St. Louis Conference: 2003
Table of Contents
Ephesians 1:1-3
Reading
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We go across a trackless wild our Jesus footsteps ever show the path for every child.
Our God is light and.
But.
Until God.
Make it the whole world and swinging.
The.
Lord.
Second Samuel.
Second Samuel.
In chapter 16.
We'll just start with verse 13, Second Samuel 16, starting with verse 13.
And as David and his men went by the way.
Shimmy I went along the hillside over against him and cursed as he went.
And threw stones at him and cast dust.
And the king.
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And all the people that were with him came weary.
And then these words and refresh themselves there.
Let's pray.
Our brother Don mentioned how.
Our God is a giving God and we don't have perhaps another place in scripture where.
We have the vast panorama blessing as we do in this chapter.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus.
And to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to you, and peace from God our Father.
And from the Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
In Christ, according as He hath chosen us, in Him before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He have made us accepted in the Beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us a mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in himself.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him in whom also we have attained an inheritance.
Being predestinated according to the purpose of him, he worked with all things after the counsel of his own will.
That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom He also trusted. After that he heard the word of truth.
The gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit, with that Holy Spirit of promise.
Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory.
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling.
And what the richest of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come?
And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, that Phillip All in all.
There is the vast array of blessing that belongs to every believer in the Lord Jesus.
Many, many of God's dear people do not realize it, but what we are going to talk about in this chapter applies to every single one and it is interesting. Toward the end of this chapter we have the prayer of the apostle Paul and it's interesting to see what he asks for. Just to briefly refer to it in the.
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17th verse.
He begins, and it says in the 18th verse, the eyes of your understanding.
Being enlightened that ye may know. And then He asked for three things that they would know. First of all, what is the hope of His calling? That is our heavenly calling. That is the blessing that belongs to us, that which we have been called to.
And then next is what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? And in verses 10 and 11, it speaks of that inheritance that is ours. An inheritance is something that we will come into the full enjoyment of in the future. Can't say it's all ours now except by the word of God, but we're going to come into the full possession of it when the Lord Jesus.
Takes His possession of the inheritance in that future day. And the third thing is verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty power. And that's what you have in verses 13 and 14. It is the Holy Spirit that is the power of enjoyment of these things.
And Paul does not ask that they receive more blessing. And in the sense that we have it in this chapter, brethren.
We cannot ask for more blessing. We have it all right here and now. We do not have to wait for a coming day for it. We, in a certain sense, will not be more blessed in heaven than we are right now. We have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Do we live in the enjoyment of it?
I have to confess for myself that I'm afraid I don't. But that's why we have the exhortation of Scripture. But if we do not know these things, brethren, then how can we enjoy them? It's important that we go over them again and again. I don't think there's anybody here that is completely ignorant of what this chapter presents to us. But the challenge that comes to my own soul is.
Going over them and to speak of them and to be reminded of the reality of these things.
Like was mentioned in the address, we're living in a materialistic age and it seems like our minds are trained to value things materially. And when we speak of spiritual realities, we think, well that's not in the realm of real hard, down to earth reality, brethren, it is.
Things that are spiritual are far more real.
Than things that are material.
The end verse of Second Corinthians.
Four was read while we looked not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal means just for a time. The things which are not seen are eternal. So when we're talking here in this chapter about spiritual blessings, remember they are far more real and lasting.
Than any material possession could ever be.
What you're saying is that it was written to Saints and faithful in Christ. That is true of every believer. That is the standing of every believer. That's not two classes or a special class of believer. But many believers are ignorant of these things, as you were saying. And so I remember when I was a boy, there was a woman who pleaded with the authorities to give her welfare. And they looked into her case and they just because she was living in a boiler room and they looked into her case and they discovered she owned over 20 apartment houses.
In Ottawa, and it wasn't that she didn't have, well, she didn't know it. And in Paul's second prayer, the first prayer was that they would know what their blessings were. And in his second prayer is that they could enjoy those blessings. I remember that one of the wealthiest men in a prior time in the United States, I think a Rockefeller, said he would give a billion dollars if he could eat a hot dog because he had a such a bad stomach, he couldn't enjoy it. He could probably have bought every hot dog factory in the United States, but he wasn't able to enjoy it.
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And so we need to know what our blessings are and we need to be able to enjoy them. And I believe that the reason that there's a large degree of ignorance about these things is we find great in the very first verse, a hint as to what he says that.
To the faithful in Christ Jesus who are at Ephesus. There's a little note in Mr. Darby's Bible that some ancient manuscripts leave this out because they considered it was a circular letter. Well, I believe indeed it belongs there.
But this was read, and we read at the end of Colossians. Let's just read it in Colossians 416 because our brother alluded to that in the prayer about being at the assembly meetings.
I'm going to read it from Mr. Darby's translation.
And when the letter has been read among you, 'cause that it be read also in the assembly of the latest seans, and that she also read that from Laodicea.
And he suggests that the assembly, the letter from late that was at Laodicea was the Epistle to the Ephesians. And so we have divine authority for what we're doing is reading this, not just at home we ought to, but in the assembly. And so that is a divine direction of God. And if we don't do that, the reason that the Saints of God are ignorant is to these things is because they're not reading these things. They're not in a place where the Lord is in the midst, and these things are being read.
As they were and in the place that they were intended to. And He intends us to lay hold of these truths. You may get a little bit of truth from this chapter, a little bit of truth from that chapter, a little bit here and there. And God teaches us that way. But He intended that these epistles be read in the assembly and that we be there where He is so that we might enjoy what our blessing, know what our blessings are, and then be able to enjoy them. And as we have in the second prayer, enjoy them together.
That these blessings that we read of here, and all that is brought before us as to what we have in and through Christ is for our present enjoyment. It's interesting that in the Old Testament we have brought before us the land of Canaan, and I believe that the land of Canaan in the Old Testament pictures to us in type that which we can have an enjoyment of now in our souls. Some of the old hymns, not ones we sing, but some of the old hymns in old hymnals, speak of the.
Land of Canaan as that which comes after death, after the Jordan. And it's true, brethren, that now we know in part and we prophecy in part, but we don't have to wait till we get to glory to enjoy all that is ours in Christ. He wants us and his desire is that we would enjoy it now, but we're not going to enjoy it with the intellect. We're not going to enjoy it with the natural mind. And that's why later on in the chapter when he prays for them, he prays that the.
Eyes of their hearts might be opened, because we must open our hearts to receive these things if we're going to take them in and enjoy them and walk in the good of them. It's not just enough to sit here these next few days and enumerate these things in an intellectual way. Yes, it is good to have a knowledge of the truth. Yes, it is good to be able to enumerate our blessings and the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God. But that in itself is not going to be enough.
If we're going to take up this chapter, and we're going to take it up strictly from an intellectual standpoint, we're going to go away from here at the end of this weekend, and it's not going to have the practical moral purifying effect that it ought to have. I mentioned that Canaan is a picture to us in the Old Testament of what we have here in Ephesians. Bob has referred to it, and I think it's a good expression as that vast panorama of blessings that are ours in Christ.
I just want to notice something in that connection in the book of Joshua, because there are two remarkable statements in connection with the land and the children of Israel taking possession of that land. First of all, in the 11Th chapter, we know that in the book of Joshua, Joshua has been raised up to lead and leads the people through the Jordan and into the possession of the land. And that's really where the conflict began. They had a few skirmishes in the wilderness.
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But the real conflict never began until they went in to take possession of the land. And in the measure in which you seek to enjoy in your soul and walk in the good of all that is yours in Christ.
And those heavenly blessings and the calling of the church in that measure, the enemy is going to be right there.
To seek to rob you of it. The enemy is going to be here in these meetings this weekend. He doesn't want you to listen to the truth of God. He doesn't want you to have a little deeper and fuller enjoyment of the precious things that we have in the first chapter of Ephesians. That's why in the 6th chapter we find the conflict there and we wrestle not against flesh and blood as Israel did. Theirs was a physical inheritance, and it was right and proper that they go in and fight their physical enemies.
We don't fight in that way, but there's a very real warfare going on, a spiritual warfare, because the enemy of our souls is right there to rob us as we seek to take possession in our souls of these things. But just notice the end of Joshua 11. Joshua is a picture to us of the Lord Jesus as the captain of our salvation. And verse 23 says, so Joshua took the whole land. I want you to notice that statement. Who took the whole land?
Joshua and brethren, who has secured our blessings for us? Oh, it's our Joshua. It's nothing of ourselves, it's the Lord Jesus. He fought the victory. He came to Calvary Cross, and not only did he die on Calvary's cross, but he's risen, he's ascended, he's seated at the right hand of God as God's Amen to the work of Calvary. There's been a tremendous victory won to secure our blessings for us.
And can I take any credit? Can you take any credit for one of your blessings? No, Joshua took the whole land. Our Joshua has taken the whole land. He's purchased it. The blessings, they're secure in him because of what he's accomplished. But now just go on in the 12Th chapter.
Or perhaps it's the.
13th chapter chapter 13 and verse one. Now Joshua was old and stricken in years.
And the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years. Now notice this. And there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. You say, I thought Joshua took the whole land. Is this a contradiction? Not one bit. Yes, Joshua, as a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ took the whole land. But at the end of his life there was very much land to be possessed. And brethren, don't we have to admit, at least I do. Maybe I better not include anyone else.
But at least I have to hang at my head and admit that in the years that I've been a Christian, there remains very much land to be possessed. I have enjoyed in my soul so very little of what is really mine in Christ. I have taken possession in my soul of so very little of those heavenly blessings that we're going to enumerate in the first chapter of Ephesians. But brethren, as we open up this chapter and read it and seek to meditate on it a little bit in these meetings.
Let's open our hearts to take a little more possession of the land, as it were. There's much we haven't entered into and enjoyed, but His desire is that we would enter in and enjoy a little more of it in a little deeper and a little fuller way. What is ours in and through our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's taken the whole land, but there remains very much to be possessed.
Practical enjoyment of what is really ours the enemy can't take it away from us, but he can take away the enjoyment of it from us, and that's his constant battle. And brethren, I have especially noticed that when we go over this chapter so often afterwards some major distraction comes in the enemy trying to get our.
Enjoyment off of the spiritual realities that we have been called to there are ours.
But we need to set our feet on them, just like the children of Israel. We're told every place that the soul of your foot shall tread, it shall be yours. So it's the practical enjoyment of it all. Like Jim was saying, we can know these things in a mental way. That's not enough. It is practically enjoying them in our souls. The Lord help us.
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Meditating on these.
Things are in heavenly places. Our mercies are here. And you know, we travel to a conference like this over nice roads and we're thankful for mercies, health to enjoy it in a nice place. But every one of our blessings is spiritual and it's in heavenly place. In contrast with the Jew, all of their blessings were earthly. And so we understand when we read the Psalms that you cannot enjoy his inheritance now because the enemy is in the land and the only way for them to enjoy their proper blessing.
Which God has purpose for them is for the enemy to be removed from the land. Now they're trying to do it with horses and Chariots and not trusting in the name of the Lord. And they're getting into a lot of difficulty. And likewise, we may try to lay hold of spiritual blessings by carnal means, but the only way that we can enjoy them is is to enjoy spiritual blessings and to realize they're there. And the thing that is that very many difficulties that come into our life are may actually cause us.
To enjoy our spiritual blessings more. A sickness comes in. Well, to a Jew death was the death of all of his hopes, but to a believer it just ushers us into the glory to the presence of the Lord. A sickness may just cause us to enjoy the Lord more. A loss of job may bring us into a into a closer relationship with the Lord. All things are yours, whether life or death or Paul or Apollo's. And so because they are spiritual blessings.
Display of power that's ever been.
Shown is made known in this chapter and it concerns resurrection. This is one of the things we ought to enjoy ahead of time.
Think we understand and we go to the end of the chapter again to see that.
To know what is the exceeding greatness of His power, verse 19.
To Usford, who believed.
Why does it put that in there?
When it goes on and says according to the working of his mighty power.
This is the greatest power that God has ever displayed. My dad used to tell me about Walter Potter, who used to come here to Saint Louis a lot.
And he said.
When Christ was in the grave, those.
Three days the power of God was called in question. What could he do? What would he do? What did he do? He raised him up. So it goes on and says.
According to the working of His mighty power, which he wrote in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and set him at His right hand in heavenly places forever, we didn't just leave him on this earth, He took him up to glory. But these, those words to us, word who believe, if we don't believe these things, if we don't read them, if we don't believe them, we're not going to know them.
They got the greatest message for us that's possible to have resurrection and heaven.
The proper sphere that we're called to is heaven, isn't it? Where is Jesus now?
Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, every name that's named, not only in this world, but that which is to come there. He is a real man of flesh and bones. One of our race is in the glory of God, brethren, and we as His people are united intimately to Him now in that position. So our blessings are in heavenly places. They're not down here. And it is something we need to be challenged about in our souls, brethren.
As.
We see the tendency in our country here for Christians to get involved in politics and earthly movements.
Perhaps right movements in themselves to oppose abortion and homosexuality, but they are earthly movements. We are called to hire things than that. And what happens when people become involved in those kind of things as they get earth before them? We're called to heaven, and heaven's glory far outshines earth, Oh, brethren, to get a glimpse of it in our souls, the tremendous.
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Blessing we've been brought into. Just just look at verse three, brethren. It just thrills the heart to read it.
Bless it, be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who has blessed us with all new translation says every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.
Every single spiritual blessing that can be enumerated is already ours in Christ. You believe it.
Oh brethren, let it sink into your soul. Let's enjoy it.
How can we? I know we have trials in this this life and we have troubles and problems.
But how can we walk through this light moping when we got this kind of a portion? This is ours right here and now. I must say, rather than that I have been challenged by being with some of our poor brethren to the South as to the reality of these things.
Spiritual blessings. They just don't seem to register with us here in the States very much.
And remember, with Brother Clem, we were down in Dominican Republic, Los Michi's little town up on the eastern side of the country, and there we visited a brother. His name was Juan Bosquez is with the Lord now.
Juan Vasquez, who is black, but.
He really enjoyed the Lord, his soul, and he didn't know how to read, I don't think. And but we were invited to his house. And I don't know that I've been much poorer house than that, but banana leaves for a roof. And when it rained, you had to kind of sit yourself accordingly so you didn't get rained on. And we were invited to lunch there. And well, the sister is preparing a lunch.
We sat down at his little rickety table.
He didn't have a whole lot of house to show us around in and how nice it was. He didn't have a nice car out front. He didn't have much of crops around either. But he cut out his Bible and he opened it up and he started quoting verses. I didn't realize he couldn't read right then. I wish you could have seen that face. Shine, breath.
I just had to put my head down to say Lord.
What is it about our culture that blinds us to the reality of these spiritual things?
I must say it's been one of the most rich spiritual experiences I've had is with that dear brother who had so little of this world's goods. Material things don't have to dull the enjoyment of spiritual things, but brethren, they do.
Let's admit it. I have to confess it for myself, and I'm afraid it's something that is generally true. And the Lord stir our hearts to realize the reality of what we've been brought into in Christ. These things are going to last forever. These are things that are ours for all eternity, not just for a few brief moments of time.
They die for a young person, a brand new car. I think you'd be quite interested.
Talk about the blessings of Ephesians 1.
Maybe we find it a little bit boring.
Originate.
Chosen in him.
Before the foundation of the world.
That's a manifestation of God is love.
Chapter of ephesians that there are 17 his.
There's, there's a note in the back of my Bible, there's 28 in the whole epistle and 17 in this first chapter. So everything that we have here.
According to the good pleasure of His will, and the 5th. 1St To the praise of the glory of His grace, and whom I have redemption through His blood. According to the riches of His grace, and on down through the chapter 17 of them. His grace, His glory. And He has dispensed what is of Himself to us, hasn't He?
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I'd like to just.
Follow up to what Bob has brought before us that we don't want to ever get the impression that we are to despise the mercies that we enjoy in a land like this. We come to this conference this weekend. We're thankful for climate controlled room. We're thankful for the comfortable chairs, a bed upstairs at night, good meals provided. We want to be very thankful for the mercies that God has provided. But I believe what we need to realize, brethren, they are not the bottom line to our enjoyment of the truth.
And sometimes we think they're not necessary to enjoy the things of God together.
I remember an elderly sister in the West Indies, and if you approached her home before she knew you were coming, she was often sweeping her dirt floor in preparation for your arrival. And Singh met him. I have Christ, what want I more? Brethren, do we Polish our marble floors and sing? I have Christ, what want I more. Not that we despise the things that God has given us, but when you go to a conference in one of these countries.
Sometimes I've had to keep a fresh handkerchief for every meeting to keep the water out of my eyes. I've never figured out whether it's better to get a bench with a right angle or no back at all. But brethren, when you open the Word of God, you see that they're rich in faith. They're poorest to this world's goods, but they're rich in faith, and there's nothing to hinder the enjoyment of their heavenly portion. And so I just say that because, as Bob said, we want to be very careful.
That we don't let the mercies, and we have many of them in this land that we're thankful for, but that we don't let them stand in the way of our enjoyment of the truth. And when the Lord Jesus prayed for his own, he said they are not of this world, even as I am not of this world. And it's interesting that this epistle is addressed not to the Saints of Colossi, but the Saints at Colossi. I'm sorry. At Ephesus, I'm sorry.
Because here we are today, we're at Saint Louis, and we're still physically here in this world. But brethren, while we're at Saint Louis and we're at the Sheraton Hotel, I trust there's some realization in our souls that we're not of this world. We're still in this world.
But we're not of this world. And so it was not the Saints of of Ephesus, but the Saints act. The only thing that we have as far as this world is, is the fact that we're still physically here. But the Spirit of God is very careful in Christianity to detach us in every way from this world. So careful is the Spirit of God that in the verse that was just quoted, it says he has chosen us in him.
Before the foundation of the world is. Keep your finger here and go back to the book of Matthew. We've spoken of the blessings for Israel, but just notice something in the.
I believe it's the 25th of Matthew. Yes, Matthew 25. Now this is looking on to a future day when Israel will be brought back into the good of their inheritance, their earthly inheritance. They'll be the shout of a king amongst them.
And the Kingdom will be set up here on earth. And just notice what it says in verse 34, Matthew 2534. Then shall the king say unto them, on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. Now notice this next word from the foundation of the world, not before the foundation Scriptures. Tremendously accurate.
And here we find with Israel their blessings, as we've been saying, are connected and will be yet connected with this world, and the blessings for them are from the foundation of the world. But lest we think that any of our blessings, hopes, goals, or aspirations are connected with this world in any way, when he writes to the Ephesians, he says before the foundation of the world, brethren, when we think of what is ours in Christ.
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But we have for our enjoyment now all that we are going to enjoy in a deeper and fuller way in a coming day when the hindrances will be completely removed. Why do we want any part of this world? Why do we want something here? Why did Moses? Why would Moses want to be in the court of Pharaoh and raised up to a position of perhaps being king of Egypt and a pyramid built in his honor that people today could go and view?
And standing off, why would He want that when He endured us seeing Him who is invisible, He reckoned that the sufferings of Christ were not worthy to be compared with with what is ahead with the glory that's ahead. Oh, brother. And if we could just enjoy more in our souls of what is ours in Christ now and what is ahead in that day of glory when we share with Him, I believe it would detect just from this world without any scoldings or admonishments as to separation and all that kind of thing.
What is going to wean our hearts is not a scolding, brethren, not being told we should do this or we shouldn't do that or we shouldn't be involved in this. We shouldn't be involved in that. Know what is going to wean our hearts is to get ahold of what we have in Christ in this chapter.
As the title, just give me Earth.
And that's the interest of the person that made the statement. Just give me Earth. That's where their interest is.
And that's where their will is found. And I think it's important to recognize in this chapter that this chapter is about the will of God. If I'm interested in my own will, that's one thing.
But am I interested in what God's will is, what God plans and purposes in contrast to my own will? Sometimes we have a discussion with somebody else and we say, what do you think? And they tell us what they think. We may say, well, what does so and so think?
Because they want to know. Or the response was maybe, oh, I don't really care, it doesn't really matter. What's your dad thing? Well, I don't know or I know or whatever. It's our interest in somebody else's will is according to the measure in which that person is important to us in some way. And the apostle Paul wanted to tell his brethren about the purposes and councils of God according to his will.
And in fact, I think it's on his mind in such a way that he begins that way. And he says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God. And so he says, brethren, it wasn't my choice, but my God has a will. And he chose this responsibility for me. And this is what I am. And now I'm going to pass on to you those things which my God has given to me to tell you according to his will.
So in verse five he says according to the good pleasure of his will. Well, it's good for us to know what what God pleasures, what he wants, what he's interested in. Does he not have a say? Do we not care? Of course we do. And so then in verse nine he says, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, which according to his good pleasure, which he had purposed in himself.
God didn't have a little counsel with us and say, well, what do you think? Let's decide what's good between you and I? No, God had his own counsel and he said, according to my counsel, this is my pleasure and I'm going to tell it to you as well.
You know, sometimes someone has a will, but they don't tell us and we don't know and we can't enjoy it even ahead of time. Sometimes maybe somebody says to us, well, it's your birthday and they put the present out on the table. What is it, daddy? And we'll wait and see. So we have to wait. We can't enjoy it ahead of time. We've got to wait. It's a surprise for us and there's a place for that. But here God says, I want you to enjoy right now. So I'm going to tell you ahead of time.
Some of the things that I've already done for you, some of the things I'm doing now and some of the things that are still future.
For you the good pleasure of His will down, verse 11.
Who worketh all things according to the council of his own will. You know, I've willed a lot of things in my life and they never came to pass.
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I perfectly expected to do them, and I was doing them for somebody else and they never happened. I had the purpose, I had the plan, I had the intention, and I couldn't carry it out. God says, I want to assure you that all these things that I've given to you in Christ, you're going to realize none of them. I'm going to have to say later, oops, I'm sorry. I couldn't really carry it out. And he gives us the truth, the resurrection.
Which is an absolute assurance to our hearts that there's nothing that God has willed that he can't accomplish and will not fail to accomplish. And so he says, oh, just rather open your eyes and see. But it's important for us in the very beginning. In a sense, these things will thrill our hearts if we are interested in God's will.
What is ultimately the will of God? That all things, whether they be heaven and earth, be headed up in Christ.
And this comes back to what Brother Bob was saying. What is that wicked servant begin to do? He begins to say, If that servant begins to say, my Lord delayeth his coming, he begins to beat the men's servants.
And that's the character that we take on that instead, we become beaters.
And you see this, I was thinking of the apostle Paul here he was in prison.
The king was waiting for a bride. The Jews wanted him there. The king forgot about him and finally he's released and he stands before the king. And this comes back to what Brother Jim was saying. He's standing before the king, and he says, what does he say? He says, I wish that thou art all together as I am, yet without these chains.
We don't want chains. He didn't want, didn't enjoy being in prison. But the lesser is blessed of the greater, and we lose our character of being messengers of the great blessing of God, because if we could rid the world of terrorism.
Would it give Christ his proper place according to the will of God? If we could get rid of all alcoholism or all abortion or all of these things, would it make would it 'cause this world to be headed up by Christ? Not a bit. That's what man wants. He wants to enjoy the world in peace and safety and in good health without Christ.
What God wants all things to be headed up in Christ.
And so we may actually be laboring to accomplish that which is against the councils of God. God is overturning.
Overturning until he was right. It is his coming. He's going to give it to him. That's what we're to be looking for.
If we're looking simply for peace and safety in this world, then we're going to take on the character of beating the men servants and rather than being blessers.
Just the other day and he said to me, and I believe he's a sincere believer, but he said to me, I have no greater aspiration than my son who was standing beside him and looked to be about 11 or 12 years of age. Then my son grow up and run to be senator of the in the United of the United States, a member of Senate to be a Christian influence in in high places. Well, I sought to bring before him and I just repeat it because I think it's helpful in keeping this in perspective.
That if we can just remember, brethren, that we're ambassadors for Christ, I think it will adjust our perspective and our relationships in many ways. Because of sometimes said, there are three things that characterize an ambassador. One is that he represents the country from which he has been sent in the country to which he has been sent. That is if we send an ambassador to from Ottawa to DC.
That man is a foreigner here in this country. He retains his Canadian citizenship. He is not a citizen of the United States. And he is here simply in the United States to represent and portray the image that we as Canadians want to portray to the American people. In fact, if he doesn't, we reserve the right after remonstrating with him to recall him. And I believe that's what the sin unto death is. It's really the recalling of the ambassador.
We're here to represent heaven in Christ, and if we don't represent heaven in Christ, the Lord may take us home. And so the ambassador represents his country in the foreign country. The other thing an ambassador does is he takes up the interests of his own citizens in that country. And brethren, we're fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. It tells us in the end of the second chapter of this book. And we're here to take up the interests of our fellow citizens.
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If I go to a country where there's political and civil unrest, I'm encouraged to register at the Canadian embassy because if there's a problem, the Canadian ambassador will take up my interests, perhaps give me safety refuge at the Canadian consulate, help me get out of the country, whatever it might be. We're here to take up the interests of our fellow believers. The other thing an ambassador does is he tells the requirements of becoming a citizen of his country.
If you want to become a Canadian citizen, you can go down to the Canadian Consulate in Washington and the Canadian ambassador and his staff will give you the forms, perhaps even walk you through the steps and tell you the requirements of becoming a Canadian citizen. And we're here to tell others how they can become citizens of heaven. And I would suggest that if Christians spent more time doing that, it would have a greater effect than out lobbying for all the abuses of humanity.
What this world needs is not reformation. They need a change of heart. Man needs a change of heart. And so we're here to tell others how they can become citizens of heaven. But that's all an ambassador does. If an ambassador, if the Canadian ambassador showed up at a polling station in Washington on Election Day and wanted to vote, why they'd laugh at him. They'd say you can't vote. You're not a citizen of this country if he tried to get involved in the political wranglings of Capitol Hill.
Why they say you're completely out of place. This is not in keeping with your position as an ambassador of Canada. They wouldn't allow it for a moment and.
As we've been saying, we're not of this world. We're foreigners here in this world. We're here, I say, to represent Christ in heaven. We're here to take up the interests of our fellow citizens. And we're here to tell others how they can become citizens of heaven, how they can belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you and I can keep that in view, I believe it will adjust our perspective and our relationships and our activities.
While we're here and on foreign soil.
Respect the laws of the country where he is sent, wouldn't he? And that is our purpose too. We need to respect the laws and submit ourselves to them. Measure we Can I carry an American passport when I travel. That does not mean that I am involved in the political wranglings of my the country I come from. My home is in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next we have the expression the beloved you can really capitalize that be it refers to the Lord Jesus and.
Term of endearment between himself and the Father. The Father looks at that Son and he says that's the beloved, and all the plans and purposes of God in this chapter are in that person.
Who God loves, Who has satisfied God completely in his work here on earth?
One, that God opened heaven so that he could tell us, as it were, he couldn't restrain himself. And he opens heaven and he says, this is my beloved Son. And now that he's gone back to heaven, in Hebrews, he opens heaven so we can look up there and enjoy them. And so we have heaven open to our eyes of faith, that we might look and gaze upon the beloved 1.
And every blessing that God purposes and has given to us, as we've already had in verse three, it's in him. It's in that man Christ Jesus. And so God's purposes, his will, his pleasure.
Is that man, and everything that we have brings us into association with him.
Because God is so satisfied with that, one finds his pleasure, the object of his heart, and he says, I'm going to let him be the object of your heart forever.
There's going to be no distance. You're going to sit down with me in perfect peace.
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With no sin, nothing that would hinder us, that we who might be holy and without blame before me, so that we can share together at that eternal meal, if you will, of our shared enjoyment and pleasure.
In the Christ beloved.
What a tremendous privilege and pleasure to our hearts to think that God willed it and will carry it out. That the one that so delights his heart, He doesn't where it would say to us, he satisfies me, so of course he'll satisfy you.
Point out in verses four and five, we have two very interesting and connected truths of Scripture. Verse four is election. It's choosing. That's election. It's the truth of election. Verse five, we have predestination. Somebody has put it this way and it's helped me to remember it this way. Choosing or election is.
In.
Connection with our persons.
Whereas predestination is in connection with the position that He has in mind for us to fill. So in verse four we have.
Election choosing chosen in him.
Before the foundation of the world.
And beautiful to think, brethren, God was thinking about you and me before there was any universe in existence.
That's the place, the church.
Has in the councils and the thoughts of God and those eternal councils. Before there was any world in existence, He had his beloved Son there, and he said, I want a companion for him. And accordingly He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, you say, how in the world could he know us?
If we didn't even exist yet, that's where we have another word in Scripture that's called for knowledge. He chose us according to His foreknowledge. He knew. He knows everything beforehand. He inhabits eternity to God, past, present and future means nothing from where He dwells in eternity. It means a lot to us.
That by probably that's the only way we can think.
But not to God. And so in that those eternal councils, you and I were chosen with a specific purpose. Oh, the wonder of it, brethren. Why did He choose me? Why did he choose you? And it was here in this verse. I love it the way it puts it, that we should be holy and without blame before Him.
In love.
Isn't that wonderful, brother? You young people think about being in love?
That's the expression we use quite a bit.
It's a pretty tremendous experience to be in love.
Every believer in this room is in love. There it is, right in the end of verse 4. You enjoyed it. Nothing that really thrills the heart. We've been made that way. We're creatures of a relationship, and to know that we're in love really is tremendous. Here it is. You and I who are believers in the Lord Jesus are in love. But look at this.
Says that we should be holy and without blame before I'm in love now That's the position you and I occupy before God in Christ, right here and now. It's not something I'm striving to obtain. No, here where it's our position that's in question. It's a place that I already occupied.
Holy and without blame.
Don't look at me too carefully, brother, and you'll find some stuff that is to be blamed in me. That's our condition in this world. Yes, and that's why in the latter part of this epistle we find a lot of exhortation. What do you tell these Ephesians? Don't lie to one another. Christians lie to each other.
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I guess so, because that's why we're given the exhortation.
But brethren, as far as our position in Christ, it is holy and without blame. God looking at us in that position cannot find a flaw. Oh, how wonderful it is, brethren. And it's the sense that that's the position we've been brought into that gives us power to walk in holiness of life. Yes, Scripture does say.
Perfecting.
Holiness and the fear of God. There is that practical side of it that we need to be exercised about.
But it's not trying to attain a position before God. It's a condition. It's a position I already have in Christ. And if I really let that sink down into my soul, this is my position. What care it's going to give to me to walk through this world properly if a girl has a nice beautiful white dress on and she goes down into a coal mine.
Can you imagine how careful she's going to be to keep her skirts off that dirty coal and not get it dirty? Why is she being careful? Is because she has a white dress on. And that's the same way God has set us in a position of perfect holiness. Not one thing can He see in you and me in Christ to blame. Now, brethren, let's walk in the enjoyment of that.
And be careful that we walk in the practical reality of it as well.
I like this, not to take from what Bob has said, but there's many places in the world we have no right to be like the woman in the coal mine with a white dress.
Very good, but also the IT is our present position, but according to the will and purpose of God, it's coming to be our our eternal condition.
It's good for us to look forward to that as well. God wants us to sit down with Him and enjoy His Son for eternity.
In our coming condition, we'll be like God, holy and without blame, in love in that coming day, and we will enjoy our God according to the very nature that He has given to us through that new life in Christ, so that we can stand with Him and be with him there in peace and love and consistent with God's own nature and heart.
He said you want to be with me for eternity. Well, good. And I'll make you now holy and without blame before me in love. And when I bring you home into my house to dwell there forever, I'll make that your condition of life as well. And we.
Will be like God.
And light and love and holiness. It'll be our very nature forever. That fifth verse shows children. And they want children like Him. Having predators in US predestinated us unto the adoption of children. God wanted children.
He's going to get us there. The Lord said. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He's going to take us there.
We're going to know God is Father then are we doing knowing that right now? Talk about being a stranger. God that we see there, It'll be our Father.
240.
Our blessing is our portion. When we look upward within the veil, our life is there. Yes, blessed is our portion. Blessed He who in His grace before the world began, did set on us His love, sovereign and free on us, the sinful heirs of dying man, and blessed us.
214.
How blessed it is our fortune where we love.
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All the world.
We are live in there.
Our neighbouring in love I have gone for.
We're hungry. Where are my?
Savior.
Prison.
Contented more.
Psalm 65, verse 4.
In our chapter we had blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the next verse begins according as he and it went on to say what he had done. We bless because we are blessed. Psalm 65 and verse four. Blessed is the man whom thou chooses and causes to approach unto thee.
That he may dwell in thy courts, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Skip Thanks.
Ephesians 1:3-8
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Gone to sit upon thy father's throne.
Lord, we rejoice.
And they're all.
They gave you.
To understand the wrong.
Lord, now we can wait for.
I take us to.
Where we were reading.
And where it would be good to start?
Verse 3.
Ephesians, chapter one.
Beginning with verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us before Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him and love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Wherein he hath me is accepted.
In the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.
Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, with which He hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ.
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Both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose.
Of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory, Who first trusted in Christ, in whom He also trusted. After that He heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. And whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of our purchased possession under the praise of His glory.
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you and my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give on to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Him.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the richest of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church?
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
Verse three I'm sure we enjoyed.
What was brought before us yesterday, the depths of these things, they're unsearchable.
Of course we have the purposes and counsels of God.
And they're absolute. No doubts here what God has purpose and counsel to do.
So this third verse says blessed.
Be that God and Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have to get occupied much with our blessings, and that's fine.
He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We enjoyed that so much. But think of who that is.
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that's made known by Christ.
In the text of John, the Lord says I and my father are one.
There's one God, but there are three persons, and God in revealing himself has come out blessedly and made that so certain by the Spirit of God, the third person, as we call him. Well, that's the way they come before us when the Lord was here working, he says.
My father worketh hitherto and I work well. Who's working today?
The Spirit of God.
He's here. That's the reason we're sitting quietly in these meetings, because God is in control by the Spirit. There's no doubts about that. He's in control.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, God add that one son that He loves so much. We spoke about it yesterday.
Not as we used to hear.
He had one son he loved so much that he wanted a whole lot more like him.
And that's her. That's what it gets us there. We shall be like him, like Jesus in that place.
We shall see him as he is. Yeah, it's just so lovely, isn't it? God, his purposes and counsels and accomplished it in Jesus sent him. I think of the first verse of John's gospel to coordinate something.
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In the beginning was the word.
And the word was with God.
And the word was gone. Then you go down to the 14th verse. It says the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
That's the sun.
God became flesh. Do you believe that? Do you understand it? No, you can't. It's you just have to believe it. God is a man.
That's so delightful.
So that who he is the eternal God, blessed be the eternal God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done. We have coming up and we've talked on it yesterday, but to bring in the focus.
The first chapter of God's gospel. A few things I mentioned, verse one and verse 14.
Some of us have enjoyed the last verse. Not too many people could quote that.
I think of it this way.
The first verse of John.
One gives us the eternal God, the eternity of His Person. The last verse gives us the Infinity of his works.
The Infinity of his works, you understand the Infinity, no?
Well, it states.
If there are many other things which Jesus did.
The witches, they should be written everyone.
I suppose.
That even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
You believe that, you understand it. It's past understanding. God himself is past understanding in His person and all that He has done and kind of tickled. When I look into some scientific articles and see the great scientists and I admire the ones that go up and look at the stars and if they're honest, they will tell us that they haven't found the limits yet.
That's creation. What's greater than creation?
Redemption, that's what Jesus came to do. That was the main thing that he came to do, but the other things he has done also. So blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the person who had a heart to come down and get us and take us up there to be like him.
Colossians 116 OK.
We're all things created.
That are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were made by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. I enjoyed what her brother broke before us of the focus.
What Lot had on the earth.
Choosing something here out of Abraham who waited on God.
And God gave him a promise, and that promise is still a promise.
God has not given the Jews all of their possessions that He.
Purpose is to give them.
And they can't get it in the flesh.
And they can't turn loose of it in the flesh. It's so interesting to look over there and see.
I'm saying peace, peace. When there is no peace, you don't need to worry about the Palestinians.
And the Jews, they're going to go on until God takes over.
Well, we know what that will be. The blessing now is to get.
Ourselves. And this is the city of refuge for the Jew today.
When he came the first time, the Lord Jesus, and was getting ready to leave, you remember he looked over Jerusalem and he wept over it. He says, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathered her chicks under her waist. God and the Lord want to gather together. There's a few people gathered together today.
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And as some of them were praying this morning about Peter's quotation.
Like precious faith. But brethren, put the next two words in there with us. That's the apostles faith. That's where it is. Like precious faith with the apostles. That's the way we're getting this their book here with the apostles.
That's the first fellowship in first John one with us. That's the apostles fellowship. But therefore ship is with the Father, with his Son Jesus Christ. And we've been having a little about that and there's no end to it. There's absolutely no end to it. So you better go ahead and talk a while. That's why God became a man so that we could enjoy with him the things that he enjoyed. And God takes get great pleasure in seeing the people of God together and having the Lord Jesus Christ as their object.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He died that he might gather together and won the children of God that are scattered abroad. And as you are saying, the Jews cannot enjoy their blessings by the flesh and get them by the flesh. They're trying now with missiles and armaments to get the blessing promised Blessing by the flesh. We can't either because all of our blessings are spiritual.
Now, there may be somebody in this room this afternoon that's not saved, and I'm going to say this carefully. You can enjoy the blessings in a natural way. I would have no reason to know anybody in California or New Jersey or in Florida if it weren't for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. And enjoy real friendship with them. And you may enjoy that. Even the bell clerk at the desk may look and see what's going on here and see that something very nice is going on. He can perceive that.
But the only way that we can enjoy these spiritual blessings are by faith.
And when man tries to enjoy spiritual blessings by the flesh, that's the conflict that we get later in Ephesians, is that that's the warfare there. So we have to see that their spiritual blessings and they're brought into were brought into them by the work of redemption.
But it's true in the Old Testament says, O taste and see that the Lord is good. But the truth is now that man has seen that the Lord is good, what was in the heart of God was fully revealed. We announced that by the gospel. And man may even in the language of Hebrews be a partaker of that to a certain extent in a natural way. But there's spiritual blessings. And if the moment that we try to lay hold of those spiritual blessings by carnal means, I don't want to get too practical because it's positional.
Then we get into trouble. And so Paul is laying the foundation here to understand what our blessings are and what the source of them are. And as our brother was saying, it's with us. It's in the apostles doctrine that those fellow, that those are enjoyed and the Christian world is trying to simulate Christianity, brotherhood, fellowship. They even talk about having fellowship meetings, man being one, trying to enjoy the things that we enjoy.
By all of his processes and compromises and negotiations and so on.
But we enjoy them by virtue of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, by what was in the heart of God coming out towards man.
Greater than all the blessings, brethren, is the knowledge of God that we have now, and it is wonderful how that first three starts. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the order we get to know God in, isn't it? It's first God as God, then we know him as Father when the Lord Jesus in his resurrection.
Stated to Mary, He said, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father my God and your God. That was the order for the Lord Jesus. He is the Son of the Father from all eternity. He never was a time when He became that.
But he when he became a man, he could say in the Psalm 22, I believe it is, it says, Thou art my God from my mother's belly. When he became a man, he could say for the first time, my God.
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But for us it's first God and then Father. And it's interesting how perfect scripture is. Look at the prayer in Ephesians one and verse 17, the God of our Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, and the prayer in Ephesians 3 and verse.
14 This 'cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So those two ways we are brought into the knowledge of God. How wonderful. Really, brethren, to know God is greater than all the blessings themselves.
I agree with that Bob to know God.
The Lord Jesus in his prayer in the 17th of John says.
This is life eternal.
The third verse that they may know thee.
The only true God be no, the only true God.
This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I and my Father are one to know Him. I'd like to contrast just for a minute. Go back to.
Jeremiah.
You know they knew God in the Old Testament.
But he was revealed a little differently, not as fully. We have a full revelation of God in Christ because He is God. But I'd just like to read a couple of verses in Jeremiah 9. They're kind of outstanding, separate from the rest of the chapter, more or less.
They are verses 23 and 24.
Thus saith the Lord.
Let not the wise man.
Glory in his wisdom.
Neither let the mighty man glory in his might.
Let not the rich man glory in his riches. Then this next verse.
But let him that glorious glory end this, that he understandeth and knoweth me There it is no God understand it that N God who's who understands God. Nobody else gets any understanding except those that walk with him. It's dependence upon God that's learned by faith. Everything you know about God is by faith. Reminds me of what Ariel used to say to us.
You say that everything.
That you have now.
That you always will have you have by faith.
Everything that you have now that you will always have, you have by faith.
You see, it's connected with Christ and eternal things.
Very important, isn't it, to realize just what you say, that you never really know someone unless you walk with them. And there's really a difference in knowing about someone and knowing that individual personally. We might know about a lot of great people in this world, and I'll repeat an illustration that I've often used. I grew up in Canada and growing up in the school system in Canada, we learned a great deal about the British royal family and I could perhaps to this very day enumerate many facts concerning.
Queen Elizabeth the Second, who sits on the throne of England, but I don't know the Queen personally.
But we'll suppose for the sake of illustration that I get an invitation in the mail to come to back Buckingham Palace and to spend a month in Buckingham Palace communing with the Queen of England. Everything is provided for me. I take that trip and I sit down every day for a month with the Queen of England. Now, when I leave Buckingham Palace, I don't just know about the Queen of England. I know the Queen of England personally. And there's a great difference and I suppose the life of the Apostle Paul after he was saved.
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Is really summed up in that desire that he expresses in the book of Philippians where it says that I may know him.
Now Paul, before he was saved, he knew about him and when he got saved on the Damascus Rd. you say, well didn't he come to know the Lord as his savior? Indeed he did. But his whole desire throughout his life, it was that in walking in communion and fellowship, the relationship would be deeper. When I married my wife, I thought I knew a lot about her, but after 18 years I know a lot more about her and what pleases her and what's on her heart and on her mind than when I married her.
18 years ago, because we've lived together, we've walked together. And so we, as we enumerate the blessings that are brought before us in this chapter, we never want to forget the source. Brethren, it's all easy, I believe, to become so occupied with the blessings and they're wonderful. We need to enumerate them. We need to have them before our souls. But it's easy to become so occupied with the blessings that we forget the blesser, we forget the source.
And who is the source? Well, God is the source, Christ is the channel, and the Spirit is the power. Because it's been said before, how do we enter into these things? It says in Corinthians, first Corinthians 2 I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him. But then notice the next statement. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.
If we're going to take in and enjoy these precious things has been already said, it must be in the power of the Spirit because their spiritual blessings and they're not things that we can see. I'd like to just make this comment to go back to what? Not to press a point or sound mundane, but to go back to something was said yesterday. We mentioned that there's a difference between temporal mercies and spiritual blessings.
And temporal mercies. There's two things that characterize them. One, you can see them. We had a nice bed last night. You can see that bed. We're enjoying some mercies here, some comfortable chairs, a nice room, something we can see, something physical.
Not only that, but they can be taken from us just as quick as they're given to us.
Mercies are something that we enjoy when they're given to us.
But as I say, they can be taken away. There's something that we can lose. A job is a mercy, but you might lose your job tomorrow. A home is a mercy, but you might lose your home tomorrow. It might burn to the ground. But spiritual blessings are something we've never seen. You've never seen with the natural eye. With the eye of faith, we see it, of course, but with the natural eye you've never seen one of your blessings, your spiritual blessings. Not only that, it can never be taken away from you.
Brethren, what we have in Christ is eternal. The things that are seen are temporal. The things that are not seen are eternal. And these blessings that we have are blessings that every child of God in this room has. Whether you've been saved for 5 minutes or 50 years, they're yours. You have them, and they'll be never taken away from you. Now, the enjoyment of them in our souls is quite another matter.
There are hours, but the question is, do we enjoy them? There's a difference, as has often been said, between our standing.
And our state. Choose a little illustration. It's not original in any sense of the word.
Many of us have heard it, but it did help me when I was younger to get a hold of the difference.
Between our standing and our state, if we were to bring a thermometer here into the room, a large thermometer, we would find that on that thermometer there are numbers indicating degrees, be it in Fahrenheit or in Canada as we measure things in Celsius. And you know those numbers never change. They're stationary, they're printed there on the thermometer and they never change. That's like our standing, it never changes.
And the blessings that we have, I say they're secure in Christ, and thank God they are.
But there's something else on the thermometer. There's mercury, and that changes constantly. Sometimes it indicates cold, sometimes it indicates hot. Don't we have to admit, brethren, that that's our state? Sometimes. Sometimes we're cold. Sometimes I'm cold. Sometimes I really don't enjoy what is mine. In Christ we talk about being cold in our souls. Other times, maybe at a time like this, we get real warmed up. We enjoy these things, the Spirit of God.
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Has liberty to make them good to our souls. And the mercury goes up, as it were. Maybe we go back to work on Tuesday and the mercury goes down a little bit. Well, I just say that because that helps us. Our standing never changes. It's like the numbers. But our state has like the mercury. It may go up and down.
Let us see thoughts back in.
Jeremiah 9 finished the 24th verse.
Let him that glorious glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me that.
I am the Lord. Notice what it says.
Which exercise?
Loving kindness. Three things there are here.
Judgment.
And righteousness in the earth. He's talking about the earth here. He had an earthly people. Those things were necessary and they could be made known.
Loving kindness that starts it. Oh, it's God is love.
He loved the Jew. I guess we come in second as Gentiles. I don't know, but he loves everybody, loving kindness.
Then and now.
The next one, judgment we're not surprised at before we feel a little bit of guilt.
Man has ever since he sinned.
Because he has the knowledge of good and evil.
Judgment. When's it going to come? It's going to come.
Some of it has already come, and that's the reason you and I can sit here quietly in peace. Our judgment is passed for our sins. It's gone.
Christ will never go into the grave again. He's passed judgment as He has passed judgment. So are you and I as believers. This our 19th verse us word who believed in our chapter believe it's faith.
Well, he God exercises these three things, loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Now if I delight in the believer, and faith is necessary, I'm so glad you came back to that. And I'd just like to turn to Matthew 16 because I think these two things are brought together in Matthew 16 in connection with knowing God.
And these three things that you mentioned there in Jeremiah.
Matthew 16 and verse 13.
When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, AM? And they said, some said that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias and others Jeremias.
Or one of the prophets. And he said unto them, But whom do you see? Whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, For flesh and blood hath not revealed this it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Now this is the very foundation of what the church our fellowship is based is the this confession of Peter and the knowledge of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But let's come down now to the 21St first, because we get here love and judgment brought together. 21 From that time forth Jesus began Jesus to show his disciples how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and raised again the third day. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from the Lord, This shall not be unto thee.
But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offense or a stumbling unto me, For thou hast saved for thou savers, not the things that be of God, but those that be of man. Well, this wonderful truth was revealed to Peter by the Father in heaven, by the spirit of who Christ was. But now the question came of the cross and Peter, and natural sympathy.
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Acted, and I want to say this very reverently, on the one thing in which the Lord as a man expressed His will Father to be possible. Let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
And Peter acted in human sympathy towards the Lord to try to turn him back from going to the cross. It's not going to be to thee that they suffer in that way.
But if it were not for the cross, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessing that was in the heart of God could not come out.
And so it was really why? Because Peter savored the things that were of men and not the things that were of God.
And while he had been brought to know God, we need to be brought to no God too. And how he has worked in redemption. Because to the natural man it seemed the grave of all his hopes was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we see it's the fountain of all our blessing.
And the heart of God fully comes out in the gift of his Son, so that God could show.
The love that was in his heart, and yet justice.
Judgment to and righteousness there at the cross.
And what a wonderful thing it is to see there at the cross that God is light and God is love.
When we have the question of God, it's more his character as God and we have father, it's relationship and I think it's nice to see that in these verses of our chapter here. Notice verse 4 is.
We are chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame, before I'm in love.
Were brought to know God in his character of complete holiness. Now we have been chosen to occupy a position of holiness and without blame before him in love. But when we come to verse five it's more God as father the relationship he doesn't merely save us from sin.
And judgment, which is true, but he brings us into a position of relationship with himself. Your illustration of going to Buckingham Palace is good, Jim, but one step further. Now we're brought right into the very family of God. And you notice the King James translation uses the word children. But I noticed the new translation.
Says adoption or it's being brought into sonship, and the thought in sonship is into full intelligence of God's thoughts through the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. So it's like the prodigal son that came back from the far country, and when he got home, the father's embrace and his kiss.
And the best robe and the ring on his finger and the shoes on his feet. But then he's brought right into the Father's house. The fatted calf is killed, and he sits down at the Father's table in fellowship with the Father. That's the picture we have here, brethren. We are brought into God's very family adoption.
He's chosen us for that position of sonship.
Oh, they blessedness of it, brethren, to get ahold of it, to realize it far more than being just forgiven, far more than having.
A to being justified, but now being brought right into God's family to enjoy His presence, to understand His thoughts. Oh brethren, this is the place.
He has predestined for us from the before the foundation of the world.
And you know, our hearts are just about not quite up to grasping all this, but what is a comfort to my own soul rather than is this?
I, I, I'm maybe not there, maybe I'm not getting it, but you know, who was it that chose me for this? Was this some idea of mine? No, it was God who predestined me for this position from that past eternity. Now in this life I might be stiff necked and hard headed and all the rest, but who's going to win out in the end?
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Me or God in his eternal purposes.
He has his ways if I am stiff necked and hard headed.
Breaking that down so that we can be brought in to all this position of favor. Nothing, absolutely nothing can frustrate the purposes of God. In this dawn is in my father's house or many mansions or abodes. It's as if the room were prepared for Brother Jim there in Buckingham Palace.
But he goes on to say, I go to prepare a place for you. There was an abode there, but now there's a son's place there. That's what it means to be accepted in the beloved. You could pick me up and put me into Buckingham Palace, but I don't have the ways or manners for Buckingham Palace, the table manners to sit and eat with the queen. But you know, we are. We're accepted in the beloved. And that is really our place now. And that's a wonderful thing to realize is that right here now.
Realize that we're in a real sense we're fish out of water is that he's left us here as ambassadors has been said but the place that we're really going to feel at home is when we get to the father's house on high and that is really why the Sinner would not feel happy in heaven. He talks about heaven the Muslim talks about his rivers of wine and multiple wives hundreds of wives and the man of the world talks about heavenland golf courses and tennis courts and so on but there's nothing in the natural man if.
Ron Clawson once said at a gospel conference. He said if you open the gates of hell in a million years and asked and let man come out, there would not one man come out. He would stand at the gate of open gate of hell and wave his fist. The rich man did not ask to leave hell.
And to go into heaven because there's nothing there that would attract his heart. But we have a place there.
But there is a conduct now that is in keeping with those who have been brought into the dignity of sonship, because that's what sonship brings before us, doesn't it? We're children by birth, Dutch John's ministry, but we're sons by adoption. We're brought into a place of dignity and we ought to be conscious of it. I remember Brother Albert Hayhoe telling us when we were young people, that one time when he was a young person, he sat and listened to his father in a meeting speak about the evils of pride.
And he went to his father after and he said, now father, he said if I didn't have some little self esteem and pride, he said I wouldn't have made sure this morning that my hair was combed neatly and my shoes were shined and that I was dressed properly to come to the meeting. And his father very wisely looked at him.
And he said, Albert, if you remember at all times that you're a son and heir of God.
It will take care of all those things without one bit of pride or self esteem. And brethren, I believe that's true if we can remember the dignity of the position that we're brought into sometimes. Told the story about one of the Crown Princess of France and when he was a boy he had an English tutor to teach him English and this English tutor had a great deal of trouble with his student and being the Crown Prince of France.
He couldn't discipline him the way that he would if it was you or IA commoner.
And so in great frustration, he finally purchased a purple rosette depend on his lapel. Purple was the color, the official color of the French royal family. And one morning when this Crown Prince showed up to school, the teacher, the tutor pinned the rosette, purple rosette on his lapel. And he said, when you misbehave in class, I cannot correct you because of who you are.
But he said, all I'm going to do is point to the purple rosette and that will be a reminder to you.
That you are son and heir to the French throne, that you're a member of the French royal family, and that there is a conduct which is in keeping with being the Crown Prince of France. And the story goes that it worked very well. And so, brethren, we need to keep this before our souls. He's chosen us. We're sons of, we're the sons of God. Does that make a difference in our conduct, in our deportment through this world?
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And not only did he choose us, brethren, but he chose us knowing all about us. I thought of it when Bob was saying sometimes he's hard headed and stubborn and wayward a little bit. Well, you know.
And I am too. But God knew all about that. The Father knew all about that. 40 years, over 42 years ago, a set of parents went to an orphanage in Montreal, Canada, and they chose a son. And I'm thankful that they did.
But you know, when they chose that son, they didn't know how he was going to turn out. And I'm sure there were times in his upbringing that they wondered why they, if they really should have gone and chose that son. But you know, we were chosen in Christ. It's in God's infinite foreknowledge. And he knew all about me. He knew all about you. And is he disappointed He chose you? Earthly parents may adopt and they may be disappointed in the final analysis.
But is he disappointed with you? Is he disappointed with me? No, never grieved sometimes. Sometimes he's grieved with me, but never disappointed. And you know, the end result is that he's predestinated us as to be conformed to the image of His Son. And you know he's working that in our lives now. But when he gets us to glory and God views his family all with and like Christ.
Because it doesn't yet appear what we shall be, but when he views us all like Christ.
Will God be disappointed that He chose anyone of us? No, He's just going to rejoice there. The Father is going to rejoice to see that vast family there and to see the end result conformed fully to the image of His dear Son. Oh brethren, if that doesn't thrill your heart and encourage you now to walk as a son and heir of God, I don't know what goes on within your heart.
New creation.
Begins for us down here, born of God.
We've been having in Christ here in our chapter over and over again.
And I'll quote Second Corinthians 5/10/17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, or there is a new creation.
You can look at that version. It goes on and says.
Old things are passed away.
Behold, all things are become new when you and I are born of God, all of our responsibility.
The sons of Adam changes to being sons of God.
Its perfection, none of us quite live up to it, but it doesn't change our responsibility.
Every act that you and I perform, it ought to be as does this conform to God? Does this conform to God? Well, it's going to old things are passed away. The old old things are become new. All things are of God is talking about the new creation.
But you get into it by faith now, and I too. It's interesting, Brother Buchanan, that these, this expression in Christ in Ephesians appears 10 times. Now what is 10? That's responsibility. Now we have nothing to do with being in Christ. That's nothing to do with ourselves. But there is a responsibility as to those who are in Christ because 10 denotes responsibility in Scripture. And that's the difference between under law and under grace. Under law, that was man's responsibility as a man.
And what he ought to do in his relationship to man and God. But in Christ our relationship has changed and so.
What might be perfectly acceptable under the law is unthinkable in Christianity. It's not enough to be right as a Christian. And maybe very often you found, as I have, that you've been right in a situation and you've realized that you've not displayed Christ in it.
It's not enough to be right.
Be haughty. How shall it be known that the master is lowly?
That's a behavior pattern that often arrests this individual. If the servant be haughty, how shall it be known that the master is lowly?
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God come out when Paul stood there in chains and he said, I wish that thou art altogether as I am, yet without these chains. And so often we're complaining about our situation. And I think I can speak in the plural and realize that we don't really reveal the heart of God as to the situation.
And what is in the heart of God? Because God's heart for the Sinner is blessing. Now the way of blessing is by repentance. It's not by.
Snicker bars and Pepsi. It's by by giving him what he wants. It's by the way of repentance and the way of faith. That's how he gets it, if I may put it that way. But it really it the heart of God is towards man and we take our places. We're saying yesterday if we lose sight.
Of our position and seek to walk, cease to walk as ambassadors we become to beat the men's servants and simply to try to correct man into a correct manner of behavior. But it doesn't change one iota the heart towards God, It just covers and hides the sin.
There is, there are, I should say many.
Precious.
Examples in the Old Testament of.
This particular line of things that's been occupying us.
As to walking.
In the good, and according to the character of what we are in Christ.
And they're well known. One of them that just struck me as our brothers have been speaking.
I would like to turn to it for just a moment. It's very sobering.
In Second Samuel 13, I think we know the story so well that I'll only just read a verse.
It's about one who was the daughter of a king.
And if I can make this application, each one of us who sit here as knowing Christ as Savior.
Are an object of affection and have the potential to bear fruit for our God.
For the daughter of the king.
David was apparelled in a certain way.
She had a garment. Verse 18.
Of divers colors upon her, I take that to mean there was a beautiful garment that suggested the glories of the one to whom she belonged.
But something happened and she was defiled and corrupted the.
And because of what happened, and not to go into that, but because of what happened, because of that defilement and corruption, that garment was shredded.
And there were ashes on her head. Well, beloved brethren, that's one of two I want to consider. But may we, you know, we sing that song, Christian, walk carefully.
Danger is near.
We are.
As to our position, blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.
Not one thing could be changed, nothing can be added to that, but the garment of glory that we are to wear as those who are objects of the affections of the heart of God.
And the ability to produce fruit.
Can be destroyed and corrupted in this world through which we walk. On the other hand, if you turn the first kings a very well known passage and chapter 10.
You find those who were serving a king, they weren't in the relation of children of the king, but they were serving the king. First Kings, chapter 10.
And verse 5.
And there was one there who came up to question and to prove.
Who he was and what she had heard about him. And I think it's so lovely. I've often pondered that when the queen at verse four, the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom. You know, brethren, why doesn't the Spirit of God, I say reverently say, when the queen of Sheba had heard all of Solomon's wisdom? It's what we were talking about earlier, the difference between knowledge and knowing. Ganasco. I don't know if that's pronounced right in the Greek, the intimate experiencing of something.
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And ADO or Idol, The mental ascent.
She experienced the result of the wisdom. She knew it in that sense. It was an intimate experiencing of that wisdom. So she saw the wisdom and the house that he had built, and then meet of his table and then this.
The sitting of the king, the sitting of his servants.
The attendance of his ministers and their apparel and his cup bearers.
And his assent by which he went up into the House of the Lord, was the result. She was all done asking questions.
She saw what she needed to break that proud and haughty spirit, and she saw it in His wisdom. And part of that wisdom was displayed by the way His servants acted and served and dressed in His presence.
In connection with that, and that is David when Samuel called Jesse's sons before him, and this verse is often used that you don't know what's in my heart. He says, for God looketh man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. But what is said of David when he is brought before Samuel? He was goodly look upon of Ruddy countenance. What was in his heart was displayed outwardly and.
There's a second thing in a more solemn thing in the book of Esther and we're practically in the book of Esther now. I really believe it's in the tribulation. But the Gentile bride that is the one who took outwardly the position of being the bride. She would not adorn herself for the king and she set aside in a Jewish bride has been taken up. And that's really where we are now where not yet, but in the tribulation it becomes fully manifest, but where the church in an outward way that which professes to be the bride of Christ here in this earth.
Refuses to adorn itself in a way that is suitable to Christ. I'd like to read 2 verses in connection with this one in First Peter.
And.
Because it just and another in Romans 8IN connection with this, because I believe it's very helpful to understand when you refer to these Old Testament types.
First Peter 9 I'm going to read 910 and 11. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently onto.
Diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or but what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow? For the expression that arrested me here was the Spirit of Christ that was in them. You saw the Spirit of Christ in Moses. You saw the Spirit of Christ in Noah, when he plead with them to come into the ark.
And Romans 8 says, If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
The proof that somebody is indwelt by the Spirit of God today is not their profession, but the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ, a desire to please the Lord.
And if there is not that outward evidence that there is a desire to please the Lord?
Then there's no evidence that one is indwelt by the Spirit of God. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, it's not talking about the indwelling of the Spirit of God there, but it's talking about the manifestation of that by the display of the Spirit of Christ.
Now it's true that that was seen in the Old Testament, though they were not indwelt by the Spirit of God. But now we have the life of Christ and have the power of that life dwelling in us, the Spirit of God. And that is really that. Our privilege as believers is along this line.
As we walk in this world, I mean we're getting practical, but this is really our positional truth in Ephesians chapter one.
At the end of the verse we have the reason why He brought us into this position. It was nothing in us that He saw, brethren. It was all according to the good pleasure of His will. And it's wonderful to realize that it's not because of some virtue or something that He knew that I would possess, that He.
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Chose me and predestined me to this place. It was because of the good pleasure of His will. God wanted to manifest His own heart of love. And this is the way He has chosen to do it, To pick up rebels and to change them and to bring them into this position of blessing and favor. Notice verse 6 two to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Oh, brother. And when we get home to glory and those angelic hosts, I like to think of it. I, I suppose there's no way we can understand too much of that side. But those angelic hosts are going to have to open ranks and let us go further in. We're going to occupy the closest place in that heavenly scene.
And I've wondered if they as we go in, they ask who are these privileged people that get to be in a place closer than we are? Remember, angels never sin. They are maintained by God in sinless perfection and what are called elect angels.
But the answer is, these are sinners saved by the grace of God. Is there anything I'll be able to glory of in myself? You know, it's a tendency of our hearts down here. We like to think we're pretty good and pretty great.
When we get home to glory, it's going to be to the praise of the glory of his grace, that grace, it's going to take ages. The riches of the grace is going to take ages to display it all, but it's to the praise of the glory of his grace. And then the end of verse six says wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.
Oh, brother, and this is precious, Precious accepted then the beloved. I like the new translation that says.
Taken into favor in the beloved, Did you know that you occupy a position in Christ in which God cannot look at you in any other way than of supreme favor, because you are in Christ?
And he may have to discipline me at times, and he does.
But why does he discipline me? Because of that place of supreme favor that I occupy before Him in Christ. Oh, to let these truths sink down into our souls. Brethren, sometimes I see young people and they seem to be the oddball out and they don't seem to fit in any group and they say they're struggling to be accepted. Look at this verse, young person, we are.
Accepted in the highest measure possible. Accepted in the beloved. You say you don't feel accepted with the brethren. Don't worry about the brethren. Think of this. You are accepted in God's beloved Son. I like.
Just.
Like to tell the story I guess. I've told it before, but it it really illustrates it.
Of a story I heard a number of years ago of a little boy in England who had come from the countryside and wanted to see the Queen and wanted to petition the Queen about something. And he got as far as the gates of the palace and the guards kept him out.
And he come from a distance and so he was off to one side kind of crying and he couldn't get in no way. And as he was standing there crying, he another little boy comes running down the street. And as he approached the guards, the guards didn't hold him out. They stood at attention as the Prince of Wales. And he ran straight in. But just as soon as he got in, he.
Stopped. He'd seen that little boy crying. And he says, what's wrong? And one of the guards says, well, he wants to see the Queen and there's no way he can get in there. And that little boy walks up and says to the little boy that was crying, you come with me. And he went straight into the Queen's presence. What made the difference? It wasn't what that little boy was, it was what the Prince of Wales was. He went right in.
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And brethren, that's our place before God. Occupy a place of supreme favor in the beloved. Excuse me?
Accepted in the beloved let's read one verse in first Corinthians one and 30 and it mentions 4 things I was speaking about Jeremiah and three things that we enjoy there loving kindness, judgment and righteousness. Now here in first Corinthians 130 it says.
Of him are ye where in Christ Jesus?
Who of God is made unto us these four things?
And the first thing is wisdom.
And the next thing is righteousness.
And the next thing is sanctification. And then we get the basis of everything, redemption. We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. These four things are enough for anyone of us.
Is according to the good pleasure of His will at the cross. Choice was over.
God commandeth now all men everywhere to repent. If there's someone in this room today that's not saved, you're being disobedient to the gospel because God's commanded a blessing for you and you have to disobey God to go to hell.
God's commanded a blessing. God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Man expressed his choice at the cross, and he said morally, he said we will not have this band to reign over us, not this man, but Barabbas. And we feel it as we look around in society more and more, that that's the cry of man's heart. But God's commanded a blessing. And so the source of our blessing is the setting aside of our own will and yielding to the good pleasure of God's will.
John 17, verse 24, The pleasure of His 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. For thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. What's it like to be brought into that position of being loved with Christ before the foundation of the world?
There is one who gives a little peek at it is proper bait and its wisdom.
And she says, Then I would buy him at one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men.
She was the closest to his heart.
Wisdom of God comes first.
No one ever could think of these things, but God did His wisdom.
And they lead up to the pull thing, redemption in Christ, children of God by faith, and he gives the faith.
Last to show that the full redemption is not until we have our bodies delivered and the Lord comes.
Then.
Like Harry Hale used to say, I'm half saved.
According to the Spirit.
We're already saved, but according to this body, we're not.
That's why Peter says we've received the end of our salvation. That's the salvation of our souls. But we haven't received the salvation of our bodies yet. There it is. Moreover, shall my flesh rest in hope. We lay a dear one in the grave, and they're absent from the body. The apostle Paul is unclothed. He's there in spirit, but his body's in a grave, waiting that happy resurrection mourn, and we're waiting for it too. He doesn't have that, the salvation of his body.
But the moment that a believer is saved, they're fit for meat for glory. That thief on the cross, he was fit for the presence of the Lord. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Today Thou shalt be with me in paradise. He was fit the moment he was meat for. But he, that thief's body, is in a grave somewhere, waiting that resurrection morning. There is another aspect of salvation. That's the salvation of our lives, and that's the practical side of it. We're saved by his life.
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Is that is that there is a man in the glory that walked in this pathway of faith perfectly to the glory of God, and he knows what all that this pathway entails and he's praying for us because he knows that we can have a saved soul and a lost life.
Well, it tells us now salvation nearer than when we believed. That's the salvation of the body.
But I think it's good to notice in our chapter here where we're reading that he says accepted in the beloved.
And if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, he doesn't put a period after beloved. It's all part of the same sentence as the next verse. Because it's in whom? In whom? We ask that in whom? In the beloved. Because it's the person that gives value to the work. Now, the blood of Christ is the grounds of it all. Someone has put it this way. Grace is the way, faith is the means, and the blood is the ground. But it's in whom? Because there's been much blood shed in this world. And I speak very guardedly.
There's been much bloodshed in this world, the blood of martyrs, the blood of nobles.
But only one could shed His blood to redeem my soul. And so it's in whom it's the person first, brethren.
That's what gives weight to the work. That is what gives value to the blood. It's in whom the Beloved and we have redemption through His blood. And oh brethren, let's never forget that. That's the ground of all our blessing. And when we finally join the redeemed around the throne in a coming day, and all the redeemed are giving glory and all creation gives honor to him, what is the theme of the Eternal song in that day?
What is the theme of heaven? It's unto Him. It's He's redeemed us by his blood.
Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, we're never going to forget for all eternity the value of the blood.
And let me just say this too, that my redemption does not depend on my.
Estimation or appreciation of the blood of Christ and when we we often quote that verse in Peter and when we quote it, we think perhaps of how precious the blood of Jesus is to us. And brethren, I trust it means everything to us. Is the blood of the mention of the blood of Jesus precious to your soul? Does it thrill your soul if it doesn't? I wonder if you've ever been redeemed by the blood of Christ. I wonder if you've ever had your sins washed away in his blood. But when it says they're in first Peter the precious.
Blood of Christ, that's not so much my value or estimation of it.
That's God's value. God looks at the blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary's cross.
And God says it's precious. The value of the blood of Christ today and for all eternity is the same as when it was shed over 2000 years ago on Calvary's cross. That blood is precious to the heart of God. And what thrills my soul is that my redemption is based on God's value of the blood of Christ. And it says they're not with corruptible things as silver and gold.
Because silver and gold changes in value. If we were to go to the papers tomorrow morning, when the stock markets in this world are Monday morning, when the stock markets in this world reopen, we may find that the value of silver and gold has changed considerably from when they opened last Monday. Those things fluctuate, but I'm not basing my redemption on something that fluctuates in value.
No, thank God. I'm basing my redemption on something that never changes in value. God says it's precious and I trust in some measure at least it's precious to your heart and mine you mentioned about.
This is not a class in in English grammar, but it's the word of God. Starting with the third verse of our chapter. There's only rightly 2 Periods, one at the end of the 14th verse.
And one at the end of the 23rd.
In the original, there is such a an intended continuity of thought as far as the outpouring of the heart of God that starting with the third verse through the 14th is 1 Continuous flow of God's purposes, and then starting with the prayer in the 15th verse. The prayer doesn't start in the 15th, but the subject of it does until the end of the chapter is another uninterrupted flow of of God's thoughts. So there's only two periods starting with the third verse, the end of the 14th and the end of the 23rd.
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What a flow uninterruptedly of God's purposes and part of love.
Redemption mentioned here in our chapter and it's looked at as one of our spiritual blessings. We have it.
Present possession, as has been mentioned, the redemption of the body, that installment we are waiting for, but we have it now through His blood. And then it goes on to say the forgiveness of sins. Redemption is the basis of all blessing. In Romans chapter three, I think it's verse 24 says being justified freely by His grace.
Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So we have not only redemption, we have forgiveness of sins, we have justification. What a what a wonderful display of the blessings. It's all based on God's.
Work of redemption. It's all based on his the demands of his own holy character have been fully met in that shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I can say before a holy God, I know I have the forgiveness of all my sins. What a blessing brother, and I must say.
I Sometimes we go to youth village and preach the gospel to the young people there, and sometimes into the prison.
Sometimes we pose the question to the people that are listening What do you have to do to get saved?
And the answer comes to so often it is striking. Brethren, all you have to do is just ask God for the forgiveness of your sins.
And I don't know if I surprised him or not, but I say, you know what? You don't even have to ask God for the forgiveness of your sins.
He's offering it to you. If you haven't accepted it yet as a free gift, the price has been paid.
Don't ask any longer, just accept it and say thank you to God for it. And if you look in Scripture, brethren, it is striking. Before the Lord Jesus died on the cross, he did teach the disciples in what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer to pray. Forgive us our sins as we also forgive our debtors. But if you look after the Lord died and paid that price of redemption in full.
You will never again find where we are told to ask for the forgiveness of sins. It is everyone that believes shall receive the forgiveness of sins through His name. All you have to do is accept it. Isn't it a wonderful blessing before a holy God? And I must say rather than it really is sad to see.
Many professing Christians.
Still praying. Forgive us our sins.
Do not they have the knowledge of full and free forgiveness? Just the other day down in Chile I was talking about this and a sister who has been a believer for many years came up to me. Well, when we sin as Christians, shouldn't we say, forgive me to the Lord?
And we turned up that verse in first John 19 says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No, you don't have to ask for forgiveness. He's willing to forgive. You don't have to ask for that. What He wants us to do when we send us believers is not to ask for the forgiveness of sins, it's to confess.
That sin we have committed and then he is faithful and just to forgive and decline.
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I think that's important, and I want to just illustrate it in a simple way, because really, the asking of forgiveness may in fact be a root of unbelief in my own heart. And if I may put it this way, supposing I stole $1000 off of you, brother?
Bob or maybe $10 off of you and I harbored in my thought. I wonder if you'll forgive me if I go and confess it to me now. I have absolutely no doubt that you would forgive me if I came to you.
But you know, there would be an obstacle between us. You would be concerned about me. You see me and you say, you know, in a blatant way, he stole $10 off of me. And there's been no repentance there. And I know your heart would be ready to forgive me. But there's been a breach in communion between us. And I'm sitting here saying, I wonder if Brother Bob would forgive me. I'm questioning the goodness of your heart.
And what I need to do is I need to see humility and grace go to you and own the sin is what I did and said, you know, Brother Bob, I stole $10 off of you and then I would discover what was in your heart. And the obstacle with the Sinner is not that God is unwilling or that the brethren even are unwilling to forgive us sin, but it's really to own the sin for what it is. And the great obstacle and breach and communion between brethren is not. And often people say, well, the brethren are very unforgiving. That is not so.
I mean, brethren can be unforgiving, but generally speaking that is not the difficulty. The difficulty is really getting before God and owning the thing for what it is.
And it really stems from unbelief. And I put the blame on you rather than take the matter before God and really get right in my soul before God about the matter. And so asking or questioning that God should forgive is really may stem from unbelief. Now it may be ignorance, as you say, of the simple truth of the gospel, but it may be far deeper and worse than that, it may really stem from unbelief that is in the goodness of the heart of God. When we talk about brothers forgiveness sometimes.
You hear the statement, Well, I forgive him, but I won't forget it. And really, that's not real forgiveness, is it? When God Forgives, how does he do it? According to the riches of His grace. And I love to think of it, brethren, what it says in Hebrews chapter 10, it's quoted a number of times in Scripture. He says their sins and their iniquities. I will remember no more.
In other words.
It indicates the way it states that makes that statement that every sin I ever committed was remembered once when Jesus was hanging on that cross and every sin was laid on him. He remembered him once. Now he says I'm not going to remember him anymore. And that's how I comfortable in the presence of God because I might rob you and you might forgive me.
But in your presence I would always feel like a forgiven thief. There'd always be that conscience in the back of my mind that I had once wronged you, but now there's no more conscience of sin. Because my grandmother had an expression, I forgive and forget, but I always remember. And it's interesting in connection with that verse you quote, God doesn't forget. That's human weakness. I forget things, the things I want to remember. I forget the things I don't want to remember. The one things I want to forget, those are the things I remember.
And so it's human weakness to forget. And it's interesting in that verse you quote, it doesn't say thy sins and iniquities. I will forget that human weakness, but remember no more. Only a divine person can choose not to remember. He doesn't forget them, but he chooses not to remember they're gone. And it says in Romans 5, much more than being justified by His blood. It's true we're forgiven sinners, but brethren, we're far, far more than forgiven sinners.
We're justified. We're brought into a position before God, seen in all the perfection and righteousness of Christ.
Where we can be completely comfortable in His presence, we can come into the light of God's holy presence, and we can be comfortable there because we know that our sins are gone in the blood of Christ. Not one charge will ever be raised.
Or ever be remembered by God now and for all eternity. The Lord Himself personally our righteousness.
It's not what He did that does that. It's not what He's doing now that does that. He is our righteousness. God never forgets.
My thought was connection with that expression in the seventh verse of our chapter.
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It says to the riches of his grace. Then in the next chapter it says the exceeding riches of his grace, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
See this in connection with forgiveness, it says in John, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And it's a cleansing from all unrighteousness that we see the grace of God and there is a forgiveness that is granted to us. But God has dealt with us according to wisdom and knowledge. And so if I borrowed money off of Brother Bob and never returned it, you know, and I never came back to him and I wanted to borrow money again or borrow his car. And he knew the last time I took it, I kind of made a mess of his car. He might say to me, Brother Neil, he says, I'll give you a drive.
And that would be great. And that really shows that he's forgotten the matter, that there's nothing harbored between us. But he's not going to be put me in the position of making the same mistake, a mess, making a mess of his car. And I think sometimes we say we do something foolish and the Lord forgives it. And I, I just take great joy and comfort off the words of the Lord in the cross. He said my foolishness was not hid from me, that he confessed my my foolishness as his own. And now he's dealing towards me in wisdom and grace and he doesn't deal with me as a Sinner.
He deals with me in grace so that I wouldn't get back into the same things I was in before.
Number one.
And.
Ephesians 1:8-
Reading
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Above and heavenly men by birth, who once were but the citizens of earth. As pilgrims here we seek a heavenly home. Our portion in the ages yet to come to 12.
No.
Where would you start?
Eight or 99 have.
And has a wonderful subject, the administration of the dispensation of the fullness of time. We haven't said anything about that. That's coming.
Ephesians chapter 8 or chapter one rather.
And we'll start with verse 8, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together and want all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the council of His own will.
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom He also trusted. After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
In whom also after that she believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of our purchased possession of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Him.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling.
And what the richest of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints? And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward, who believe according to the working of His mighty power?
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Are above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And that put all things under his feet, and gave him to be ahead the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him, that Philip All in all.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and God hasn't forgotten about that. And he had it in view the man that was going to reign in those places.
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And associate that's going to be with him for getting all this in this chapter.
Well, it's wonderful that Christianity is marked by intelligence because if you notice in the verse, we began with the eighth verse where He has abounded toward us in all wisdom. And if you notice Mr. Darby's translation and intelligence, and that's what marks Christianity. We sit here this afternoon and if we're taught by the Spirit of God from the Word of God, we can be more intelligent as to what's happening in this world. Intelligent, more intelligent than all the wise, worldly statesman.
Who are trying to figure out where things are heading, who recognize they're dealing with an interplay of economic and political and social forces that are beyond their control. They're trying to arrange everything on the world stage. But David said I have more understanding than all my teachers because I keep thy precepts. We can sit here and as taught by the Spirit of God from the Word, we can be intelligent as to God's purposes, his counsels.
Concerning the Church, concerning his Son, concerning that which is yet future prophetically His earthly people, and so on.
And it's a contrast between what you have in Christianity and in the Old Testament.
Because not only are we intelligent, has He given U.S. intelligence in these things, but He's abounded in in these things. Because in the Old Testament they did have to some degree intelligence as to the mind of God, but they really didn't understand many things. If you had stopped by and asked a priest in the Old Testament who was conducting the service of the Tabernacle, why they did certain things, why when you offer certain sacrifices, do you have to do certain things?
And why do you not do certain things in the worship of God? And what does this mean? And what does that mean? Well, all he could really tell you was, well, this is the way it's been established. And if we don't carry it out as to the mind of God, there's very stiff penalties connected with it. But it really wasn't an intelligence service. We see with Nadab and Abayu, they offered strange fire and God slew them. That was why they did what they did, out of fear mostly.
There were those whose hearts responded. I don't mean that, but it was. It was done because it was required.
Not because there was real understanding, but is that the way it is in Christianity?
No, He's abounded to us in all wisdom and intelligence. So we can sit here with the Word of God before us and we can be intelligent. We don't have to wonder as to the purposes of God. We don't have to wonder, brethren, as to our position and Our Calling and what's ahead for us.
We don't even have to wonder what's ahead for this world. The newspapers may make all kinds of speculations.
And wonder what's going to happen. We see it all clearly revealed from the mind of God to us, and He's given us the capacity to take it in. He's given us the Spirit of God to make it good to our souls. And He wants us to be intelligent as to our standing, as to our position, and as to His counsels regarding His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That relates to every believer in the Lord Jesus. He's abounded toward us in all wisdom and intelligence. It's not something for just certain brethren and others don't have it. There may be a gift to give out the Scriptures, but there's never a gift in the way. It is a gift to teach. There's never a gift to learn. And it's interesting because I found off times.
There are sisters that are very intelligent in the ways of God.
Because they take time to meditate the Word of God. The lack is not on God's part, brethren. Lack is in our part. Do we take time to read, To meditate the Word of God? He's abounded toward us in all wisdom and intelligence. Does that not mean anything? Oh, brethren, the privilege of sharing God's thoughts about the world we are passing through.
What a privilege it is. And we look over in the Middle East and we see Israel and the struggle to try to come to some agreement with the Palestinians. We know from Scripture there cannot be any agreement or cessation of bloodshed until Jesus comes again to reign supreme. God has a controversy with those Palestinian people.
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As a controversy with the Jewish people for the awful crime they committed. And it will not end until the Lord Jesus comes back again. Isn't it wonderful that we can have God's thoughts about it and see how things are going through this world?
We could forgive me for breaking in.
In fact, when you referred us to the first verse of the Bible in the beginning.
God created the heavens and the earth.
And isn't that wonderful to think that he speaks about? The first he mentions is the heavens and then the earth.
It was ever in the mind of God that the heaven should reign over the earth. And you follow the Scriptures all the way through from beginning to the end, and the thought of God, thought of the mind of God, is carried out. We find it in in the closing chapters of Scripture. We find the heavenly scene for you.
The heavenly scene in the beginning, God created the heavens and your well, you and I by grace, we're going to be in that heavenly, we're going to be up there with Christ. How wonderful. I'm glad you brought us back or Clem said, because that is there's we see that in mystery form now looking back, but with intelligence. And you'll notice in the first verse that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But look at the fourth verse.
It was on the 4th day that the sun was made to rule the day and the moon was made to rule the night.
And so the revelation of the source of that sun, when he was in the world, he was the light of the world. That's why John said this is the true light that coming into the world lighteth every man. It was there from eternity, but it was revealed now with the source of that light was the person of the sun. And then the moon, the councils of God, as with respect to the Church, was revealed after 4000 years in the world history. And so we see that God has a purpose.
As our brothers brought out heavenly purpose and an earthly blessing and we miss that if we don't see Christ in the Scriptures, all the scriptures.
And I just want to take us back to what our brother Doug was saying about seemeth to have. When we start looking in scriptures to prove things, Faith doesn't need things proved to us. We learn from scripture. But if I believe the creation record because I pick up some science book and it proves it to me, I have not received it in a right way, I will seem to have it. I may believe the same as you, but if you've received something by faith and I believe something because it's been proven to me, I seem to have the same thing you do, but it'll be taken away.
There's a second caution there in connection with that verse. Take heed what you hear. For him that hast shall more be given, and to him that hath not shall be taken away, even that which he doesn't seem to have, but what he has. And if we read that which is not consistent with the truth of God, we read campus ministry, we will lose what we have. But I just wanted to point that out in connection with the beginning here, because now in Christianity it is revealed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world.
If he had not come, he had not had sinned. The fact that man was really a Sinner was not really fully revealed until the Son of God came into the world.
Councils of God in connection with the church were not revealed until the Son of God came into the world and they were made known, and now they've been made known to us.
Christianity is we know, we know. Let's just read the next to the last verse of first John.
520 It's a wonderful verse. It tells us many of the things that have been said here.
Well, I'll read the last two verses. You can read 3 if you want to, but I'll read the two. And we know that we are of God.
That's born again.
And the whole world lies in the wicked one.
And we know. KNOW is what Doctor Brown used to say. We know.
That the Son of God is come. Isn't that a strange form of the verb? Is this present and come is right to us and it's still true. We know that the Son of God is come. He knows the next thing and have given us an understanding. We've been talking about understanding intelligence. Where did it come from? God gave it. It's revealed in this word.
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And.
We know him, that is true.
We know him, that is true. Only one of those persons.
And we are in him that is true. That's in Christ. We've been enjoying so much in our epistle, for in him that is true.
Even in his son Jesus Christ, it's confirmed there.
This is the true God. This is the only true God.
Now little children, keep yourselves from idols. Don't get any other focus.
Over what you said, I say Amen to it. But would you go over again about little children? Keep yourselves from idols?
About 10 words, but if you want to use 30 and say it again, it'll be all right. When did I say that? Just now. Just now, But you should remember that.
Well, I'll put it in my words. I remember a very invigorating.
Meeting that a brother had who's now with the Lord, that brought out a practical aspect of keeping from the idols of this world, and I said Amen.
But I don't say Amen as far as what this verse means. This verse.
Means that there are so many idols that would supplace.
Supplant the person of Christ, the true God, and if we want the practical aspects.
Of idols, let's go elsewhere, but not in this verse.
Find where it says, having made known unto us the mystery of His will.
We have had a number of times, in fact we started this morning in our prayer meeting. Have I an object? Lord below and just like to make the comment that unlike us, God is totally sufficient in Himself.
He does not have to have anything.
He's completely and totally complete within himself without the need of anything outside of himself. But we are not. God has made us in such a way that we must have something outside of ourselves that we focus on, and that's what we call an object.
But blessed be God, he has chosen to form objects for his own pleasure.
That exist outside of himself. And he created us and he set his love upon us. And he said of all the things that I created. We talk about the heavens and the earth and the animals and the land and the sea and even the angels, which are objects too of his interest. But in a particular and special sense, God has said man is to be the object that I'm going to focus on.
And I'm going to set my love upon.
But then, even before this world began, God realized in his foreknowledge.
That there would be sin come into the creation.
And so God in his love for the objects that he was going to create.
Says I'll send my son.
That he might come into the creation to meet the need of the objects of my love.
Because I love them and I'm going to bless them and I'm going to bring them into a relationship with myself that will satisfy me.
And will satisfy them.
And so, God having sent his beloved Son into the world, he.
Meets the need of the objects of His love, which in their sinful condition, and in order to do it, He goes all the way to death.
And we see it in chapter one here that he dies in this world and sheds his precious blood, the blood of redemption. And then he raises his son from the dead and sets him at his own right hand in the glory, his beloved son. He's so pleased with him in all that he's done. He says, all the objects of my love I'm going to bring into blessing in association with my beloved son.
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And that's what this chapter is much about.
The fact that we, the objects of the love of God, are brought, how could God bring us into relationship even though he loved us?
In His great grace and in the riches of that grace, he reaches out and he says, through my son, through my son, I can bring you in, my beloved one, into nearness to myself and in the enjoyment of myself, and I can give you an object that you can enjoy. As I enjoy the same. We can enjoy the one same object together for eternity. And that's my son. And He brings us into that blessing and it totally satisfies. And we talk about the present day and staying out of the world and this and that and the other.
Well, how does God present it to us here? He says, well, my son's in heaven, and he's the delight of my heart. And by implication, of course, peace of delight to your heart too. And so why aren't you taking up with the world all the object of your loves in heaven?
We know what that's like in natural things. A young man, he gets in love with a girl and he says you ask him a question and the next thing you know, he's talking about the one he loves. Where is she? And he tells you where she is. And that's where his interest is, and that's where his heart is. And that's what he thinks about. And God says, I put Christ in your hearts and where is he? Well, he's in my presence. And in fact, I can't leave you on the earth because that's not where he is.
So I'm going to take you right where he is so that we can enjoy him together in his present place.
And now your heart can be occupied with Him. And one thing that really touches my heart, brethren, that we're not going to get there in this reading. And so I'm just going to reach ahead to share it with you. In chapter 2. It starts out the objects of His love. And when He sets His love upon us, what's our condition, Dad?
Man, how can you start with a dead object? What can you do with something that's dead? If you set your life and your heart on something that's dead, what good is it? Absolutely none, because you have no power to change it. You can't affect life out of death, but that's where man is.
God starts with, as it were, those who are dead, and he says, well, I've got to do something about it.
And what does he do?
He took his own son, who came in Redemption's work and enters into death.
And he says, I'm not going to leave him in death. And so he quickens his Son as a man. That's what quickening really means. It's not the same as new birth in John 3. Quickening is to take something that is dead and bring it back to life. And so God takes his Son, the Lord Jesus, and he brings them back to life and he takes them to the glory to honor him in all that he's done. And now he says, I want you there too. And so it says in chapter 2.
And this is what really touches my heart in verse five. We were dead in sins. He hath quickened us.
Together with Christ, that is, He says, I'll raise you too from this state of death into which you are, that I might take you where he is. And so in that second chapter he raises us up, and we sit down together in heavenly places in Christ, no longer dead in trespasses and sins, but now seated with our beloved, His beloved, our object, His object for eternity.
And he says, I know in body and in life you're still on earth, but in spirit and in the enjoyment of it, in my heart, in my purposes, you're right there and you can enjoy it with me. Now don't wait. And all, brethren, don't wait.
Well, I remember your grandfather-in-law.
Saying to us God is sufficient.
In himself, except for objects upon which to display his love.
In some way he was sufficient for that because he so he made them. And so we read in first Corinthians 15 the 1St man is of the earth earthy, the 2nd man is the Lord from heaven.
The first man was made a living soul, the second one a quickening spirit. That's what you're telling us, Don. And it's true. What a wonderful thing, God, it seems to me now this is just my own thoughts, that God always had his Son, the 2nd man, in his thoughts, in his presence, He always did.
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And yet, in order to be a second man, there had to be a first.
So Adam's race was made, and we're still part of that.
But God has taken over and done all that you have said. That's really lovely.
So the Bible we have is the story of these two men.
And it begins with the story of two places we've enjoyed so much.
The truth of the Church.
Quicken raised up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
So rich and so full, but.
We get down to the eighth verse and we have another thought of God.
The dispensation of the fullness of times. He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. You know this is coming.
What would you say about that, Stan? What is the difference? Ask a question. Tell us when that's going to be.
Well, the current is the events of of prophecy before the day of eternity.
Well, it mentioned dispensation in a simple way. We've been taught that there are seven of them there. There may be seven, there may be more, but there are periods of time when God deals with the race in a certain way.
If you want to call innocence a dispensation, it's a short one.
But it was one test of man, the first one.
And of those two boys?
When we come to the dispensation of the fullness of time.
That is it not. It's the millennial, it's the millennial glory when God is. You're going to put everything under Christ in the millennial scene.
And we're going to share it with them.
That is the inheritance we're going to he's going to share the inheritance with us. Mr. Darby is very clear. He says it's not the eternal state. It's not eternal. It's not the eternal state, it's the Kingdom, isn't it? Yes, the millennial glory of Christ God has put is going to bring everything together. In fact, right from the beginning, the scriptures all look forward to that coming to that looks forward to that coming day. Everything is going to be put under Christ and we're but he's not going to take it until he has you and me with him.
We're all good. He's going to have us all there with him in that day, and he's going to share it with us. He's going to share the inheritance with you and I. Oh, the wonder of his love. Oh, how wonderful. Yeah, well, I remember an old hymn we used to say we'd love to sing it. There are treasures, I'm told, in that city of gold.
But what will it be to see Jesus? What will it be?
The procedures well thanks be under which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You talk about death, God could do something about that, and we've been reading about that.
We've had the 19th verse and enjoyed it so much. What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us? Word who believed according to the working of His mighty power, which He brought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at his heavenly places in Christ. We're set there.
We've enjoyed that so much. You can't. It's going to run on forever, but there's going to be.
A dispensation for the Earth.
That's the millennial Kingdom.
When Christ will come back and take his rightful place on earth.
Unrighteousness.
When righteousness reigns, it'll dwell in the eternal state, but it'll reign in the Kingdom, period.
But he won't take it. He has us there with him. Certainly won't. He won't. When God created man, He first created the heavens and the earth and so on. And then he said he creates the animals and so on, and he places them on the earth. And then he says, I'm going to have somebody in charge. And he creates man and he places man on the earth in his image and his likeness.
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And says to man, you're responsible. All of this is under your dominion.
And so man as God created and places him in dominion over the earth, and then Satan comes along and Satan acts and he causes, he entices man. Man acts in rebellion and unbelief against God, and he sins. And as it were at that point, Satan could mock God and say, what's man? What's this one you put in creation? Look what a mess that you've made of your work, and it's all spoiled.
And so God is dishonored and you might say, now what can God do? He's dishonored in his own creation by his own head man, that he's put over everything. And so the question could truly be asked, what's man that you're mindful of him? Why don't you just destroy that which you made that you spoiled that that is that your head over it all has spoiled for you and messed it up, but all the councils and purposes of God.
God, knowing all things ahead of time and before all this happened, could say, I have a man. I have a man. And in man that you say has dishonored and spoiled it all in my man, I'm going to honor myself. And so the sun comes into the creation, and he says, here am I, I come to do thy will, Oh my God.
And we see that perfect life of man manifested in the sun, and it goes all the way to the cross. And at the cross, the whole basis that all of mankind could be blessed is worked out in that work at the cross. And God is so highly honored in a man. He says he's not just going to be over the earth in the my purposes and counsels. He's going to be over everything that I've ever created.
Not just earth, but the things over the earth, the heavens.
The earth, the things under the earth, this man is worthy of everything. Satan is defeated with the great defeat and, and God is honored with great honor. And now in this man, God says, I'm going to head up everything. And that's the dispensation of the fullness of times with respect to the created everything. And so he says, I'm putting this man over heaven, I'm putting this man over earth. I'm putting this man over the things that are under the earth.
And he does so, and in that we see it displayed. I think that's the moral intent of it all. We see the display of it in the Millennium because at that time, in the sequence of time, that's when we see this man on the earth, we ourselves are going to be with him in the heavenly glory over which He presides. His earthly creature, his earthly portion of his manhood creation is going to be here on the earth, and he's going to reign over everything.
In heaven and in earth, and we are going to be, as our brother Clem already mentioned, twice. He wouldn't be satisfied except those who are part of his heavenly glory will be there with him, and that is ourselves in His blessed presence.
And what the Lord said, Jesus said.
To Nathaniel in the last verse of John One.
It's the most excellent verse.
The last verse of John One. It's very brief.
And he said unto him, Jesus said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
Then there's hereafter. That's a big word hereafter.
Ye shall see heaven open.
And the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. God gave the full victory in the Son of Man. And he set up, as you've just said, over everything, heaven and earth, angels over everything. God is the victor. Satan is defeated, cast out before we get on in, catching with what our brother Don has said.
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In Billets book on the moral glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, if I remember it may be on the first page he makes this statement which I think is a quote from someone else.
Man is more to God through the fall and the work of Christ.
Than they would have been through an eternity of Adam innocency.
That's AI don't know where he got it. I searched the Darby disk and maybe others know where where it's still true. Man is going more to God through the fall and the work of Christ than he would have been through an eternity of Adam innocency and and what Don has said I simply add Amen Amen offering trespass offering and if something was taken a fifth part was to be added to it.
And he said, then restored I that which I took not away, and what he restored, what the Lord restored to God.
Was more than what Adam took away and I enjoyed the way that it was phrased because the Millennium is not a test of man, but it's a display of God.
The test of man was over at the cross when man said away with this man. We will not have this man to reign over us. And God says, I'm going to display what things are going to be like in this world. The trees are going to clap their hands for joy. The animals are going to rejoice. They groan and wait for the manifestation of the Son of God.
And it's really the thought of propitiation is that he has satisfied God.
With respect to the entire sin question is that God is satisfied and God is honored and God is glorified.
In connection with the entire sin question, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin, not the sins, but the sin of the whole world.
We've never known Jesus as our Savior if sin hadn't come in.
Never known God as our Father.
God has in the most marvelous way he's rocked. I was thinking about how another comment Mr. Bellat, he says when when man sinned and lost everything, his right to live here on this earth. Death has come in the day that they'll eat us around. Thou shalt surely die and which is only too true, but.
The Lord has What does God do?
When man has sinned and lost everything, he opens up heaven to him. He opens up heaven and that's where you and I are going to spend eternity with that, with that blessed One and our as new creation and new creation. It's not going to be the first man made over. It's going to be Christ. We're going to have bodies just like, just like the Lord Jesus, just like that blessed life.
We're going to be like him. We're going to be, we're going to be like him. We're going to be with him or we shall see him as he is.
Well, it's all going to be on the grounds of redemption. We spoke of redemption this morning in connection with our redemption, how that we through that blood, we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins. But there's a day coming, brethren, too, when he's going to come, who's right? It is. And it's going to be not just his right as to being Creator. That's true. That's Revelation 4, his right and title to reign as Creator.
But there's something even deeper and fuller, and that's Revelation 5. It's his right and title as to redemption.
It was mentioned when John the Baptist saw him walking, he said, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And that hasn't happened yet. He's purchased the the world, but he hasn't taken it in redemption because to redeem is more than to buy. We sometimes say to redeem is to buy back, but really it's more than that. To redeem is to buy something back, to set it, set it free.
And that hasn't happened regards this world yet. The whole creation growneth and travaileth in pain, waiting for that time when there will be a setting free. Then this world is going to feel in a coming, is not going to feel in a coming day the effects of the curse and of sin the way it does now. It's true. It won't be an absolute perfect state of things. Righteousness will not dwell, it will only rain. The serpent will still eat dust.
Sin will be judged every morning. But what I want to say, brethren, is that the heart of God will never be satisfied until His Son has His rightful place, not just in heaven, but on this earth. Because the one that honored God here as a man in this world was dishonored by his creature. And at the end of it all, they took him and rewarded him with a crown of thorns and beat it into his blessed brow. And the last glimpse this world got of God's beloved Son.
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God's man was hanging on a cross of shame, awarded with that which was a result of the curse, a crown of thorns. But just take a moment and go over to Revelation 19 and see the next glimpse this world is going to get of God's man, Revelation 19.
And verse 11 And I saw 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 were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew, but He himself. And so when the heavens open up to reveal the Lord Jesus again to this world, they're not going to see him coming in loneliness and grace. They're not going to see Him as the man of.
With the crown of thorns, they're going to see him, brethren, crowned with many crowns, or if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, many diadems. The word that's used here is only used three times in Scripture and it's used three times in Revelation. And we won't go into it. It's suffice it to say that the thought in the original is that which is worn by right entitle as by royal birth. You know, the Queen of England wears a crown not because she earned it, but because she was born into the British royal family.
And so the Lord Jesus is coming whose right it is, and he's going to be wearing many diadems. That is, no one will question in that day his right to take up every aspect of the work that is yet future. That is the work of executing righteous judgment, because all judgment has been committed to the Son. And I say God's heart will never be satisfied till His Son is fully vindicated on this globe where he was spit on.
And crowned with a crown of thorns. And we see not yet all things put under him. He does not have his rightful place yet. He's still the song of the drunkard. He's still on the lips of the cursor. He does not have his rightful place. And let's be careful, brethren, that there is no thought even in corners of our hearts as to this being the reigning time now. It's not. We're following David, a rejected Christ. That's what the life of David brings before us. This is not the Solomon character of Christ yet when He takes the throne of His glory.
But oh, what a day it's going to be. The heart of God, brethren, is going to rejoice when His Son has his rightful place and is vindicated. Not just have his rightful place in heaven, but on earth. And it ought to rejoice our hearts, and we ought to love his appearing.
Brother Clem, you mentioned about John's Gospel chapter one, the last verse here after so you see the Son of God.
Angels of God ascending and descending.
That was.
His answer to Nathaniel's query.
Is there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And this was God's answer. Is there any good thing come out of Nazareth and the Lord? And the Lord's answer is here. After you shall see the heavens open, and the angels of God, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. It succeeds this in Revelation 19. There are actually four times in Scripture when it speaks of heaven opened.
And the first one is in Matthew 3 when Jesus as.
Man came up out of the waters of baptism.
And heaven opened to look down there and see that man in whom heaven?
Was well pleased. The next time was when?
Stephen was murdered.
And he went up to heaven, and heaven was opened to receive.
Him and his remark was I.
See Jesus in the glory.
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Now he's waiting to take the possession, and that's the 19th chapter of Revelation. But the display of it is back to Nathaniel. Hereafter he shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending in perfect reproach upon a man, the Son of Man. Everything has been put down by then.
That's where man in God's purpose ends up. That's Jesus, the Son of Man.
That shows that there will be communication far more open away in the millennial day between heaven and earth than there is today. Who of us have seen an Angel? I don't know. We can any of us say. But in that day there will be free communication between heaven and earth.
Yes, in Psalm 2 There's a verse I'd like to read in connection with our verses here in Ephesians. One, that's what the Lord is told.
By Jehovah Psalm one verse seven, I will declare the decree, the Lord. That's Jehovah, that said unto me, Thou art my son. This day have I begotten thee.
This is incarnation. Then he says, Ask of Maine, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. So here we have the.
Inheritance spoken of and it's mainly here in connection with the Earth which was in view.
In Israel.
But it's something that he asks.
And receives from God his Father. And to bring that over now to Ephesians chapter one and verse 10 and 11. I would think that we could say in verse 10 we have the widest view of the inheritance in the whole of Scripture. In verse 10, every created thing in heaven and on earth.
Every created thing is part of His inheritance. And then it goes on to say, and this is something to enjoy, brethren, in whom also verse 11 we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the council of His own will.
So this inheritance is not exactly the same as the blessings that are ours.
Because the blessings that are ours are ours right now and will be ours forever.
They are spiritual, but here we are dealing with heaven and earth, material things as well.
They are going to be brought under the direct control of the Lord Jesus Christ and we will have a place in that inheritance with Christ. And I think if we can learn to enjoy this, brethren, every created thing is part of our inheritance, it will free us from the materialism of the day in which we live. Why in the world am I going to struggle?
To make a big bank account and accumulate things down here when I'm going just in a few short years to inherit every created thing together with Christ. All we need is a little to pass through this light, brethren, We don't really need that much. I have to confess I'm an awful pack rat and I'm ashamed that how much stuff.
I've accumulated. But oh brethren, to get a glimpse of what's ahead. Every created thing is part of that inheritance that we are going to enjoy together with Christ. One other thing.
And it is. We are called joint heirs with Christ. That means that we're not going to separate it out and say, Jim, there's your part and mine's over here.
No, we're going to enjoy it all together. That's what the thought is in joint airs. Every created thing. Oh, brethren, this is something that's still future. Because as Jim mentioned.
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The creation is under the ******* of corruption now it's groaning. That's not the way God's going to give that inheritance to his son.
It's going to be purged by judgment and there will be a.
Creation that will be completely freed from the ******* of corruption.
That's the creation we will. That's the inheritance we will enjoy with Christ, and we're going to enjoy it because of our relationship to the Lord Jesus, to Christ. There's a person in the White House today, today, who's there not because they were elected to office, but because of their relationship to the president of the United States. And that person, of course, is his wife. And what would you think of a president being elected?
To office and moving into the White House and his wife didn't move in with him. No, he doesn't take office. He doesn't go move into the White House without his wife at his side. And what would you think too, as he took office and began to perform the official duties of the country? And you never saw, as his picture splashed across the American press, you never saw his wife at his side or having an apart in the administration at least some of the time.
Think of it, He's going to take it and He's going to reign supreme, and He's going to have his rightful place, but He's not going to do it without His bride at his side. We're going to come forth with him again. We won't go back to it. But in Revelation 19, as the heavens open up, not only does He come forth, but He comes forth with his own. And brethren, we are going to reign with Christ. Why do we want to reign now without Christ? Do we want to, so to speak, reign without the King?
That was the rebuke to the Corinthians. Let's go back to the illustration of the president and his wife. What would you think of a president-elect whose wife tried to take possession of the White House before her husband took office, tried to move in while her husband was still home in whatever town or city they came from? What you'd say that's out of order? She can't do that. She's only there because of the relationship to her husband and brethren. Are we trying to reign now? Are we trying to take possession of the inheritance now?
Without the Lord Jesus, that's what a lot of people are doing. I'm going to be very blunt. A lot of Christians will tell you this is the reigning time now, and we need to get out and take possession of these things. Oh, brethren, let's just go on quietly following a rejected Christ. You think of those who associated with David in The Cave of Adalam and as he fled as a bird to the mountain. Was it conditions that were conducive to their liking or what they were perhaps used to? No. Why did they do it?
Oh, they said, if we sleep with David in The Cave of Abdullah.
Stand with him in the palace. They were looking forward to the time when David, as the Lord's anointed, would take the Kingdom, and they would be associated with them. But you don't read of those men marching into Jerusalem and trying to take the possession of the Kingdom before the time. No, they were content by faith to follow David in his rejection, Looking forward to the time when David would reign. Brethren, that ought to be our attitude and our position now as to this world.
Let's be content to go on following a rejected Christ, knowing that when He takes possession of the inheritance and has His rightful place in every eye sees him. He's coming to be glorified in His Saints and admired in all them that are about Him in that day. They'll look on and they'll see us there, and they'll see a perfect reflection of Christ in every St. in that day.
Wonder if you would have liberty before we go on to you made the comment Jacob's ladder, and there were some heads nodding. It's a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus, I think. Would you have liberty or brother to just for a moment expand on that in relation to what the Lord told Nathaniel in John chapter one, which has already been referred to. Perhaps it would be good for us.
Reminded younger ones here too about that beautiful Old Testament picture.
My memory as to the specific chapter 28, Genesis chapter 28 and starting probably in verse 11 or 12.
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And I don't mean to be humorous. Just because someone can mention a certain portion doesn't mean that they're qualified to say anything more about it than just that. But in the chapter 28.
Jacob went out from Beersheba and went towards Heron, and lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold the angels of God ascending and descending upon it.
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac the land worm, the Elias. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the east, and to the north and to the South, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.
And it will bring thee again into this land, For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of at this juncture.
In God's dealings with Jacob, he gives him following the the latter episode, which is clearly.
Access forward and backwards and then he gives him the the assurance.
Of all of the land. But it shows Jacob's spirit down in the 21St that even though God had so plainly stated the case, if God will be with me and will keep me so that I come again to my father's house. So it shows that even though there was an experience in Jacob's life, experience of first the vision and then of the direct Speaking of God to him, it would require much further development.
In his life, for him to be at ease about what God was doing in his life, you may expected something more, but that's that's all I have to say at the moment.
To the second Psalm that Brother Bob referred to because the sun is mentioned twice. It's interesting. I think it's Bella that points this out, but kissed his son lest he be angry with either word. Son, there is Chaldean. Chaldean because it's universal there. Every man is going to be brought under the dominion of the Son of Man.
And when it says thou art my son this day have begotten me as Hebrew, and we get the only reason I mention that is because we are coming into the Jew and the Gentile. But the Jews pre trusting in Christ in our chapter and the thought of the universal dominion of the Son of man, We won't turn to it, but in Revelation 11, the remnant of men that have that are on the earth, they give glory to the God of heaven.
But when it is announced that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, the nations became angry and the lonum is the God of heaven, but they won't own him as the God of earth. And so he's going to be given his rightful place to run a rule over the heavens and the earth.
Well, he's working things after the council of his own will, and I think it was already mentioned in passing in these meetings. But again, I believe it's something good to get a hold of in our souls because it gives us real peace and confidence to go on in a world where everything seems out of control. And isn't that the way it sometimes seems? Everything seems out of control. But brethren, God is working everything up to in view of this purpose.
This in the dispensation of the fullness of time, he's going to gather all things in one, even in Christ.
And everything that's happening on the world stage, everything that's happening regards to this world today, God is looking forward to that time. And God's purposes, as have already been mentioned, will never be frustrated. I've often had my purposes frustrated. Sometimes I purpose to go to a Bible conference like this and something came in and I never got to that Bible conference. Sometimes perhaps we have some purpose in connection with our family and our household.
But maybe that purpose never comes to fruition. Circumstances come in to frustrate our purposes and our councils. But brethren, everything that man does, he's just a puppet in God's hand. Isn't that a comfort? Men on the world stage today all they may think that through their cleverness and their peace packs and their summits and their negotiations, they may think they're working it all out and arranging it by their own devices and their own intellect.
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In the final analysis, they can only go as far as God allows them to go to accomplish His purposes. But not only does He have a purpose, the purpose of which we've been speaking, but it's a purpose of blessing because we might have a purpose.
I might have some purpose in connection with my family, but in the long run it might be just to get something for myself. It might really be a, a selfish motive, maybe not really for the good of my, my family. But his purposes, brethren are not only purposes, but their purposes of blessing. And everything is going to be blessed in the coming day. He's going to come forth. God's man is going to come forth. And is there going to be blessing for this earth?
Indeed there is. Just read the 4th chapter of Revelation before the judgments fall.
What do you find? You find God looking on to the end result because even in judgment, His purposes are for blessing. And there's a rainbow around the throne like unto an emerald that thrills my soul before the judgments are poured out. It's just as if He says I'm looking beyond the judgments and I'm looking to the ultimate blessing, the fulfillment of my purposes, when my son will have His rightful place and everything will be brought in to blessing and conformity.
And gathered around his son, brethren, his son is going to be the center of everything. And Jerusalem is going to be the capital, the metropolis of the world. Not Washington DC, not Ottawa, Canada, not Paris or London or any of the great celebrated capitals of this world today. No, His son is going to be the center of everything. Jerusalem is going to be the metropolis of the world. And all, as we said earlier, God's heart will finally be satisfied. But all I just say, let's get a hold of this in our souls now.
He's working all things after the counsel of his own will, and nothing can frustrate or change that counselor purpose.
That are saved now they're pre trusting in Christ because the nation will be born in a day and our brother correctly distinguished between new birth and quick thing. We were dead in our trespasses and sins without hope and without God in this world. There were a people in relationship to God, but they needed to be born anew and that's why he said art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things got it, but help us generally to know where you got that pre trusted.
Well, it's it's in our chapter here first trusted. It's from Mr. Darby's translation.
12 First, they first trusted in pre, trusted in Christ, because the nation, we've got a beautiful picture there in Isaiah, the last chapter of Isaiah, it says there's a noise in the city. Who's ever heard of such a thing that a woman has labor pains, but the child is already born?
Now any woman that's had labor pains knows what they're like and after the child is born.
The labor pains passed, but Israel is going to have labor pains 2000 years after the birth of the child.
That's Isaiah and what is going to happen. There's going to be a nation born in a day. The whole all of Israel is going to according to God is going to be born. They were in a relationship to God, but he came onto his own and his own received him not. They needed new life. We were Gentiles without hope and without God in this world.
And he quickened us because we were dead in our trespasses and sins. But it's a beautiful thing where you see there what is going to happen to Israel in that day. But there are Jews who have pre trusted before.
The revival of Israel there are Jews that have pre trusted like the apostle Paul and that's why he said we.
And you, because the you is us Gentiles, and the we are Jews. If you're a Jew here today and you've trusted in Christ, you've trusted before your nation.
Mr. Darby says in Hebrew, end of enter in terms of that word pretrusted. He says if I he himself is not in it wasn't in the English language, but he himself sort of brought that in there in order to make him here. The question that was brought up here a little bit ago, will there be just by way of a few excuse me, will there be a, a better controversy, a better?
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What Jimmy's saying you have better intercourse between the heavenly scene and the earthly scene in the coming day.
Mr. Hale used to like to speak about that very thing in the millennial if we turn to the book of Hosea, just the book of Hosea and.
Jose, Chapter one.
Before we get Daniel Hosea chapter one.
And 21St verse well, he's speaking about the blessing that he's going to bring his people to Israel into twenty 20th worst. He says, I will even be through thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord.
Oh, I'm sorry, Chapter 2. I'm sorry. Yes, and it shall come to pass in that day. I will hear, saith the Lord. I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth.
And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil, And they shall hear Jezreel, And I will soar unto me in the earth. Well, those, the corn and the wine and the oil, they speak of earthly blessing. That's probably a bit better than e-mail.
Oh my.
What I'd like to go back to the heavenly sightings for a moment, because I think it's quite important in the Ephesians, and that is.
What was particularly on the heart of the apostle of all the blessings in the heavenly places in Christ?
Is the fact that that is particularly our blessing is heavenly in character and so we're raised up together with him in the heavenlies in Christ in chapter 2, and as a result of that the enemy.
Our present enemy to the enjoyment of these things in Ephesians is not the world, it is not the flesh. It's the one who has access to heaven. Who?
Is at war with God to keep God's Son from having his place in heaven as well as we dwelled on quite a bit his place on earth and that is in Ephesians chapter 6 when it brings before us the present armor that is needed for us to enjoy these things. There's nothing about the flesh. There's nothing that's the problem with the flesh is taken up in Romans and the war with it's there in Colossians we have the earth.
Or the world, if you will, and the conflict in with the world is given to us in Colossians.
But here in Ephesians, where it's our heavenly blessing in Christ and our heavenly portion in Him, the enemy of our souls is Satan.
In chapter 6, just to read a verse, we're not going to get there in these readings, but in chapter 6 and where we put on the whole armor of God, it says that He may be able to stand against the Wiles of the world of the flesh. No, of the devil and the primary effort of the devil.
To keep us from the enjoyment of these things is, in one way or another, to attack our faith.
It's already been said we enjoy these things by faith, and Satan attacks us on the point of faith.
To rob us of the present enjoyment of them and a comment about the dispensation of the fullness of times, we've gone to Revelation 19. But when you see this side of it, you go to Revelation 12 and there's Satan in heaven at war with God to prevent the sun from having the fullness of times, of having the heavens and the earth, and actually the first business of the day of the Lord.
In which these things take place and are accomplished to bring us to the millennial glory. The first act in the war in heaven is to cast out Satan, and that's chapter 12 of Revelation. And so Satan is then seen on earth as the last stand that he has. And so he raises up as his last battleground the beast and the false prophet on the earth. And he, the beast, the false prophet, stand on earth in opposition.
Because now heaven, if you will, the man crowned with glory and honor that we see now by faith is also, you might say, in possession of the heavens where we're seated at that point in time. But still there's the earth to be submitted to. And so you have in the chapters which follow the last effort of Satan to to withstand God taking possession of the earth through his Son, and he takes it, and then we have the Lord coming out of heaven.
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Satan, the peace, the false prophet are put down all the armies that oppose him, and the Lord then reigns in righteousness and so on. But just the importance, brethren, of making sure we lay hold of the heavenly side of it and the conflict that is now taking place against us to keep us from enjoying these things is Satan and the issue of faith. That's important because our wicked man, that he is Osama bin Laden.
Is not our enemy now.
I mean, the wicked man that he is, art, that which opposes us is Satan attacking us and the worst that man can do to us. That's why you wrestle not against flesh and blood. I knew a cab driver and a friend of his was also a cab driver in London and he got a seat, jumped into the car and held a knife to his neck to slit his throat. And he said, go ahead, slit my throat and send me straight to heaven.
And Mr. Darby was once asked if he would go to war, and he said that wouldn't be fair. He said if I shoot my enemy, he goes straight to hell, and if he shoots me, I go straight to heaven. Our conflict is not with men, our conflict against spiritual wickedness. And so Satan is attacking the person of the person and work of Christ. That is why when Peter savored the things that were of men and not of God, he turned and rebuked Peter after his wonderful confessions that get thee behind me, Satan.
And so when you have that which is introduced that attacks the person work of Christ, his origin is Satan. And where there is that which attacks the Lord's authority, it is a work of Satan. The Lord is in the midst of His people now acting, and Satan would seek to undermine the rightful place that Christ has in the assembly. And it's a direct work of the devil to do that, and we ought to own it for what it is, and he may use the spirit of indifference to the Lord's authority.
Laodicea and substitute man's authority, but it's attacking his person and his work at his present authority.
Is the work of the devil and that is what we're to war against. It's not against individuals, flesh and blood.
Because the worst that they can do to us is speed our trip home.
We get to the end, and I know what you mean, Don, but the flesh and the world are very real enemies today, aren't they? But it's the perspective we have here in Ephesians, where we are looked at in heavenly places, that the devil is the enemy.
That is, that opposes our enjoyment of these things here and now. And I'd like to say this before we finish, is what will strengthen us, brethren, for the battle in this area is feeding on Christ as the old corn of the land. Remember in Egypt the food was the Passover lamb.
And that's a picture of the world. In the desert, the food was the manna. That's Christ in his humiliation. Down here and there in the desert, the enemy was the flesh. But when they crossed over into Canaan, the enemy is looked at as Satan, who opposes our enjoyment, taking practical possession of the things that are already ours.
And you remember when Joshua went into the land of Canaan to take it, one of the first things that happened was.
He met a man with a drawn sword in his hand and he goes up and he says, are you for us or for our enemies? And the man answered nay, but as captain of the Lords host semi now come, there was one who was supreme in that position. And oh brother, and that's what we get in the end of this first chapter is the supremacy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As a man raised from the dead and at the very pinnacle of all authority, let's just read it because it just thrills the heart to realize you and I are intimately connected with a man in the glory of God.
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Notice in verse 19, What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us? Word, who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead?
And he didn't quit raising him. It says he set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
There's our man, brethren. There's the one we are intimately connected to. And you and I have a connection, a direct connection to a higher authority than President Bush or any other.
Earthly Potentate, we have a direct connection to the man that is on the throne above. Even now he is. And it's interesting the way it reads here. Brethren, notice it carefully.
He is, He's given to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth All in all. In the 4th chapter we have Him as head of the body.
But it's a little different here. It's not merely head of the body, it's head over all things to the body. In other words, he controls every facet and every detail of every circumstance of your life and mine. He's in full control. He's head over all things to the church, which is his body.
Well, he's up there, He is sent down the Holy Spirit, and he said to those disciples, greater is he that is in you than he that's in the world. And that's still true. Every Christian has something greater, someone greater in him than Satan. We are never told to fear Satan, resist the devil. Just make a comment about that.
Greater is he that is in you and also the verse that says Christ who is our life. I want to go back to something for a moment. I know our time is to the end but.
It was said earlier that in the work of Christ we are more than we were before man sinned. Man it God to make us. It says He breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul. That's what it cost God to make us. He breathed into our nostrils when we became living souls. But now what does it cost God to make us as we now are?
Redemption. It cost God his Son. We are far more expensive, if you will, to God, and in that way more precious.
To him than we were in Adam, as we now are in Christ.
In Adam, man was innocent.
What is he now? He's holy. He partakes of the very life and nature of Christ.
In Adam it was not so. But the point I want to end in this thought with is that the very food of Adam's life that sustained him was the natural food of the earth, the food that sustains the life which we now live in. Christ is Christ Himself, the old corn of the land, and the manna, and every other form that he is. But, brethren, if we don't.
Feed on it.
As at where we starve, we say, is this day, this afternoon important? Yes it is. It's essential. It's the food of our souls. It's that that sustains the very life that we have in Christ. Eternal life is sustained by feeding on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we more precious to God now? Absolutely. Where everything that he has done.
And his object toward us.
And his son?
210.
01:25:02
210.
Thank you.
Jacob and His Son Joseph
Address—S. Jacobsen
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Singing the 1St 4 verses of #2 in the appendix.
And then hopefully halfway through, we'll sing the 2nd 4.
O Lord, thy love is unbounded, so sweet, so full, so free. My soul is all transported whenever I think on thee. Yet, Lord, alas, what weakness within myself I find no infants changing pleasures like my wondering mind. And yet thy Love's unchanging and doth recall my heart to joy in all its brightness, the peace, its beams in part. Yet sure, if in thy presence my soul still constant were my and I would more familiar, it's brighter, glorious bear.
#2 in the appendix and for now the first four verses.
Oh Lord, I love.
Yeah.
It is like your glory.
Look to God for his blessing mass of water.
Let's turn First of all, though my prayer indicated we're going to go into the Old Testament, we hardly need justification for the Old Testament, but let's give an emphasis to it by turning to Romans, the 15th chapter.
And the fourth verse.
Thank you.
Romans 15 and verse 4.
Whatsoever things were written, a poor time were written for our learning that we through.
Patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Without having it before me, I think that the JND translation reads Endurance and Encouragement. Endurance and Encouragement of the Scriptures might have Hope. Now let's turn to the 25th chapter of Genesis, which basically is the beginning of a very long and involved and very profitable story concerning 2 men.
The Old Testament book of Genesis has been often called the seed plot of the Bible, and starting with the 25th chapter through to the end of the book is the story. More or less. A little bit of Esau, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but primarily the story of Jacob and one of his sons Joseph. Something like 60% and if we call Genesis the seed plot.
We could say that 60% of the seed plot of the book of Genesis is concerning Jacob and his son Joseph. And before we start and we're going to start with the 19th verse of the 25th chapter. But before we start, I would like to give a little summary of what I feel is true of Jacob and true of Joseph. There are two forces that the world recognizes.
00:05:07
Is heredity in environment the third in which the believer alone?
Accepts and acknowledges and is thankful for is the power of the Spirit of God.
Now, I want to be careful in saying this, but I believe that primarily, primarily at the beginning of his life and much towards until the end, the first two were very prominent in determining Jacob's behavior, his attitude and what he did. It's heredity and environment. Now we turn, if we turn to Joseph exclusively, we see that the age of 17, he was neither.
Like his father. And thankfully he was not like his mother. He was under the hand of God.
What the Spirit of God, without it being mentioned, without us knowing exactly how God spoke to him, we see and are thankful for, if not thrilled to understand that Joseph was a man that was neither controlled or dictated to by heredity or environment. No environment changed his attitude. It was the power of the Spirit of God that gathered him.
That that directed him. And we're going to see as we develop through the story of Jacob that we come to the story of Joseph. And you say, well, is that the story of Jacob? Well, the two are so intertwined at that point that is very difficult to to unravel, as it were. But we're not going to take up about Joseph except for a few, very few points. Now let's turn, as I suggested, to the 25th chapter of Genesis and read a few verses.
Starting with the 19th verse. And these are the generations of Isaac Abrahams. Son Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca to wife the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of A of Payton Arum and sister to Laban the Syrian And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord was entreated of him. And Rebecca's wife conceived, and the children struggled together within her. And she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire the Lord.
And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, the two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red all over like a hairy garment, And they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was 60 years old when she bare with them.
And the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison. But Rebecca loved Jacob.
Twins. You know, we could develop the story around Esau.
And contrast it with that of Jacob. And I'm sure that naturally, without any help from from the spirit of God or direction from above, we would classify Esau as a as a real man. We'd say that's the man that I think is due to respect and so on, but Jacob was.
In the book of Isaiah that he was a worm, he was a contriver. He he had difficulties in life. But you know, it's the God of Jacob beautiful. There are probably more references in the Old Testament to Jacob than there are practically than there are of Abraham and Isaac put together and now.
God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. But isn't it special and that he's the God of Jacob? We find you and I find that, and that's why we have that hymn that says Yet Lord, alas, what weakness within myself I find that we're thankful that we have a God that loves us, it says in the last book of the Old Testament, after their lives have been manifested.
That Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. Esau despised his birthright. And so whatever. Whatever we find in the rest of this chapter, starting with the 29th verse, the the divine commentary concerning Esau is not necessarily that he was tricked by his brother Jacob, which it tells us, but sort of the the spring of it was.
00:10:27
That the last words of the 25th chapter. Esau despised his birthright.
But we're not taking up Esau, and Jacob sawed pottage the verse 29 and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. And Esau said to Jacob feed me, I pray thee with that same red pottage, for I'm faint. Therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, sell me this day that the birthright and Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die.
And what prophet shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day, and he swear unto him, And he sold his birthright into Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Regardless of natural causes, natural inclinations, the Christian, on the basis of the word of God, analyzes things according to God's perspective. Now with this beginning perspective, we would say, I don't like that man Jacob. He took advantage of his brother and we'll find that through his life, even though God and I think we could be able to connect seven different times.
That either God directly or through angels.
Interfered, as it were, came into Jacob's life to give him instruction and that regardless of them, except for a few at the end, he seemed to go on unheeding of all that God had given to him. Now let's go on to the 27th chapter.
In this chapter, Isaac wants to give a fatherly, patriarchal blessing to his two sons.
And we know the story that Jacob's mother loved him, and Isaac particularly loved Esau. But his mother was a contriver, and so was her son, and he went right along with it. Now notice in the 22nd verse. Let me put it this way before we get started any further. The subject is is large and deep and instructive, and we can only possibly give just a very cursory.
Survey of what? And some of you, I know, will be disappointed.
Oh, he left out that particular portion that I've enjoyed so much. But with due respect for your enjoyment, we'll have to avoid some portions of scripture. Now, with the deceit that his mother suggested to Jacob, he put on a garment that would make him feel like his brother Esau because his father was blind. We'll find that in the final days.
Of Jacob, that he was blind with two of his grandsons.
He felt him and said, Now notice this in the 22nd verse of the 27th chapter. And this is a word to my conscience and yours. The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands or the hands of Esau?
He could not. He could could put skins on his on his arms, but he didn't try to disguise his voice. And you and I as believers, we have a certain voice. You, you hear it, you say, oh, I know who that is. And and so we understand. But the hands is the behavior pattern of me and you, you and me, such that there seems to be a difference between the voice and the hands. The two should should go together, shouldn't they, now?
Starting in the 27th verse.
It says he came near and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment. See.
There's a verse in the 48th of Jeremiah and the 11Th verse. The last of that verse is that his scent was not changed. We're going to find that Esau, that we're not going to take him up, that his scent never changed. But the scent that Jacob had, which was deceit and and planning apart from the ways of God is going to be slowly, slowly changed.
00:15:28
Changed by the circumstances.
That God is putting him through. He is going to be poured from vessel to vessel.
A very important technical operation in chemical engineering, they call it a unit operation and it's a very important one to mix things. And you see at Waterworks, you see a fountain, well, it aerates the water, it it, it helps to purify it and to get rid of certain things. And that's what God is going to do. As we go through the story of Jacob, we're going to find that he's being poured from vessel to vessel.
Because God wants for him and for you and for me, for our scent to be changed. That scent may be sweetness, you say. Well, it's certainly a lot better to have a brother that's sweet and one that isn't. But you know, there was no honey in the offerings, no honey in the offerings. However pleasing it is to to me and to you, and to live with someone that's sweet, it is no more pleasing to God than bitterness. And so we find.
That whatever we are by nature, God wants to change us. And let's quote from memory Romans 8 whatsoever thing no excuse me. All things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he didn't foreknow he did predestinate.
To be conformed to the image of his son.
God's ways are not followed to such an extent that first John 5 says.
There is a sin unto death, but we're not talking about that. We're talking now that God, in his dealings with you and with me, is making all things work together for good. And what is that good? It's conformity to his beloved Son. Now, we're not going to, we're going to have to bring that in as sort of an interpretation in the Old Testament. But believe me, if the Lord could.
On the way to Emmaus.
Could tell them all the things concerning himself. There must be many of them.
A multitude of things that are concerning the Blessed Lord. Because remember, Joseph was not influenced by heredity or environment which his Father was, but it was by the Spirit of God.
So he gets a blessing, and we're going to have to scurry on. He gets a blessing, and then Esau comes in, and he lifts up his voice and weeps in the 38th verse. And in the 39th Isaac, his father, answered and sent him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be with the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven from above.
And so he gets a blessing.
Now let's turn.
The page my Bible, at least in the 43rd verse that his mother.
Thy brother Esau is going to kill you now. Therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, please out to labour my my, my brother to Heron and Terry with him a few days until thy brothers fury turn away. Well, he never saw his mother again, but he was at his father's burial, until thy brothers anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then I will send and fetch thee from fence. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heath. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heath, such as these, which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life be to me?
She was a manager.
She was a person that saw an advantage, and she could see now that she'd better do something very quickly for her favorite son, because her son that wasn't a favorite was going to deprive her of one of her sons. And so now in the 28th chapter, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. Why? We want to emphasize the blessing of that was bestowed upon He has the birthright.
00:20:02
He got a blessing from his father and now when he leaves he gets another blessing.
You would expect with all of the blessings that had been bestowed upon him by his Father and we're going to find that God is going to be stole some more upon him, that he would have been the most lighthearted and and faithful man. Suddenly he would have been turned from heredity and environment that he would have recognized in, in the terms of the Old Testament that indeed it's the power of the Spirit of God.
But we'll find that it's not so.
10th verse of the 28th chapter Jacob went out from Beresheba and went towards Heron. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried their all night, because the sun was set. And he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
What a picture of that last chapter of John that was spoken of descending upon the Son of Man. And so here is Jacob being introduced in his dream. And so often in the Old Testament dreams are the medium by which God conveys his mind that he's brought to see a millennial time far beyond even before he had.
Wasn't even married. He didn't have children. But here in in picture and type it's the the millennial blessing and the Christ and now the the first communication from God is in the 13th verse I believe.
Of the 28th chapter. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land were on the lias. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth. And thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the east, and to the north, and to the South. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee until I've done that which I've spoken to thee of.
Isn't that conformable to many of the promises in the New Testament, that we could say, that we appropriate for ourselves? And we could, we could say, in the light of those Scriptures, as we can say for Jacob all what Peace of Mind, all what peace of heart, and what lightness of foot it would have given him in going to his to his relative Laban? But such is not the case.
God moves slowly, slowly, slowly. And the slowness with which He moves is only because of the hesitancy of your heart and mind in cash with responding to what He has for us. And so in the New Testament to think of the promises that we have and we worry, we're concerned, we're we're upset, we're we we think everything at home and the the marketplace and the assembly is going from bad to worse.
More or less.
The last chapter of Hebrews Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, promise after promise after promise. Well, it didn't seem to have that effect upon Jacob, and I want to say it kindly. I don't think that often it has an effect upon us.
Now.
Here's the effect that it had upon Jacob in the 21St of the same chapter, the 28th And Jacob bowed A vow saying of God will be with me and I will keep me in this way that I go. He just didn't promise that that God would and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace.
I don't know who is telling. Who then shall the Lord be? My God? And this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the 10th unto thee. That was very big hearted of him, wasn't it? You know, here, here it was all given of God, and he's going to give back 10%. God wasn't asking him to have this little.
00:25:04
Say he should have said, oh, I'm so thankful. In Old Testament terms, so thankful that what God has done.
And for me, here I am going to He was probably 75 years of age when he left home, went to Heron. He wasn't a youngster. He wasn't, you know, he lived to be 147, so that's about half of his age, but it seems that.
There's a problem in his life.
Well, let's skip over to the 29th chapter. In the 31St verse, he goes to to Heron. He meets his relative, he finds Rachel and Leah, and he has to serve longer than he had expected for his two wives.
And there's a statement that seems a bit abrupt.
And I want to be careful in saying this.
Has statements in scripture that are penetrating because it says the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than two edged sword. So what is the what is verse 31 of chapter 29 say? And when the Lord saw that Leah was?
Hated.
I would like to soften that word.
But I dare not. And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren now.
Dear Leah, there is a progression in the rest of this chapter that is to me is exquisite. So let's read it. And Leah conceived and bear a son, and she called his name Ruben, for she said, Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction Now, therefore my husband will love me.
And she conceived again, and bear a son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard me I was hated, Hath heard me because I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also, And she called his name Simeon.
And she conceived again and bare a son, and said, Now this time will my husband?
Love me no be joined unto me. There's a bit of pathos in this, isn't there? Because I've born in three sons. Therefore was his name called Levi.
Brethren, you and I, before we read the last verse, I want to make this comment, you and I in the extremities of life.
Have disappointments. We have things that are difficult, but by God's grace we reach a mountain top, and this is a mountaintop in the experience of dear Leah. Now notice it's exquisite. And she conceived again, and bear a son, and she said, Now will I prays the Lord.
Therefore she called his name Judah, and left bearing. She started out with a desire to bear a child so that her husband would love her because she knew that he hated her.
And she ends up apart from from that earthly, quite proper experience and desire of heart to say, now will I praise the Lord, and you and I are completely apart from burying children, and that kind of thing find in in the extremities of life, that we we want something like down here at this level.
But he's trying to bring us to a higher level, to a mountaintop experience, if you will.
And what is the expression of that mountaintop experience now?
Well, I praise.
The Lord.
I didn't make that, did I, To say it again. Now will I praise the Lord, That is the desire of the heart of our Father, through the power of the Spirit, with Christ in our hearts, to find that the extremities of life may not be removed. But if there can be, now will I praise.
The Lord.
25th verse of the next chapter.
00:30:06
Jacob is always is a bit premature.
He acted on his own to deceive his brother out of the birthright he had been told by. He had to be told by his mother to leave, which probably from a natural standpoint was was a good idea, but certainly not of God. And now it comes to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away, that I may go into my own place, into my country. Well, we're going to find in the next chapter in the third verse.
That God told him to leave. But this is Jacob. Always premature, always impetuous, always thinking of himself. But in between, it's remarkable that that's where we find that he gained the favored position in Kingswood flocks and herds.
From him, his standpoint, he he was premature. But he certainly used the time that he spent after he thought he should leave to his advantage, didn't he? And that's Jacob. And so now they may go, no, Laban says. No, it's not the time.
And so now let's go down to the 31St chapter and the third verse. And there for the second time the Lord said unto Jacob. There there's a communication directly from from God the Lord, which is Jehovah. Jehovah unto Jacob. Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee now when you have a direction from the Lord.
You can act. I'm not going to ask you to to answer my question, and I don't want to even answer my own question, but has there been times in my life or yours when we decided that there was a course of action that needed to be taken and.
It wasn't of God. And we had to bear the bitterness of of an experience that only proved that it wasn't the mind of God. Well, that's the story. That's the value, if you will. As you can see, you know that plot of ground, as it were, which is the book of Genesis, the seed plot, you can see those seeds are planted so that you and I can have.
Hope and see and experience of others what those problems were that people had, and we don't need to have to go through them, but we do return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred. And I will be with thee much the same in the 11Th verse. And the Angel of God spake unto me now Jacob's calling, saying in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. And he said, lift up now thine eyes, and see all the Rams which leap upon the cattle are rings straight.
Speckled and grizzled. For I have seen all that Laban did unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointest the pillar, and where thou voust a vow unto me. Now arise, get the out from this land, and return into the land of thy kindred. So now it's God's time, and so he's going to go. Now if God had told him which he did, shouldn't there be a piece about the matter? You'd say, Oh, the Lord distinctly.
As much as I can say.
The Lord gave me a distinct indication that it was his mind. And so I come to you. Or you come to me and you say, brother, you seem to be edgy about it. You don't seem to be at peace. Well, I'm not just too sure how it's going to turn out. And you remind me. See, that's that's the language of what we're to learn here, isn't it? Well, in the 31St chapter in the 41St verse. Thus have I been 20 years in my house. I served the 14 years for my two daughters and six years for thy cattle. And thou has changed my wages.
10 times. Boy, he really was parted upon Laban. And I don't know who was the greatest Rascal. It probably was Jacob, because he had more communications from God than than Laban did. The only communication from God, and I hope I can say this properly, was an indication of Jacob's behavior. And you know, that's a a searching thought for me.
For you is that the people we work with, maybe even our brethren, you know, is what indication do they have that there is the work of the Spirit if we act in a way that isn't according to Christ. And so Jacob now is on his way.
00:35:14
And in the 32nd chapter in the first verse, Jacob went on his way and the angels of God.
Met him. Isn't that beautiful? You know angels. I'm sure that some of us have had the intervention of angels in our lives and we may even have seen angels. I'm not going to get into that, but I think it's true. But here in the Old Testament, angels were a very significant part and sometimes it's the Angel with a capital A on Angel, which is rather obvious that it's pre incarnation, isn't it?
And so Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. Now let's go down to the 24th verse.
Most significant point in Jacob's life?
He got the birthright, his mother, and he deceived the father, and he got the blessing, got another blessing. He he had a word from God in connection with the way things were going to be. And now.
Let's read it verse 24 of chapter 33 and Jacob was.
Left alone.
Let me ask this. And you? I don't expect you to answer it out in the audience or even afterwards. Have you ever had an experience of being left alone with God?
They're welcome, aren't they? God is our Father. He loves us. He sent His only begotten Son. And if we want to think of it, being alone with the Lord, we we need times alone, don't we? Where the Lord as it were in an assembly. The Lord knows that you're there, and maybe I'm sitting over there and so it's individual, but there's nothing like being left.
Alone. And Jacob was left alone.
What happened? And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go for the day Breakers. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. What blessing did he want? He'd already had so much, and he sent it to him. What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be called no more, Jacob, but Israel. For a Prince hast thou power with God and with men, And hath prevailed.
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there, and he blessed him there, got another blessing, and he had his name changed to Israel. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face in my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Is there?
A deficit?
That might, we might say, is left in our lives if there is a.
Triumph.
And if our name, as it were, is changed to Israel?
So it seems.
Jacob, from now on we can trace whether it's according to nature or whether it's according to the power of the spirit of God, whether it's mentioned Jacob or Israel. And and if, if it comes to me real quick, like I can turn to one, well, we'll come to it.
When he when he's just about ready to go down to Egypt, it's mentioned both Jacob and Israel almost in the same verse, but it's a clue. It's a key.
That the spirit of God wants to give us that Jacob is by nature Israel is a Prince with God. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew, which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day. Because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank, he halted. Who's that man? He's a patriarch. He's halting. Tell me the story. It could well be.
00:40:15
And here it is the triumph. And you know, I say it with a bit of feeling of sympathy for you and for myself, that there are blessings that God has bestowed upon us in one of our finest hours, as it were, that may leave us with a halted thigh. The rest.
Of our life.
But we can be thankful for the being alone and the conquest that the Lord has given us to have by His grace.
Remember, we are in a struggle with an enemy, the world, The Flash and Satan.
And it's a formidable foe. But greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
And sometimes we come through things with scars, and we have to admit it. We may not admit it to our brethren. We may not admit it to our wife as a husband, and maybe no necessity of it. But there is that struggle that goes on, and husband and wife share and and they get some kind of a deliverance. But it leaves you with something that may last the rest.
Of your life.
Let's skip over to the fifth time.
No, Let us read the 30th verse of the 34th chapter and there is an indication that.
Jacob is going to need some more pouring from vessel to vessel because his scent has not changed. It's difficult in the 34th chapter, which we've missed on purpose, but he's concerned concerning two of his sons, Simeon and Levi, and he says you have troubled me to make me distinct.
Well, he had his own odors, his own scent, And now he's saying that his sons make him distinct among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites, in the parasites. And I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me, and I shall be destroyed I in my house. How can it be possible for a thinking man?
To be able to say this no matter what the circumstances, in the light of what God had said to him.
That's why.
You and I are thankful that he's the God of Jacob, because he's our God too, and the circumstances in which we often act and respond. Now the fifth time that God spoke to him is in the first verse of the next chapter, which is chapter 35, verse one. And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fled us from the face of He saw thy brother.
I'm sorry for this commentary of the next verse, but it's true. Then Jacob said into his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in all.
Is he going to acknowledge this, And was with me in the way which I went? He had to. And you and I, brethren, must of both necessity experience in the word of God acknowledge.
He was with me in the way which I went.
Amazing the strange gods.
Down the ninth verse, and God appeared unto Jacob again.
When he came out of paid an Arab, and blessed him, and God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob. Thy name shall not be called anymore, Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful, and multiply a nation, and a company of nations shall be of thee, and king shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.
Let's.
Go to. Let's see chapters 36. Let's go to chapter 37.
00:45:04
And then we might say all of a sudden.
After hearing about.
Esau and his.
Descendants and so on in the 36th chapter. Now Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, Joseph, we have already said, and we'll repeat it, that Jacob was dictated by and formed by heredity and environment. He what I mean by environment, he allowed the environment that he was in to dictate a behavior pattern that was not according to God. But if we were to take up the life of Joseph, starting here to the end of the story of Joseph we'd find.
That he was not influenced by his environment. He may have been discouraged, he was, but he was an overcomer and all by the grace of God, may you and I and be overcomers in the circumstances that God is using to mix us so that the scent is changed. You know, I'm not going to talk about the background of my family and I'm not going to talk about the background of your family and it's genes, but they all came from Adam and need to be changed the sense.
Needs to be changed, whether it's from 1 extreme of sarcasm and bitterness to to sweetness. It needs to be mixed and by the grace of God in our lives and changed so that there is that reflection of his beloved son in you and in Me. Now we know the story 24th verse of the 37th chapter. They took him and cast him into a pit and the pit was empty. There was no water in it.
33rd verse. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces, the last of the 35th verse. Thus his father wept for him. Now let's turn to chapter 42. I see our time is far gone and we didn't sing the last half of that hymn, which is all right.
But let's turn now to the 42nd chapter.
And we find without going into the verses that.
Simeon seems to be in a problem down in Egypt because they had to go down to Egypt because of the famine.
And we find that he knows that Joseph is not. He's gone. He's he's off the register. And Benjamin, you know, is a problem with that man down there. The last line of in my Bible of chapter 42 and verse 36, once again, this is Jacob.
And if we were there with him under those circumstances, we'd have said exactly the same thing. What did Jacob say?
All these things.
Are against me.
Let's go back to Romans, the chapter. All things work together for good to them that love God.
To them.
Who are the called, according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, those he did predestinate?
To be conformed to the image of his son and our time belays the time that we need. But so let's hasten, Let's go on to the 45th chapter and the 25th verse.
He's called to go down into Egypt and meet his son.
Joseph.
28th verse It is enough. Joseph my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.
Now the last time, I believe, if I kept track of it properly, in the 46th chapter and the second verse, God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night. And said Jacob, Jacob, and he said.
God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob, That's interesting, isn't it? And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy Father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again. His father been told distinctly from God not to go to Egypt, And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba.
00:50:09
Beautiful 29th verse Joseph made ready his chariot went up to meet.
Israel his father to Goshen, and presented himself unto him, And he fell on his neck.
Wept on his neck a good while.
Beautiful. All these things are against me. He didn't realize it, but there were things that God was working behind the scenes. We know it, but Jacob didn't. And there are circumstances that God is working in your life and mine.
Impossible.
Don't tell me I can't see it. I don't believe it. And that's sort of like Jacob and that's like us. But now he's going to see now to hurry because our time is about gone.
47th chapter One of the most amazing things about Jacob.
I think at this time.
His scent was changed. He had gone through, being poured from vessel to vessel. All things are working together for good. And what does he do in the first part of this chapter, The last four words of verse seven of chapter 47, And Jacob Blessed Farrell.
Do we have this straight, you say, Stanley? Just read it. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh 10th verse. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh. Now one of the concluding comments that we want to make is that in the 48th chapter he blesses the two sons of Joseph.
And according to.
Hebrews 11.
When he died, he blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff.
The mixing being poured from vessel to vessel, The scent has been changed, and now it seems to be nothing but Israel. And he and he blesses properly. He crosses his hands and he blesses properly the two sons of of Joseph, and he worships leaning upon the top of his staff. What a story, what a story. All things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, them he did.
Predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.
Brethren, you and I can see in this seed plot.
Of which about 60% of the book of Genesis is taken up with Jacob and Joseph, the seed plot, all so many things that weren't mentioned, so many seeds that that are there, that sprout elsewhere in the word of God and New Testament light is brought upon them so that we see them in a richer and fuller way, but they're there in that seed plot and so in conclusion.
Let's simply say.
All things work together for good to them that love God, for whom He did foreknow them, He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. There is no circumstance in your life or mine.
Unless it's an absolute opposition to the word of God and and he takes us home like in first John 5. And that God is working in your life and mine. That image God is working the image of His beloved Son. And I think it was said during the conference I have no desire to to think it was original with me is that God is so delighted with his son, He wants all of his children even now.
To be conformed to that image and to think of what it will be in that coming day.
That I remember Brother Clem quoted that verse.
00:55:03
Let me think it's passed from me. Just give me a second.
One John 3, let's turn to it.
And then we'll be through.
Yes, first John 32 Beloved, now are we the children of God, And it does not yet appear what we shall be.
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is, I believe, for the enjoyment of my own soul. Maybe not doctrinally, but I I enjoy it is that when we see him that that that look, that vision, is going to change us into his image, and that's the desire of the Spirit of God now.
The more that you and I in the circumstances of life.
See the Blessed Lord, We're changed into His image as from glory to glory. Let's sing what we didn't sing halfway through the.
Last four verses of #2 and we'll be through just about on time, but in other words, him too, in the appendix starting with the fifth verse.
And the.
Thy gracious.
Favor.
Made to my soul in law.
And were extinct in my God.
That's my horse. I don't know.
Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be.
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure, our God and.
Encouragment to Enter into Our Canaan Blessings
Address—D. Nicolet
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.
Meeting this afternoon singing hymn #76.
I'm thinking especially.
Of that last verse.
There no stranger God.
Shall meet thee.
Stranger, thou in courts above, he who greets thee, he who to his rest shall greet thee, greets thee with a well known love. Hymn #76.
Rise my soul, thy God.
Stranger.
On.
Earth came over here.
See you.
Later.
God, my love.
I think worship.
Give me whatever your heart.
Extortion.
Is it just a little?
Hard to believe.
What I heard while it's sitting here for us to make sure we shall begin.
All today.
It is not shall break.
Anything.
Let's rise for the last two verses.
1.
Shall bring.
Their grace shall try and swelling.
00:05:02
Sliding.
Let's ask the Lord.
I'd like to begin this afternoon by reading 3 verses.
These are verses that have been already, at least two of them referred to in our meetings.
Trust that this is what the Lord is.
Is from the Lord as it's been laid on one's heart. Turn to Joshua, Chapter One.
We'll just read one verse there.
Joshua chapter one.
And I'd like to read verse 3.
Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon.
That have I given unto you.
Saith As I said unto Moses, Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given.
Unto you turn to Luke 18 please.
Luke, Chapter 18.
And umm.
Perhaps someone can help me. I'm looking. Maybe it's not in Luke 18. I'm looking for the verse in Luke.
Where the Lord Jesus says that which he seemeth to have.
Would be taken away.
1926 Luke 19.
Yes. Thank you very much. Luke 19.
For I say in verse 26. For I say unto you, that unto everyone which hath shall be given.
And then this this phrase especially was what was on my heart. And from him that hath not even that he hath, shall be taken away from him, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. And then I want to read in Luke.
Chapter 24.
Very.
Familiar scripture.
Luke, Chapter 24.
And umm.
I would like to read this from Mr. Darby's translation. We're just going to read one verse 32.
And they said one to another, was not our heart burning in US as he spoke to us on the way.
And as he opened the Scriptures to us.
I'd like to go back to Deuteronomy and then look again at Ephesians, but these verses, the Lords help introduce what I have on my heart this afternoon.
And that is, we have had an incredible and are enjoying an incredible feast, beloved brethren of the richest kind of spiritual truth from the heart of God, calculated to encourage and exercise our hearts. And I think it was pointed out, but I want to emphasize it again.
If we in type look at that as entering into Canaan's blessings, the promised land.
00:10:03
And by faith, enjoying now what we will enjoy in reality when they're in the courts of glory and no stranger God there will greet us.
I think it's very, very striking that as it was pointed out, that land had been given to them.
But it was really only theirs in the portion or in the measure, that they put their foot down one step at a time and walked through it.
They might say this is all ours, and sit down and stay where they were. Could you say they were enjoying that land that God had given them? No, it required walking and it required conflict. And I have that on my heart this afternoon a little bit.
But then I turned to Luke, and there's another passage in the.
In the gospels where that verse that I read, the Lord Jesus uses the words.
What he seemeth to have, the word seemeth is there, And this, before I go any further, is a concern of mine, and I want to speak for a moment directly to the beloved young people sitting here, to all of our hearts.
You sit here in a company of people that outwardly could not be in a place of more blessing, or we could be in a place with larger numbers.
We could be in a place with more eloquent speakers.
We could be in a place with more exciting activities.
More beautiful building. Well, perhaps not much more than this one, but from those little assemblies from which we come.
We could find a place that, and there are many of them. Gorgeous, large, beautiful buildings.
Active congregations.
But I submit to you that beloved young people, beloved brethren, we couldn't be in a place.
Where we could find a richer, or have available to us a more wonderful spiritual feast of truth, to open the word of God, and to be taken into those heights, as it were, of that promised land, and to sit here and feed on it.
And so you're sitting here today seeming beloved young people to be part of that.
But I want to, before I go any further, issue a warning in love to your soul.
If it's not reality.
Has the most solemn, solemn position to be in.
And to whom much is given.
Much is required.
The Lord understands and judges in perfect righteousness and judgment.
And I say what I've heard said before, what brethren have heard, who have said often, but I say it again in love to your souls, beloved.
Friends sitting here. If if there's anyone sitting in this room.
Who has never yet accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
What you seem to have today, which is the greatest privilege and spiritual feast imaginable.
Is going to be taken away.
If you leave this world and.
That condition.
And so I would plead with each one before we go any further in the precious word of God.
To in your soul, between you and the God who created you and knows you and loves you.
Have to do with him.
And make sure that what you appear to have outwardly.
Is a reality by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the precious blood he shed on the cross, and that it is indeed an inward truth in reality with you, that you do indeed have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And then we turn to Luke 24, That beautiful passage.
And we read the testimony of two who had been on a walk with the Lord Jesus.
And it says, Did not our hearts burn while he was in the way with us?
00:15:05
Why did their hearts burn?
Because he opened the word of God and showed them the things concerning himself.
And my beloved brethren, by the Spirit of God.
The last couple of days the Word of God has been opened, and have we not had the precious things of Christ open to our hearts?
And do we sit here saying?
Yeah, I've heard that before.
Or has there been a response?
In my soul.
I don't ask for a display of.
Outward bubbliness or anything else?
You know, and I know before God whether or not there has been a response in this in this heart, I about said in this ice cube because that's often what I think of mine as being it passes for a heart, but too often it's an ice cube.
But I hardly know of anything more calculated to meld it.
Than what he has spoken to us.
As he's walked with us along the way.
We've talked about our position.
As blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in the heavenlies in Christ.
And we fed and delighted and savored those things.
At least they've been explained with a clarity.
That none who can understand what's being said could.
Use an excuse saying I just couldn't understand that.
But you know there are enemies.
That would seek to hinder.
The joy of entering into those things and allowing those things to get hold of my heart, those precious things of Christ.
Of his blessed person, of what God is and what he's done, of the position I have, of all that's mine, there are enemies.
That at every step of our wilderness pathway would seek to hinder us, to keep us from the enjoyment of those things. Now by faith, though for every true child of God, they can never.
Keep us from the reality of entering into them, perhaps this very day.
And seeing his blessed face, and knowing them in fullness.
But I'd like to stir my heart, and I trust jurors this afternoon.
Perhaps it will be a negative way to approach it by looking at those enemies.
And seeing if we can identify them.
And with the help of God, and by his grace and through his strength.
Have a victory over them.
You know, my brother this morning said that there are 10 times in the book of Ephesians that the words in Christ are mentioned.
And we've talked much about our position and I think if the Lord leaves us here we'll enjoy more of that.
But I want to talk to you about a word that's mentioned seven times in Ephesians, and I believe that that word is the key to whether or not we're going to enjoy.
Really enjoy this feast.
That has been prepared for us. That word is walk.
Because the measure in which I walk in the good of these things.
Is the measure in which I'm going to delight in them and enjoy them.
I'm not emphasizing the number 7, and I'm not going to emphasize particularly the seven enemies we're going to look at in Deuteronomy that hindered or were there to hinder the people of God for men or into Canaan. But I want to look at them, and I want to relate them to those seven walks in Ephesians.
Just the things that have come to my heart.
With a prayer that it will stir me up.
And if the Lord be pleased, it will be a blessing to you, my beloved brethren.
And I want to say these things.
In as simply as I know how.
I don't know how to get to be deep.
But I want them to be understood.
I want to turn to begin with.
00:20:02
To Deuteronomy Chapter 7, where we're going to meet those seven enemies that will hinder the seven walks that are mentioned in Ephesians, which would keep us from enjoying the blessings that are ours that we've been feeding on in Christ. Deuteronomy Chapter 7.
These enemies are mentioned in a variety of ways throughout the Scripture, none without importance, none without lessons to be learned.
And certainly what you're going to hear by the with the help of God this afternoon is very, very far removed from an all inclusive.
Description or a statement of these enemies.
But you know, the children of Israel here.
We're hearing something. They were hearing something wonderful. They were hearing a promise for a coming time very soon.
When they were about to enter into a land that God had promised them, a land flowing with milk and honey, something that for 40 years in the desert they may have had difficulty picturing in their mind.
God has something so incredibly lovely.
So awesome and precious beloved young people for you and me. We're walking through a wilderness.
Sometimes it doesn't seem like a wilderness. It seems like a pretty pleasant place to walk.
But I want to tell you something.
And I'd like to say this over and over again because I wanted to crap capture my heart.
The Lord Jesus Christ who hung on that cross.
And suffered there.
And went through such untold agonies for me.
And for you.
Didn't do it so that ultimately when you get home to glory or in the measure that you can enter into it in faith now?
You would say.
This isn't worth it.
He didn't suffer.
To make you miserable.
He was infinitely miserable, if I say can say that, Reverend Lee.
That you might be so fully blessed when you get home to heaven after you've had your fling in the world? No. So you can be fully blessed right now by faith, enjoying these things. And so here's a land they're about to enter. When God shall bring thee, verse one into the land, whether thou goest to possess it and hast out many nations before thee, the work has been accomplished.
If I can apply it this way, we've been talking about our position in Christ in heaven.
Positionally, I'm there. The Father looks at his beloved son and he says he sees this person, He sees me. He sees you in all of the beauty and the perfection of his beloved Son. Can you be more blessed than that?
Beloved young people, is there something you're seeking after in this world that's going to do something more than that for you?
So this is a land that the Lord thy God shall give thee. The enemies it says he's cast them out.
But then he says this warning.
First of all, this I'll read The Seven Enemies, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites.
The highlights and the Jebusites 7 Nations greater and mightier than now.
All I want to say is that those are listed in various order, in various ways. Sometimes five of them are listed. Sometimes three of them are listed. In a sense, I suppose you could say that the Canaanites represented all of these enemies. They're all related. They're all the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham.
But they're specifically mentioned here, and because they're specifically mentioned here, I want to look at them in a character that they may represent, that somehow beloved young people, beloved brethren, might be hindering you and me from sitting down at this feast that God has prepared and is giving us.
From fully enjoying it.
And from truly daily walking in it.
And so he says in verse, through the Lord thy God shall deliver, thee, shall deliver them before thee. So the work of the Lord God has accomplished and finished a work, may I say, in all due reverence.
He's done the work.
00:25:03
We're to do the enjoying, Jesus wept, rejoice evermore.
And then it goes on, and it says a little warning, Thou shalt smite and utterly destroy them.
Thou shall make no covenant with them, no short no show mercy to them. Knight is shalt thou make marriages with them.
That is, at the cross the enemy was defeated.
But we're still on our way home.
We can have, if we wanted, the privilege of enjoying by faith.
That position right now?
But there are enemies that need us to keep that from happening. Defeated enemies. Yes. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, you're going to be home.
Maybe today.
And so am I. But until then?
These enemies have to be overcome.
And you are not, nor am I to show them any compassion.
Destroy them.
The world's got a new phrase of its buzzword for this day. We often talk about it. It's called tolerance.
You don't show these enemies tolerance.
You don't tolerate what they stand for.
If you want to sit down at that feast and enjoy Christ.
No compass, no compassion.
No covenant.
You don't compromise with them.
You don't tolerate them. You don't compromise with them.
And you don't couple with them?
You don't marry no union.
Is that hard?
And you say, come on, Doug, look at that world. You expect me to go through there?
With no tolerance for it.
With no compassion.
Not coupled sometimes with it.
No, I don't expect you to do that, but God does.
If you want to truly be happy and blessed.
In your Christian pathway.
It's not a maybe.
If or or situation.
It's an all or none situation.
Am I having struggles and not finding myself really happy and fulfilled?
Maybe there's some tolerance?
Maybe there's some compromise?
Maybe there's some union?
With that which God has cast out that I might enjoy Christ.
Down in verse five, it says, Ye shall deal with them, thus shall ye deal with them. This is an enemy. He's cast out so we can enjoy this, these wonderful things we've been hearing.
But we have to deal with them and there are four things we have to deal with.
We have to destroy their altars. Verse five, We have to breakdown their images. We have to cut down their Groves. We have to burn their graven images with fire.
That's faith at work, beloved young people. It's not enough to say yeah, I'm saying, and then walk away and try to find everything you can in this world to satisfy your heart.
There's some things to do. What's an altar? Well, there's others who could.
Expound on this. Much better than I, but man has to have an object to worship. There isn't anybody in this world that doesn't worship something.
Now it may not be religion.
It may be the most popular entertainment figure right now.
They lose their popularity pretty fast.
But for a while they become role models and so many want to be like them.
I want to speak carefully.
But in this city of Saint Louis, no doubt in the hospitals, there are rooms filled with people about to enter eternity because of serious illnesses.
00:30:03
So what did the Saint Louis Rams football team do to alleviate their condition?
And yet stadiums are filled with sixty 7080 thousand people screaming, yelling, excited.
Because something they worship.
Something they look to as bringing them happiness and satisfaction. Just having a good day.
While souls lay in hospitals.
Entering a crisis eternity on that so-called good day.
Breakdown those altars.
Don't be taken up with the things that this world has to have to try to fill the hole in its heart that Christ alone can fill.
Destroy them. Breakdown their images.
An image, if I can say it this way, is what represents that altar.
Man's something to fill a hole in his heart.
God alone can fill that.
Through the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
But he's got all sorts of images.
All sorts of role models.
That are supposed to satisfy his heart.
Break them down.
They're not going.
To get you.
Into that place Canaan.
Christ in glory.
Where you can truly enjoy what is eternal and fully satisfying.
And then it says.
Cut down their Groves.
I want to speak especially to the beloved young people.
I'm not a student of this.
Now what I'm saying is I certainly could be corrected, but it seems to me when the word of God uses the term Groves.
It is talking about those places that were dedicated.
To the worship of Ashtaroth or another culture calls her a starting.
Or the word of God sometimes uses the word Ashira's.
Absolute immorality.
Cut them down.
You live in a world that is full of immorality. How many times have you heard that? Beloved young people? It's not the same kind of world I lived in when I was your age, 50 years ago, now 45 years ago.
A world that knew those things were going on and tried to hide them.
No, their Groves, their trees, they're out in the open.
And people are openly there, involved in open immorality, celebrating it.
Not trying to hide it.
It's true, our hearts are no different. They were just as wicked 50 or 60 years ago, or 150 and 60 years ago as they are now. But what was hidden, what was connected with shame, is now a Grove.
Where open immorality is celebrated.
And every vial abominable form of it.
Cut him down.
You say if I'm not involved in it, thank God.
But don't give place for it.
Don't be entertained by it. Don't excuse it. Don't be tolerant of it.
Don't accept that, it's normal.
It's not normal.
It's wickedness.
And it will keep you.
From enjoying what we've been talking about in our reading meetings.
And then it says and burn their graven images with fire. What's the difference between an image and a graven image? I don't really know for sure.
00:35:03
But I do know that if you grave and if somebody is working on something in graves and graves on it, they're putting effort into it to create a beautiful looking, decorated thing.
And this world.
Puts an incredibly beautiful looking gloss.
And veneer.
And decoration.
On what is intended to keep you.
And me.
From enjoying my blessed Jesus and your blessed Jesus.
And it will spend a lot of time and effort and money.
To engrave things.
Images.
That will make the things that take your heart and mind from Christ.
Looks so beautiful.
And so inviting.
Didn't God give him the land?
Didn't he promise to take him there?
Yes, he did. I'm not going to go further in this chapter. I recommend you read it, Ponder it.
But there was.
There were, I should say, enemies to be faced, efforts to be made, a walk to be followed.
If they were going to walk step by step through the land that God had already given them.
And possess and enjoy it.
I don't think.
For myself.
That it's because there are.
Weak small assemblies.
And there is not much quote UN quote gift amongst us.
And you can go ahead and list all the things that are thrown at those gathered to the Lord's name to prove that they're speaking in human teenage language, a bunch of jerks that don't know what they're doing. That may all be true, but I don't think.
That that's the problem.
Beloved young people.
With why sometimes you and I tend to start straying away.
From the Lord Jesus.
I think the problem is we haven't done this.
And because we haven't broken down those altars and destroyed those images. Because we decided to make some compromises to show a little bit of tolerance.
To be coupled a little bit with this world.
The Lord Jesus no longer becomes, I say, very reverently appetizing.
And it's OK to sit in the meetings and the reading meetings and hear brothers talk about these things, because in another 20 minutes or another half an hour, we're going to be out of here and we can have some fun.
So I can end up listening to these things and put up with them.
Until I can do go do something and find something that's more fun.
That way Jesus hung on the cross.
Is that why you hung there?
So you could tell him I can find my fun somewhere else, Lord Jesus.
I really don't want to walk with you. I want to be in heaven.
But I want to have some fun here first.
We won't turn to it, but you can turn to the Old Testament. You can find. As the children of Israel were wandering through the old wilderness, they got tired.
Of God's bread.
And they said something terrible.
But you know, beloved young people, beloved brethren, we can say it too. And sometimes we do without realizing it, they said. Our soul loathe this light bread.
We're sick and tired of what God is giving us for food.
This is the bread of God that came down from heaven. Who said that?
My savior.
And yours that hung on a cross.
And thought about me while he was hanging there.
00:40:02
And pay for my sins.
Did he do that for you?
Are you getting sick and tired of walking with him?
Blessed with all spiritual blessings.
In the heavenlies in Christ.
In the closing moments, I won't dwell much on it. I want to turn back to Ephesians.
And I want you to walk with me through Ephesians and look at these seven enemies.
And we'll just apply, with the Lord's help, a few practical principles.
Because I will suggest to you that unless we're willing to walk in what we know in our heads.
At least morally, we just seem to have it.
We don't really have it.
Don't tell me.
That you've got joy in Christ.
When you give him one hour a week.
And the rest of the time is for you.
Read Malachi.
Jehovah says to his people. You're bringing me the lime and the blame and the lame, the sick. You're bringing me the cast offs for sacrifices.
Go offer him to your governor.
See if he'll receive them.
Who gets the best in my life?
The one that gave me the best at Calvary's cross.
Or the world that spit in his blessed face.
Who gets the best?
I didn't say who deserves the best. Our minds can answer that real fast.
Who gets the best?
In my life.
Let's turn to Ephesians.
You'll understand that I'm not going to even attempt.
To read the context of these verses, certainly not.
Minister on them in their doctrinal.
Bearing.
But let's read the first walk.
Chapter 2.
Of Ephesians.
And we can move out the words happy quick and they come properly later in that chapter we'll just read and you who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Now there's a world out there.
That answers to that. And it doesn't beloved young people look like it.
It looks very beautiful and very inviting.
But those that inhabit it without Christ, This is the real view.
God loves us too much to play games with our minds.
He tells us the truth.
And you?
Who were dead.
In trespasses and sins.
Where in time past she walked, according to the course of this world.
And then down a little later, it talks about the course of the world. It describes it.
The end of verse 3, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and where by nature the children of wrath I even as others.
It's the first walk, That's what we were.
You know, the first one mentioned I'm going to be flipping back and forth.
Deuteronomy 7 You don't need to do that.
I don't want to force applications, but let me just simply apply it today this way.
The first enemy mentioned were the Hittites.
00:45:00
Children of, I think, a man named Path.
And I can remember a time in the Old Testament.
When a mother said.
Of her son that she loved.
That she was weary of the daughters of Heth.
And her son Jacob were to marry.
Such daughters, what good would her life do her?
Daughters are something that we relate the thought of affection.
And fruitfulness, among other things.
To.
You can embrace.
And get caught up with the affections of this world trying to find fruit in the world.
What you're going to find if you do and if I do.
Is that's going to keep you out?
Of the land that God wants you to walk through.
It's going to keep you from enjoying, really in your heart, Christ in glory.
And the blessings that are yours in Christ.
We'll go on quickly.
Verse 10 of chapter 2.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The second group of enemies.
For the Girgashites, I don't know much about him.
I don't know that much is said about them.
But I think we could turn.
To Joshua.
Joshua 24 I think it is.
And we'll read one verse, verse 11 of Joshua 24.
And she went over Jordan.
Now this is Joshua speaking to these people.
And came on to Jericho. What's Jericho? That's a city.
That's called the City of the curse.
Looks so beautiful.
But until the Prophet of God worked that miracle, its waters were undrinkable.
And so he says in The men of Jericho fought against you. And then I believe that the list is the same. I don't know if it's in the same order, but it's the same that we have in Deuteronomy 7. It talks about who those men were.
And so all I want to say is we read about the Girgashites as being those who inhabited the city of a curse that stood in Israel's way to get into the Land of Blessing.
And we find in Ephesians 2, if we go on, that we were Gentiles without God and without hope in this world.
Yes, in Mr. Darby's translation. Back in numbers, we won't go back in. Joshua won't go through it. If you read the note, it could be said that those that inhabited Jericho were its citizens.
The citizens of the city of the curse.
So which world are you a citizen of?
They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims.
They looked for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God.
We walk through this land as pilgrims and strangers.
If you want to truly enjoy a risen Christ in your heavenly blessings.
Don't become a citizen of Jericho.
The measure in which you and I get wrapped up in this world and its affairs.
Is a measure by which the joy that the Lord wants us to have right now, by faith, is going to be taken from us.
Chapter 4.
Verse one, I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that she walk worthy of the vocation or calling wherewith.
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Ye are called.
Sihan was the king of the Amorites.
When the children of Israel came along and met him, they sent a message to him. They said, Let us pass by through your land.
I'm going to say this from memory. I could be wrong, but I believe that message said we won't eat your food or drink your water. Or if they were going to eat and drink, they offered to pay for it. They weren't going to cause any disruption of the lifestyle of the Amorites, They just wanted to go through their land to get to the promised land.
They had no intention of trying to change the living conditions, the morals, the Society of Sihan and his people. They just wanted through.
Because they had something better coming.
Sihan could have said, sure. Here's how much it's going to cost you.
You know it does cost to walk through this world beloved young people to the glory of God.
It costs a lot.
That didn't cost, and it doesn't cost as much as Jesus paid.
For you.
And for me at Calvary's Cross.
It's worth the cost, whatever it costs.
To walk through this world to God's glory. But here is an enemy. That said, we're not interested in charging you a fee, We're going to kill you.
Does that sound like a nice world to be friends with beloved young people?
See, this world that you go through not only charges you a great fee to walk through it, the pleasures of sin for a season, the wages of sin is death.
We could go on. You pay a lot of money to go through it and then when you're all done you find out it's not letting you through anyway.
That none of what you paid in your life has gotten you any closer.
To where Jesus is.
You've been at the physicians for all those. What was it 18 years?
Spent every cent you had to spend of your life.
And now there's nothing left, and you're left on the trash heap to die.
And nobody cares.
You've been fighting or not fighting, I should say, trying to make peace with Sihan. You can't do it.
There's a battle to be fought.
If you're going to get to the promised land, if you're going to enter into these joys and glory of Christ in heaven, that are ours and that are real.
You're going to have to fight Scion. He's not letting you buy easy.
Chapter 4.
Verse 17.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that she henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity.
Ignorance. Emptiness. You put the word in there of their mind.
Having the understanding.
Read a little bit more verse 19 who being past feeling, have given themselves over onto lasciviousness. That's every kind of immoral degraded lifestyle.
As I said before, the Canaanites often refer to all of these people.
But here there are separate people, so let's just think about Canaan for a minute.
Something awful took place in Canaan's life.
I'm going to say an application. He acted in the character and role of being past feeling when he walked into his father's tent, saw his father's failure and nakedness, and then went out and told his brothers.
You have to be past feeling.
To feed upon and spread.
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Failure and sin and degradation.
And beloved young people, you're walking through a world that is full of tabloids and TV's and newspapers and every kind of informational device.
That it seems like the delight of those things is first and foremost to fill the heart and mind.
With the nakedness, the sin, the shame, the filth.
Of this human race.
Past feeling given over to lasciviousness.
Pit loving young people.
Does that equate with Christ in glory?
Can you read those things and imbibe those things and become involved in those things, and then sit down and have a good long time of sweet communion with the Lord Jesus reading his word?
Can you go tonight to some movie theater and see the latest hit, whatever it is?
And then go home before you get to bed and get on your knees and open the Bible.
And read the precious things of Christ, and then talk to him.
We must hurry on.
The fifth one.
Verse five Chapter 5 Be ye therefore followers of God, verse one as dear children and walk in love.
The parasites are mentioned as the 5th.
They are mentioned especially when Ephraim or the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh complain.
That they don't have a big enough inheritance and so.
Joshua says we'll get up into the Hill Country.
Where the parasites and the giants dwell.
And cut down the woods.
You want more blessing? It's yours.
There's giants up there. There's parasites up there.
There are no match for God. In fact, our time is rapidly slipping. But.
Joshua, 17.
I want to read something there real quick.
I'm going to read from the new translation the last verse of Joshua 17.
This is his word to these complaining people who didn't think they had enough land. They weren't getting enough from the promised land. It wasn't as much as they wanted. And Joshua says thou shalt dispossess the Canaanites. I'm reading out of J&D verse 18 of chapter 17.
Thou shall this possess the Canaanites, though they have iron Chariots.
For they are powerful.
Yeah, there's giants, there's parasites. But you know what defeats them? The love of Christ. The love of Christ constraineth us.
As a love of Christ captured your hearts, I'm going to close. I'll just read the last two verses.
Chapter 5.
And verse 8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now your light in the Lord walk his children of the light, walk in love, walk in light. You know the the the highlights are mentioned in connection with that the 6th one, the high, the high bites.
Defiled and they deceived. They deceived Joshua because they looked like they came from a long ways away.
And they defiled Diane Jacob's daughter.
Walk in light. Walk according to the principles of this book so you don't get defiled, deceived, and lose out those blessings and the joy of them that are yours right now. If you know Jesus savior last verse, see then that you walk verse 15 circumspectly or carefully, not as fools, but as wise David goes up, they're the Jebusites he goes up to Jebus. It was before called that before Jerusalem and those people are dwelling there said you can't come in here because there's lame and blind here and you hate him.
As long as the lame and the blind are here.
You can't get in here, David.
Well, that's not true. Mephibosheth was as lame as they came, and he certainly loved Mephibosheth.
01:00:05
But you know, beloved young people, there's a place where Jesus is.
And he wants you there.
And it's going to be sin, the effects of sin, lameness and blindness, that will keep you from being there.
That will keep you and the Lord from enjoying that place that he deserves.
David said Whoever gets up and smites the Jebusites and the lame and the blind, hatred of David's soul, that is the effects of sin. And it happened.
And you can enjoy fellowship with him.
Don't let those enemies.
Keep you.
From the joy of what we're enjoying and feeding on.
In Ephesians.
Blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, let's pray.
Stirring Up
Children—D. Mearns
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.
Who has a hymn for us to start with?
Do you have one?
Jesus loves me, you know. I don't have to go find my glasses.
And.
Somebody found that number for us already #40 Let's sing #40 How about we sing?
The first 2 verses of #40 Jesus loves me.
Jesus loves me.
They are me, but he is wrong.
Yes, she is like.
Yes, she is by the swamps me.
You have lost, she is gone.
My Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me. Goodnight.
He will wash away my sins.
Are coming.
Your eyes.
Who else has one Plus?
There's a hand right over there.
Which one would you like?
#41.
#41 Around the throne of God in heaven will many children sing. You know, I hope that every one of the children here this morning will be one of those children #41.
Round of God in heaven will have a children's day. Children's are all forgiven well heavenly and thumbs racing glory.
Glory, glory to God.
In shining roses a spotless way, each one will be arranged while winging everlasting life and joy that birthday singing glory, glory, glory to God.
What brings them to that world?
And they're singing for you. Boring, boring.
Because I say your shed gives blood to purge away their sins. Now washing my most gracious life be more than white and cleaning, singing for me glory.
Glory into God.
Well, maybe before we go further as old boy there has one for us, but just before we're going to sing yours.
Maybe we'll just ask the Lord Jesus for His help this morning.
In your number, maybe you want to tell me the number that you have.
Which number?
Does he have one for us?
Which one?
59 #59 What's 59 in the little book?
Somebody remember?
I don't remember it well. Maybe we'll sing one in a few minutes. Just before we carry on, though, let's turn to the Book of Proverbs.
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Proverbs, The.
15th chapter.
Just to introduce what I have in my heart this morning.
The 15th chapter of Proverbs. In the first verse it says the soft answer turneth away wroth.
But grievous words stir up anger.
Grievous words stir up anger.
I want to speak this morning a little bit about stirring up.
About stirring up. We've had that before us a little bit this weekend. You know, I've appreciated.
In the prayer meeting on Friday, as we started, we had a brother that mentioned the thought that our hearts would be stirred up. And then in the prayer meeting for the Gospel, our brother John Kaiser here, he prayed the same way. He prayed that our hearts would be stirred up.
On our brother Bob Tony yesterday when he prayed, he prayed the same thing, that our hearts would be stirred up.
And our brother Doug Nickley, as he was speaking to us, but our walk, he prayed that he said, and he spoke to each of us, that each of us would be stirred up in our walk. You know, we have a little verse here that says grievous words stir up anger. I don't want to talk about that kind of stirring up. I just want to tell you a little story before we go on. Just before I left, I was working in a home.
And the home that I was working with in, we were doing a kitchen in there and the the mom and the dad, they were gone and there was 2 little boys there. One of them was two years old and the other was 4.
Two boys.
And.
It came to be lunchtime and there was a babysitter there and she made two peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Anybody had a peanut butter and sham sandwich before? Yeah. Well, you know, these two little boys had a peanut butter and jam sandwich sit in front of them and the babysitter said have to eat your sandwich. Sold the two year old pick up the sandwich and.
It was going down with the four year old. He didn't want the sandwich. I want the sandwich. Well, if you don't have the sandwich, you're not going to get a treat for dessert.
I don't want the sandwich.
And you know, babysitter left and came back in a minute and the two year old was still chomping on a sandwich. And on the four year olds plate the sandwich was gone. It was all gone. And a baby sitter looked and said you finished your sandwich quick. Yep, Yep. You know there was no evidence. And right beside him the dog was going.
And so the babysitter said, did you eat the sandwich? Yep.
We know the babysitter looked at the dog and there was a piece of the sandwich that was hanging out and it.
Babysitter said the dog's got your sandwich.
Well, she said. What's that in the dog's mouth?
He said it's a sandwich.
So, you know, the babysitter said. Well, no tree.
And you know, after lunch was finished, the two year old got a treat.
And the four year old got no treat.
And you know, I thought of this first because the two year old went over to the four year old with his treat and he went over like this and he says, see what I got? And he took a big bite out of his treat. And you know, the little boy was very unhappy and it was war. He was very unhappy. But it says here grievous words stir up anger. You know, it doesn't take very much to stir up anger. But I want to speak this morning, boys and girls, about stirring up, you know, where I where I come from in Rio Ferry.
We have a Sunday school, we have a children's meeting.
And in that children's meeting, there are boys and girls just like here. There's a class for older boys and girls that are not sitting in the front row, they're sitting back a little bit.
And there's a young people's class and, you know, my dad comes to the children's meeting and he's almost 89. And all the older folks that are in around his age bracket, they all come to the children's meeting too, because everyone likes the children's meeting. And I trust that this morning that everyone here, not just the children, will get something from what I have on my heart this morning. And so let's turn to Isaiah chapter.
64.
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Isaiah chapter 64. We read a verse there.
In verse 7.
It says there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. So it's a sad verse. That's a sad verse because we read this portion. We don't read about anyone that's stirred up.
I want to be a sad thing, boys and girls. If we came to the Saint Louis General meetings here and we went back home and there was nobody that was stirred up, nobody that was stirred up, wouldn't that be sad? It would be here. We read it about a time there was nobody stirred up. There's none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. What a sad time that we read of in the book of Isaiah here. Not something that's very needful for us. We're going to do something here this morning.
Klein's sister brought this for me. I haven't even looked in the bag yet.
See what's here.
Well, who can tell me what that is?
Orange juice. Well, we're going to do something here. We're going to.
Take the lid off.
Like this and we're going to put the orange juice. You know, we're doing something here that all you boys and girls have seen done before. Every one of you have seen this done.
And at home we take glasses of water and we put it in to the orange juice, don't we? So would anybody like a drink?
Anybody like a drink of this?
I see some dubious faces. What do you suppose the problem is here?
Pardon me.
I need to stir it. That's right, I need to stir it.
You know, I trust we learn from this this morning. That's something that we need to do. Could you come and help me? We need to get this stirred up, OK? You just reach in there and you just stir that for a little bit, OK?
You just help me out there.
And we stir and we stir, and sometimes it takes a little while to get something stirred up.
And sometimes it's like that with us, too. We need a little time to get stirred up. But while she's stirring there, let's just turn to another portion in Second Peter. You just keep stirring there, Second Peter.
I.
Second Peter, the 1St chapter.
OK. Thanks very much.
For helping me stir this, this is helpful. You know, it's not all stirred though. We see. But we'll just leave it there and we'll do some more stirring. And let's look at second Peter and the first chapter.
And I thought, you know how.
How do we? How do we stir ourselves up?
We know how to we know how to take this orange juice and stir it up. But it says in Haggai there that there was none that stirred himself up. I thought, you know, how do we get stirred up? Do we take this spoon, open our mouth and put it down? We stir our styles up like that. Is that how we're going to get stirred up? You know, we're not. And I trust that as we go through this little portion this morning, these verses that will see how to get stirred up. And so here in first, the second Peter chapter one.
And we read.
In verse 13.
Yeah, I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up, to stir you up.
By the putting you. By putting you in remembrance.
You know, we have to have our memories stirred up. We have to be putting remembrance. You know, I have not such a good memory, but I have something that helps me remember.
And here I got what I have to help me remember. I got it about 20 years ago. The Lord gave me a wife and that helps me to remember, helps me to remember. So here in this portion we find that it's needful to be stirred up by ourselves being put into remembrance.
Now, boys and girls, let's look at the Book of Haggai for a moment. Turn over to the Book of Haggai. We're going to read a little bit more.
About being stirred up.
Haggai, chapter one.
00:15:06
And here we read about a stirred up spirit, stirred up spirit, an egg eye, chapter one and verse 13. It says, then spake Haggai, the Lords messenger, and the Lords message unto the people, saying, I'm with you, saith the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of the rubble, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Josadec, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and did the work in the House of the Lord of hosts, their God.
I've enjoyed that, you know, because.
It says the Lord speared up the spirit of these ones, and he used Haggai the prophet.
And you know, boys and girls.
Sometimes when we need to get something done, it's good to have some help. I know in our house, you know, when I ask the boys sometimes to do something and sometimes there's not a real willingness like I'd like to see.
But you know what really helps? It really helps just to do what Haggai did here, because if we were to go to the book of Ezra, you know what we would find? We would find that the people were stirred up and they went to work. But you know what it says there in Ezra, I believe it's the 5th chapter, it says that the prophets worked with them. The prophets worked with them. He, they normally stirred up the people, but they went along with them. They helped them. And you know, we get something done around our place when Dad tells the boys to go and do something.
And then Dad goes long as it helps too. That's when something really gets done. Well, here we find the Spirit was stirred up. I don't know, it's a little different word here, but I've just thought of the Spirit of Christ. You know, sometimes it's dormant in us a little bit. Sometimes it needs to be stirred up, stirred up a little bit. Just like this orange juice here needs to be stirred up. You know, boys and girls, I want you to look at this orange juice we've been stirring here for a little while. I'm going to show you what I've got in here. Is this orange juice all stirred?
You know, it's not all stirred yet. We still have some there. And so we just keep stirring it until it's all stirred up. And we'll speak about that a little bit. Let's look now over at something else that needs to be stirred up in Second Timothy. We find a verse there.
You could go to Second Timothy.
And.
In the first chapter.
Of two Timothy.
We read the sixth verse that says, Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. You know, boys and girls, each one of us have something that we're good at.
Is that right? There's boys here and there's girls here. You know what? Each one of you are good at something, and us older folks are good at something too.
And sometimes we don't use what we're good at. And here I wonder if Timothy was using what he was good at. And so you know what the apostle wrote to Timothy? He said he told them that they need, he need to stir up the gift. Well, he had the spirit stirred up. But now the gift had to be stirred up, had to be stood up, just like we're stirring up this orange juice here, get it all stirred up.
A gift in Timothy needed to be stirred up. Now let's go back over to Second Peter, where we were earlier and we read.
Again.
In Two Peter chapter 3.
Well, we read about our minds.
That that need to be stirred up.
And we read in second Peter chapter 3.
The first verse, this second pistol, beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that she may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. Oh, to have our minds stirred up. You know, boys and girls, sometimes at our house.
We get the supper time and there's nobody around. Nobody around.
And so, you know, sometimes Dad might say it's supper time and nothing much happens, but you know, when I call the children by name.
You know, I could, I could go over to Abby if she's in a book and I can say it's supper time and nothing happens. But when I say Abby, it's supper time, when I do that, you know, she wakes right up. She wakes right up and she comes for supper. And you know, the Apostle Peter here he, he's, he writes and he says.
His desire would to have their pure minds stirred up by way of remembrance.
00:20:05
And you know, I was thinking of this little subject for you to turn over to Exodus Chapter 35. I was thinking of our brother Dawn as he as he was speaking to us on on Friday.
He didn't speak about being stirred up, but I thought of this little portion in the 35th of Exodus where we have that little subject before us, but we have taken up in Exodus 35 what he took up on Friday. And so in Exodus 35 and the 20th verse, in connection with bringing all the things that were needful for the Tabernacle, it says all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses and they came everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whose whom His spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And for all his servants service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, and as many as were willing hearted.
The 25th verse all the women that were wisehearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both a blue and purple, and a scarlet and a fine linen.
And all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun goat's hair.
29th verse The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman whose heart made them willing. You know, boys and girls, we had that little message about giving.
And it's so needful, but here we find that.
These people, they had to have willing hearts. They had to be stirred up to have willing hearts. That's a wonderful thing to be stirred up. You know, boys and girls, I wonder if we could just.
Sing another little chorus before we carry on.
How about we sing #47 Just the first verse in the chorus #47?
When he cometh, when he comes.
So, boys and girls, I want to look now back in the Old Testament for two more little portions before we close in the book of Zephaniah.
And we're going to learn a little bit about this orange juice.
In the book of Zephaniah, the 1St chapter.
This is also a solemn portion in the first chapter of Zephaniah, the 12Th verse. It says, And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lease, and say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.
This is a sad time. It speaks about those that are settled on their leaves. You know what that means, boys and girls.
That means they're nuts, not stirred. They're just not stirred. You know, boys and girls, if you were to take this orange juice, and this happens at our house sometime and we leave it there and we were to leave it there for a day.
You know what would happen?
We would find that all of a sudden, at the end of another day, there would be a line here.
It would be really dark on the bottom and it would be light on the top.
And that's what this means.
It speaks about men that are settled on their leagues.
You know when you have orange juice and you look at orange juice and it's very dark on the bottom? It's light on the top. What does it need?
What does it need?
Somebody know?
Dave's helping me out here whispering. He said it needs to be. It needs to be stirred up. It needs to be stirred up. That's right. You know, boys and girls, let's go to Jeremiah. And I appreciate this because our brother Stan Jacobson, he referred to this verse in the first reading meeting. He didn't turn us to it, but he referred to it in Jeremiah chapter 48.
And we're going to learn a little bit about.
What it means to be settled on our lease and stirring up because we read here about Moab in Jeremiah 48.
It says and verse 11.
Moab hath been at ease from his youth, he hath settled on his lease, and now it says, and have not been emptied from vessel to vessel.
You know boys and girls.
We're going to learn a little bit about that verse because it says here about Moab they were settled on their leaves. It's just like orange juice that settles all down to the bottom and needs to be stirred up. And you know, boys and girls, sometimes we're like that. Sometimes we're like that. Our desire this morning is not simply that the boys and girls here would get saved, but that everyone of you, if the Lord leaves us here.
00:25:23
But not only come to know the Lord Jesus, but that you would be gathered to His precious name.
And go on in the assembly in a manner that's consistent with this precious book, with the word of God. And so you know what it says here? It says they have not been emptied from vessel to vessel. You know, that's another way of stirring. And if I was to take this orange juice and I was to go like this.
That's what I'm speaking about here in Jeremiah. It's speaking about being emptied from vessel to vessel and the old boys and girls. Sometimes the Lord does that in our lives. Sometimes the Lord needs to.
Bring things in our lives that are difficult for us. They're hard. And it's just like being emptied from vessel to vessel just like this. You know what happens when that gets done?
See any chunks of orange juice in here now?
You know what that means? That means that this orange juice is all stirred up properly. That's the way the Lord would have us to be. You know, we need to have that smooth consistency in our lives, not to be full of chunks like the orange juice was when we first started. That's what the Lord's desire for us. And so we find here in Jeremiah the 48th chapter, it says Moab hath been at ease. And that's a sad thing to think about. Moab from his youth.
That means from children never got stirred up, never got stirred up.
It's a sad thing when there are boys and girls. They never get stirred up. Their spirits never stirred. Their minds aren't stirred, their hearts aren't stirred. The gift that's in them never gets stirred. They're not stirred up.
Because they haven't been emptied from vessel to vessel.
Oh, boys and girls, this morning my desire is that.
You'd be stirred up. You know, there's young people that came here this weekend, and I trust that they got stirred up this weekend, that their hearts would be encouraged, You know, as we leave Saint Louis today at the Lord Tarries, that all of our hearts would be stirred up, that we would be like this orange juice that's been poured from vessel to vessel so that now it's good orange juice, it's good orange juice. It's all stirred up. And that's what the Lord's desire is for each.
One of us.
Little boys and girls.
You only have a little drink now.
You know, if I had a drink at first.
I'm sure it wouldn't. It wouldn't have been much good. Maybe somebody else would like one. Somebody wondering, you want to come and help me drink this?
You know, I just have you go ahead and you tell me what it's like.
It's a good orange juice. It's good orange juice. You go ahead and take that.
That's good orange juice. It's all stirred up. And the Lord's desire is that every one of us would be just like that orange juice. We'd be a refreshment for someone else as we go back to our little meetings. We would be refreshment for them because we're all stirred up. We're all stirred up having been here at Saint Louis at the special meetings. Well, boys and girls, let's just ask the Lord now to bless his precious word to us.
How Do We Serve the Lord?
YP Sing Address—A. Buchanan
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.
127.
What?
Well, we had quite a bit today of giving.
And we had a little bit about the vessel.
And I kind of like to continue with that for a little bit this evening as we each won.
In our lives.
So we go on, whether we're young or whether we're old.
I don't know if I was supposed to do that or not. I'm gonna do it anyway.
Umm, how do we serve the Lord first of all?
We have to know the Lord before we can serve Him, and I hope everybody here.
In this room knows the Lord as their savior, because that's who I'm speaking to. Those of you that know the Lord is Savior.
In the Gospel, if you don't know, you certainly heard the gospel tonight.
In the gospel we heard that we need to ask of the Lord.
It's rather interesting because I think we have to ask before we can give to the Lord.
We have to ask of him.
00:25:03
The flipping jailer said. What must I do to be saved? He asked.
Have you asked the Lord into your heart?
We can turn. I'll read.
In Paul's conversion in Acts.
I'll read it because it's an interesting story. It's kind of one of my favorite stories, I guess you could say, in the Bible.
Paul's conversion in Acts 9.
I better put these on.
I'll just read a few verses here, starting with.
The.
Verse three. Acts 9 Three. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute is thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? There's the question, the first question, Who art thou, Lord? You see, Saul thought.
That he was a religious man.
And he thought he was doing service for God, but he didn't even know who the Lord was.
The Lord said I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest is hard for thee to kick against the ******.
And he trembling and astonished, and said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
There's that question that probably each one of us face. What will thou have me to do? Do you ever ask the Lord? What do you want me to do, Lord?
Maybe you have and maybe you've gotten a very direct answer. Maybe you haven't.
We're kind of used to getting direct answers in our lives. We like to.
When we ask a question or we like an answer right now, we don't want to wait a week or two.
That's our nature.
Sometimes we don't get the answer right away.
Well, the Lord told Saul what to do.
And.
I'm going to skip down a little bit.
And verse 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision.
Ananias And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called straight, and inquire in the House of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth.
And has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard by many of this man how much evil you have done to thy servants that drew at thy to thy Saints at Jerusalem. And here he had authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Now this is the verse we're going to consider a little bit. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel.
Spoke in his address about giving and he spoke about the vessel.
Here we have saw a chosen vessel.
And if we can consider that you and I are chosen.
Vessels. If we're saved, if we know the Lord, we are a chosen vessel. We had that in Ephesians 1 today. Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. A chosen vessel. You are a chosen vessel. I'm a chosen vessel.
What was he going to do to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel?
That's what Saul's job was. He later became Paul. God changed his name.
Well, we can go on and read a couple of things that he did.
Verse 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales. And he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
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And then I'd like to get to this verse. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. Now I don't know all the time elapsed and so on and when Saul was gone and and so on. But I like to think right here anyway, that one of the first things he did really was he preached Christ.
And so he was chosen by God, and he was obedient.
And he preached Christ.
Now, I'm not saying that everyone's job in here is to preach Christ right off the bat.
And perhaps you each one have a different way that you preach Christ.
We've maybe heard the statement that says preach Christ at all times and if necessary use words. Do you preach Christ in your lives? That's the way we can serve him as a vessel.
A little later it says.
Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus. Proving that this is very Christ. Proving that this is very Christ. That's what he did.
And so if we consider what Don had said a little bit and those two words giving and.
This is one way Paul's conversion and how.
First he had to know, he might say ask of the Lord, and then the Lord gave him something to do.
And So what did he do? He gave what he knew.
Christ, He knew him. He came to know him.
As that vessel and he was able to give.
If we turn over to Two Corinthians 8.
This verse this chapter was read several verses in here and I want to take a verse here.
That we can all probably understand.
2nd Corinthians.
812.
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath.
And not according to that he hath not.
That that verse speaks of volumes to me.
And perhaps it does to YouTube. Perhaps you might say, I don't know what I have to give to the Lord. I'm just, I'm young.
I don't have money.
I don't have a lot of talent.
We can think up all kinds of things.
That we don't have. But that's not what the verse says. It says it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. We know the story about the widow that cast in two mites made-up of Farthing.
What did she give? The Lord says she gave all she had. It was more than.
Than the rich that had cast in more than all day two mites you and I would consider that if we watched somebody give we would think well the poor they can't put much in. We might see somebody that we consider rich put in a lot of money and think wow, Lord must appreciate that that's not what the Lord says.
She gave more.
Maybe you don't have a lot to give. Maybe you don't. Maybe I don't.
Sometimes we feel like we don't have anything.
But it's accepted according to that a man hath. And I'll tell you, if you are the Lord's chosen, you do have some.
Thing to give.
Each one of you, boys and girls alike, doesn't matter.
And as a parent, I can attest to the fact that.
Young people do have something. I have young people and you.
All have parents I presume.
And your parents know that you have something.
And they don't require what you don't have. Now, maybe one of your siblings has something that you don't have.
And they may require it of you, of them what they have, but they don't require it of you because they love you for who you are as an individual. They don't love you because you're just into the family.
Or because you're like somebody else, they love you because you are you and God is the same way.
He made you and he loved you because you are who you are. I don't care what your name is. John. Mary.
00:35:04
Sam, Bill, Kathy doesn't matter. He loves you for who you are.
And he's given you abilities.
Sam, he's given a lot more ability than he's given me, no doubt about it.
But he loves you now. What are you going to do as one of his chosen vessels? We heard today and it was encouraging to me.
The fact of giving God loves a cheerful giver. Do you give cheerfully what God's given you?
You probably do. You're probably better at it than I am. It's not always easy to give cheerfully.
But I do believe that God appreciates it. He loves the cheerful giver.
So we're not, it's not required of us of something that we don't have. And that should help us in our lives, everyone of us to know that he doesn't. He doesn't ask for $1000 if we've got a dollar.
Or if you can't play the piano at a thing like this, he doesn't ask you to do it. Maybe you can sing, maybe you can invite somebody to come with you. Lots of things.
So each one God has given different abilities.
And.
It doesn't matter how much it is in our eyes or in man's eyes, don't forget.
The Lord looks on the heart, man look upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart, and He sees what's in there in your heart and in my heart.
Sometimes I think of the law given in the Old Testament times.
And if you were to read through the 10 commandments.
Most of them are Don TS.
Don't commit adultery. Don't covet. Don't kill.
And so on. There's a few. There are dues honor the father and the mother, and so on.
But under the law, there was a lot of a lot of you might say don't, but as a Christian, I believe Christianity is.
Is a list of dues.
I'll just read through real briefly.
Some dues that Paul gave to Timothy.
Scan through. If you want to, you can turn to First Timothy.
Kind of go through the book real quickly here.
One Timothy 118 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy.
So he was given Timothy these instructions, that thou by them might just war a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.
Hold fast those things he might, you might say.
Chapter 2. I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions.
Giving of thanks. These are things that you and I can do. Do you make supplications? Do you really pray for somebody that's on your mind? Do you really almost beg of the Lord sometimes?
Prayers, intercessions, troubles sometimes people have. Do you give thanks?
What about the kings and Queens and all that in authority, our president and so on? These are things to do.
I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.
Let the women learn in silence. Women are to learn. There is something to do.
Learn.
A Bishop? Perhaps you take a responsibility in an assembly somewhere.
Beacons, things to do.
It seems to me there's just you can just read right on through.
There comes to a time when it's even there are some that it says they forbid to marry and command to abstain from meats and so on. This is the opposite really. This is things don't do this. It's not what God says.
Forbidding to marry God didn't say that.
He sanctified marriage. Young fellas, don't be afraid to take a wife. Marriages of the Lord.
00:40:06
Put, brethren, in remembrance of these things. Timothy was instructed to do this.
He says bodily exercise profiteth little or for little and you all know that. We all know that if we don't exercise. So it's good that you can play ball and and get exercise and so on. It's good do these things.
Godliness is profitable unto all things.
Practice godliness.
Good. Do it. Meditate verse 15.
Some things not to do. Don't rebuke an elder.
But then what to do? And treat them as a father? Well, we'd go right on through.
At the end of the book it says, O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust.
Good instruction for us all. Keep what's been committed to us.
It's God-given you something.
As a person, keep it.
Well, maybe we can just turn over Hebrews.
The last chapter of Hebrews.
Had kind of thought to speak about doing somewhat by. Kind of enjoyed what Don said so much.
But in Christianity, I just like to stress that Christianity is something.
That we can do.
It's a doing. It's not a, it's not a list of rules. You can't do this and you can't do that.
That's not what Christianity is serving our Lord.
Being like Christ, That's what Christian means, being like Christ.
It's a nice easy way to think of it anyway. Christian, like Christ.
And so we can, there are things that we can do.
And in a sense, perhaps my thought is in the word giving as a vessel, you can give, and one way you can do it is by doing.
That's the way we give sometimes.
If I as a husband.
Gave my wife a ring and never told her that I loved her. It wouldn't be much, would it?
Sometimes we have to do something.
Even in salvation.
We believe with our heart. With heart man believeth.
But we make confession with our mouth, don't we?
Do something. Do something about it.
Hebrews 13.
Verses I suppose everybody and you're familiar with.
Hebrews, 1315. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.
That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. That's probably the ultimate thing we can do in giving giving thanks.
To our Savior the Lord Jesus, and to God the Father for giving his Son. Do you give thanks for that?
Do you offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually? I don't really know what that means to do it continually. I suppose it doesn't necessarily mean to go around every minute of our lives, but be ready to do that.
Give thanks.
To God.
And we do it with our lips. So there's an action, isn't there? Well, it doesn't stop there. It says to do good. That's something else. There it is.
We can give.
We can do.
Do good.
And then there's to communicate. Perhaps that's one way we think of when we give to the Lord. It's more a more common thought perhaps in giving is how much do we give?
And that's of our resources that we have perhaps money, but that's only one way. But it is one way here. It is to communicate. That's what it means, I believe.
00:45:06
Do you help others?
But more important than that, it was the giving thanks. Don't forget young people, to give God thanks in that way.
You as a vessel can give.
To God and to his Son.
Well, that's all I have, I think. May I encourage you all to not give up as you wonder sometimes what can I do for the Lord and my.
My little puny corner that I'm in, you can do something for the Lord.
Four Things That Never Satisfy
YP Sing Address—D. Nicolet
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.
00:15:18
OK.
So.
OK, this is going to be.
Come on.
But.
6.
Tonight, before I came over here, I didn't think it happened in Saint Louis, outside the Sheraton Hotel.
It usually happens. It used to happen over in Buchanan St. in Des Moines. They talked. Mr. Curtly talked about downtown Saint Louis now as being the second most dangerous place in the United States. The Buchanan St. meeting room in Des Moines where we used to have the remembrance of the Lord was the second highest crime rate area in the city of Des Moines and not infrequently someone would come wandering in off the streets and say hey.
00:30:00
I'm on my way to Minneapolis and I'm out of gas and I need a little bit of money so I can get a bus ticket to get up there. It was a pretty standard line after you've heard it about 400 times.
You get tired of hearing it, but that's not supposed to happen in front of the Sheraton Hotel in Saint Louis, right? Or is it Saint Louis, wherever that place is? But I was walking to my van tonight and I got in and sat down and somebody came up and knocked on the door and I looked and it it wasn't Andy Buchanan. It wasn't any of you guys. I didn't know this guy. And he said, you know, I'm really in trouble. I got a problem.
My gas light and my car just came on. I'm just over here in the parking lot and I've only got $0.12.
And I thought, well, if you're coming to me asking for money, your IQ must be about 12. But anyway, I had a little, some a small bill, believe me, small in my pocket. So, you know, what am I going to do, guys? Bigger. And you know, he's not. I gave it to him. And I reached down in the door of the van, and I have some tracks there. And I said here, I'd like you to have this. This is worth a whole lot more than what I just gave you. I don't know what he's going to spend that money on, but I doubt it's for gas.
That's what the world is that we live in. It's always wanting to get something because it's never satisfied.
And tonight, just for a couple minutes, for a few minutes, I want to talk to you about 3 words.
Is enough. Now I want to talk to you first of all in proverbs where those words are mentioned.
Because, beloved young people, I want to tell you something with all the fears, with all the failures, with all the torments, with all the problems, with all the difficulties.
Mr. Tony said. I think he said he's almost 60 or he's there. I am 60. It's painless, but it does come up on you fast. But I want to tell you something and all that time.
I found one thing absolutely for sure.
Jesus Christ.
Is enough.
He's enough for anything and everything that this world might place in front of you as an object to reach out and get and achieve and strive. Now, I'm not talking about the reasonable, normal things in our life.
Getting an education, a career so we can work.
Having a home, a way of conveyance, a means of conveyance. We don't live in some of the lands that other people live in. And so obviously we didn't get over here on a horseback by a horse and wagon tonight. We didn't walk over here. We got in a car and we drove over here and we're thankful for those things and not talking about that.
I'm talking about whatever it is that you're looking for and I might look for to find.
Satisfaction. Something that I say that really satisfies me, and I'm guessing that young man tonight hasn't found it yet.
And he's looking because he assumes that if he gets enough money, he can go buy some satisfaction.
Maybe it'll give him a few hours of a high so that he'll get some satisfaction, where then he's going to be back down and he's got to go tell someone else he's got $0.12.
And needs gas money S we can get back up again. What I'm talking about is the reality, beloved young people, of saying the Lord Jesus Christ is enough. But let's turn to Proverbs.
30.
30.
For justice a minute.
I'm going to read in the middle of verse 15. That's where I'm going to start. Proverbs 30, the middle of verse 15. There are three things that are never satisfied. Yeah, four things say not. It is enough.
Now, this isn't my wisdom. These aren't my words. These are the words of the one that every single person sitting or standing in this room tonight is going to look into his face someday.
The Lord Jesus, God, the Word manifest in flesh in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God.
And the word was God, I don't care where you are in school. I don't care where you live. I don't care anything like that. I'm going to tell you an absolute, undeniable fact. You someday will look into the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:35:06
And.
He as God, the Word.
Wrote these words, he said. There are four things that are never satisfied. There are four things that never say it's enough.
I'm so thankful he didn't say there are many things or there are some things or there are a few things.
He said there are four things and then he tells us what they are and because he tells us what they are.
It's a wonderful thing, because that means that I don't have to be included in those things. Nor do you. Here's what they are the grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not filled with water, and the fire that saith. Not it is enough.
Now you can apply those in a lot of different ways. I'm going to apply them for the sake of time in a very simple way.
This world.
Cannot.
Supply real, true, lasting life.
You can spend however many years the Lord allows you to live in this world looking for it.
And apart from Jesus Christ, you're never going to get it.
This world is a grave.
It is a place of death, not of life.
And it is never satisfied if the Lord Jesus doesn't come.
I personally think he's going to be doing that very soon now.
But if he doesn't come, you're leaving here.
And there's only one way you leave this world. It's through death.
You're going to leave, and so am I.
And when you leave?
The question is not are you going to leave? The question is.
Who are you going to be with when you leave? So it says. The grave is never satisfied. There will never be a time in this world when, as it were, the grave will say, that's it, I've got enough. I'm filled up. No more rooms.
People don't have to die anymore.
The only way that you're going to get around that one is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eternal life. He's willing to give it to you.
He died. So you can receive that tonight. Then it says the barren womb. And all I want to apply there is you can spend your life looking for something that will give you the joy and satisfaction of having fruit in this world. Accomplishments. And there's nothing wrong with accomplishments, but if you think that is going to satisfy you, you're absolutely wrong.
You aren't going to get satisfaction from anything anywhere.
In this world.
A barren womb. It doesn't. It can't and it won't produce joy, fruit, and satisfaction.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can give that to you and to me.
You may not believe me.
But beloved young people, I don't want you to spend if the Lord gives you 50 years or 40 years or 60 years.
I don't want you to spend all those years trying to prove me wrong.
Because God's already said.
That it's not to be found.
And then it says the earth that is not filled with water.
I don't know what it's like to go through a desert, but recently I read of an account or heard a story. I forget where it was a book. During the Second World War, AB24 Liberator Bomber was on a bombing run somewhere over in North Africa.
Tripoli, he's read the book.
And what they do, get into a dust storm and just go off course. Got off course. And they flew and they flew and they flew and no one ever heard of them again.
And then?
Many years later, they found a fairly complete fuselage of AB 24 Liberator out in the desert. I'm talking about lots of years later.
00:40:06
And so they sent out a search party out and they followed. And they realized that most of the guys on that airplane had lived.
They ran out of fuel and Oregon, the engines gave out. They parachuted out and all, I think but one of that crew lived. They ended up on the ground.
On the sand in the desert.
600 miles.
600 miles from water.
And they started walking.
And as the search party followed, they found skeleton after skeleton after skeleton laying, buried partially in the sand with the remnants of their clothing, their pilot's outfits. One I think had gotten something like about 70 miles.
Walked 70 miles in the desert.
No water, and he died.
How far are you going to walk? 600 miles?
God says there's no satisfaction.
It's a desert. It's not enough. It's never going to satisfy. You want to walk through this world looking for happiness and satisfaction apart from Christ.
Apart from really opening your heart and letting him not only be your savior but your Lord to fill and satisfy your heart.
It's a hopeless walk.
Don't start on it.
And then it finally says the fire that says not it is enough.
You're looking for comfort tonight in this world.
You're trying to decide that somehow you're going to find a nice, easy way to settle down and really enjoy yourself.
And you'll be able to say, oh, I've got it made. This is really comfortable. We came past the place on the way here. I was looking around, incidentally, for the someone. I was laughing. I said if I don't show up by 9:15, you're talking tonight.
They said follow me, But anyway, you know, I was driving down, I did get lost. I made the wrong turn and I realized this isn't the way to 270. But we got back on the road and got here. But I'm coming down the road and I'm looking off to my right and I'm seeing these beautiful homes and these, you saw them too. It says, what is it, Ladue Private Ledoux Estates or something?
Really nice homes. Now, I don't know how much the most expensive home in Saint Louis costs, but let's say you get to live there. Somebody says, here's the deed, it's all yours.
They're going to keep you from getting old. They're going to keep you from getting sick. They're going to keep you from crying. I'm going to keep you from sorrow. Is that going to give you comfort?
Well, I'm going to close now that we could go on and talk about this, but I'm going to close. Here are four things that don't say it's enough. I want to tell you about one man who said it is enough.
Let's go back. And you know why? This really encourages me?
This is a guy I can really identify with. His name is Jacob and the reason I identify with him is because.
I see so much in myself of the things that the word of God tells me about Jacob, Deceit and failure and distrust of the Lord. He pretty royally messed up.
But you know what?
In Genesis 45, a wonderful message comes to Jacob.
The message that comes to Jacob says Joseph is alive.
And he's in charge of everything in Egypt and this famine that's killing everybody.
He's in control. He can give you life. He can take care of you. Now, that'd be a pretty wonderful message to receive if you were living in a land where everybody was starving to death, to hear that your son or someone that you loved very much, that you thought was dead, was alive and not only was alive, but was in charge of the storehouses of food.
That would be a pretty neat message to receive. Well, I want to tell you, you've received it.
The word that says that the grave.
00:45:05
And the barren womb and the earth without water and the fire can never say it's enough.
That's the word of God has said, but there's someone that can provide everything you need and want.
The Lord Jesus.
And so Jacob heard that Joseph is alive.
And here's what it says about Jacob's reaction. I wonder if anybody here has ever reacted this way. Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.
Ever happened to you? You ever read the word of God and you still get discouraged and down?
Because this can't be so. It can't be that easy.
Say God really mean that?
He didn't mean it. He wouldn't have written it.
So Jacob's heart faints. Why? Because Joseph is dead. No, Joseph is alive. Jacob's heart faints. Why? Because Joseph can't take care of him in famine. No. Joseph wants to give him the very best land. How come did Jacob's heart faint? Because he didn't believe the report. Beloved, young people believe this book, and here's what it says. They told him all the words of Joseph. You want to hear all the words of the Lord? They're right here, written for you.
And he said unto them, which he had said unto them. In other words, every word that God wants you to know is recorded in this book. And he has sent away for you to be conveyed to where he is, so he can make you happy and satisfied. They're called wagons.
So Joseph listens to what's said, and for our application, with the eyes of faith, he looks at the provision that God has made.
That's been made for him.
And he says it's enough.
That's what I want you to say tonight. That's what I want to say tonight. I've got the word of God in my lap.
Or in my arm.
They're God's words. That's what God has said.
And I can look and see the provision he's made.
To fill and satisfy my heart.
Is it enough?
Beloved young people.
He doesn't have any more to give you if that's not enough.
And that's what we've been hearing about this whole conference.
That every single blessing God could give you.
If you know him as savior, you've already got.
Is it enough?
And if you're not sure.
That you're saved.
You know, I don't think I want to say this because of this thing, but I'm going to say it anyway.
You know, Satan often comes and tells me. How do you know you're saved?
Does he ever ask you that? Don't nod your heads, just answer it inside. Do you ever questioned your salvation? Satan's pretty good at bringing that to us.
When they heard his words and saw his wagon, he said. It's enough, Satan. I've got enough.
Take your lives and go tell somebody else.
Walk with the Lord Jesus. Don't go across the desert looking for water.
Just open this book up and start drinking.
And eating.
And you, like Jacob, will be able to say it's enough.
That's why he hung on the cross.
And that's why I think he brought you to these meetings to tell you once again, he's enough.
Believing.
Let's pray.
Ephesians 2
Giving and Vessels
God the Giver