, if we could use the expression, the truth of the church. Not that, of course, dear John did not have an appreciation of it, but that was not his ministry. In fact, if I am right, I believe I am. I don't believe that the church is even mentioned in John's ministry. Perhaps a local assembly, yes, but the church as such in its.
00:10:29
A broad sense, including every believer. We don't get it mentioned in John's ministry. Rather, it's the ministry to the family.
And so John's ministry has a peculiar character, and it's important to remember that.
And I trust what I have this afternoon is laid on my heart from the Lord.
In some ways, it's going to parallel what our brother Dawn brought before us yesterday.
But I assure you that we did not collaborate.
But it kind of strengthened what I had on my heart when I listened to what was said yesterday.
Because what is brought out here speaks both to our hearts and to our consciences.
And notice that first verse that we read in verse 12, by the way, the expression there probably is more accurately children, not little children. Little children is accurate, as we'll find out in verse 13, for example, and it's also accurate as we get further down in verse 18. But the expression in verse 12 is simply children.
And also in verse 28, children, that is, it's addressing the whole family of God. And so it seems here that the apostle John addresses the whole family of God in verse 12, then he breaks the family down into different categories of maturity and speaks to them in that way. And then in the last two verses, once again he resumes his.
Speaking to them as the whole family of God. And that's important because what He brings before us here in verse 12 is the fact that as it says here, your sins are forgiven you for his namesake.
Why does he bring that in? I don't pretend to be able to explain this chapter in the way that it should be, but what has impressed my own heart and will notice this again when we get to the last two verses in a little while. What has impressed my own soul is that the Apostle John, before he brings before them those things which had to do with their walk and their responsibilities down here, He takes them first of all back to what happened at Calvary's cross.
And the consequent position they had before God. And then at the end of the chapter he points them on to the glory.
You know, you and I can so easily get taken up with what is going on around us in this world, and it's right to some extent that we should.
Of course we should.
And there is a tendency, and I admit it in my own heart at least, to look back sometimes and think of when perhaps things were different.
Some of us were talking a little bit about it last night.
Some of us were reminiscing a little bit about what it was like to go to a conference like this back in the 50s and how things were and what happened and so on. And there may be a tendency in our heart to look on ahead and think, well, if only this or if only that, then things will be better. But you know, someone has said, and I think it's so beautiful, He said, if you're going to look back, look all the way.
To Calvary's cross, and if you're going to look ahead, look all the way.
To the glory. Many years ago, so I'm told, there was a brother where apparently there were some very serious difficulties amongst the people of God. And the difficulties were looming up so seriously that it almost looked as if things were going to crumble and fall apart. And the brother said to another brother, oh, he said, whatever is going to become of us? Have you ever thought like that? I admit that I have and I appreciate it very much. Reading what the older brother said, at least I assume he was older. He made a remark something like this. He said, well.
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Brother, he said the Scripture knows no future for the believer, but glory isn't that. Isn't that beautiful? The Scripture knows no future for the believer but glory. We aren't promised any future down here. We aren't promised any future even in a spiritual sense. And so the apostle John here would first of all, take those dear ones all the way back to Calvary's cross and say your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
I don't want to dwell too long on that, but it's beautiful the way that's presented. It doesn't say, as in the first chapter, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. Although true, that is the ground on which God could wash away your sins and might.
But here it's rather, if we could say it this way, bringing into the picture the person who did the work it occupies us with the one who did it all for his name's sake.
Well then we have the various ones addressed here and justice. So we see the picture we find.
In verse 11, or rather verse 13, that the three categories in the family are addressed.
And then in verse 14, the apostle John takes them up in detail.
He takes up fathers again.
He takes up young men from the middle of verse 14 down to the end of verse 17, and then he takes up little children from the beginning of verse 18 down to the end of verse 27.
And we like to talk about those.
For a little bit.
And the first one that God mentions in his wisdom is Father's.
Rather interesting that he does not start with little children and then go up to those who were the most mature. He starts with the fathers.
That's a wonderful thing to have fathers. It's a wonderful thing to have a natural father who.
Acts in the Capacity of a father in the right way. I'm sure every father here, including myself, has to look back on the way that he brought up his children and find that there was failure there. I certainly know I do. But it's a wonderful thing to have a natural father who acts in the Capacity of a father in the right way. But all if we could say it, isn't it perhaps even more wonderful?
To have spiritual fathers.
Oh, we need spiritual fathers today more than ever before.
It's always struck me that in First Corinthians when the Apostle Paul is writing to them there.
He says in the 4th chapter though ye have 10,000 instructors in Christ.
Yet have ye not many fathers?
The Corinthians were an intelligent assembly to a large degree.
They knew quite a bit. They had a lot of gift.
But what did they lack?
Fathers. Fathers.
When the Apostle Paul could write to the Philippians, he could say of Timothy, who was a relatively young man as we know, he could say I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state and I love the Darby translation of that. I have no man who will care with genuine feelings.
How ye get on?
Or if I can say it, today is a day when there's a great deal of learning, and you, beloved young people especially, have many opportunities to learn that some of the rest of us didn't have.
I never had, when I was a young person, a forum on the e-mail to be able to exchange thoughts rapidly with other young people and with older brothers who were a help.
I don't know that we necessarily suffered greatly from it and the lack of it, but nevertheless we didn't have things like that. Most of us couldn't travel nearly as much as you can today. Most of us didn't in that way know quite as much as you do.
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But what does it say about the fathers here?
Isn't it very, very instructive to see that the apostle when he speaks of fathers?
Has only one thing to say about them and when he, you might say, summarizes what he's going to say in verse 13.
He says one thing, but then when he talks about fathers again when he's as it were going to expand a little on things.
He says the very thing, the very same thing over again.
What does it say because ye have known him, that is from?
The beginning.
Or I want to impress that on each one of our souls. And I don't, as I say, want the children or the young people here to say, well, I guess this is speaking to the older brethren and the mature ones in the assembly know. No, I believe this is put here for each one of us. Because what characterizes a father is that he has known him, that is from the beginning. Notice that it doesn't talk about what the father does, although surely a father acting in the Capacity of such.
Would certainly do things. It doesn't talk about the amount of truth that the Father knows, although a father who had really known him that is from the beginning would surely have an understanding and a knowledge of the truth connected with that Blessed One. But it gets right down to the most important thing without which there cannot be a father. You have known him that is from the beginning.
The beginning here, I believe, would bring before us the beginning of the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth, and it would bring before us all that is in Christ in manhood and all that is in a risen Christ in glory.
Ye have known him, that is, from the beginning. And again, this thought, this phrase needs rather to be felt than expressed in words, and so I'm not going to say too much more about it.
Except to say that no matter how much we may know, no matter how much intelligence we may have in the scriptures, no matter how well we may be versed in.
What is called in Scripture the truth and that is mentioned in this chapter?
Very important, no matter how much of our good ministry we may have read, no matter how well we may know principles, no matter how well we may be able to explain the truth of gathering.
What is going to count?
Is whether we have known him, that is from the beginning. And I say again, there's a tremendous need of fathers today. There's a tremendous need of those who forgetful. Well, let me let me rephrase that. Those who have overcome in their own souls the difficulties and problems in their own life and who have the Capacity to act as fathers.
Fathers to individuals, fathers to the assembly, fathers in the largest sense of the word, to the whole Church of God. Let us never, never limit our thoughts merely to those who have the inestimable privilege of being gathered to the Lords name.
But let us remember that if God would have you and me to know him, that is from the beginning.
It's a wonderful privilege, but the fatherhood exercised from that knowledge, I believe God would use it for the benefit and blessing of the whole family of God.
And so there's nothing beyond that. And I say that because perhaps today.
Gets to be the thought of doing things, the thought of knowing.
Things. And there's nothing wrong with that. Oh, nothing wrong with that. Most important.
But it all has to start right here. And if we have known him, that is, from the beginning, will there be the sitting down and doing nothing? Oh, of course not. Will there be such a thing as a father who sits in the armchair, if I could use the expression, and does nothing? Oh my, no, Oh no, I'm sure that isn't the thought at all. But what will characterize him above and beyond it all, will be that he has known him.
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That is from the beginning, and there's a tremendous need today for those who can simply bring Christ before souls where they are, who can simply bring before them that Blessed One in all His beauty.
Because what will attract a Christian that is away from the Lord?
Is the presentation of that Blessed One in all that He is all the grace, all the glory connected with that Blessed One. That is what will attract those who have gotten away. That is what will be more of an antidote than anything else to what we find going on further down in the chapter will be those who have the capacity to present Him. That is from the beginning.
Well, let's go on.
Verse 13 I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.
May we direct our comments mainly to the young people here.
Again, realizing that we all need it, I stand corrected on this, But most of the times in the New Testament, when overcoming is talked about, it's talked about by the apostle John, whether it's in his epistles, whether it's in the Book of Revelation, whether it's in the Gospel of John. Overcoming is a word that the apostle John uses.
Beloved young men, young sisters, God wants her to be overcomers.
He wants you to be an overcomer. And you notice here that he starts out by saying, not I write unto you, young men, because ye should overcome the wicked one, or that ye ought to no.
Ye have. Why does he say that? Oh, because beloved young people, the victory has been won. The victory has been won. It's not a question of you nor of myself going out there and having to win the victory. Overcome. Yes, we are told to do that, but the victory has been won through that blessed one, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is already a defeated foe. We have been reminded of that in these meetings.
And so God never tells us to do something that we can't do. He never sends you and me out there to overcome. And then we find out, perhaps, that the battle is too strong and we just can't somehow manage to do it.
Ye have overcome the wicked one.
But then what does he say, beginning as we get it, in verse 14?
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abide within you.
And ye have overcome the wicked one.
Again, it says the word of God abideth in you. God has given us his word and if you are saved, you were saved through the word of God. God uses his word to save of his own will be gaddy us by the word of truth that tells us in James. And so it's important to recognize that if you are truly saved, you were born by the word of God being applied by the Spirit of God.
Except a man be born of water, that's the word of God and of the Spirit, that's the Spirit of God cannot see the Kingdom of God. And so you and I were born of that word, and we have this precious word in our hands.
But oh, there's a practical side to it.
And may I suggest that?
The way to overcome is given us right here to have the word of God continually before us. And I would encourage each one here, not only the young people we all needed. I'd like to see the children here read their own Bibles.
It's a nice thing as soon as.
Excuse me, As soon as you're able to read, to have your own Bible and be able to read for yourself the word of God, it's a nice thing. If you've got your own Bible, maybe by your bedside or somewhere, and you can read it for yourself. All you may say, I don't understand everything I read. Perhaps not I I still don't understand everything I read.
But nevertheless, there's a cleansing power of the Word of God.
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Read it as often as you can, take it if you can, everywhere you go.
You know, if I may say this, I find in the little bit of traveling I've been privileged to do in different parts of the world.
That some of our dear brethren there.
Seem to value the reading of the Word of God more than we do over in this land.
I suppose it doesn't hurt to speak of it, but I can well remember.
When I was in India the last time and we were having a Bible conference in a place and it wasn't exactly like this, things were perhaps a little more casual in the times of meetings were not as exact as they are over here, but nevertheless you could not help but feel that there was an appetite for the Word of God and in the home in which.
When we would get up in the morning and have breakfast and maybe there was time an hour, an hour and a half perhaps before the first meeting would begin, what would be the thought of those dear brethren sit around and just chit chat? Oh no, let's open the word of God.
Let's have the Word of God open before us, and let's read it and enjoy it.
They want it to be over the word.
Just a few weeks ago, my wife and I were in Romania.
And we found in some cases over there, there was a real appetite for the Word of God. When we would get together, it would be assumed that we would open the Word of God and read it together. Oh, the Word of God has a cleansing power on our hearts and on our lives. And more than that, it is the antidote to what we have in the 15th and 16th and 17th verses. Because what is going to rob you and me of overcoming?
Is the spirit of this world.
And I know that some of you will say that you have heard that so often that it's getting to be a cliche almost. I admit that. But the Word of God brings it before us here, because God recognized that Satan would use every effort.
To try and keep young men and young women from overcoming.
He knows if he can nullify your testimony, he's gained a victory because your parents and those that are older, if the Lord doesn't come, are going to pass off the scene someday and then it is going to be your privilege to carry on.
I've sometimes thought of that.
Poem that was written by Doctor McRae back in the time of the First World War.
Where he talked about.
Those who had fallen in battle.
Poem entitled In Flanders Fields.
And at the end of that poem he takes up the whole question and says, Take up our quarrel with the foe to you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high. If you break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, and so on. Well, that's a poem that was written by a man whom I never knew, of course, and I have no idea whether he was the Lords or not.
By the way, it's a rather interesting experience to walk through Flanders Fields. I had the privilege a few years ago.
And to see on many of those crosses there verses from this precious book which indicates that those who lie there knew the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. But nevertheless, we're getting away from our subject.
The point is, Satan is going to make a special pitch for you.
And if you have, as he says here, overcome the wicked one, if the word of God does abide in you.
Satan says, aha, I have something that is going to get them, and Satan's whole effort is to take this world in some dimension or other and use it.
To nullify your testimony and mine so that believers are characterized by weakness instead of power. Oh, he knows that he can't do anything to touch your salvation. He knows that he can't do anything as far as eternity is concerned.
But he's going to make believers an object of ridicule because of their weakness instead of their power.
00:35:05
I have to hang my head because I feel it in my own soul. Where did the world start? As Scripture uses the term, I don't mean the world in the sense of its physical existence, but the world in the sense in which it's used here, the system of this world that has characterized it ever since what? Ever since the family of Cain, Isn't that right? We find that when Cain.
Presented a sacrifice to God and God could not accept it because it wasn't according to his mind.
Instead of repenting, instead of doing what he was asked to do, he goes out from the presence of the Lord, builds a city, calls it after the name of his son, and then his descendants begin to surround themselves with everything in order, if possible, to make themselves happy, as happy as possible in a world that was blighted by sin, but leaving God out.
And that world that Cain started is still with us today.
And the world system today is still animated and run by what we have here, all that is in the world. Verse 16, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. That is what makes the world go.
I.
I don't want to point the finger at specific things.
But I can remember a father telling me how that his son, who was at that time a teenager, had come to him and said dad.
I'd like to go to a movie. I'd like to go to a movie.
Well, his father said son.
I don't know about that. Well, I'd like to go. I think I'd like it. So his father turned to this verse and he said, let's read this verse together. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Now, he said, how would it be if you find a movie?
That doesn't have any of those things in it, and if you can find a movie that you can be reasonably assured.
Does not have any of those things in it. Then I'd be happy for you to go.
Did you know, I thought the boy's answer was very revealing, the boy said. But dad, if you take all of that out, you wouldn't have any movie left.
Father said exactly, son, and that's why I am not happy for you to go to a movie. Again, I'm not here to point the finger at specific things. That isn't the point. The point here is that there is a world system that is bent and bound on dragging you and me down in one way or another. And it's not just young people, but I think it's significant that it's directed at young people here because.
You will feel it the most, but the solemn words are here. It says in the end of verse 15, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him, and so it says, love not the world.
Oh, you and I say, but we do love it. How can I help loving something Can I will to love something and will not to love it? I believe we can.
In Ephesians it says husbands love your wives. That's a command. That's a command. But here the same word tells us love, not the world. And if I find that the world is getting a hold on me in some way or shape or form.
May I suggest that the antidote is given to it here?
Through the word of God.
I can enjoy the love of the Father.
Notice it doesn't say the truth here, although that is important, but it's the love of the Father that is going to be more of an antidote than anything else. It's the Word of God having its place in my heart that is going to make me realize exactly what that world is doing to me. What do we see happening in the world today? We see people and you see it all the time, and so do I, justifying all kinds of things in their lives.
How? Why? Because it is being accepted by what is going on all around them.
00:40:00
And we see people justifying things.
By making man a reference point.
And that happens to you and me too, as believers. That happens to you and me too. We start making the outside world a reference point. We start making even other Christians a reference point. And then pretty soon we find ourselves excusing things in our lives, things that are serious.
Even things that are morally wrong. Even things that are unrighteous.
Even things that if we were only half awake, to whom we belong to.
And the position we've been brought into, we would have a perfect horror of them. But we get used to them, don't we? And I do too. We see it all around us, The magazines of this world, the advertisements, the general talk and conversation, the music of this world, everything.
Is calculated.
To do what? To make you young people weaklings instead of overcomers.
And it doesn't do just to square your shoulders and say I'm not going to be bowled over by it. No, you will be bowled over by it because this world is stronger than you and stronger than I am.
But if we have the Word of God abiding in US and the love of the Father, we can be overcomers.
And I look at you, beloved young people sitting here this afternoon, and God wants everyone of you to be an overcomer.
But we can't be overcomers if we're going to allow the world to get a hold on us.
And I don't mean I don't want to spend too long on this, but I think it's important to recognize the need to see where the whole condition of this world is going.
I've said this before, but it bears repeating because more and more I feel it's true. And this word was said by a man who, as far as I know, was not a Christian.
But he was morally upright, an older man, and in Speaking of the moral condition of this world, especially the Western world, he made this remark.
I thought as to the moral condition of things. We were in the cellar.
But he said the floor of the cellar has given way to reveal a yawning pit.
And we haven't seen the bottom of it yet.
That's true. That's true. And it's worse in these favored lands that have known the gospel than in any foreign land, as far as I can see from my limited experience. Why? Oh, because if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? Oh, how wonderful I say to be an overcomer. How wonderful to have the word of God abiding in us. How wonderful to have the love of the Father.
In our hearts.
Because it's going to abide forever. He that doeth the will of God abideth forever, it says in verse 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Mayo and I with reference to everything in our lives.
Ask ourselves, how is it going to look in the light of eternity? Let's go on now, verse 18, little children.
And then the apostle begins to address little children, and this is the correct translation.
Excuse me?
It is little children here.
And what is the danger for little children?
Or that they would be deceived.
You can deceive little children rather easily, can't you?
Few days ago I was in a shopping mall.
With my granddaughter, I was keeping her.
Out in the main aisle of the mall while my wife and daughter did some shopping without her getting into mischief.
And as I was sitting there, she was toddling around there in the mall.
And a man sitting on a sofa just across from me. She kind of walked up to him and looked up at him. He held out his arms. She walked right into his arms, sat on his lap for a while.
The church and Satan says I'm going to spoil the last good thing that God has in the earth if I can. I'm going to spoil the last good thing that God has in the earth if I can.
00:45:13
It talks about those here who were identifying themselves as Christians.
Themselves as Christians. And then they it says they went out from us. Why? Because they weren't real.
It talks about those who weren't even saved. All we know from Matthew chapter 13 that Satan has been all too successful in sowing tares.
Amongst the wheat so that you can't tell it apart.
And he deceives.
Can he deceive any of us? Yes, indeed he can.
And this deception is still going on today.
All you say, I wouldn't be deceived. I know too much.
Oh, may I say humbly, don't be so sure.
Don't be so sure, because it's not what we know that keeps us, but whether we're walking with the Lord. It's not what we know that makes the difference, it's whether we know Him that is from the beginning. It's not what we know that is going to keep us, but whether we are walking with the Lord Himself.
And So what characterizes the children here? Notice what it says.
Back in verse 13, I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
Not a father down here in the sense of what we have earlier in the verse, but the Father.
Isn't it beautiful to know that little children can know the father?
I suppose it's all right to mention this, but in visiting in the country of Romania, beginning some years ago right after the revolution, it was rather obvious to me that many of these so-called antichrists and false systems did not particularly flourish under the communist regime. Oh, some of them were there, no question about it, but they didn't flourish. But then when there was full liberty, suddenly all of this kind of thing hit that country and other countries too, like a flood.
And it broke my heart to see how dear children of God were so ill prepared for it.
How they were carried about with every wind of doctrine, How they were deceived by every kind of thing.
What is the antidote? O ye have known the Father.
But there are two other things that are mentioned here that are very important. It brings before us in verse.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
Down in verse 27. But the anointing which he have received of him abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide.
In him.
Every believer, no matter how young in the faith.
Knows the Father and has the Holy Spirit in them.
And isn't it wonderful that the youngest believer can know what is true and what is error?
That does not mean that we don't need teachers in the assembly. Oh no, of course not. That doesn't mean that the youngest believer knows just as much as the Father who has walked with the Lord for 40 years or something like that. That's not the thought. No, the thought is that with the Holy Spirit indwelling you and me as believers, we have the capacity to discern what is of God and what is not of God.
And allow me, if I may, I know our time is nearly gone, but allow me to say a word on that because.
It seems to my own soul that we are then to wonder why he has no guidance from the Lord.
I read a book or read of a book recently. I haven't seen it.
A book entitled Surprised by Joy or Surprised by Truth. I should say there is a book Surprised by Joy. That's not the one I'm referring to. Surprised by Truth.
00:50:02
Apparently the so-called testimonies of a number of people, some of them possibly even true Christians.
Who having become, as they say in so many words, totally fed up with a tremendous variety of opinions on every subject within what they call evangelical Christendom, that they have gone back into the Roman Catholic Church in order to feel secure. And they say we're back where everything is, is in order. We're back where everything is right. There's no argument, no difficulty. Things are the way they are. This is the way it is. And.
There's no difficulty.
Oh, you and I would throw up our hands in horror at that. What was the difficulty? Oh, when man's will gets into the picture, then of course all kinds of wrong ideas can be introduced.
But let us remember that the Spirit of God is still here and He indwells the very youngest believer, beloved young person, little child here, 8/10/12 years old or even younger. You can go to the Lord and ask for guidance even in a small matter in your life and get it and get it. Will the Lord give it to you? I believe He will. You can go to the Lord and ask for help and you'll get it. You can go to the Lord and ask Him to show you.
What something in this precious book means, and I believe he'll give you that needed guidance.
And you can enjoy the relationship with the father.
All the fathers are characterized by having known him, that is, from the beginning.
But with little children.
It says ye have known the father.
One comment before we close on these last two verses.
Verse 28.
And now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear.
We may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Oh, looks on to the glory, but there's something here that is very precious. What does it mean to be ashamed before him at his coming?
Oh, I believe it means that my heart is not right.
With his.
If we were to go on to the third chapter of this epistle, you can just look over at it. It's verse 24. If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Beloved. If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
I stand corrected on this, but I don't know that this verse primarily refers to the overt committing of sin.
To me it seems it's rather a state of soul where I recognize that the response of my heart.
Is not what it should be? Do I feel that? If that is the case, am I looking for the Lord to come? Would I love it if the Lord were to appear and take us home right now? Or would I have to say, oh, let Him give me a little time to straighten the few things out? I I I don't want Him to come and find my life in the condition in which it is right now. What I want Him to come and find. My soul thinking about what I am thinking about at this very moment, what I want Him to come and find.
The course of my life going in the direction that it is now, I believe that's what it's bringing, what what is being brought before us here.
But then this last verse, the 29th verse.
It was a bit of a puzzle to me for a long time, and maybe it still is.
Because I couldn't help but think, why does God throw in and we'll read it together? If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him.
I don't want to take away from the obvious practical application of this verse.
Brother Bob was mentioning it this morning, the importance of practical righteousness in our lives. And I would put every emphasis on that, because in the world around us, we're going to see a good deal of unrighteousness and we're going to see a good deal of things going on. Good, many things going on.
That are morally wrong.
But I wonder if this verse goes beyond that. May I make that suggestion? And I'm indebted to someone else for this thought, But I pass it on because I enjoyed it and I'm adding some things of my own to it.
00:55:04
If you go back to the beginning of this chapter, you find that it refers to our having an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And then here it seems, if I am right in this, it says, if ye know that he is righteous.
You know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.
Oh, that speaks to my heart perhaps.
More than just the superficial application of it does.
Because how could the Lord Jesus be termed Jesus Christ the Righteous?
Because of his righteous life that he lived down here. Oh no, it was more than that. The Lord Jesus, as my advocate and your advocate with the Father, he can fill that capacity up there. Because of what he did on Calvary's cross. Because he gave up everything that was rightfully his, gave up everything that was to do with his own will. He did not do his own will.
But he.
Said not my will, but dying to be done.
And as a result, today He can be your advocate and mine up there when we sin, because He is Jesus Christ the righteous. He can point back to that finished work on Calvary's cross, and He can plead before us in the sight of God the Father.
On the basis of what he has done. But how did he do it? Oh, by saying not my will but thine be done. By giving up everything, everything.
As we had brought before us this morning, in order that God might be glorified as to sin.
And in order that you and I might be saved, may I suggest there's something of that thought here?
Everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him. You and I have the capacity to act in the same way. Now I hasten to say that there is only One who could ever say totally and truly not my will, but thine be done and really mean it in everything. In His pathway there was only One who at the end of his life could confidently say to the Father, I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do.
But you and I have the capacity to do righteousness. You and I have the capacity to set aside our own will and to do His will and to follow Him down here.
In a little while that he leaves us here.
Let's close in prayer.
Gospel
Gospel—J. Hyland
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On an occasion like this, but I believe it sets before us in a very real and precious way, the one that we want to present tonight, the Savior of sinners, the man that we were speaking about this afternoon, who is indeed on high in the glory, and the one and the only one who can take away your sins, wash them in His precious blood so that you're fit for heaven. Tonight there is a Savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree.
A savior is willing to save. Now as ever, his arm is almighty.
His love great and free. And as we sing this chorus together, if there's someone here and you don't know, this precious savior.
May you listen to the words of this chorus as an invitation to your very heart tonight. Oh come now to Jesus, that dear loving Savior receive him this moment and peace shall be thine. I'm going to suggest that we stand to sing this hymn hymn #10, and if someone could please start it.
Those are.
Darkness.
In love.
Horsemen.
What made it?
Our boldness.
And very much God.
Bless.
We are going to begin the Gospel meeting this evening by reading a number of scriptures. And I am going to make no apology for turning back and forth for these first few moments of the Gospel meeting to a number of scriptures, because it's the word of God in all its living power that we want to present to you tonight.
The living word that brings before us that wonderful Savior of whom we have just been singing.
Because we're born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever, and as we open our Bibles, and as we turn from page to page and book to book in this living word, do open your ears this evening.
Hear what God has to say to you. Open your heart to receive the message.
And I know it is the prayer of just so many in this room that if you are lost and in your sins tonight and on your way to hell, it is the prayer of so many that the word of God might speak to you, and that tonight you will not leave this room the same way you came in.
And by that I mean not just simply walking out the same door that you came in a few moments ago, but that you will leave this room no longer on the Broad Rd. that leads to destruction, but that you will leave this room knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you are on your way to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in God's happy home in heaven. Oh, we want to present to you tonight this glorious Savior. We want to present to you the one who loves you. We want to present to you tonight the one who died for you.
We want to bring before you that precious blood that cleanses from every stain of sin. And so with this in mind, let's begin in the book of Genesis, Genesis, Chapter 3.
Genesis chapter 3 and verse 9.
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him.
Where Art Thou? And let's go over now to the Book of Job.
Job, Chapter 14.
Job chapter 14 and verse 10.
But man dieth and wasteth away.
The Amen giveth up the ghost.
And where is he now? Let's go to the New Testament, to the book of Romans.
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Romans Chapter 7.
Romans Chapter 7.
I want to begin with the second clause of the verse.
Who Shall deliver me? Let's go Back a few pages to Acts Chapter 16.
Acts chapter 16 and verse 30.
And brought them out and said Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Let's go over further in the New Testament to first Peter, chapter 4.
First Peter, Chapter 4 and I'm going to begin reading.
About 2/3 of the way through the verse. What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Let's go to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 27.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 27 and verse 22.
Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus?
Which is called Christ, the book of Hebrews, chapter 2.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation and just one further portion back in Matthew, this time in the 24th chapter?
Matthew chapter 24 and I'm going to begin reading about the middle of verse 3.
Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Well, I realize we have read together many scriptures, but there is something common with all these scriptures. They may seem like a strange connection of verses from God's word at the beginning of a gospel meeting.
But I'm sure at closer examination some of us realize that these verses that we have read together are all in the form of a question.
You know the Bible, God's word is full of questions. We have read just a sample of perhaps 8 questions, 8 portions in the form of a question. And these are just a sample of the questions that God would ask us from his word. Just a sample of the questions that tonight God would direct to your heart and conscience and to mine. Because a question makes it very personal, doesn't it?
There are boys and girls and young people here who go off to school and I know that sometimes the teacher, when giving a lesson or a lecture, is talking to a whole group. There may be 20-30 or more in that lecture room or that classroom. But then when questions are directed, those questions are for individuals. You know, sometimes on sunny afternoons when I was a boy in school and.
I usually like to get secure a desk by the window so that I could dreamily lookout the window and think of things that I would rather be doing than being in class and listening to the lesson of the teacher. And sometimes the teacher would detect that Jim Highland was not paying attention to the lesson and so she would stop where he would stop the lesson and would ask a question with my name attached to it. That teacher was no longer talking to 20 or 30 students.
That teacher was seeking to get my attention. That teacher wanted me to pay attention to that lesson because come Friday, there might be a quiz or an exam on that lesson, and if I wasn't listening to what was being taught, there was going to be some difficulty at the end of the week or the end of the term.
If I hadn't taken in the information that had been put forth, but all tonight, we're not talking about some lesson in some classroom.
We're not talking about some lecture that you might attend at the university or the college.
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Where you go to school, We are talking tonight about God's message to you. And God brings these questions before us to direct it very, very personally and for a few moments tonight, I trust that this is the way we will listen to the gospel message.
For a few moments tonight.
Forget about the person beside you.
Forget about the person at school that you have plans with next week because God is speaking to you tonight as an individual and he's seeking to get your attention. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Are you listening to night? Are you listening to God's voice to you? Because if you don't listen to God's voice to you tonight, there will come a day. If you leave this world as a Christ rejecter, when you will hear his voice and oh how awful it will be.
If we were to go over to the Book of Revelation, we would find His voice there. Not his voice going out in mercy in the gospel, but His voice does the sound of many waters. That is His voice heard in judgment in a coming day, and you will hear His voice.
You get close to Niagara Falls or some other of the Great Falls of this world, Oh, you can't block it out. You hear the voice of that falls as those waters tumble, gallon after gallon, over the precipice. And there'll be a day when you'll try to block it out, but you won't be able to. There's a day when you must face the one that we're going to present from the scriptures tonight, the Lord Jesus. And if you refuse his salvation.
There will be a day when you want to escape, we read in Revelation. They cry for the mountains and the rocks to fall on them, and to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb and the face of him that sitteth upon the throne. How awful it will be. And all dear boys and girls, dear young people, tonight. I don't know if you're fully aware, but there was a prayer meeting before this gospel, and you were especially prayed for.
Those of you who have parents, grandparents or others who are concerned about you sitting in this audience praying for your soul.
And you were especially prayed for tonight, and I wish you could have heard those prayers as the heart was poured out on your behalf.
And it is a searching thing to realize that there is a day coming when the opportunity will be forever over and you will look around, perhaps on a very occasion like this, perhaps tonight, perhaps before the hands of that clock make 8:00 PM You may look around this room and you may see a lot of empty chairs.
What will go through your mind? I don't know what will go through your mind, but it is searching to consider this, that when Elijah was caught away to heaven in a whirlwind, a chariot of fire, a little picture to us in the Old Testament of the rapture of the Saints out of this world, who was it that missed him? It wasn't the general populace in Israel, it was the sons of the prophets.
Young person, I want you to think about that tonight.
The sons and daughters of Christian parents.
You've come to meetings like this over and over and over again.
And if the Lord Jesus were to come before 8:00, where would you be?
I'm going to leave that for you to answer before a holy God.
Where would you be? Would you be left in this, these seats? Or would you rise in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to be with the Lord Jesus, to meet him on the on the cloud? And so shall we ever be with the Lord?
We began tonight with a very searching question, didn't we? Where art thou?
Let this question burn into your soul tonight. Where art thou? We know the context here. Adam and Eve had been placed in this beautiful garden, and God had told them that they could eat of every tree of that garden. It had been provided for their good and for their happiness. Everything was provided at the hand of God.
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But there was one tree that they were not to eat of, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You know, that tree was really to be the recognition that Adam was responsible to God. Adam failed to recognize his responsibility toward God. And isn't that what people are doing today? They don't want to recognize their responsibility to God. I suppose that's why people try to tell themselves that when they die, it's all over and they are laid in the ground like any, like an animal.
Is that why people want to believe that? Indeed. Because if that is true and it's not true. But if that is true, then man has no responsibility to his maker. And we know the sad story here. Satan the tempter came and Eve was tempted and she took of that fruit. And then Adam her husband, in direct disobedience took of that fruit as well. And we know the consequences. The wages of sin is death and by one man's sin.
By one man's disobedience sin entered, and death by sin so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
And we find here that immediately Adam having received a conscience, he's afraid, and he hears the voice of the Lord God in the garden, and he hides himself. And God raises a question here to Adam. Did God know where Adam was? Indeed, he didn't know where Adam was, but he wanted to raise this question, to speak to his conscience, to make him realize his need and his guilt. And oh, tonight I trust.
That this will be impressed upon your soul as well, if you're still without Christ. To realize that your need is great and that not only are you a Sinner tonight, but you are a helpless Sinner, and that there's not one thing you can do to rid yourself of one sin.
At this juncture in the Gospel meeting, there is something that perhaps we should stress, and that is that even though we are sinners born into this world as sinners because of Adam's sin and sinners by practice, and those of us who have children realize this very keenly, it doesn't take very long to realize.
That were born into this world as sinners and that were sinners by practice. But let's stress something very, very important. Let's not put it off till the end of this gospel meeting because we may never.
We may never reach 8:00 tonight. The Lord Jesus may come. The coming of the Lord draws nigh. And let's stress right now the importance of the blood of Christ, because if you're still hearing your sins, the blood of Jesus Christ is the only remedy, the only cure for sin.
Again, there are some boys and girls here and I remember when I was a boy I liked to go out and play ball in the backfield and.
Other activities that would leave my clothes very, very soiled, very, very dirty, and I would come in with those white socks and that white T-shirt, just black with dirt and grime ground into it.
And my mother had a favorite detergent in those days. She thought it did a pretty good job. But you know, she didn't always use that particular detergent because sometimes she would go to the store and she would find that either they were out of that brand of detergent.
Or she would compare prices and she would find that there was another brand on sale.
And that it would be quite a saving to buy this other brand of detergent this week instead of her usual. And so she would bring this substitute home and she would take our grimy play clothes and she would put them in that washing machine and she would add that cup of soap.
And sometimes, she wasn't always satisfied with that soap, but I dare say that more often than not, it basically did the same job.
Didn't always get the dirt out, but neither did the regular brand, and so that soap substituted on that particular week. For whatever reason, it did basically the same job. But why do I bring this up? Because I want to impress upon our hearts tonight that there is no substitute for the blood of Jesus if we were to go out on the streets of the city of Shrewsbury or Saint Louis or any other of the surrounding cities around here tonight.
And ask people their opinions as to how to get to heaven. You know, people seem to like opinion polls today, but if we were to ask people their opinion as to how to get to heaven, I'm sure we would find a variety of opinions.
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If we asked 50 people, we might get almost that many opinions, but all what counts tonight is what the Word of God says.
Many, many years ago.
There was what they called a Parliament of religions, held in the city of Chicago.
And as the account goes, there was a representative from just about every known religion in the world, so-called present at that Parliament.
There were representatives from the Buddhist religion, the Hindu religion.
Islam and from many of the lesser known religions and theologies that are practiced in this world tonight.
There was Eastern religion and Western cult of every sort.
And deep and long were the theological discussions. Deep and long were the.
Discourses on this and that, and man's need and how to meet man's need and how man could merit favor before his God, and so on.
And this went on for some time. And then an earnest Christian man named Doctor Joseph Cook arose amid all those, as the world would say, learned people.
And he said to that crowd, he said, I'd like to present to you tonight a woman, a woman who is a Sinner. Blood stains are on her hands, and they're the blood stains of murder.
She's distressed and burdened under the under her guilt. She is looking for peace and relief. What can you tell me?
Oh, there was a great hush came over that crowd.
What could the man of Islam say? What could the Hindu say? What could these things offer with a case like that presented to them?
Joseph Cook looked towards the open, the hat toward the heavens as if they were open, he said. I hear a voice, he said. The Apostle John speaks the blood of Jesus Christ. His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
But hark another voice. This time it's the Apostle Peter.
Redeemed, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily, was foreordained before the foundation of the world. But one more witness the apostle Paul, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. Oh, this is the answer to man's need. This is the cure.
This is the remedy tonight that we want to impress upon you that him we so often sing in the form of a question.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow. Is that blood precious to you? Oh, I look into the faces of those who joy to speak of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It thrills our soul to think that we have been cleansed by that blood, that we have been brought in to a relationship with God and with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because he has made peace through the blood of his cross.
Is there any peace in this world tonight? This world is in one turmoil and upheaval after another.
And I believe God is speaking very loudly to this world in these last days.
We have heard in the last few months of so many ushered into eternity.
As the result of what we would call natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes.
And not only so, but we're hearing a plane crashes and ships going down, and accidents of a magnitude that is astounding. God is speaking and He's speaking loudly. How loud does he have to speak to your soul this evening?
To make you wake up. It's high time to wake out of sleep.
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Adam, where art thou?
We have another question in the book of Job.
That we read together.
Man dieth and wasteth away.
Yay man giveth up the ghost and where is he?
The world was shocked a few weeks ago with the Downing of an Air Egypt plane in the Atlantic, with so many souls on board, ushered in a moment into eternity.
I don't know where each of those souls are tonight, but I know one thing on the certainty of God's word, that those souls 200 and some souls in eternity tonight those souls are either absent from the body and present with the Lord.
Or they are in a place of conscious torment.
If we were to go over to the book of Luke, we would find the Lord Jesus drawing aside the curtain and telling about two men who lived in this world. And it's true, they lived under very, very different circumstances.
But as Solomon says, one thing befalleth them all, and it is appointed unto man once to die. Those two men died. The story didn't end there, did it? The story doesn't end there, does it?
Two men died, one carried into a place of conscious bliss, one carried into a place of conscious torment.
That man realized his fate was fixed because when he spoke to as he saw a Lazarus in Abraham's bosom afar off, and as he spoke, he didn't ask to be released from that place. He knew his destiny was fixed. All he wanted was one drop of water to give him momentary relief from the condition of things that he was in.
How awful.
One of the most awful things about a lost eternity will be this.
No hope.
Think about that.
You know, if you're sick or you're going through some difficult situation, you can get through today, because there's always hope that things will be better tomorrow. We live for hope, don't we? We always hope that things will get a little better tomorrow and life will go on a little rosier and the pain won't be so intense. But what about in hell? It's like a clock with no hands. The hands of that clock on the wall in front of me are moving slowly around, marking time. But eternity will be like a clock with no hands.
Forever and ever and ever, all you must do with a living holy God. Tonight I'm going to relate a little incident that impressed me.
We had some expressions before us this afternoon in the Reading meeting as to the Creator, and I know when you young people and boys and girls go to school, this is undermined, perhaps more than we who are a little older realize.
But as I see my children coming up through the school system, I realize that this is being undermined, perhaps in a way that it never has been before. And I remember reading about a man.
Who was a governor? The governor of one of the provinces over in Malay and the Pacific Rim.
And this governor of Malaysia, he was a heathen idol worshipper.
He had many idols of wood in his home, and he would often sit in his courtyard and repair these idols. Sometimes an idol would get bumped, and perhaps a hand or a finger or a foot would be damaged. And so he would get out his tools and he would repair these idols and then he would return them to their place and he would pray on a daily basis to these idols.
One day he was sitting in his courtyard, surrounded by a number of these idols that needed some repair, and all of a sudden it hit him.
Here I am trusting in something that I have to repair with my own hands. I believe it's the book of Isaiah speaks of things that we have made with our own hands, and I know we wouldn't in the Western world perhaps fall down to an idol of wood or stone. We say how foolish for the heathen to think that these things can give them deliverance, but I believe we have many other kinds of idols.
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In this country, things we've made with our own hands, and we're looking to them for deliverance. We think they're the answer to society's problems, but they're not. And this governor, he realized all of a sudden that these idols could do nothing for him.
He stood up, and he squared his shoulders, and he gathered these idols together, and he began to walk through his home, and he began to pluck those idols from their shelves and from the corners where they were situated. And when his wife realized what he was doing, she was also surprised. And he said, wife, I realize that these idols are not the answer, that these idols can't help us. Oh, she said. I thought that for some time, but I was afraid to express it.
He took these idols of wood outside and he lit a match to them and he watched them burn.
But let's remember, this man had never had a Bible in his possession like you and me.
He had never heard of the God who sent his Son into this world. He had never heard John. 316 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Never heard that. But he knew there must be a living God. He knew there must be a supreme being, someone greater than himself.
He wasn't left in the dark for too long.
Because it wasn't long until a man came through that part of the country.
And he was selling books, and among other books, he was selling the Word of God. He was selling Bibles. And news spread because this governor's decision had had an impact in that area. All knew what he had done and that he had castaway his idols.
And word quickly reached the governor that there was a man traveling in that part of the country and that he was selling a book that perhaps the governor would be very, very interested in.
The governor secured a Bible, and as the story goes, he and his wife would sit.
In the afternoon on their front porch, reading the word of God together.
And I guess we can't who've always had Bibles. I guess we can't perhaps enter in, at least I can't. To the thrill that went through their souls as they read chapter after chapter of the word of God. Telling of them of that one who lives in heaven and that one who, even though sin came in to this world, That one who was gracious and loving, that one who provided coats of skin for Adam and Eve. That one who provided for the children of Israel through the sacrifices.
And all when they came over to the New Testament and they read about the Son of God coming into this world, all their hearts leaped.
Their souls thrilled as they read the story.
And they did indeed come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
And oh, with joy, they went out to tell.
Their fellow citizens, and there was a great work of God in that area.
Two or three years later, a missionary came to that area, the first missionary that had ever come to that area. And he was all so surprised to find so many who not only knew the Lord Jesus as their savior, but that had come to the knowledge of the truth. And how surprised he was to find a deep appreciation and understanding of the precious truth of God from reading the word of God.
And all, what peace it brought to that governor and his wife, and what it peace it brought to many of those Malaysian people to rest on the word of God, to rest on the finished work of Christ.
And what security it gave them for eternity, because man does indeed die and waste waste away. And where is he?
We're not going to have time tonight to go over all these questions, but I read a question in Romans 7. Who shall deliver me?
Tonight, if you're without Christ, you're bound in the chains of sin, it tells us. In Proverbs, we're held with the cords of our sin.
We're prisoners, just like the children of Israel. When they were in the land of Egypt, did they have freedom? No. They were under the ******* of Pharaoh. A picture to us in the Old Testament of Satan. They were in Egypt, a picture to us of this world, and they were indeed under *******.
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But God delivered them, didn't he? And how did he do it all? The Passover lamb had to be slain. And oh tonight, who shall deliver me?
Oh, it's only the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only through that finished work of Calvary's cross that is the only deliverance. Oh, tonight, look as it were, to the cross of Christ.
We preach Christ and Him crucified. Another little story that I know some of you have read.
But there was a young man named Roger. I don't know what his last name was, but his first name was Roger, and he was a man just like some of the young people here, brought up in a Christian home. In fact, most of the young people here.
He sat in gospel meetings. He learned the gospel hymns.
He said his memory verse at Sunday school, but he did not know the Lord Jesus as his savior. He grew up and left home. He went to school. He studied hard.
But his real love was swimming and he was a good swimmer and he became became the swimming instructor at one of the colleges in the Midwest of the United States.
And one night Roger was lying in bed in his room.
And the Spirit of God began to bring before him the verses that he had learned in Sunday school as a child.
His mind went back to some of the gospel hymns that he had heard sung over and over and over again on occasions just like this.
He thought about him. He died. That we might be forgiven. He died to do us good, that we might go at last to heaven, saved by his precious blood. That was too much for Roger. He got up from his bed. He put his swimming trunks on and decided that perhaps a good swim in the university, the college pool, would do him good and get things off his mind and help him to relax.
And he could get off to sleep.
He walked to the pool.
And as I am told that the roof of that pool was glassed in and there was perhaps a full moon, fairly full anyway, and the light was streaming into that pool.
And so Roger, who knew every inch of that area, he decided that he didn't need to turn on the lights.
He walked around to the end of that pool.
He walked out to the end of that diving board.
He stood there, considering.
Eternal issues.
And as he says, he will never know, apart from the grace of God, what caused him to instead of diving into that pool.
Walk slowly back down that diving board around the end of the pool and down the steps at the corner of that pool.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize until his feet hit.
The cold tiles of the floor of that pool.
That that pool was completely empty of water.
It came out later that earlier that day the janitor had drained the pool to do some repairs.
And had failed to tell Roger.
And as he stood there on those cold tiles, he realized that had he jumped, he would have broken his neck and died. But let's back up for a moment. What was it really that kept Roger from jumping? Well, he told the story later, and he said as he stretched his arms out.
To jump into that pool, To dive into that pool, he saw reflected in the moonlight on the wall in front of him.
His own shadow in the shape of a cross.
And on that cold pool floor, he knelt that night to thank God for not just saving his life physically.
But to thank God for that eternal life that was offered to him, the gift of God eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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All the cross meant something to Roger. The cross of Christ. It meant something to the apostle Paul. Who could say, God forbid, that I should glory.
Saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
Does it mean something to your soul, to night the cross of Christ? And then to realize too, that the Lord Jesus at the end of those hours of darkness, when he bore my sins in his own body on the tree?
He cried and is finished, and he bowed his head, and he gave up the ghost because he said of his life, No man taketh it from me. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
And he lays down his precious life. He commends his spirit to the Father, and they come along. And the soldier with a spear pierces his side, and forthwith flows that comes throughout blood and water. And then, seeing that he is dead, they don't break his legs in fulfillment of the word of God, but they take him down, loving hands as God allowed it took him down from that cross, and laid him in a new tomb where never in a man laid.
And then on the third day, he rose triumphant and the Savior that we're Speaking of tonight.
Is the one that we were singing of There is a Savior not on the cross tonight, not in the tomb tonight, but there's a Savior on high in the glory. Because if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, you are still in your sins. But He rose again for our justification. And are there any more thrilling words than those words spoken to the ladies who came and others who came early to the Sepulchre on the resurrection morning? He is not here.
He has risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay.
This is a vital part of the gospel. The Lord Jesus did not just rise in spirit, He rose bodily. In fact, that is why one reason why he remained on earth so long before his ascension, to give ample testimony to his own. As to his bodily resurrection. He could say, handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as you see me have He appeared even to about 500 brothers.
At one time, and Scripture leaves us in no doubt as to the bodily resurrection.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's there tonight. And oh, it's just as if his ear is bending low to hear someone in this room, a boy, a girl, a young person, perhaps an older person too, receive him as savior. All come now to Jesus, that dear, loving Savior.
As I say, we're not going to be able to touch on all these questions, but I trust that the Spirit of God will take them and burn them into your soul.
But we did read that verse in Hebrews. How shall we escape?
If we neglect so great salvation.
I feel challenged tonight.
Sometimes I look into the faces on an occasion like this of those who have perhaps rarely or even never heard a clear gospel message, and that stirs one soul. And it is a tremendous challenge to seek to present from the word of God the gospel, simply and clearly. But sometimes I feel it's even a greater challenge.
To look into the faces of those who have heard it so many times have had, as it were it hammered into them.
Time and time again. And yet you are a neglector. Maybe not necessarily a rejecter, but a neglector. One who says not to night. I'll put it off. I'll wait a little longer. Oh, don't put it off. There was a man walking the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa.
And as he was walking along, he noticed a piece of paper lying in the gutter.
And all he could see of that piece of paper were the words £5000 reward offered.
Well, you can imagine his curiosity, to say nothing of his desire to have 5000 lbs. And so he stooped down and he picked up that piece of paper and it turned out to be a gospel tract. And that gospel tract raised this question or raised this challenge £5000 reward offered to the person who can answer the following question.
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How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
Needless to say, that reward has never been collected to this day.
It is a great salvation at a great cost. Oh, my friend, the gospel is not cheap.
It's free, but it's not cheap. It costs God his Son. It costs the Lord Jesus his life and the shedding of his precious blood. And the gospel is not cheap. It's costly, but it's free to you because the debt has been paid. And how shall we escape if we neglect?
So great salvation.
Are you going to neglect tonight? I believe that that really is what the enemy is whispering in your ear tonight.
He's not whispering in your ear and causing you to be a rejecter, perhaps.
I trust not anyway. But he's whispering in your ear and saying there's lots of time and even if the Lord comes and those believers are gone, there'll be another chance. Satan's not your friend. He wants to drag you down to hell. He's a liar and the father of lies.
The Lord Jesus said, When once the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door, then they come and they begin to knock. And they say, Lord, Lord, open unto us all. There's a lot of earnest people there at the door, isn't there?
But does that door ever open again? No. Those words come from the other side of that door to ring in their ears for eternity. Depart from me often said that it's in contrast to the message tonight. 3 words perhaps can sum up the message tonight. Come unto me. That's the invitation. That's the message from a heart of of love. If you refuse the message of those 3 words, you will hear another 3 words in a coming day.
Depart from me.
Come unto me from the heart of a loving God, or depart from me to be eventually taken and bound, hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness, where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Oh, we're in earnest tonight. We're pleading tonight. A man was preaching the gospel one time, and there was a lady there who was not the Lord's. And on the way out that evening from the gospel meeting, she was asked what she thought of the message. Her comment was this. Well, the preacher is passionate about what he believes we are. Tonight we are in earnest. These things are real. There is something beyond this life.
And some of you will bear with the repetition of something that you heard recently.
But I was stirred.
In being handed a newspaper article some weeks ago as I was visiting in Scranton, PA.
And there had been, just before my arrival an article in the local newspaper and I am surprised but happy that they printed this article because this article was telling about a lady.
Who knew that she was at the end of this life?
And so she called for the man that she wished to take her funeral service.
After she had passed on.
And she went over a number of things with this man as to what she wanted at her funeral.
And when the man thought she was finished, he prepared to take his departure.
And she said there's one more thing I want you to do.
She said. When they lay me out in my coffin.
And when they come to pass by and pay their last respects, she said. I want you to make sure.
That there is a fork in my right hand.
This man had taken a good many funerals in his day, but he'd never had a request like this, and so he queried the lady as to why she wanted a fork in her right hand. Now, bear in mind, this was all printed in the Scranton Daily Press.
She told that man, she said. You know, I've been to a good many suppers and functions over the years.
And she said, as the plates from the main course were picked up.
I was more often than not told to keep my fork, that the best was yet to come. And she said I want you to make sure that that fork in my right hand is visible for all to see. And she said when you stand up to preach my funeral to those who have congregated on that occasion, she said I want you to explain very carefully why that fork is in my right hand and that for me the best has come that I'm absent from the body and present with the Lord.
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And I want you to impress upon all those there that for those who know Jesus the best is yet to come.
Isn't that interesting? But what about you?
Suppose that was you in that coffin. Would they be able to put a fork in your right hand, and to tell those who are gathered there to pay their lost respects that for you, the best has come?
An agent Christian I was just reading the other day of an aged Christian who was about to leave this world and with his last breaths, he told those at his bedside.
I want you to think of Maine tomorrow as the happiest being that you've ever known because he knew he was going from that deathbed to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I plead with you tonight. Don't go out the door. There are a number of doors in this room. Don't go out any one of these doors without settling this question of where you will spend eternity. There's a hymn we sometimes sing eternity where it floats in the air mid clamor. Silence. It always is there.
Oh, eternity, where man dies and wasteth away. Yay, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? And in Matthew we read too, that they came, and they said, when would the end be and what would be the sign? I suggest that we're right at the end now that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, he says, Behold, I come quickly, and at the end of this meeting many of our souls thrill as we look up and we say Amen Even so come Lord Jesus.
But what about you All to night come to the Saviour. He's pleading with you. We used to sing a little chorus in Sunday school. He loves you. He wants you. He died to redeem you only believe His word. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let's pray our God and Father.
Gospel
Gospel—R. Thonney
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Tonight with #25.
On our hymn sheets.
Life at best is very brief.
Like the falling of a leaf, like the binding of a sheath. Be in time, fleeting days.
Are telling fast that the dye will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed. Be in time, could we stand and sing #25?
Along your way you can find no longer again.
I survived just to let it begin time.
Blind and blind, swiftly by death and just with Rolls Royce.
00:05:08
I.
Let's pray, gracious.
This.
Just read 2 verses before I start the subject to have before me tonight. Don't have to turn to it, I'll read it.
The Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.
And of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest before in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Tonight we're opening this book, The Word of God.
You may have difficulty with some of the things I have to say. I don't mind that. But what I'm asking you tonight to do in all seriousness, for your own good and blessing, is to at least listen to what God has to say in His own precious word. It's too important to be playing around with.
It's something you need to get serious about.
Two weeks ago.
Today.
Lemoyne and I were in Palpala.
Kuhui, Argentina for a conference.
It was about.
20 minutes till 12.
Towards the end of the reading meeting there.
And a brother stands up in the meeting and says, we're going to stop the reading here.
And we're going to turn this into a gospel meeting.
Because there's some children of the brethren.
Here that are not saved and they need to hear the gospel.
And so we stopped the reading and we had a gospel meeting and a brother got up to preach the gospel.
I didn't know who he was referring to. Afterwards I talked to two young people.
Children of one of the brothers in that local assembly of palpable.
Who told me that they had wandered away from the Lord going their own way. And thankfully there seemed to be a seriousness in listening to this scriptures.
I'm really concerned.
Because we're getting right down.
To the very end of this day of grace.
We say and we believe that the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
And I'm afraid that there are many who say they believe.
But there has never been a repentance in the heart.
And I want to say to you that there has never been any repentance on your part.
You are not saved for as much as you say you believe.
Repentance in itself does not save. What saves is faith in Christ.
But there is no salvation without repentance, and I'd like to turn first of all to a verse in Isaiah 55, actually 2 verses.
Isaiah chapter 55.
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Well known verses.
Verses 6:00 and 7:00.
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found.
Call ye upon him while he is near, let the wicket forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him.
And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Oh, I love that.
Our God is a God who is rich in many ways. He's rich in his mercy. He's abundant in his pardon. Oh, what a God he is. But I want to draw your attention to something that it says before.
Is abundant before Speaking of his abundant pardon says let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Repentance is a change of mind. It's abandoning the thoughts we've had. And I say for myself when I was growing up in conferences like these.
And listening to the gospel, I never thought.
That I was that bad. I had never done anything that messy.
Out in the world, I was all right. And you know what? I had to change my thinking.
I was as guilty as the worst criminal.
In the Saint Louis prison I was.
Because God has said in his word there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Thank God he spared me from committing the crimes that perhaps.
Those in the prison have committed. That didn't mean that my heart was any different. No, there is no difference. All have sinned and I had to have my thoughts changed. And I think this is a real danger of those who sit in meetings like this and never come to the realization of their lost condition before God.
Really shakes me.
To think of the Sunday school where I grew up and of the children that I sat with on the front rows of the Sunday school, and to think that about half of them went off and I have no idea whether they're saved or not. Today, their lives show nothing of any fruit of a real believer.
And I want to speak very directly and very specially to those of you who have been brought up in Christian homes but have never had a change in your thinking. You've never repented.
Tonight there's a God who wants to pardon you, abundantly pardon you, but there must be a change in your thinking.
There must be. Without that, there can be no salvation.
And I'd like to go over to Luke's Gospel chapter 15.
To speak of this God who is abundantly ready to pardon. Let me quote that verse again, because I think it's so precious. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, for he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
That's our God. That's our God. But there must be.
A change in your thinking. There must be repentance on your part.
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Let's read this chapter 15. It's one variable, 3 parts.
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners, for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you having an 100 sheep, if you lose one of them, doth not leave the 90 and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it. And when he had found it, he layeth it upon his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them.
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one Sinner that repenteth more than over 90 and nine just persons which need no repentance. I'm going to pause there. That's the first section.
Of this parable and what we have here is a man.
That has 100 sheep.
He loses 1.
1% isn't that much of a loss.
People that are so worried about their interest in the stock market, if it loses 1%, they don't worry about that.
Is this man interested in that 1%?
Oh, this is our God. I don't know who you are out there. You know who you are.
And the God who is looking straight into your heart knows exactly who you are.
But he's interested in you, he wants you, he loves you, he's interested in making you eternally happy. One she lost and it says he goes after that which is lost. How far does he go to get that sheep that's lost? Notice at the end of verse four it says until.
He find it.
It doesn't say how long it took to find it, but he went until he found it.
It doesn't matter how far or how much it was costing, but he went all the way. And you know what that involved, my friend? It involved the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom this man is a figure.
To come from heaven, from the throne of God to this world. And he went all the way. It was an awful way. He had to go. He had made this world.
And when he came into it, they didn't understand who he was.
Of all the creation, man was the most insensible of his creation.
When he mounted the full of a donkey.
That donkey knew who he was when he gave the command to the fish in the ocean to go get a piece of money and come and take Peter's hook. That fish obeyed, but men were totally insensible. They did not know who he was.
And he lived here in this world. Even his own disciples really didn't seem to understand who he was.
And when he was telling them instituting his Last Supper or his the the Lord's Supper when he was instituting it, you know what they were doing, they were having a royal squabble as to who would be the greatest of them.
They didn't understand they it didn't dawn on them, and I really don't think it is dawned on my own soul, the glory of the person we're talking about.
But he went all the way there. He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Contemplating how much it would cost to go through to go the whole way. It was either going the whole way to save our souls, or it was leaving us to perish forever in Hellfire without any ray of hope.
00:20:10
And as he knelt and prayed, his holy soul shrunk from the very thought of being made sin.
And he prayed, and he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
And he said.
Not my will, but thine be done.
God's will was your salvation and mine.
And the Lord Jesus rose up to go all the way, and he went all the way to Calvary. Look at him as he goes out of that city of Jerusalem.
His head with a crown of thorns beaten into it, his back bloody, with the Roman scourge having plowed.
Stripes upon him.
His face more marred more than any man's. Who was that?
That was my Creator, that was my God and the person of the Lord Jesus.
That was going outside that city.
And they took him into that hill of Golgotha, and they stretched out his hands and pounded spikes through his hands and feet and lifted him up to hang between heaven and earth on those spikes.
It wasn't that the worst of his sufferings, but.
At 12 noon because Jesus was crucified approximately according to our calculation.
At 9:00 AM.
And he suffered.
The jeering, the mockery of those that were there.
For three hours.
His words were Father forgive them, they know not what they do.
But after three hours the sun went dark and for three hours there was no cry from Golgotha.
During those three hours, it was that God laid on Jesus.
The iniquity of us all.
Me, the guilty Sinner.
He the Holy.
Spotless, innocent Son of God, my sins were laid on him, and God poured out upon him His holy righteous judgment that I deserved to bear in the lake of fire forever. He bore it all the end of those awful hours.
God.
Forsook him, and he cries. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Then he cries. It is finished. The awful wrath of God that was against me, and rightly so.
As a guilty Sinner was gone.
It's all taken care of and Jesus bowed his head and died.
Soldier comes and pierces his side, and out flows blood and water. The price of redemption was paid not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
He was buried, He rose again the third day, and now Jesus is a living, resurrected, ascended, glorified Savior, a real man of flesh and bones at God's right hand is there, ready, willing, powerful to save all who will simply believe in Him tonight.
He went all the way. He found that one sheep. What does he do? What does he say to that one sheep? You naughty thing, get goin.
No, he says it, takes it up on his shoulders and carries it all the way home. That's the kind of Savior we have in the Lord Jesus.
00:25:13
It's not a matter of you and I being able.
To walk like we should. It's a matter of his power that's going to bring us all the way home. I've met so many people, South America sometimes up here too, that say to me, you know why I'm not a Christian. I don't think I could ever live the Christian life. You know what I tell them sometimes?
So you don't want to know something? I can't either. It's not a matter of my being able to. But you know, when he found me, he put me on his shoulders. It's no longer a matter of me being able, it's a matter of he.
Being able to carry me all the way home but notice when he gets home.
There's rejoicing, he calls his friends and neighbors and says, Rejoice with me, for I found my sheep which was lost. And then he says, I tell you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one Sinner that repenteth more than over 90, and nine just persons which need no repentance.
Oh, it's that repentance that's so important.
One Sinner that repenteth causes joy in heaven. Now the second part, verse 8 either What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she have found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me.
For I have found the peace which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you.
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repented.
Here we have a different picture, a woman.
And a house.
And 10 pieces of silver in the house.
And of 10/1 gets lost, you know 10 in scripture is the number of responsibility. God gave 10 commandments and man was under responsibility to fulfill.
Those 10 commandments, but no one ever was able to fulfill his responsibility under the requirements, the just requirements of those 10 commandments.
But this piece of money is lost in the house. Is it possible to be lost in the house?
Yes, that's what it says. There was one piece that was lost in the house. And you may form part of the religious profession of Christianity. You may have been baptized. You may even participate in the Lord's Supper.
And still be lost. How solemn lost in the house.
If so, there's somebody that's seeking for you. It's the Holy Spirit of God that dwells in the house. He's present here tonight, and he's here for that purpose, to bring souls to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. She lights a candle.
She gets the light to shine on the subject, and that's what we're doing by opening this book tonight.
This word is a light. It says in Scripture.
And so we open this book, and we trust that this light will shine in upon your soul.
To make you realize if you are one of those that is lost in the house.
But now we come to the last part of this parable.
The part of the prodigal son. To me, it's one of the most wonderful stories. I don't get tired of it.
Every time I read it, it's fresh. Let's read it verse 11. And he said a certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father.
Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
00:30:04
And not many days after, the younger son gathered altogether and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in one.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine, and he would fain have felt his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bred enough, and despair, and I perish with hunger.
I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee in him no more worthy to be called thy Son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his Father, But when he was yet a great way off his Father's, sock him and had compassion.
And ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The sun said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and in no more worthy to be called thy son. But the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
And bring hit her the fatted calf, and kill it. And let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be married. Here we have the part that speaks of God the Father.
Oh, the God we're talking about once.
Do abundantly pardon you, but as long as that sun was in the far country.
In that pig pen with the pigs, there was number pardon there. There was number pardon there.
And I think there is a mistake made in today's world. A lot is talked about forgiveness.
God is a forgiving God.
But he doesn't forgive until there is repentance, until there is that change. And that's what's so important to understand.
Dear children, dear young people.
If you don't realize how far you are by nature from God, yes, you who have been brought up in Christian homes, you that have been protected from a lot of the bad stuff of this world, you, I'm talking to you.
There's need of repentance.
And so this son notice at the beginning he says, Father give me.
A little later on when he was formulating the prayer he would say to his father, he said Father, make me. There was a change when he come to that point that showed that change.
And so the way of this world has given me people got the gimmies.
And it's not interested in anybody else but me, myself and I and what I can get out of life.
That's what's naturally in everyone of our hearts, I have to confess.
That's what's naturally in my heart.
And that's why it's necessary to repent, to change your way of thinking.
And so he gathers all together. His father was a generous man.
Gathers it all together and he gets as far away as possible from his father so that he won't have any qualms of conscience to have the good time he really wants to have. And he gathers all together. He goes to the far country and there he had a riot.
00:35:13
Says as right as living, he really had what he called a great time.
You know, as long as you got money in your pocket, you'll have some friends around, I'm sure.
But let me tell you, that kind of friend will disappear pretty rapidly when you get to the end of your money. And that's what happened to this poor guy.
Often that far country is money was exhausted, and then what happened? A mighty famine arose in that land.
And he began to be in what? Oh, it's awful when you get to that place.
And it to me, it's so tragic in this country where there's so much advancement in so many ways of technology and learning.
To see so many young people.
Have to be brought so low with drugs and alcohol.
It's tragic, it's awful.
Some of us go to young people's detention center and.
Vincennes IN to talk to some of the young people that are detained there.
That a population of 150, it's tremendous to be able to talk to some of these kids. What impresses me?
Some of those kids in there are a lot more serious about getting straight than kids that sit in meetings like we sitting in today. That impresses me pretty seriously.
One kid, remember, not too long ago was really worried as we sat there and talked to him. He says if I don't get straight when I get out this time, I'm afraid I'm going to be in here for a lot of time. And he was really sincerely worried. He came out of his cell in a time of personal visiting and he wanted some of us to pray for him.
Is there anybody here that would like to be prayed for?
I wonder if there is?
That kid was in serious. Another kid. Forget just how old he was, I think he was maybe 14 years old.
He had already done most of everything that they do out in the world.
But he told me I'm an alcoholic.
And.
I know if I get out this weekend where I'll go, I'll go straight to party and I'll get it drunk again.
Tragic to me.
God is going to have to allow if you won't turn, if you won't repent, he may have to allow you to go right down to the very bottom. It's tragic that it has to happen to that way, but what it takes to get people to turn, to change their minds. Remember down in Skid Row of Chicago where we used to go to preach, meeting with men who were derelicts, and yet they were.
Lawyers well educated some doctors.
Filthy clothes as they dragged themselves down the street. Tragic. Lost everything. Their families, their wealth, everything.
Oh, does God have to allow you to go?
So awfully far that you land.
In the pigsty, like the prodigal son, what does this world have to offer?
That is so attractive. What was it that this poor?
Young fella had in this pigsty husks.
Let me tell you, if we go out into the city of Saint Louis tonight, there's a lot of places they've got those husks dressed up quite nicely to attract people. But let me tell you, they're nothing more than husks. They don't satisfy the soul.
00:40:00
Try them if you will.
There's awful consequences for trying them, but you're going to find that they don't satisfy. Don't but notice. And this is the point we want to come to in verse 17.
When he came to himself, there he is sitting.
In that pig pen with the pigs tending them.
Nobody gave him even the pig husks to eat. There he is.
And there is a change.
There is a change in his thinking.
He's still sitting there.
But this is what repentance is.
All before this time, he had never thought of going back to his father.
Is bother.
Now anything but that.
But now there's a change. He comes to himself.
And he says.
There's plenty of higher servants in my father's house that have plenty of bread.
Despair. And here I am perishing with hunger, and he formulates this little prayer that he's going to say to his Father. I will. He says, I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, I have sinned. Oh, it's important to come to that point to recognize what we are before God. Sinners by nature, sinners by practice. Sin is an awful thing.
Before God, we live in a world where it's made so light of them.
That sometimes we don't realize how awful sin is with God.
I have sinned, he says. Great thing to be able to say that before heaven.
Against heaven and before thee. Sin is not merely against humanity. Sin is primarily, first of all, against God. And until you realize that when you sin, you not only sin against your fellow man, or in the case of certain sins, specifically of fornication, you sin against your own body, but you sin against God, who has your good in mind, and you're doing damage to other people.
You're doing damage to yourself and God tells you to stop.
And to repent and to turn around how important it is to realize what sin really is.
And then he says, I am no more worthy to be called thy son.
And here he says, make me. Well, there's a real change here. There's no more give me it's make me there's a real change with him as one of thy hired servants. He wasn't thinking entirely straight yet.
His father didn't have, I don't suppose, any hired servants tending the pigs.
But he gets up and he goes and notice verse 20, he arose. There's conversion. First comes repentance, and then comes conversion. He doesn't continue to sit in a pigsty. He doesn't drag the pigsty along with him. No, he leaves it all behind. There is a definite break with those things that were passed in his life.
And he comes to his father. And I love what it says here.
When his father, when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him. I don't want to stop here a minute.
And speak very specially about this matter of repentance and conversion.
He had a change of mind and then he got up and he went to his father.
And I want to speak very specially because I fear that there are those who are trying to taste some of the world at the same time. They want to be Christians. They want a piece of this world still.
You can't do it. That prodigal son had to leave the pigsty and the pigs behind.
He had to come, just as he was, in all his shame.
To his father.
00:45:00
You know, it concerns me.
Going back and forth between Latin America, North America.
What we mentioned today in the reading meeting, I truly believe.
And eternal security, that a person that is really saved, is always saved, can never be lost. But what concerns me is that there are those who make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus.
But their life shows nothing of the fruits of their faith. And if they're approached about their lifestyle, they say, well, I'm saved. You got to understand, I've trusted the Lord, I'm saved. But I want to say to you, Scripture gives no comfort to a person who walks carelessly. No comfort. And I want to read some scriptures because.
I've faced sometimes people who are living in a careless way remember 1 fellow I faced a relative of mine.
Lives a very.
A life of worldliness.
Drinking and women and the whole bit.
And I faced him one time and he was quite incensed at me that I would question that he was saved. He said to me, I thought you were smarter than that. You ought to know that somebody that's saved is always saved.
I said I come to read some scriptures with you and I'd like to read some of those scriptures. Please turn with me to.
First Corinthians chapter 6. Please just consider these verses because to me they are very convicting for a person that professes to be a Christian and yet is trying to mix up with this world that we're passing through.
First Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 9. Listen carefully.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards.
Nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God.
Quite clear.
Let's read some more Galatians chapter 5.
Verse 19.
Now the works of the flesh.
Are manifest? Which are these adultery?
Fornication and cleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, sedition, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like of the witch. I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Notice it shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Ephesians chapter 5.
And verse 3.
But fornication?
And all uncleanness and covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh Saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know that no *********** or nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom.
Of Christ and of God. Quite clear, I would say.
Colossians, chapter 3.
Verse 5 Mortify therefore, your members, which are upon the earth.
Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil, concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.
00:50:16
Quite clear.
If you're involved in anyone of these things that we've read.
There is great reason to believe that you are not saved at all.
The Lord should come to night. You would be left sitting in your seat.
This is God's word, and I say you may have a quarrel with me. That's fine. I understand that I've got inconsistencies in my life too, and you probably could pick a few of them. But please consider what God has to say. I plead with you young people.
Don't be careless about these things. The prodigal son left the pigsty. He left it all behind, and he came to his father.
And oh, the welcome there was there waiting for him, a father that was willing to abundantly pardon you say. I've done a lot of messy stuff.
Leave it behind.
Come home to him who's waiting for you.
And when he saw his son, he ran and fell on his neck.
And kissed him, oh, the welcome that's waiting for you, if you'll only come back. And he says his little homemade prayer. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and him no more worthy to be called thy Son.
He forgot the last part really. When he got into his father's presence, there was number place to say the last part.
His father had plenty of servants, and God has millions upon millions of angels. There's no need for God to have more servants. So yes, it's a privilege to serve God.
But God isn't looking for more servants. You know what he's looking for, for sons that he can bring into his house to sit down at his table, to have fellowship with. That's what he's looking for. And he's looking for you tonight. He's waiting for you to come back.
While you're going to sit in the pigsty, there's no forgiveness there. I say with all my heart. Repent.
Be converted. Come back to this God.
That is waiting to abundantly pardon you, and there's four things that were waiting for him at home. First of all, the father said bring forth the best robe and put it on him. He couldn't go into the father's house with those filthy clothes that he had on from the pigpen couldn't go.
No, he had to have a change of clothes. What is that best robe?
Speaks in Isaiah of it.
A rogue of righteousness.
It's what the believer gets, the believer in the Lord Jesus.
When he simply accepts God's testimony.
A robe of righteousness. It's the righteousness of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
I stand now not on in the grounds of any merit of my own, but I stand before God in Christ, in that robe of righteousness that God provided for me. That's the first thing. The second thing, a ring on his hand. Oh, the love.
He'll only come back, the love that's waiting, eternal love, a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. The ability, because of the power of the Holy Spirit that God gives the believer in the Lord Jesus the ability to walk properly as a child of God in this world. He gives you that ability. You might say, I don't know that I'm going to be able to do it. It's not a matter of you being able to do it.
He will give you the ability to do it.
And bring forth the fatted calf and kill it.
And they began, and let us eat and be merry.
Death never should forget that death is the basis of all our blessing, the death of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:55:11
And it says for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost.
And is found and they began to be merry.
Never says they ever finished. This is a festival that starts here. The moment you come back to your God and we'll go on through all eternity.
This is what's waiting for you.
Feel only repent.
And come home, remember, it's necessary to repent to be saved without it. And this is what I fear, that there are those sitting here who have made a profession of faith in Jesus.
Without any inward reality, there has been no change, no repentance worked in your heart yet.
And for as much as you say you're a Christian, there has not been that change if you're still trying to pull the pig pen behind you.
The same time saying you're a Christian, it's not going to work. You've got to leave it all behind, just like that prodigal son did. With all our hearts, we want to warn and plead with anybody here who still hasn't really dealt with God seriously about the question of sin.
To repent.
And to come in saving faith.
To the Lord Jesus.
And be saved. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Let's pray.
Father.