St. Louis Conference: 2022
Table of Contents
The Valley of Decision
Address—Bernie Roossinck
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Good afternoon, everybody.
Nice to see so many faces.
Lots of friends in here and a few new ones welcome.
For those of you that don't know me, my name is Bernie. I'm from the Fremont, MI assembly.
And originally from Newfoundland.
This address is on our card as just an address to.
Everybody. But I noticed that there are lots and lots of young people here and that really warms my heart.
And if it's OK, I'd like to direct what I want to share primarily to you young people and those of you that are my age or older probably still think you're young anyway.
So.
Hopefully we can find some encouragement together as we think about the Lord Jesus.
You know, as I pondered what to speak about this afternoon.
I was sitting in my dear blind, actually.
And.
The Lord gave me some thoughts that I believe it would be of Him to share. And two things happened when I got here that encouraged me. The first one was this little card right here with the two lines of this Him on it. And I had thought about seeing this hymn to begin, but I thought, man, it's pretty long.
So maybe we'll take up some of its themes, but we're not gonna sing that in. But I thank the Lord when I saw that because these two verses are the two verses that the Lord gave me in my dear blood.
And then Brother John when you read.
There in First Chronicles, I had that on my heart too, and I felt like the Lord's saying.
Go ahead.
And so I appreciated the encouragement that the Lord gave.
I would like to start by singing #26 in the appendix.
And I like singing, and I know lots of tunes for this hymn.
And sometimes it's a little difficult to know how to what's him the what's tuned to use in a conference like this. Because, yeah, we have folks here from both sides of the continent and a lot of different tunes. So I'm going to ask Kyle to help me start this.
Because there's a tune that he and I both like, and I hope it's OK, brethren, to use a different tune.
Go ahead, Kyle.
Well, dear young people.
I'm so happy to see so many of you.
And.
So I was thinking about what I wanted to say to you.
Just been pondering.
Many of you are in the valley of decision.
About a lot of things.
Maybe some of you young people are in the valley of decision about whether or not you should trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior. I know that you know the gospel. I know that many of you, most of you probably, have been raised in Christian homes and have been taught many of the precious truths of the Word of God.
Maybe you're asking yourself.
Is it worth it?
Should I carry on in that which I had been taught and instructed?
I think some of you are pondering decisions about relationships.
And.
Friends, some of you are thinking about career choices and what kind of study to take up.
I also know that the enemy of your soul is working as hard as he can to.
Grab your affections and to pull you away from the Lord Jesus and to take your heart and to distract you.
And so the first verse that I had on my heart to read, and I have a number of verses here, so.
I'll probably move fairly quickly this first ones in Jewel chapter 3.
And verse 14.
And it says multitudes.
Multitudes in the valley of decision.
You dear young people, my exercise and my hope this afternoon is that I can point you to the blessed Lord Jesus and to point you toward His calling upon your life and His love for you. You know I would tell you with all sincerity, beloved young people.
I love you.
And I know that the assembly here in Saint Louis has expressed that to me, that they want you young people to feel and to know that you are valued and loved, not just by those in this room, but so much more by the Lord Jesus himself and how He wants to come into your life.
And to have that place of fellowship and communion.
And guidance and trust.
Start over to Joshua.
24 This is a A.
Time at the end of Joshua's life.
And he was summarizing many of the things that God had.
Done for his people. This is kind of Joshua's last words, if you will. And last words can be very special and very meaningful.
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I Yesterday was my dad's 80th birthday.
But he's been with the Lord for six years, and I was sitting there in my dear blind before we had Thanksgiving lunch together, thinking about my dad's birthday, and I remembered his last words to me were the son I'm faint yet pursuing.
And it wasn't too long after that he was gone anyway. Last words are very special. This is some of Joshua's last words. Joshua 2415.
Just going to read in the middle of the verse here. Choose you this day, whom you will serve.
There's a choice to be made. Who will you give your affection to? Young people? Who will you give your time to? Who will you give your resources to? Who will you give your communion and your fellowship to? The Lord Jesus is wanting that fellowship with you.
I think about.
The Lord Jesus sometimes and I.
Sometimes I wish that I could have been there when the Lord was here on this earth. And we know that the apostle John was the.
Disciple whom Jesus loved.
And the Gospel of John is a very special gospel, a very A lot of easy words in John's gospel, a lot of.
Expression of the love of God in John's Gospel.
And the apostle John got to be an old man. And in first John chapter 2, let's turn to this a minute.
After many, many years, at the end of his life, he had this to say.
And by the way, young people.
The epistle of John. First John is really a letter to the family, so this is not about salvation.
This is about, this is a message written to those that are already in the family and this is what he says, Don't get me wrong, the gospel can very lovingly and wonderfully be preached from first John, but the apostle, here he is at the end of his life and he says this to the young people.
Says First John 215 Love not the world.
Neither the things that are in the world.
If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world.
The world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that death, the will of God abideth forever. I can just see this dear old man as he's writing there, perhaps by a candle.
Not sure if he was on the Isle of Pat Most when this was written, but anyway, there he is and he's writing out this last message. Young people.
Don't love the world?
Or the things in the world. Now this is not talking about the planet, this is talking about the system of mankind that's against God.
And the apostle could say, don't go there.
It's a desert, you won't find satisfaction in it.
All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. You know when I was a kid that the lust of the flesh was very evident.
And.
You get a bit older the less of the eyes become stronger and it's pretty easy for me to.
Look at Sebastian's trucker marks boat or whatever and that man, wish I had that. And you get older yet Maybe John, your rage, the pride of life begins to sink in. You can look back and like, boy, I traveled the world, done this, done that.
I.
Was pretty thankful I think Bob, you mentioned this.
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At Chicago conference about Eric Smith.
One of the things that he said, I've heard him say this in ministry. I didn't know Brother Smith, but I wish I did. I think I remember meeting him when I was just a tiny kid. He was an old, old man. My folks introduced him to us and we just wanted to get to the playground. Didn't know anything about who he was.
Now that I look back, I wish I would have paid more attention, but anyway, he said. Lord help me not to die a wicked old man.
And so these things can affect us. Young people don't love the world.
The Lord Jesus has your good and your blessing before Him.
I spoke to the young, young people at Carrollton about this. My son, give me thine heart.
And that's what the Lord would ask of you right now. My daughter, my son, give me thine heart. You know Satan would like to take your lives and.
Allure you out into all of the attractions of this world.
And then?
Basically.
Ruin your life if you're not saved, you would like to drag you into hell. That's what his goal is. And he would say, hey, look at all this stuff. I think about when Satan was tempting the Lord Jesus and it says he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. He said, I'll give you all this if you worship me.
Interesting that it only took a moment of time to see it all right.
That is what Satan wants to do is promise you the bright shining, shiny new toy, if you will. The relationships, the.
The fun that the world promises to give, you know, there's there's no satisfaction in the young people. And the Lord says, give me thine heart.
That's what he wants from you. Give me your heart. You know, when Becky and I first became parents, that was one of our exercises for our own family was that our children would give us their heart. And sometimes we knew that we had it and sometimes it was really evident that we didn't, and it hurt. I think all of you that are parents know what that feels like.
The joy when your son or daughter.
Has given you their heart, and then they sorrow when they don't. But how much more the Lord Jesus?
Well.
Hope it's OK if I take one of these.
What I'd like to do is go through a number of people.
And these are not in any particular order, so we're just going to take them up in the order that they occur in the Word of God. So I'm not drawing any moral connection one to the other. These are a number of stories that came before me about people that had to make a decision with regards to the relationship with the Lord.
So we'll start at the beginning and we'll work our way toward the end.
Genesis 14.
Now, young people, this story is about.
When Abram delivered his nephew Lot, who had been captured.
In a battle and taken prisoner, and Abraham and his servants were, with the Lord's help, able to recover Lot and his family and and all the people and stuff.
And Abraham had a decision to make. So let's begin with verse 21.
The king of Sodom said to Abraham, Give me the persons, Take the goods to thyself.
Now, young people, that is what Satan desires.
Give me the people and you can have the stuff.
He is after your heart and your soul.
And the King of Sodom speaks to me that way. Give me the persons.
You can have the stuff and I love what Abraham says here in verse 22. Abram.
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Said to the King of Sodom.
I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth, but I will not take from a thread, even to a shoe latchet, that I would not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say I have made Abram rich.
Well, here Abraham could say to the king of Sodom, I wouldn't even take a shoelace from you.
And the king of Sodom is like, give me the people. That's what I'm interested in. Give me the people, young people.
There's a decision to be made in your life.
You're going to lift up your hand to the Lord, the Most High God.
Or you go in with the King of Sodom to follow the stuff.
I would plead with you, consider that decision and do what Abraham did here. It's like, no, I don't want any of that stuff. I'm with the Lord.
And that decision is before you. I know I look into some of your faces. I've talked with a lot of you, and I know that you have a desire to please the Lord and to follow the Lord.
And yet this decision comes up again and again.
Young people, I just encourage you do what Abraham did.
And lift up your hand to the Lord, the Most High God.
The Lord will bless you in that and He will keep you in that.
And realize the enemy of your soul is in game as your destruction and misery.
That's the fact. I'll tell you a story I told this last Sunday in Fremont in the Gospel meeting.
A while ago one of my guys retired.
And so we were having a retirement reception for him and.
We rented a room above a restaurant in Grand Rapids to have this reception, and so a lot of his customers came and their spouses and a lot of my guys were there with their families and.
I looked out the window, it was this was a couple winters ago and it was snowing pretty heavily enough where he could see tracks made by cars in the road. There's a car out front running, had his lights on and there were no tracks behind it or in front of it.
At the outside, they spend there a while.
And it wasn't too long and a police came and.
And then another one and a fire truck and an ambulance. And I remember watching the policeman open the door of that car and this body just flopped out on the ground.
And another one opened the other side, the same thing happened.
There's two people.
Sitting there, overdosed right in the middle of an intersection in downtown Grand Rapids. And I thought that.
Is the end of those pleasures of sin for a season that's the end of the path. I hope that those men were resuscitated, but I have no idea. But I just really hit me in the gut when I saw both those people just flop into the snow bank as dead or just dead. I thought that's the end right there.
I I think of the verse in Proverbs even, and there's a way that seems right to a man.
But the end thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is happiness. And so when the king of Sodom says to you, hey, you want some stuff?
Do what Abraham did and say Nope, I'm what the Lord.
So much more blessed to have your feet in that path of faith. Well, we got to keep moving.
This next one we could turn to Exodus and read a lot, but we haven't got the time, so we're going to take it up in Hebrews 11.
This is some decisions that Moses had to make.
So let's read Hebrews 11.
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We'll begin with the.
Let's begin with verse 24.
By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Here's the word choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteeming the reproach of Christ Greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.
For he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Well, we all know the story of Moses life.
How that his parents saw that he was a goodly child and his mom made that little basket, put it in the river, committed him to the Lord, and then his sister was hiding in the weeds often. Think about that. Sitting in the bowl, rushes peeking out. Here comes Sparrow's daughter.
With her entourage to I guess the swim or cool off in the river.
And there's that little art, right? And he's discovered and oh, it's one of the Hebrew babies and how the Lord intervened and Moses mother was providentially.
Through God's provision, she's the nurse. And how they could instill in Moses all of those wonderful things about the Lord.
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And here they are slaves in Egypt. And I think they knew some of the promises of God and instilled in Moses, you're not one of them. And then the day comes that Pharaoh's daughter says, OK, he's weaned, bring him up to the palace and.
The separation happens and Moses is taught in the teaching and education and language and all that of.
Egypt, and I guess I don't know this for a fact, but I take that Moses probably was heir to great authority as he got older, perhaps even to be the next Sparrow. I don't know that I could historically say that, but he had opportunity. Let's just say that.
And he turned his back on it, and the Lord put upon his heart to take up the cause of his brethren.
And we know that he killed the taskmaster and buried him in the sand, and then he got found out and he ran.
You know, young people, I just think about the choices that Moses had to make and how easy it would be to to take all of the money and the fame and the privilege I go.
Too bad for you folks, things are working out really good for me. He didn't.
He was willing to choose affliction with the people of God.
Rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Young people, there is a reproach. To walking the Christian pathway, there is a reproach.
Particularly in Western worlds where God is so quickly set aside.
OK, you think about.
How godless the United States and Canada have become even in the last five to 10 years. How things have gone downhill so quickly.
And then you look at where Europe is at and they're way ahead of us, and God is a as mocked as a.
Weak crutch for the.
For the weak minded.
No young people, God.
Is in control, God is behind the scenes, God is supreme and sovereign. And Moses, I believe, had that in mind, that he was willing to take the reproach.
00:30:04
Of suffer affliction with the people of God and to have that reproach. So I want to encourage you be willing to make that choice you know.
Those of you that know me well know I enjoy the Song of Solomon a lot and.
A question is given to the to the bride in there. And the question is, well, what's your beloved more than another beloved? And we've had that question put to us. I think all of you probably have basically, oh, what your religion better than ours? Who's who's this Jesus? Is he better than what I believe?
Yes. And then she goes into all of these qualities of her beloved, right? And then at the end of it, yeah, he's all together lovely.
I love that. And then the daughters of Jerusalem like, Oh well, we are, we're interested too. Where is he at? Spring and show him to us.
What a blessed pathway to.
Take reproach and to be able to what's your beloved more than another beloved, Oh the Lord Jesus young people is worth it.
Is so lovely and beautiful.
And we'll get back into the Song of Solomon here in a few minutes. Well, for the sake of time, let's keep moving. John, I'm glad that you read about a Messiah. Let's turn back to that again in Chronicles.
First Chronicles This young people is a chapter worth reading over and over and over again. David is a picture, a type of the Blessed Lord Jesus, and at this time David was. Although he had been anointed king, there was a lot of turmoil.
So had been hunting David like a Partridge is the terminology that the scripture gives it, and he was basically.
I think he said in Samuel to Jonathan, the Lord knows there's but a step between me and death, and he had a lot of rejection here. David was in rejection, but God had anointed him to be king.
And David was waiting. Now let's read verse 16. There came to the There came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold on to David. So here's David in hiding. I don't know where the hold was at this time. We'll say he was living in a Fort, maybe in the woods someplace.
Which as a kid I always thought would be great.
But I don't think as a kid living in a Fort, I never experienced somebody trying to kill me. So probably not so great. Hey, Steven. But anyway, what's what's this now? The children of Benjamin, These are Saul's men. That's who they are, the children of Benjamin. And they come to David where he's at in the hold.
Now verse 18 Then came the Spirit upon a Messiah.
Who was the chief of the captains, and said, Thine are we David? And on thy side, thou son of Jesse, peace, peace be to thee.
Now let's get into verse 32, the children of Issachar of the children of Issachar which were men that had understanding of the times.
To know what Israel ought to do.
Middleburst 33, Expert in war.
Which could keep rink They were not of double heart. Verse 38 All these men of war that could keep rank came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king.
Well, dear young people.
The Lord Jesus is in rejection today.
The world doesn't want them.
Yeah, sometimes we sing the gospel hymn. I hear the crowd in Pilate's hall and so on. I can't quote it all exactly, but the end of that first person that him it says.
Ashamed. In that crowd, I hear my own voice.
And what were they saying? Away with this man? We don't want him. Kill him. We will not have this man to reign over us. And that is?
00:35:05
Generally speaking, the reception that our blessed Lord Jesus gets in the world today, we don't want Him.
But here come these men. They had a choice to make. I think after Saul died, there was a period of time when Abner had anointed one of Saul's other sons to be king, and David had been anointed and there was some turmoil. Well, here they come with a perfect heart to make David king, and they had understanding of the times.
Young people, it's so important for you to have an understanding of the times.
And as dark as things look today.
Don't lose confidence that God is in control, that the Lord Jesus is working his counsel and working his will. And in grace, the gospel continues to go out. You know, we just had an election here in this country and there was a lot of talk about a red wave coming.
And Conservative politicians were going to knock off the Liberals. And why wouldn't this be wonderful? You know what, young people, even though I don't care really for a lot of the liberal politics that are happening in the Western world today, I would tell you this, there is no politician that's going to fix this world. There's no red wave that's going to fix this country or Canada or anything else, only the Lord Jesus.
Will do that only the Lord Jesus and I think that.
One of the reasons that there wasn't a red wave is it's so easy. It's our tendency to put confidence in man. Here's our guy, He's going to fix it. Nope, only the Lord Jesus is going to fix it.
Young people, are you willing to come with a perfect heart to make David King in your own life?
He's he is the perfect king.
He's the guy that.
Knows the end from the beginning, the 1St and the last ayah. I love when the Lord Jesus was here and the Pharisees or the scribes or or jamming him up on his pedigree and he says before Abraham was I am. I love that.
What did he mean? I was there before that. Yeah, we read in John chapter one.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That's the Lord Jesus. He is that supreme power, that loving man in the glory right now that says, my son, give me your heart, my daughter, give me your heart. I'm for you and all that I am.
Believe that young people and come with a perfect heart to make the Lord Jesus King.
He's worth it.
Well, let's keep moving.
It's amazing how fast time goes. We're going to have to skip a few of these. John Chapter 6.
This is a scene where the Lord Jesus, who often took refuge in the House of Mary and Martha, was there.
And we'll read from verse 66, I think John chapter 6.
Nope, this is the wrong one. But we'll take it up as like I just said, this scene is.
Many of those following the Lord Jesus here in this world were offended. So we'll read this and then we'll talk about it. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the 12 Will ye also go away?
And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Thank the Lord Jesus felt it in his soul. Watched those people kind of turn like this and shuffle off and slip into the background. Sam I following him anymore, I'm out.
Yes, he felt it.
00:40:02
And he says to his disciples here, are you going to go away too?
Who asserts my heart?
You know where it was mentioned? I think, Jonathan, you mentioned this. We're living in a day. Young people are very small things. There are literally ones and twos and a lot of your assemblies.
And it's difficult.
It hurts when somebody that you care about a family or a young person.
They, they kind of slip back and slip back and pretty soon you're like, man, I haven't seen this person in quite some time.
That's it hurts. The Lord Jesus feels it too.
And he says, are you guys going to go away too?
I want Peter's answer. Lord, to whom shall we go, young people? There's nobody else out there.
Worthy of your love and affection. It's other than the Lord Jesus. Yes, it is difficult to be in a small assembly with no young people or very few young people.
Perhaps you're an assembly where there is difficulty. I want to say this to you about the Lord Jesus. These are the words of the thief on the cross. This man hath done nothing amiss.
While the young people, is the Lord Jesus ever done anything to wrong you?
Never. Ever.
So when you're tempted to get jammed up with some brother or sister in your assembly, maybe at this conference, something will happen. You know, like how that guy, that woman, that young person.
Don't you ham up the Lord Jesus. This man hath done nothing in this that one thing, and he says, I love you, I am for you. Follow me, Come unto me, I will give you rest.
How easy it would be to say well, MFL one anymore I'm out.
You know it hurts this this happens to our family every week.
On our way up to the Fremont meeting room, we go by a place that is pretty new and there are hundreds and hundreds of cars in the parking lot.
Kind of stings. We get to our meeting room and there's about six cars in there, maybe four sometimes. And my girls have asked me, dad, why.
Well, I would just tell you this, young people never.
Be afraid to just simply be gathered around their blessed Savior.
On Sunday morning.
It's interesting. We had young peoples at our house and a friend of Mary Vandenberg's came along with her. So we're sitting at the counter and the rest of the young people were playing the game and she said I'd like to talk to you about your church.
OK.
So I asked her where she went. She is part of that group.
She says, you know, all we really do is have a rock concert. And then I just, I babysit the kids and we leave. I don't get anything for my soul. I like the hymns that you're singing out of this little hymn book. Now, I'm not speaking against that group of believers, brother, don't get me wrong. What I'm saying is don't be afraid to have the Lord Jesus be your only sustaining thing.
If you're doing what you're doing for fun.
People, music, whatever else in the Lord Jesus is not the focus in the center. You're going to be disappointed.
And I just want to encourage you, it's a day of small things, but don't give up. The Lord Jesus is worth following even when there's ones twos and threes.
All right. Now we'll talk about Martha and Mary, which is Luke, Tim.
This is the time this happened quite a bit actually. I think that the Lord could resort to this house and.
We'll read verse 38.
We'll start there. And now it came to pass as they went. He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, which also said at Jesus feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care? My sister hath left me alone to serve. Bitter therefore that she helped me.
00:45:20
And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha.
Very careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part with some happy taken away from her. And what was the good part? That she chose young people? That she skipped out on the dishes.
Now the scripture speaks against laziness. The good part that she chose was that she sat at Jesus feet and heard his words. What a place to be.
Are you willing to just sit quietly at the Lord Jesus feet and hear his words? Oh, the Lord values that so much.
So I just want to encourage you, Yes, it's good to serve, but don't get the order wrong. Sit at the feet of the Savior and hear his words. And the Lord calls that the good part. Now I'm not taking it away. He says that's the good part. So you want the good part? There you go. Right from the words of the Lord Jesus. That's the good part. I'm not, and it won't be taken away. Sit down at the Lord's feet.
Hear his words.
We'll skip this next one because we're at a time almost, but I would just give it to you for some thought. Mark 10A young man comes running to the Lord is in earnest.
He's pious about his question. He says, Lord, what do I need to do?
And the Lord gives him a couple of tests. I'm going to lead you to think about these on your own. That young man made the wrong decision and he went away said. And the thing I would like to point out to you is says about him, Lord Jesus, looking at him who loved him.
But he wasn't willing to sell his possessions and take up the cross and follow the Lord.
The wrong decision was made. We could spend a couple of meetings on Jonathan. Same issue. Jonathan was a lovely young man, but he wasn't willing to leave the family or the privilege of the palace and follow the Lord in rejection now.
We got about 10 minutes left, so I'm just going to go through some of this quickly.
These are some things I've jotted down that I've enjoyed in thinking about the Lord Jesus and His heart for you right now.
Never have a hymn that really strikes you, maybe as a kid, and it sticks in your heart for your whole life. When I was a kid, we had a camper that was made out of an old bus that my dad built, and John, your dad painted it. And on the back of that bus was a gospel song passing onward.
And this is one of the things that's painted on the back of that camper.
Still we hear the fund entreaty of the ever gracious 1.
Come and welcome.
Tis by me, that life is one. Young people, you want joy in your life, You want peace in your life, You want rest in your life. Still we hear the fond entreaty of the ever gracious one. That's him, young people, it's the Lord Jesus come and welcome. Tis by me that life is one.
That is a life worth living.
1St Corinthians 514 where the love of Christ constrains us.
Young people, the Lord Jesus have your affections. It's like a magnet that attracts nails. You can't help but be drawn to the blessed Savior. The love of Christ constrains us. But you know, young people, the further that magnet gets away from whatever it is that's attracting. Let's say there's a box of paper clips over there by.
You, Sam and I hold up a magnet and nothing's happening. We're too far apart, brother.
You get close to the love of Christ right there with him. And that magnet is grabbing. There's that attraction. The love of Christ constrains us. But you got to be close. You got to be close.
00:50:01
Exodus 33.
The Lord was speaking with Moses, and Moses said to the Lord.
I can't do this by myself.
I need to turn to this one because I can't quote it properly. X is 33.
So this is a beautiful expression.
Exodus 3313 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee.
That I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And he, the Lord said, My presence shall go with thee.
And I will give thee rest. Oh, I love that, Moses says. Lord, show me your way.
And the Lord goes, my presence is going to be with you, and I'll give you rest and I'll give you peace. Young people, I know that it's a tumultuous and there's so many things to decide upon. You get before the Lord and say, Lord, show me your way.
You get the same answer that he gave Moses. My presence shall go with thee, and I'll give you a rest. I want that in my life. Do you want that in your life, young people? I think you do.
Show me now thy way. Sometimes we have to do business with the Lord. Dave Hale used to say that. I was up in Pine Grove a couple weeks ago and Craig Kayo reminded me of that because Dad used to say we have to do business with the Lord. Here Moses was saying Lord.
I can't do this by myself. Show me your way and the Lord goes, I'm right here with you. My presence is going with you. I love that. Cling to that. Song of Solomon 2.
Some of this Brother Dave Mearns I got from you.
Young people study the Song of Solomon and Lovett.
It's a conversation between the bride and the bridegroom, and I want to apply it right now between the Lord Jesus and you. Song of Solomon 214.
And there's a lot of places we could read the whole chapter, and we have nearly enough time to do it.
Sometimes, even when you're my age, you got to go through the books of the Bible song to find the right chapter.
Um, first thing, going to read verse 3.
As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Young people, sit down under the shadow of the blessed Lord Jesus, and you'll find him to be sweet to your taste. Do that. You got to be really close to something to sit down under its shadow, and this was a lot different than I.
I've heard you talk about this before, Steven.
The Bramble, remember that, the Bramble said if you're going to make me king, come and sit under my shadow. You're not going to get much shade under a thorn Bush. Young people, sit down under the apple tree.
And enjoy the sweetness of the Lord Jesus. All right now, verse 14.
O my dove, that art in the cliffs of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs.
Let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice in thy countenances. Comely well here the Lord Jesus could say to you, dear young person.
You wayward, miserable, unthankful young person. What is wrong with you? Is that what he says? No. Oh my dove. What a difference. That's how the Lord Jesus looks upon you right now. Oh, my dove, that are in the clefts of the rock. You know I often think about.
When Moses was sent up there to that rock to get water and the Lord said.
Speak to the rock and water will come out, and he goes up there and he speaks to the rock, and it cleaves open. What a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus.
And then later on when they need water again, the Lord told them go back up there and the first time it was strike the rock got it wrong. He goes up there and smites the rock and the water comes out. The rock is split speaks of the cross of Calvary. The second time he said now go speak to it. Well, Moses got up there and easily must I fetch water out of this rock, you ungrateful bunch of.
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Complaining people whack, he hits the rock with the stick and it cost him. There were consequences. He ruined God's picture, but God and grace still put the water come out. But anyway, back to our verse. Here thou art in the clefts of the rocks.
Young people.
Are you hiding safely in the finished work of the Cross of Calvary? That's this position of the Beloved here in the secret place of the stairs that tells me about.
Private.
Access the secret place of the stairs. It's only for her and him.
That's the position that the Lord Jesus wants to bring you into. It's like it's just me and you.
Special access right into his love and care. Then he says, let me hear your voice, let me see your face.
Well, dear young people, I would ask you this.
The Lord Jesus wants to see your face and hear your voice.
Is also asked you to remember him at his table.
Once a week.
And it's a wonderful thing to lift up your face to his.
And let him shine down onto your face and to lift up your voice and Thanksgiving and praise.
It's not difficult. You don't need to be gifted for that. Young people, the Lord goes, I want to see you. I want to hear you. Just come to me. You're my dove. You're hidden in the cleft of the rock. You're my special person. That's what I get from this passage. I love that passage.
All right now we are going out of time. I want you to read on your own Isaiah 55.
The whole chapter is a beautiful entreaty of a loving God.
I didn't even know what I could say about it without spending a whole other hour. Isaiah 55. I'll just quote this is this is something you need to decide on? Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread?
Young people, you got time, you got energy, you got resources. Why are you spending your time, money, resources, striving around for that which is not bread? The Lord says.
Come buy milk and I'm not even going to be able to quote it, right? Study this out, he says. Don't be striving around.
The it's like shooting a shotgun and they got all these pellets going everywhere. I hope I hit something. The Lord goes, no, no, no. Why are you doing that? Come to me and I'll just give it to you. And there are a lot of beautiful things in there too, about my thoughts or not your thoughts. My ways aren't your ways. You know, we try to do stuff in our own strength and it gets all messed up.
At the end of that chapter the Lord could say instead of the thorn Bush, who comes up the Myrtle tree? I think it is instead of the. You'll have to read it for yourself. Isaiah 55 is worth reading and studying. Do it.
All right.
We're out of time.
I I do like poetry. The Lord has given me a mind for memory.
So I want to quote just a couple lines of a famous poem to you.
About decision making.
If I can get it right.
Two roads diverged in a wood.
You're at the fork right now, young people. Two roads diverged in a wood and I.
I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference, young people.
Put your feet in the path of following Christ. It is the road less traveled by. It's not the popular choice, but it is so, so worth it.
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All right.
We're done again.
We love you.
But so much more. The Lord Jesus.
Would have you come? I think about Joseph, you know. And he revealed himself to his brothers. Come near unto me.
That's what the Lord Jesus is saying to you. By the way, I hope it's not disrespectful to say this. I hope that when we get to heaven, there's a a video library that you can go watch some of these things unfold. I'd like to see that Joseph revealing himself to his brothers.
Come near unto me.
Young people.
I just want to impress and encourage you to do that. The Lord Jesus is worth it at every level and He will be your constant companion. It's not that every day goes great problems happen, but when the Lord can say, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. A yoke is two people hooked together and the Lord goes, we're in it, both of us, here we go.
Learn of me.
All right, now we're past time and I'll buy tendency has to talk too much. So I hope that you have found this to be helpful. Decide to give the Lord the number one place.
2 Corinthians 5:1-4
Reading
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No.
No, sorry. No, no.
Verses that our brother Bernie mentioned.
Was Second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 14. Let's say I had that chapter on my heart, brethren. I don't know if that would be suitable for our meditation, but I find it very challenging.
A lot of the detail of this chapter, so I suggest that we might read that.
Corinthians 5.
For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God.
And house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, if so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothe the pan, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the self, same thing as God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
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Therefore we aren't always we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor that, whether a present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in His body according to that He has done.
Whether it be good or bad, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
But we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that we ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory and appearances, and not inherit. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because with us judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead.
And that He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh? Yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled this to Himself by Jesus Christ.
And hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God to beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ that be reconciled to God, For hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Like to go back to a couple of chapters.
To give a brief outline of these four chapters, Chapter 345 and six.
Years ago, our brother Clem Buchanan gave it in this way, and it's been a very big help to me. In Chapter 3, we have the ministries there. We have the ministry of condemnation, and we have the ministry of righteousness, contrasting the law with grace.
Chapter 4. We have the ministers.
And.
He deals with that in that chapter in Chapter 5, which we have read.
We have the motives that animate the ministers.
Chapter 6. We have the moral traits of the ministers.
So if you can keep that in mind, it helps you to understand these.
4 chapters Chapter 3 The ministries. Chapter 4 The Ministers. Chapter 5 The Motives Chapter 6 The moral traits of the ministers.
But I was thinking of this chapter 5, especially in brother Bernie mentioned verse 14. It's one of the most powerful motives for the believer. The love of Christ constraineth us. It's not an outward constraint. It is something that is inward that.
Constrains the heart, and that's inward.
And that is so important to understand. It's not just outward.
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Moral constraints like they had in the law, but it is the love of Christ when we see the awful price that he paid the Son of God.
The eternal Son of God, the Creator of the universe, came into this world and let himself be nailed to that cross to save us from our sins.
From eternal ruin that does something to the heart that nothing else can do.
And it's one of the motives that.
That motivates us.
That's what we want to communicate to our young people, that it's something that should be operative in all of our lives. So I just suggest this. There's other motives here in chapter 5 that I think are so wonderful as well in verse one. It starts out we know.
The beauty of the confidence of the Christian faith. We know Paul. Don't you have some doubt about that?
We know, he says. That's beautiful, the confidence with which he speaks.
How can he be so certain?
Wonderful.
It's interesting that in Paul's ministry here, in these first nine verses, he brings before the Saints what perhaps would be anticipation of the glorified state. And so he speaks of it in a positive way. He says we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a Tabernacle.
We're living in a body. It's in a temporary state in this world. We're living in a body that's not glorified yet, but it will be glorified. And so he brings us out in these next few verses. And it's a part of Paul's doctrine. It's a part of what Paul reveals in his ministry as to the certainty of the future state of the believer in his body. And in the Old Testament, they had some appreciation of it, some knowledge, some hope, you might say, let's read in the.
In job chapter I think it's chapter 19.
Now Job was speaking prophetically. He didn't as David did in the Psalms. They didn't understand all that they wrote in, but they were speaking under divine.
Inspiration And so in chapter 19 of Job verse 25, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, and though after my skin worms destroy this body.
Yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and mine I shall behold, and not another, though my reigns be consumed within me. And so there was a little bit of a revelation prophetically as to the truth that what they had on earth there and they would go into death. That wasn't the final state. And so the apostle Paul in these first nine verses, as I say, brings it out and.
Allows that there's an anticipation of the glorified state. Isn't it wonderful for you and I to know not to hope for to think that we might have and so on. But he wants us to know these things and then as you say in verse 14, he brings before us the motive, the grand motivation for the believers life and that is appreciation and love for the Lord Jesus.
And what is it that first caused us to?
Accept Christ as Savior. Was it a fear of judgment? No.
Was it a fear of being an internally lost condition? No, that's really not what it is. It perhaps had some element. The Lord uses some of those things in our salvation, some different passages of Scripture perhaps. But what is it? It's the love of Christ that won us. And so it says in verse 14, for the love of Christ.
Constraineth or or compels us.
Because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead. So the reason you and I received the Lord Jesus as our Savior was that His love was operative and compelled us to come.
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And if he hadn't acted in love, then we would never have come.
And it's his sovereign goodness and his love. And so when we're saved, then after we're saved, it's the love of Christ that compels us to live for his glory. And so brother Harry Hijo used to have this little expression. He would say, don't try to think about how much you love the Lord. Think about how much he loves you. Think of how much he loves you. And that is what will bring forth fruit in the life. And so the apostle Paul brings out these different aspects of the Christian life.
Important to see that the apostle had a special revelation.
In in regard to the the body that we will have in in the glory.
Of the our brethren who have passed through the article of death.
We are consciously in the presence of the Lord.
Without any hindrance. But they do not have a glorified body, of course.
And the apostle brings this before the Saints.
That we have.
A hope of a body of glory like unto Christ's body. Not a new body, but this Tabernacle which is something temporary.
Transformed at the return of the Lord.
Into a body of glory, glorification, we could say. And that is the hope.
That the believer has, as is brought before us in these early verses here.
In this, in this Tabernacle, we grown because we're still connected with a groaning creation through our bodies and all the infirmities that go along with it. But we're going to have a body like unto Christ and morally like Him.
It's beautiful how to put it in verse one we have.
A building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
You know, rather than something I wrestle with in my own mind as I think of that coming day of glory.
We think of it, and I don't know that we're capable of thinking of anything else than in the realms of time.
But that day will be eternity.
And there is no time there. Absolutely. So that the way he puts it is as if it's already there. We have it, a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
It's already made, you might say, but I find this so amazingly interesting. Like John said, we're going to have to be.
Transformed. If we go back to chapter 15, we read about that Paul, like John, our brother John said, had a special revelation about this.
Verse chapter 15 and verse 50.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
The way we are right now is not our eternal state.
Neither does corruption inherit incorruption. OK, how is this going to be? And he says in verse 51 I show you a mystery, something that was before not understood. It was amazing with the brother Robert mentioned about Job.
He said in my flesh shall I see God?
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I don't know how he must have understood that, but it's there. It's written for us. It's it's amazingly wonderful.
But then he tells us how it's going to be in verse 52. It says in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound. So it's at the rapture this is going to take place.
And the dead shall be raised incorruptible those that have passed on.
And we, the Apostle Paul includes himself those that are living.
Shall be changed. We can't go to heaven in these bodies, brethren. We're going to have to be changed. And it's going to happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye to remember the conference in California years ago, her dear old brother Dan Jacobson said. When it says in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, it's not talking about the rapture.
Wow, that kind of shocked me.
It's talking about the resurrection that takes place at the rapture, and it's true, brother. And I believe that's true because the rapture, there's a sequence. The dead in Christ shall be raised first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. So here it's in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, that we are changed. And it's explains in verse 53 this corruptible Speaking of our bodies.
Must put on incorruption, and this mortal shall. Must put on immortality.
Just think of my brethren in corruption. Completely impossible that we will ever get sick again.
So much sickness and sorrow and problems with our bodies in this world, we're going to be changed into incorruptible bodies and immortality means that not capable of dying ever again.
Oh, isn't that wonderful, brethren? That's what's ahead for us. And so that's what he's speaking about, this new body.
You know what? What makes me really stop and think, brethren, is when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.
Those that saw him in resurrection.
Did not recognize him at first glance. The first one that saw him was Mary Magdalene.
She didn't recognize him. She thought he was the gardener.
Until he said Mary.
Then she recognized.
He was so beautiful.
You would walk for probably two to three hours with those on the way to Emmaus.
They didn't recognize him. You think, in two to three hours talking together.
It didn't recognize him, no.
Wasn't until they went in and he took the bread and gave thanks.
That they recognized him the same when he appeared amongst the disciples. They thought it was a spirit and that makes me think that the body and resurrection is that much different.
There's some of us that have a lot of Gray hairs on our head and we're not going to have Gray hairs over there.
I sometimes say to a brother and that are getting old, I say, I think I might have to look at you a couple times over there brother to recognize who you are. And it will be different brother, but we will know as we are known. But it's wonderful to think we have a body, we have a house, a building of God.
A house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. What a wonderful, beautiful thing to think about.
Joseph Sin, Philippians, Chapter 3.
About this change that's going to take place in our bodies.
And.
It's thrilling to consider the contrast because it tells us here in Philippians 3 and verse 20 for our conversation or citizenship. I believe is the thought here is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile and I believe better translation would be our bodies of humiliation.
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Because we know our bodies are indeed the Temple of the Holy Ghost.
And how marvelous to realize that God dwells within you and me in our physical bodies.
And the Holy Spirit is God, so we have God within us.
But they are bodies of humiliation and.
It seems like often as we converse with one another, we're asking about a person's welfare, you know, and there's aches and pains and sometimes the older you get, the more you feel these. But we got something to look forward to. And what does it tell us here in verse 21? These bodies of humiliation are going to be changed and that they may be fashioned like on to his glorious body.
His body's glorious and so that's what we have to look forward to.
According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. So this is what the future holds for the believer, and based on the word of God we know.
The truth as wonderful to know as you were pointing out, Bob, that first verse we know.
And as you read through the chapter, it speaks about knowing this and that. And so faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. But the language of faith is I know not I hope or I think, but I know.
And faith grows as we read the Word of God.
And we learn more.
Here a little, there a little line upon line, precept upon precept. It's wonderful. I think of the blind man, you know, in the Knights of John. He received his sight and.
Of course the Pharisees, they were opposed to the Lord Jesus.
And it was through the Lord Jesus that he received his sight.
Well, they would not accept the fact that the Lord had given him his sight.
But you know this flying band.
He says.
This one thing I know.
Whereas I was blind now I see now he didn't know all about the Lord at the time. He was going to become better acquainted with the Lord and find out that he was indeed the Son of God who healed him or gave him sight. But I just find real encouragement in that he says this one thing I know. Whereas I was blind, now I see. There's no question, you know, in the mind of this man.
That he had sight. He was blind. Now he sees.
Well, how is it with you and me? You know God imparts eternal life to us.
And he wants us to know it and to enjoy it.
And the apostle John could see these things. Have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life?
He wants us to be assured of it.
So I just appreciate what's being said about knowing.
And you know, eternity is ahead.
We came across Route 50 today.
And there was a sign on a business.
It might have even been an illuminated sign.
And it said eternity. Are you ready? And here's this businessman presenting.
The reality of eternity.
On Route 50.
Eternity.
Are you ready for it?
It's so important to be ready. We don't know what a day is going to bring forth. The dear brother over in Saint John, he collapsed on the road, on the driveway, gone into eternity.
Wasn't expected, happened suddenly.
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Host not thyself, or tomorrow thou knowest not what a day may be before.
But how wonderful that the believer, as we read through this chapter, we find what's in store for us. You know, we don't have anything to worry about or to be afraid about.
As believers.
But if there's an unbeliever here today, you got everything to worry about.
Be concerned about your eternal destiny.
Helpful to just to comment on reinforce a little bit about what you were saying, brother Bob, there are two things in connection with the coming of the Lord that the apostle Paul was revealed to him and they're distinct. And so the coming of the Lord, the sequence of events that will take place is given to us by revelation in First Thessalonians chapter 5 or chapter four. He says this, I say unto you, let's read it so that we we get it. It's a it's a part of what we call.
Paul's doctrine, and it was given to him by revelation. It could not be figured out by reading the Old Testament Scriptures and trying to discern these things. It had to be delivered to him. And so he says, verse 15, First Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 15. For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, he received this from from Christ himself, that we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent or go before them which are asleep.
And then he gives a sequence of events that will take place.
The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. So it was revealed to Him. They knew in the Old Testament that all of the Saints would come with Christ that is appearing.
They knew that, but they didn't know how the Saints would receive their bodies and be in heaven and be able to come with the Lord. And so Paul is reveals this by the Spirit of God and it comforted their hearts men as we read in first Corinthians chapter 15. He tells us about the change that has to take place and those that are alive, those that are mortal and those that are in the graves, those that are unclothed.
There has to be a change and so First Corinthians chapter 15 tells us about the change goes into great explanation and so he brings this in in.
First Second Corinthians chapter 5 as well, but we might just turn to 1St John chapter 3 and read there.
The apostle John has a different line of ministry and he says in first John chapter 3 verse one beloved now are we the sons of God?
And it does not 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 purifieth himself even as he is pure.
And so the apostle John brings before us that we're going to be morally just like the Lord Jesus. We're not only going to be physically like him, we're going to be morally changed and morally fit to be companion of him. So we don't know, he says.
When he shall appear, we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. And so John's ministry is different.
We want to know about the coming of the Lord Jesus at the rapture. If we want to know about the change of our physical bodies, we read Paul's ministry. If we want to read about the moral change, we can read some of Paul's ministry and John's ministry as well. So we are kept in communion with the Lord by purifying ourselves.
This hope in him he purifies himself even as he is pure, and that is we exercise ourselves in connection with self judgment.
And so if we have the hope of being morally like the Lord Jesus, physically just like him.
And we exercise self judgment. We'll enjoy that position that is ours and that future that is bright before us.
In that verse two of that chapter it hinges upon.
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When he shall appear, it's not when or if he shall appear, it's when he shall appear. Only the Father knows exactly the time when he is going to send him back. When the completion of the body and the last soul is saved. That has to take place too, doesn't it? And when you look at back there in Thessalonians, you see the caught up there in the verse 17. And sometimes we make an emphasis on that caught up.
More than we do the seeing him face to face. An emphasis should be on that when he shall appear. Because I was saved in times past, I'm currently being saved right now and I shall be saved. It'll be the completion of my salvation and the return to to godliness that is going to take place in this body. I no longer will say that I was a Sinner on the road to hell.
Now I'm a Sinner saved by grace, but when that takes place, Sinner will no longer be attached to this body.
Because I'm going to have a body like of him When our brother was Speaking of seeing things, you see things spiritually. We're going to physically see him, aren't we? Face to face? We're not going to see scars. We're going to see wounds. They know where does it say that it's scars? We're going to see wounds. I, I totally believe that. I want to see the one that saved me by his grace.
The one that blocked me I'd like to read.
Before and comment on it in connection with what we have before us.
Verse 15. Chapter 4. Verse 15. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might, through the Thanksgiving of many, abound to the glory of God, For which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is for but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. Or the things which are seen are temporal, temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The chapters that Bob started with in chapter 3 and 4:00 and 5:00.
Are bringing before us the contrast.
Between what is temporary and what is eternal, we presently live in a temporary period called time. We are looking forward to that which is eternal.
When it's temporary.
We look at it in a certain way and we anticipate that which is eternal.
But to go back to what Bernie was saying, we all live in the valley of decision, whether we're young or old. In this way is do I live my life?
My temporary time here in view of eternity.
These chapters the apostle Paul is showing that the ministry.
In chapter three was a ministry first of the law.
It was, and it said there it was. Temp uses the thought it was temporary. It couldn't continue because it couldn't bring blessing for man. It brought rather condemnation. And so it's replaced by a ministry which has its eternal consequences because it's a ministry of righteousness and of the glory that comes by being righteous and that glory.
Exists and, well, exists for eternity.
And so it's an important for us not only to and look ahead, which is a wonderful thing to do, but as we meditate on these verses to recognize the importance of the Apostle Paul is giving to them as to living now in a way that is in view of that which is eternal.
That's why I believe.
00:40:01
Whether we're doing it or not.
God is using time to accomplish purposes.
That will last for eternity.
So it says.
In verse the verses I went read.
Verse.
15 For all things are for your sake. Why are they? Because they're working. God is using your experiences of life to establish something for you that you will have forever for your blessing. And so he is working in your life, in the trials and the tribulations and the difficulties and all the things that we say. Boy, I'm going to be glad when that's done.
And that's our perspective, not God's. He puts us through those exact set of things individually, uniquely with everyone of us. And he says, as Paul says in verse 17 of that chapter, our light affliction, which is but for a moment.
That's how his perspective of time on it is. But what's the consequence?
Works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. That is God is using the temporary momentarily things that we may wish we we would pass by and not choose if it was our choice. But God says I'm using that for your eternal benefit when all things are established and permanent.
And so again, just to get the idea, in verse 18, the things which are seen are temporal or temporary.
The things which are not seen yet are eternal and consequently, how about your God? These verses are what God is doing, but look at the consequences of time and view of eternity in the next chapter, chapter 5 and verse 10.
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
That each one may receive the things done and I'll amplify it.
To get the point, the things done in his body and the time he had here on earth.
According to what he did in that time of that temporary period called time that he was living.
That he may receive according to what he had done and consequently how we live. Time is going to have its effect on us for eternity.
One of the very important aspects in which time is working.
And important to us in review of In View of Eternity.
Is each one of us is establishing the size of our vessel?
And as that vessel is enlarged by fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and entering in.
And having a desire to know Him and his will.
There will be a larger capacity to the vessel to enjoy him for eternity, whether my vessel is a thimble.
Or a big every vessel will be filled and every soul will be perfectly happy and content. And yet there will be difference according to the importance that we placed and the choices we made of whether to live life for now.
And the temporary pleasure of now, or whether we lived it, as is given in these three chapters, in view of that which is permanent and eternal.
Paul says our light affliction. If you read the.
List of the sufferings he went through in Second Corinthians Chapter 11. I don't think you would get the idea that it was light affliction. How can he say that it's light affliction? Beaten with rod, shipwrecked the night in the day in the deep. Why do you say, Paul, that it's light affliction? Oh, it's because when you compare it with the coming glory.
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You can compare it, you can't compare it.
And it's just for a moment. And brethren, I really think when we get up there.
And look back at our lives.
We're going to say, why was I so occupied with those toys down there? Why wasn't I more occupied with that eternal glory to which I've been called?
So it is, brethren. It's interesting to me in this verse two, it says we groan. Why do we groan?
You know, in scripture groaning is not the same as complaining.
Sometimes we complain, and that's not right. Children of Israel complained and there was consequences to complaining.
But groaning is not the same as complaining.
Groaning is simply the recognition.
That the way things are now is not the way God meant them to be. And so even the Lord Jesus in this life, he groaned.
I can imagine the Lord Jesus who is the creator of all. You imagine Adam got up to 930 years old.
Just a very few people get up to over 100 now. What happened? Oh brethren, the decadence that has come in because of sin and its results.
That's why I think he says we've grown. Yeah, we all have.
Some measure of groaning to do.
But it's just in view of something that is.
Says we earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. So when we think of that coming day of glory and that body of glory that we're going to have in that day, O brethren, yeah, we do groan a little bit.
The time is so brief, and that's why the Apostle Paul could say.
Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, I just like to say to the young people.
Remember that time is short.
I used to look at the older brother and think, man, it must be good to get up there. You must not have any more struggle with the flash.
I have learned that that's not the case.
But young people?
Time is short. It just seems like yesterday I was a young person looking old up at older brethren that were teaching us it's not that long. Time is short. The Lord help us to use those brief moments of time in a way that will last for a God's eternal day and not something that will pass away forever.
What a challenge to you young people to get the right focus on temporary temporal things.
If we look at Romans chapter 8, the Apostle Paul uses the same term.
And he says in verse 23, well, let's read verse 22.
We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, so the naturally.
The whole natural creation groans because of the.
Breakdown of sin. They don't know why they've grown, but they they groan.
But then it says not only they, but ourselves also.
Which have the first fruits of the Spirit?
We even we ourselves grow within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to quit the redemption of our body. And so our bodies are not yet free from the power, from the evidence of sin and from the even the ability of sin to sin. We are, we are redeemed. Our souls, our spirits and souls are redeemed. But I think it's chapter Brown used to say you're only partly redeemed. Your body isn't set free yet from sin.
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And it needs to be redeemed. But isn't it interesting? The Spirit of God uses Paul to say that you and I are indwelled with the Spirit of God, and we have the capacity to groan because of what sin has done to God's creation. And we groan because of the.
Difficulties that we have and so on, but we grown within ourselves waiting for the adoption. And so here in this chapter that we're taking up, it's in this we grow.
It represents the fact that you and I have a new life. We have divine life and we have the capacity to groan, you might say, in communion with the Lord. And the Lord groans. He groaned when he was here, as Brother Bob pointed out. And so you and I, because we have a new life, we have the capacity to groan because of what sin has done in God's creation and what is doing now even in our own bodies.
So.
We've grown earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. We long to have our bodies glorified. And then it says, if so be that being clothed, that is, we're we're saved, we're clothed, we shall not be found naked. The unbeliever is naked in the presence of God.
It has no covering, but you and I will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus glorified in our bodies, the very same bodies that we have here. I know it's a little bit of a digression, but it's a helpful comfort to I believe in in the 110th Psalm. It speaks there of how the Lord Jesus will be. You say, well, what am I going to look like in the.
A glorified body. We know that it'll be.
Different, there won't be any mark of sin on any of us, but it says in verse three, the 110 Psalm, verse three, it says part way through in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth. And so the Lord Jesus will be seen there in the strength and the beauty of his youth, as it were as a young man. He was cut off in the midst of his days.
And so you and I will be like young people in heaven.
Not a mark of sin. Not a Gray hair.
Not a scar.
And no taint of sin, only one man will have any mark of what sin ever did in this world.
That's the Lord Jesus. He will bear those marks for all eternity. And the motive of why he went to the cross, as we've read a little bit later on in this chapter, is the love of Christ that constrains us when we think that he's going to have us there in his presence, glorified bodies and the price that he paid to make it a reality. And we realized that it was his love. Why the affections will flow forth in that scene.
Above, the praise will never cease. The Thanksgiving will never cease. But it should begin now. It should be evident in our lives.
Continually at the present time.
Speaking about Brother Roberts and Holt.
Whole creation groans, and we ourselves groan. But if you go further in Romans 8, you find out that the Comforter himself groans, the Spirit of God groans, and so if that be the case, groaning is appropriate.
It tells us in.
Romans 826 Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities.
For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself make it intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. I just think that you know God identifies with our difficulties, our troubles. And you mentioned how the Lord Jesus, he groaned in spirit.
At the.
The tomb of Lazarus.
Important to remark that the blessed Lord did not have infirmities. That's a mistake that is made in Christendom.
Infirmities are a result of sin in the body.
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We don't. We don't need to.
Sin because we have an infirmity and the verse that our brother referred to there the Spirit help us our infirmities. It doesn't say he removes the infirmities. So the infirmities are weaknesses that we have in this.
Groaning Tabernacle.
But the Lord is enters into those infirmities He understands, though he never himself had an infirmity.
For instance, the Lord was never sick. That's a result of sin. And I was thinking also of what Timothy says in the first chapter, first chapter, second Timothy chapter one, it speaks of the Lord having.
Is now made manifest verse 10 by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Who have to abolish death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Now there's the full revelation through the ministry of the apostle Paul that we have now we will have a body incorruptible like Christ's body that was part of the revelation of that Paul received from the glory special revelations that were not given to.
Other apostles. And so in our chapter here, when it speaks of being clothed, I judge that that refers to receiving the glorified body when the Lord returns. Now the unsaved will have a body when they stand before the the Great White Throne, but we are not told what kind of a body it will be.
But it must be a body, because they're going to appear there at the Great White Throne and give account for their lives.
But they're going to be found naked. They will have nothing to cover that awful burden of sin that they will have. So they'll have a body, but they will have they will have no righteousness to stand before the judge of the Lord Jesus. So I just thought we should distinguish that the Lord groaned in sympathy with all the the.
The devastation that sin had brought into the world. The sorrow.
The trials, the sickness, all of the result of man's sin. The whole creation groans, the animal creation as well because of man's sin. But the Lord groaned in sympathy, though we want to.
Guard that point that the Lord, of course, he did not have an old nature, and his body was a holy body.
Without any of the signs of sin in any way. Is that right, brethren?
I'd just like to.
Extend that a little bit. If you go back to Isaiah 53 and write to read verse four, it says Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
What it speaks there in verse 4 is not the cross.
If you go to Matthew chapter 8, it explains what that means.
He's healing the sick and it says in Matthew 8 and verse 17.
The end of verse 16, it says He healed all that were sick that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah. The prophet saying himself took our infirmities and bear our sicknesses. He felt it brethren, but he was never sick. He was never infirm because that would be a result of sin.
But he felt that, brethren, if we're in fellowship with the Lord and look out of this world around us, we should feel these things too, the terrible misery that's going on in other parts of the world where there's warfare.
01:00:05
I see sometimes pictures of little orphan children trying to make the best of it just just does something to your heart. And we need to feel these things. We need to grow. We see it. The Lord Jesus is going to come back and he's going to hush those groans. But until then, we groan.
Here in our chapter, it's more in connection with our own body, I think. But we've grown in hope because.
Verse four, it says we in this Tabernacle do groan being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed. We don't want to die. That's not the hope of the believer.
But clothed upon. In other words, transformed.
When the Lord comes back, he is going to take this body of humiliation.
And transform it into a body of glory. That's what it refers to and says, but clothed upon.
That mortality might be swallowed up of life. That beautiful way of putting it, Mortality swallowed up of life.
Brother Bob, Robert and Wally had mentioned the groanings, and we're talking about this. There's something precious in the thought of the Spirit of God groaning.
He's communicating our groanings. So how many times has a mother and father or anyone been in a situation or have a situation before them with a loved one maybe where you hardly know how to pray, you just tears running down your face, kneeling at your bed, maybe driving in your car. I don't care where it is and you're groaning within because of the situation.
And you hardly know what to say, and you just groan. There's something precious in this thought that the Spirit of God that dwells in US is communicating groanings.
It cannot be honored. We may be groaning and uttering sounds.
But the Spirit of God is communicating the meaning of that, that we can't maybe even put into words ourselves. But he's doing that and knowing that when you're there weeping before God in the midst of a trial or a difficulty does bring comfort. And being reminded when it says that the Lord Jesus, He is touched with the feelings are our infirmities. It's not the infirmities.
That he's touched with. It's the feelings of our infirmities. So well, I don't care how old you are, young you are, whatever feelings you're going through, heartbreak, hurt, pain, suffering, wherever you're at, He's touched with those feelings. He feels it. And our God, when he created this universe, put himself in a place where he could feel pain.
Because he wanted this family that he's gathering out of this world through the cross and the work of Christ on the cross. But he put himself in a place where he would feel these things. And as Bob was saying, we should feel too, along with our Savior. His heart is towards those who are suffering and hurting. And we should groan with them and we should feel with them. We often we don't. But like Bob says, sometimes we see things.
That touch us and it brings a lump up in our throat and we begin to feel it. Some poor orphan or somebody that's suffering, maybe some homeless person along the street or whatever. Somebody that's lost, somebody that's in trouble. We read in something in the news and and we feel it, how terrible things have gone in this world. And maybe we know somebody who's got a grandson or, or, or a daughter or someone who's gone off the rails and we see the hurt.
Their feeling and their the prayer meeting on prayer meeting night and they're crying out for their grandson or their granddaughter. Well, we can feel that and we know that he feels it and we know that the groaning of that dear mother and father or whoever that the Spirit of God is communicating those groanings. So I know that anybody who's lived very long has been in that position where you're on your knees and you don't even know what to say. How precious it is.
01:05:04
That the Spirit of God knows how to communicate those groanings to our Father.
I'd like to go back to First John chapter 3, just for a brief moment.
Everyone here who knows the Lord is their Savior is a minister. You're a servant of God. And these things are real with each one of us. And it says in verse two that we had read earlier, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. What does it mean? We shall be like Him. We can be as much like Him now as we want to be. And it says here in the beginning of that verse, beloved, now.
Are we the sons of God now we are the sons of God. So we can become like Christ, not fully like we will in the in the glory when we shall see him, but we shall be like him and and we can be as much like him now as we want to be to be like him morally. I think that may mean sort of like we think like him. We act like him and then if you go over to.
First Second Corinthians chapter 5 again and down to verse 18.
It's not the verse I was thinking.
Sorry, let's go to Philippians chapter 2.
And verse, sorry, Philippians chapter one and verse 29. And here's a servant of the Lord, and groaning in this body. And it says in verse 29, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for his sake. We read in our chapter that we live by faith, not by sight. And that's one of the gifts that have been given to us. Two gifts in this verse. One gift is the belief to believe, that's faith.
We need faith to believe on the Lord Jesus to go out and to serve him to be the minister of God. And then it says it's also given to you to suffer for his sake. And so there's going to be suffering, there's going to be groaning in the service of the Lord. And so we need to be aware of that. Paul could say he glories in the in his sufferings. We suffer for Christ and we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
Let me say 325.
So.
I understand being thrown together.
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No one is doing it for every beginning.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Bruce Christensen
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Are you here tonight?
Perhaps some are responding to an invitation given to attend a gospel meeting.
And.
We have a wonderful message to proclaim.
And that wonderful message is connected with a wonderful savior.
And a wonderful work that he accomplished on the cross of Calvary.
Might we open our gospel meeting this night by singing hymn number six? God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified.
Twas for sinners Jesus died.
We'll just read the refrain and then we'll sing.
The second verse, oh the glory of the grace.
Shining in the Savior's face, telling sinners from above, God is light and God is love. Will perhaps sing the second verse and the refrain Some brother would please, please raise the tune.
Sin and die, Lord shall pray.
Jesus Christ.
And in my glory times, by the gods, to bring the light.
All night glory of God and pray.
I was struck in the meetings this afternoon.
With the constant reference of.
Time.
Flying by.
I am a few months shy.
Of becoming an octogenarian.
Or celebrating my 80th birthday.
And it just seems that time has flown by.
We sometimes sing a hymn. Time is passing swiftly by.
And.
We'll look at the passage of time tonight, and I also have on my heart to speak.
On this blessed book.
That I hold in my hand tonight.
In the 8th chapter of Amos.
We have described if we just turn to that minor prophet Amos chapter 8. I'd like to read a verse there.
One of the minor prophets. Hosea, Joel. Amos.
Chapter 8.
And we're going to read.
Part of verse 11.
And I believe this describes a scene that we have in existence today.
In the prayer meeting this morning, it was mentioned that there was great dearth and a famine in Kenya and thousands of cattle were dying.
People were dying of starvation.
But we have another famine, a worldwide famine, I believe, that described in this 11Th verse of Amos chapter 8.
We'll read, for from the middle of verse 11 Says I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
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Not a famine, a bread or thirst for water.
But.
Hearing the words of the Lord.
I've copied down and please forgive me for.
Doing this, I get those senior moments from time to time and so I need a little reinforcement.
But I would like to read two pieces of poetry that are very striking.
And I've penned these words in the flyleaf of my Bible.
It says Word of God within thy covers. What exhaustless treasure lies?
Revelation of the Father by the Son who came to die.
Depths there are that no, no sounding. Or perhaps that word sounding is a little unfamiliar to some of the younger ones there and I was just reminded the other day.
When we came into.
Saint Louis.
That it's on a mighty river, the Mississippi River.
And there was an American author.
By the name of Samuel Clemens. Sometimes he's referred to as Mark Twain.
And if in your younger days you read that book, Mark Twain, you would have read that he was on a boat and it was his duty to hold out a stick and to put that stick in the water to measure how deep that water was if the water was not deep enough.
The boat could not sail there, so it was important to have one there.
That would measure the depth of that water.
Well, we're not talking about shallow water here. We're talking about a depth of water. It says depths there are that know no sounding. I believe the deepest spot in the Pacific Ocean is the Marianas Trench off the Philippines, nearly 7 miles in depth. But we're not even talking about that. We're talking about depths that no, no sounding.
It says fathomless beyond compare.
Rich, the mine of wealth, their treasure.
All I need to know is there there's another very striking piece of poetry that I've copied down to and these were words that were penned by a well known British poet.
Familiar to some Ward Byron and they're very challenging words.
And yet.
We see that there was a response at the end of his life that did not correspond to the words that he penned. It says within this awful volume lies not awful in the sense that we use that word. This means full of awe or full of wonder. The mystery of mysteries, O happiest day of human race.
To whom our God has given grace to hear, to read, to fear.
To pray, to lift the latch and find the way. But better had they ne'er or never been born? Who read to doubt, who read to scorn?
Sadly to say, Lord Byron's last words were.
Shall I sue for mercy? Come, come, no weakness.
Let's be a man to the last.
What's AdWords?
He penned those words full of meaning.
Yet he didn't act upon that himself.
And it reminds me of another story that I read recently of.
Benjamin Franklin, known to many of the school children here.
00:10:05
He was a good friend of George Whitfield, an evangelist who came to the United States from England.
And.
Many of Whitfield's sermons were printed by Benjamin Franklin, who was a printer.
And on one occasion.
Franklin, who was a very curious man.
Wanted to calculate how many people.
Could be heard in the open air when Whitfield preached. So when thousands of people were assembled, he went around the perimeter of the crowd. He estimated how many, how many people came under the sound of the preaching, of the good news of God and his grace.
He came up with a number and it was an impressive number.
But nowhere do we read that Benjamin Franklin accepted that message.
How sad.
Well.
We read in John's gospel of a man who was not proud.
To come to the Lord Jesus.
He may not have come in the daylight, we read of Nicodemus. He came to the Lord Jesus by night, but the happy thing was that he came to the Lord Jesus. Young one, boy or girl, have you ever reached the stage?
In your life.
Where you want to confess the Lord Jesus.
To your mother or your father, to a brother or sister. Don't let Satan hinder you from doing that. Come boldly before him.
Driving through Ohio the other day, I saw a place name, and that place name was Wilberforce. Well, to most of us it will maybe have very little meaning. But as a student and teacher of history, that name is quite important because there was a minister and the British government by the name of William Wilberforce.
And he became convicted in the soul. He realized that he needed a savior. And he was very troubled. But his reasoning was.
Oh, I I can't come to a preacher's house during the day. I'll have to come by night. So we heard of.
A preacher and a little village in England called Olney, and that preacher happened to be John Newton.
Author of Amazing Grace and so.
There's a knock.
On Newton's door after night.
Here is a Minister of Parliament, William Wilberforce.
He was known to John Newton.
What can I do for you, John?
Rather William.
He said. I'm anxious about my soul.
And thankfully, John Newton was able to point.
William Wilberforce to the Lord Jesus to a saving knowledge.
Of the Lord Jesus.
Thinking of another incident and our brother John Kemp is probably familiar with this story too.
Many years ago.
There was a missionary that went out to India and he was sent out by a mission society called the Basel Mission in Switzerland.
His name was Samuel Hebeck.
Samuel Hebeck was a very interesting individual.
His primary language was German.
And he was going out to minister.
Through the British troops that were stationed in India.
And someone later on calculated the number of.
English words that he was eventually able to master and would probably represent about 25% of our language capacity.
00:15:10
Yet Hebich was very effective. But Hebich was also unique.
And he had a way with souls that the Lord used greatly.
There was one incident that was mentioned. There was.
One officer and at this time during the summer in India gets very, very hot and usually.
Many of the soldiers would go to their tents for an hour in the middle of the day to escape from the heat. And Hebeck knew that the men were not on duty, so he would usually pick this time to visit those in their tents. And there was one officer that said, I'm going to have nothing to do with this man, Hebich.
I don't want anything to do with his message.
And.
This is the way it was for a while.
Several days later, while he's resting in his tent, he seized the flap of his tent opened.
And in came Helich. He was speechless.
He wanted to say get out, but he didn't have the power to do so.
And I'm going to read a verse in Genesis chapter one.
That was presented to this officer.
Hebich looked at this officer.
He pointed to a shelf next to the officers cot.
And he said, get the book.
Well, somebody came into our house and said get the book. What book would we bring?
A few days ago on the Choice Gleanings calendar, there was a story of a lady that wanted to impress a new preacher when the preacher came for a visit.
And the woman said to her daughter.
Go get the book, the one I love so much, the one I read so much.
The little girl came back with a Sears and Roebuck Cadillac.
That wasn't what she expected.
But if we were asked to get the book, what would be our response?
I have many books in my house. My wife has said if we had a hurricane on our street.
Ours would probably be the only house standing because they probably have 2000 books home.
But I have many copies of the word of God.
And I value those.
So get the book.
The officer goes to the shelf. He gets the book.
He bec says to him, hoping to Genesis 1.
Verse one and the first part of verse two and it reads like this.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form and void.
And darkness was upon the face of the deep.
Close the book.
Ebik walks out.
The next day around the same time.
The tent flap opens.
He becomes in get the book.
He gets the book.
Open to Genesis one verse one.
The first part of verse 2.
He reads it again.
Close the book.
Hebich leaves.
Two days later.
Hebrick again comes into that officer's tent.
Get the book, he gets the book.
00:20:01
He said read Genesis One and verse 3.
And God said.
Let there being light.
And there was light.
In the meantime.
God was working in this man's soul.
After those first few days.
This officer.
Read further in the Word of God.
And what did he see in reading that word of the God? He was in darkness.
He needed light and he was pointed to one.
Who is the light of the world?
So what a wonderful story that is of one accepting Christ as Savior.
I think also.
Of others that are mentioned.
That were a little hesitant in coming to the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus.
Had his arms open, ready to bless.
Yeah, let us look now at the.
Just going to refer to a couple of notes here if you.
Forgive me for a moment.
Let's look at a couple versus.
That we have in the Word of God concerning the Scriptures. Let's turn to Psalm 119.
We have many verses in this Psalm referring. Almost each verse refers.
To the word of God.
Psalm 119105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.
And a light unto my path.
Let's especially look at verse 130.
The entrance of thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple.
The entrance of thy words giveth light.
It's the Word of God that gives assurance.
We think of that verse in First Timothy chapter one and verse 15. This is a faithful saying.
And worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus.
Came into the world to save sinners.
It's the Word of God that gives assurance.
What do we have described in the Word of God?
I believe first of all, we see.
Man's condition unfolds. It lost, separated, far from God.
A heart that is at enmity to him.
But we also see God's heart revealed in the gift of His well beloved Son.
We are talking today about the love of God, the love of the Lord Jesus, and we're thankful for that well known verse, John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16. For God so loved the world, the people in it, not necessarily the physical world.
That he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him.
Should not perish, but have everlasting life. What a wonderful verse. That verse has been used for the salvation of many. We were also referring to the Lord's tender ministrations to His own, and we think of that verse that is recorded in John's Gospel Chapter 11.
00:25:13
When?
He was in that home in Bethany where Mary and Martha had lived.
As well as Lazarus, and Lazarus had died and.
We read those words. Jesus wept.
We also see those in attendance making a very profound statement. Behold how he loved him.
Have you realized how much the Lord Jesus?
Loved you.
How much God loves you.
We sometimes sing that hymn. God loved the world of sinner's loss.
And ruined by the fall.
And so there was a provision.
For our need there was a provision for our sin because.
As it says in the book of Romans, for all have sinned.
And have come short of the glory of God.
Well.
We would present to you this evening a Savior, one who has died for you, one who has given himself on the cross of Calvary.
I was thinking too of some statements that were made today concerning.
The brevity of this life.
Our brother Wally mentioned a sign that he saw.
On Route 50 coming to the conference.
A while ago I was driving down the highway and there was another sign.
It says time is short.
Time is short.
We sometimes sing a hymn. One of the lines goes like this.
Thou wouldst be saved, why not tonight? Thou wouldst be saved, why not tonight?
And if you have put off accepting the Lord Jesus, we would urge you with the greatest urgency to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Let's just turn to that portion.
That was read in Second Corinthians chapter 6.
Chapter 5 rather.
We read verse 11 knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, and then we read about the love of Christ constraining us. And so I believe that everyone that stands up to read or preach God's wondrous.
Offer of salvation as a responsibility.
First of all, a word of warning. We know that God is a God of light.
As well as a God of love. So I believe these two aspects.
Must be presented and so we have that second object there to objective.
Concerning the love of Christ.
There was another sign that impressed me recently traveling down the highway.
And again, this deals with the brevity of time.
I saw it a number of times on this trip.
Along the highway.
This might be your last text.
Well.
We know that.
Some of us text more than others. I'm a little slower at getting used to it than some of the younger ones.
But I know that this is a problem for drivers texting.
We know that drinking and driving don't go together Driving and texting.
Don't go together.
But.
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Looking at this.
Sign reminds me.
Of the finality of life. The finality of life.
We've talked about the brevity of life.
We have the finality of life as well.
A few months back in August, we had the privilege to tour around a little in the Maritimes and I had a little extra time to spend in Halifax, NS.
And someone had mentioned that in one of the cemeteries there.
There were the graves of at least 120 victims.
Of the Titanic.
And I think almost everyone here knows the story of that quote. Unsinkable ship that left Southampton, England.
And struck a life rather an iceberg. And hundreds of individuals perished on that night.
Did they think when they got on that ship that that would be their end? I don't think so.
Where many prepared for that end, I believe many were not. And while I was there.
I thought that I would copy down the epitaph of several individuals that were buried there in that cemetery.
And I'm going to read those epitaphs.
The first.
Is George Frederick Charles Talbot. He was from Southampton, England.
He lost his life in the sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, 1912.
He was 20 years of age.
And the lines penned under that were encouraged.
Encouraging.
It says I have anchored my soul.
In the haven of rest.
I'll sail the wide seas no more.
The Tempest.
May be gone or the wide, stormy deep.
In Jesus I'm safe evermore.
How encouraging. Here's one who was ushered into an eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second was written on a stone for Ernest King.
He was from Clones. Ireland says he died on duty.
On April 15th, 1912.
And it said nothing.
In my hand I bring.
Simply to thy cross I cling.
How encouraging to see that there were those who had made provision.
For their eternal welfare.
Have you made provision for your eternal welfare?
There are many today making provisions for this and that, but the most important thing is.
Concerning your soul, you're never dying soul.
And we would urge you tonight to accept the Lord Jesus.
As your savior.
Want to just address a few words to the children tonight?
I was just looking at this hem sheet before the meeting.
I'm just reminded of how that God doesn't.
Make salvation a complicated thing.
We have that hem a little child of seven.
Or even 3 or 4.
May enter into heaven through Christ.
The open door.
Little child of seven or even 3 or 4.
Perhaps.
The most well known.
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Children's him is Jesus loves me.
Some time ago I hecked up a little book. I don't even remember where it was. It was in a Christian bookstore.
The title of that book was the story behind Jesus Loves Me.
And.
It chronicled the life of the dear sister and Lord that penned the lines of that hymn. Her name was Anna Warner.
Anna Warner and her sister had never married. They lived on a small island off.
The shore of West Point. West Point Military Academy in New York. They lived on a little island called Constitution Island.
And they both love the Savior very much, and they both had an interest for souls.
And.
When I read the book, it said there are certain days during the course of the year that you can go up to the West Point Military Academy and you can take a boat to that island.
And I decided this is something I'd really like to do and so I was able to take a boat.
Over to Constitution Island, I was able to get into the very room and see the very desk that Anna Warner sat at when she penned the lines of that hymn. Jesus Loves me This. I know what a thrilling thing it was.
I was thrilled by that. I've been in many lavish homes.
Didn't make an impression on me.
But just seeing that desk.
Where Anna Warner SAT.
Really thrilled my soul.
When you got up to the house, there was a series of Reed mats on the porch and the guide taking us through the house that every Saturday she would she and her sister would invite the cadets over from the West Point Academy and have Bible studies.
And so.
She had maybe 50 to 100 mats lined up on the porch and.
She laid them all out on the green grass so that the soldiers cadets didn't soil their uniforms.
And they had Bible studies for several years.
I understand when Anna Warner was called home to be with the Lord.
The whole Military Academy closed down.
And the cadets?
Led the funeral procession to the West Point Military Cemetery. She and her sister are the only civilians buried in that cemetery.
I said to myself, would this ever happen to day?
No, because as we open the meeting tonight we see that there is a famine.
For the word of God.
And I would urge each one of you to pick up the Word of God, to read it, and to believe what is written there. Let's also read a verse there in Second Corinthians chapter 5.
Maybe it's in First Corinthians chapter. I'm sorry, I'll read that again. The love of Christ constraineth us.
Another piece of poetry here says time passed does not thou canst not it recall time passing is employ the portion small time future may not ever be time present.
Is the only time for thee we read in One Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2.
Behold now.
Is the accepted time.
Behold, now is a day of salvation.
One of the saddest verses I believe that I've come across.
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In the word of God is in the book of Jeremiah.
Says the harvest is past.
The summer is ended and we are not saved.
Many in this room may be farmers.
They know what a narrow window there is to get the crops in.
If they don't work hard enough or act.
Accordingly, in that narrow window, that crop would be lost.
Well, we know that God is giving opportunities to each one of us.
And we trust that we would close in.
On God's offer of salvation.
We read in the book of Acts, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? What does it mean to neglect it? It means to put it off, to not act on it. And so there are consequences. In the 17th chapter of Acts we see some that outwardly rejected the word of God.
Then there were those that put it off, but thankfully at the end of that chapter it talks about some.
That believed and received those words and so we trust it is with you tonight.
That you may each personally accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Someone asked Martin Luther once, why do you always use that expression? Personal Savior, He said, Because you have to personally make him your own. And so tonight you have to make the Lord Jesus your personal Savior.
And so we would just desire to speak well.
Of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps we can sing a hymn in closing.
#25.
Someone please raise the tune.
Like to say a few additional words before we close.
I believe in First Corinthians chapter 15 we have the gospel.
In a nutshell, we have the facts of the gospel presented.
Verse three of one Corinthians chapter 15 it says, For I delivered unto you, first of all.
Which I also received how that Christ died for our sins.
According to the scriptures and he was buried.
And that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
And we know that he ascended into heaven.
If we read further in First Corinthians chapter 15.
It says in verse 14 and of Christ be not risen. Then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain or empty. And so we can be thankful that the Lord Jesus came into the scene.
Not only did he come into the scene, but as we read in John's Gospel, that he laid down his life for the sheep and he rose again the third day. What a triumph, triumphant thing that was.
I've studied history for quite a while and I was somewhat dismayed some time ago to read a portion of what was called the Jefferson Bible. It was a compilation of scriptures that were written down by Thomas Jefferson.
He, I believe, was a deist. He perhaps believed that there might have been a God.
That place the.
Universe and operation.
But I believe that there was number personal faith in the Lord Jesus.
And he was very impressed with the moral teachings of the Lord Jesus. And so he compiled what he thought.
Was the essence of the Scripture and it's been called the Jefferson Bible.
And anything that involved the deity.
Of the Lord Jesus he left out.
And sadly.
Sorry to say.
That the last words of that Jefferson Bible.
Has the Lord Jesus?
Being placed in the grave and the stone rolls on top.
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No resurrection.
No hope.
Just a week or so ago I was reading the Last Will and Testament.
Of another founding father, Patrick Henry, known to students of human history or U.S. history as.
Delivering that famous give me liberty or give me death address there in Richmond, VA.
But it was very impressive to say or to read and.
The will that he left.
Upon his death.
He said I have nothing more important.
To give to my family.
Than my Christian faith.
Well, we know that there are many mothers and fathers. There are many grandparents in this room today.
Praying fervently for the salvation of your soul.
We just pray that you might come and accept the Lord Jesus as your own personal Savior. He loved you, He died for you, and we just would again urge you to accept the Lord Jesus as your own Savior.
Mephibosheth
2 Corinthians 5:5-13
Reading
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170.
And shall we see the?
President Grace.
Of our hearts tree.
Lord.
We're reading in Second Corinthians chapter 5. Maybe we could start with verse 5.
Two Corinthians 5, starting at verse five. And he that hath brought us for the self, same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that He hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. But we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not again ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them, which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
00:05:06
For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all. That they which lived should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we know man after the flesh. Yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new create creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ, Dad, be reconciled to God, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that.
Yesterday we were talking about the body.
And the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
And that we're going to be transformed into.
And.
Verse five begins, He says He that hath brought us for the self same thing as God.
Who also have given unto us the earnest of the Spirit and I think this is helpful to understand the Spirit of God is in US and testifies to us the reality of this these things so that Paul can say here in verse six. Therefore, we are always confident that beautiful brethren, the confidence of faith.
Verse eight We are confident, I say, and willing rather, he said.
So the confidence of faith, no doubting there, goes along with that verse that we read this morning in the meeting. God is not given unto us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. We have so much in this world to make us question everything almost.
You don't know what to believe when you read what's put out as news. You don't know whether to believe it or not. But here's something, brethren, we can be confident about. These are realities. This body may get sick, it may even die, but we have confidence that we have a building of God. Oh brethren, that should fill us with consolation.
And faith to go on amidst whatever he has called us.
To go through in this light.
I like to call it Christ confidence because it's the faith that we have is in a person and we have confidence and it it grows over time because every time you prove him out, your confidence grows because he doesn't fail you ever. And every time you prove him out again and again and every hitherto you have in your life as you travel through and travel down the path of faith, every one of those moments.
Increases that confidence where you can say I have Christ confidence about all of these things. You may have doubts and as our brother said, certainly the news and what the world reports. We don't know what to believe about those things, but we can misunderstand the word of God. We can have wonder about what something actually means or how to apply it in our life and so forth, but never about Him.
Christ confidence, no one can take that from you. self-confidence. Now, each one who has a skill and a job, who's learned to do it well, you have some self-confidence about that. If you're a Christian, you also know that the Lord helps you do your job. But the self-confidence you had because you have a skill to repair a car or fix a computer or do whatever you do fine, even that can be taken away. But no one, no one can take Christ's confidence from you.
Because it's aimed at Him. And even when you start with a weak faith and at times you may have a weak faith, it's in someone who has no weakness at all. And Christ confidence will get you through things and difficult times in a way nothing else can. If you think about it in that fashion, not just being confident, but having Christ confidence because it's himself that gives that to you. So you may face something.
00:10:26
And you don't know why and you're going through a difficult time and you don't like it. And you may even crowd to the Lord. I don't like this. It's painful. It hurts me, Lord, but I choose you, I trust you. And it makes a difference. That confidence, that's Christ confidence. It's from him. It's out of him. And it cannot fail you ever because he can't fail you. And every time you test Him and he likes be put to the test.
I'm not saying tempting God, I'm saying you put him to the test because He says in His Word something and you stand on it. He cannot fail you. He will not fail you and that will increase your confidence. So if the Lord doesn't answer your prayer, Sam.
Is that going to shake your confidence? No. I think that is important because Paul asked the Lord three times. Lord, take away this throne in the flesh.
Lord says no.
My grace is sufficient for these. So there's times when he doesn't answer because we ask according to our need. We're told to, but it doesn't mean the Lord's going to always give the answer the way we want. I think that's important to understand. But even no is an answer. And you can have a piece about that. Then you know, you know what he says about the matter. But then there's people who pray and they get discouraged because they don't get any answer.
Well, what does the Lord say about that? He himself tells two stories, the importunate stories, one about a judge and one about a neighbor. It's as though the Lord says to us, Pester me, these two people in the stories were pestered until they give in. God says, pester me. He's not like the judge, He's not like the neighbor who does it out of irritation, but he wants us to come back.
I was talking with a brother once. I said doesn't appear that way, that he asks us to pester him about something. Yes, he does keep coming, Keep coming, keep coming. It may take years and years. You it, your prayer may be answered after you're dead, especially about a soul being saved. So you go. But if he says no, like brother Bob said, you stop if you get a clear no. OK, OK, Lord, you've told me your grace is sufficient. I can accept that.
And we need to accept that. But if he doesn't say no, don't stop, don't stop. How many people have heard stories where they prayed for a child or a grandchild or something, and then they get saved After grandma's gone, after grandpa's gone down the road, they get saved. Well, those prayers even followed after death.
Pray, pray, pray, pray until you hear no or the Lord says yes.
That's what I believe is the meaning of the instant in prayer. It doesn't mean pray through your sleep in 24/7. It's the sense of not giving up.
The Lord wants that from us. He wants this kind of thing, a child who keeps coming, who keeps coming. It honors God, and God says in his word, he that honors me, I will honor.
If you.
Deflating buying a house and you come to some agreement with the house owner to buy the house.
The next thing that happens is some money.
Down payment as expected, as a proof of your seriousness about your intent to buy the house. It's also called earnest money, and that's what's in view here. God has purpose. He has wrought with the intent that we are going to have a Tabernacle for our new our new lives.
That is going to be ours, and we're looking for it in this chapter. And so He says He has brought us for that purpose. So what's the proof, What's the earnest that God will carry through with His purpose?
00:15:09
What's it say He says He hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit, And so the Spirit of God has been given to us as an earnest, as a proof, as a demonstration of the seriousness of what he purposes doing for us.
And the result of that earnest of the Spirit, it produces confidence. And how far does that confidence go? Or even through death? Even through death, It's not simply present request of the Lord or confidence that the Lord is going to be doing this or that in our lives. But he says we're confident, I say, to be absent from the body.
That is, we're confident because of that what has been given to us, that even if we die.
That is, our present body is separated from our soul and spirit. The earnest is proven beyond a question of a doubt that God is going to fulfill, and we are going to enjoy that which is given to us, that for which He has wrought, that we will have that building.
God not made with hands eternal in the heaven.
Uses the term earnest as well in Ephesians chapter one. And there again, it is a down payment, so to speak, the security to show that he's going to complete a work. And so in Ephesians chapter one, and we could just read the last part of verse 13, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Which or who is the earnest of our inheritance?
Until the redemption of the purchased possession. And so you and I have an inheritance. And in this sense it's shown to be the everything that Christ has.
The inheritor of and so he will inherit all created things and beings. That's all his. He made the purchase at the cross, He bought the field and everything in it. But the creation is still under the power of sin.
And Satan, and he says that you are going to inherit it as well. You're going to inherit this scene, all created things. You're where heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Now how do you know that you are going to be enjoying that inheritance? How do you know that you will be with Christ inheriting it? You have the indwelling spirit of God. He's given the earnest of the Spirit.
And because you're indwelled with the Spirit of God, the Spirit works with you to show you to that you will inherit, that you will enjoy the creation when it set free. So this is one of the things that the Spirit of God does is show us that.
Because we have the earnest of the inheritance. It's the down payment, as our brother Dawn has said. I just want to point out there's another couple of things that the Spirit does.
The Spirit of God has given us for the purpose of and in chapter one of Second and 2nd Corinthians, we might just read it's a couple of verses there, verse 21 Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ hath anointed us, is gone, who hath also sealed us. So we're anointed with the Spirit, we're sealed with the Spirit, and he's given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Three things.
And so when it speaks of the anointing, it speaks of us having the discernment by the Spirit to discern between good doctrine and bad doctrine. We have the unction of the Spirit. We're not going to go into it, but it's first John chapter two. He goes into that. We know all things. We have the capacity to detect false doctrine. We're anointed with the Spirit. But then when it comes to being sealed with the Spirit, that has the sense of being eternally secure.
When you believe the gospel of the grace of God, you were sealed with the Spirit. The Spirit came.
To indwell you and the work is complete. It's sealed. It can never be undone. You're perfectly secure. When it speaks of the earnest, it speaks of how you have. God has given you the Spirit as a down payment and He will fulfill all of His promises. So you don't. You're not currently ruling over the inheritance, but you will rule over the inheritance. You have the earnest of the Spirit. You know you do not have a glorified body. Your body is not glorified right now, but it will be glorified. How do you know?
00:20:35
You're indwelled with the Spirit of God. It's the earnest, it's the down payment. He will finish the work.
How do I know that I have the Spirit?
When I asked that question in, in Africa, well, you have to speak in tongues and then everybody knows you have, then you know you have the Spirit of God if you can speak in tongues. Well, I've never spoken in tongues, so maybe I don't have the spirit. So how can I know that I have the spirit with the earnest? I understand the earnest of the spirit and I understand why I, how I can know I have the spirit, but I, I pose that question, how can I know that I have the Spirit of God?
What did you tell those brother?
I said the right thing.
Well, I like there's a verse in Galatians 3 verse 14. I don't know, maybe this may have some input on that.
Galatians 3, verse 14. At the end of the verse it says that we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Through faith.
I think faith and trusting what the word of God says.
Is what gives me confidence to know that I have the Spirit of God. But maybe someone else can expand on that.
Scripture says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So the starting point is the word of God. God speaks.
And when there is a reception of that by faith.
Then God works in us to give us confidence.
Because his word says so. So how do I know I have the Spirit?
Because the Word of God tells me I have the Spirit. There are many, many things that I know simply because God says so. I don't need some external proof of them. I don't need some feeling.
It's based on faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and when we accept the word of God.
That's true. That's a matter of faith then.
There are many things that we have confidence of knowing simply because we read it. It's God's word, He says it, God says it, I believe it. That settles it. And if we try to introduce proof.
That goes beyond that simplicity. We're going to introduce doubt.
We will inevitably be looking for something external or in us that gives us that confidence. But that's not the way God works. And what Tim says IA 100% agree. And Galatians is in keeping with that fact that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
And God by the Spirit that dwells in US, speaks to our hearts and says that's true. And so the Spirit of God has his place in it. But the place that it gets us fuzzy is when we start asking God for something external to prove it to us. And so there are many instances in Scripture where people said, well.
Don't let there be any water on the fleece.
So God didn't get water on the place. Was that enough? No. Well, then put snow water on the place. And so it's an example of someone that was looking for something to confirm from God that he really meant something. And the Scripture shows us that that's not the way of confidence. That's not the source of faith either. And it's God has said.
00:25:14
Could I just continue that with Romans 8 just to continue the question, I don't have a comment, but just Romans 8 and verse 15 and 16. I'll read it says for ye have not received the spirit of ******* again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA. Father, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
Do these verses relate to the to the question?
If so, how do they relate? How does that work?
I think we can say when the Spirit of God has liberty in our life, he will produce the the understanding and the enjoyment of our relationship. So it's dependent on whether the Spirit of God is free to do what he will do, and that is to produce the enjoyment of the relationship of knowing God as our Father. So that is that is you might say that somewhat subjective in the sense that.
I actually feel that God is my Father. Nothing wrong with subjective truth, but subjective truth has to come by way of faith. In other words, it has to be based upon the Word of God. And the Word of God just told us that the Spirit of God will give us a sense of knowing God is our Father and we will enjoy that relationship with God. I wonder if we can just jump back to the chapter.
And continue, because sometimes we get a little bit hung up on.
You know these things and we we, we can't just roll right along into the chapter. And would it be possible for us to do that? I think that's what we have in verse seven. We walk by faith.
Not by sight. We tend to base our convictions on what we see.
You have eyes in your head, yeah.
Use them, but don't go by what you see, go by what God says. And as Don has said, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And that's so important for us. We are, especially in these Western nations, are geared to believing when we see something.
Brethren, we walk by faith, not by sight. Doesn't mean we shut our eyes. No, you use your eyes, but what controls your life is not what you see. It's about what you see in the Word of God and read. And God produces faith in that way. It's it's very important to be challenged in our souls. Why do I believe that?
Is there a verse that gives you to understand that? And as to Tim's question, I like to think that there are evidences of the Spirit of God. We have in Galatians chapter 5, the fruit of the Spirit, Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, etcetera. That list of nine things that will be evident in the life of a believer. But it's not for us to be looking at ourselves, brother.
That's not faith, that's sight. We don't walk by sight, we walk by faith. And I like to think of the testimony of Scripture as to that.
Abraham, God said come outside your tent and look at the stars. Your descendants are going to be like the stars of heaven and multitude and like the sand by the seashore. And he didn't even have one son, and he was getting up in years.
Everything indicated the opposite. He chose to believe God.
When there is no evidence for it and that's what it comes down to when God says something in his word, brethren, do you believe it or do you say I don't know See, I know what that's I know that says that, but I I just don't know is that her response rather than this is a test and I think that little verse seven is so key to having this confidence.
00:30:01
With the Lord our brother, who read from Romans the Spirit, bearing witness with our Spirit.
That's a real experience. You may say it's subjective, but it's an objective truth. It's true. Anybody who's been saved very long has experienced moments where the Spirit of God does bear witness, and that is a real thing. It happens and you experience it, and along the way it's part of the work that He does.
In this idea, we live in a world amongst evangelical Christians where those who are charismatic and so forth are taking over the evangelical world. And there are plenty of false teachings in the you. You can get a young Christian that is told that if you don't have the evidence of speaking in tongues along with the baptism of the Spirit, you're, you might not even be saved. And the others who will say, OK, you're saved, but you don't really have the spirit until you have this, this evidence, this external evidence that people see.
It was brought up when I was a young Christian, that harness figure where we work. And this fellow was there and I said, well, this is strange miracle that's taking place here. These people around you that are Christians in this place are leading souls to Christ and you're not. And you say you have the spirit and they don't. So that's an even greater miracle. Explain that to me. He didn't have an explanation. He finally came back and said, well, I guess you have the spirit, but you don't have the fullness of the spirit. So there are people who try to teach those things and if they get a young believer in their hands, it can be confusing and they they, they say things and do things.
That appear to be miraculous or supernatural, and they may be, but not from the Lord.
It's not about trying harder to believe.
Or thinking maybe I haven't tried hard enough.
It's like brother already brought out.
Faith cometh by hearing, Hearing by the word of God, exposure to the word of God.
Will produce this change. The only thing left to do is not to fight it.
Not to resist it. It's not trying harder to do something. Is it safe to say that?
I was going to comment that the Spirit of God and the Word of God always agree.
And when we encounter.
These situations where a person says he's directed of this spirit and we find it contrary to the clear teaching of the Word of God.
We can.
Correctly conclude that the Spirit of God is not directing that person.
Another thing that we might comment on is the Spirit of God doesn't occupy us with ourselves or our spiritual growth. It the Spirit of God is a person, a divine person.
In dwellings a believer, we don't have two divine persons inside of our bodies, we have the Holy Spirit of God.
And he is very carefully grieved. We have the exhortation. Ephesians 4. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. We're never told to pray for the sealing of the Holy Spirit that took place when we believed the gospel of Christ, His death, His resurrection, His precious blood.
The Spirit of God sealed us, giving us eternal security and as mentioned, a foretaste of what we are going to enjoy in that coming day. And He doesn't direct our thoughts inward unless we have grieved Him by what we have done, or the way we have acted, or some angry word that proceeds from our lips. Spirit of God.
Is grieved and we need to confess where we have failed. I don't want to get away from the chapter, but we're we are exhorted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The best example I have given is I think it's Doctor Burtons comments on the Spirit of God. Here I am in in Bob Tony's house and he's invited me to come and I have a room there.
00:35:09
I have the key for the room and.
I, my wife and I, we occupy that room and enjoy the hospitality of Bob and Barbara. But supposing Bob came and said, John, here are the keys for all the rooms in my house.
You are more than welcome to enter any of them.
At any time when I fill the house now I have access into every room. That's what the Spirit of God wants to do in our lives. He wants to have full control. Sometimes we say, well, there's, there's a part there that I just want to keep for myself. I, I have a special.
Aspiration to do this and.
I want to have my own control of this part of my life. Then the Spirit of God is not occupying you with with your eternal inheritance and he's not at liberty. There's some hindrance there or how easy it is for us to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And what happens then? We only know too well.
We are miserable, and rightly so.
A Christian can be the happiest person in the world, should be, but he can also be the most miserable, because if the Spirit of God is grieved in my life, I can't enjoy the things of the Lord and I can't enjoy the world as I did before, so I'm miserable, and rightly so. How careful we should be that divine guest, not an influence as we have in the Pentecostal system. It is a divine. He is a divine person.
Dwelling in the body of the believer until the day of redemption. Visions 4. What's the day of redemption? I thought you already had the redemption of your soul. Yes you do. The redemption of the body, as we've been Speaking of is something future. So how precious that now in Christianity, not so in the Old Testament. Another thing I might mention is we don't have another baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I think we're clear about that. The baptism of the Holy Spirit took place at Pentecost, the 2nd installment under in the time of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. But not another baptism of the Holy Spirit, but joined into the body when a person believes the gospel of his salvation. Is that right, brethren? I enjoyed reading in the book of Acts the other night.
It said about Stephen that he was full of faith.
And full of the Holy Ghost, full of faith. That's a topic, isn't it?
It has turned with me to Revelations Chapter 3 a minute.
Look at verse 20 in Revelations chapter 3 and 20. You're in the in the message to Laodicea and Leo Dicia. He had looked at him and he says thou art Luke warm.
In verse 16 and neither cold nor hot, and I will spew thee out of my mouth. The Lord has diagnosed this day and age. He is diagnosed easier to every one of us sitting in this room in the last day and ages of our condition. And when he gets down there in verse 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire. And he gets down to verse 20. He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and Sup with him, and he with me.
You just got done saying and talking about the condition of my heart, the condition of your hearts, that door there. This, this is about the church. I don't want to take it right now and use it in the gospel. That's perfectly fine. We don't see the word salvation here. We don't see the words born again. We don't see quickened, etcetera, etcetera. He's knocking at the door. He himself is the door. I am the door. If any man enter, any shall be saved.
In an unsaved one in this room can stand and look at that door all day. If they don't enter in, they're never going to get saved. It doesn't any good and good to have a knowledge and look at it, but this is written to the Christians, isn't it? This is the written to the last day and age of the body of Laodicea and he's saying I'm knocking at your door. I've paid the price I own. I am the rightful owner of your body like we've been reading about in Second Corinthians.
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He bought it and he purchased this body. It's his, he says. You have locked the door from the inside.
Are you going to unlock the door and let me come in and Sup with you? The two that were walking on the road to Emmaus, if you turn back to Luke and read about it, they were scaled across your eyes and they didn't know who was walking with them, but he was talking to him about everything and it was just fill in their hearts.
When they got done, they said, did not our hearts burn within us? Do you have heartburn for the Lord?
You don't need an Alka Seltzer for that heartburn.
Hey, that's, that's what he's saying here. Come on. Do you have a little part of that house that has one of the doors that's still locked and you don't give him the keys to that little room? Thank you, John.
Are you hiding that little bit in there and carrying it with you as a Christian still?
That's what he's boiling down to.
You know, some of these things that we look at here and we read and we understand there's two passages in the Word of God that just thrill me once found in Ephesians and it says about His eternal purposes, and He has had an eternal purpose for each and every one of us.
And when it is all said and done, he is going to glorify in how everything has taken place.
And he had an eternal purpose in that passage in Jesus Christ. When I go to Isaiah 55 verses 8:00 and 9:00.
It says for my thoughts and my ways are above your thoughts and your ways. And when I can't understand a scripture, I give it over and just trust in faith. Like our brother said that he said it, it is finished, it's done. He rightfully owns this body and he should be at that door and be able to come in to any part of this house. Yes, I have to.
Look at self with self examination.
Getting back to our chapter here, verse six it says.
Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. Verse 8 says we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. That's what happens when a person comes to the end of his life, that's a believer. The moment he is absent from the body, he is present with the Lord.
That wonderful confidence to know for a person that is a real believer. But then he says in verse 9, because we need to keep going brother, and wherefore we labor that whether present or absent we may be, it should be acceptable to him.
So we labor and the next verse talks about the judgment seat of Christ, something that's going to take place.
In the future.
Where everything in the believers.
Life is going to be reviewed. So he's talking about that in verse 9, whether present or absent.
We labor that we may be acceptable to him. Oh, brethren, what does he say about it? You know, in our culture here in the United States, we're so here so much about you. Do your thing.
You do what you want to do. Everybody should respect your rights and your desires. Hey, that doesn't cut it when it's talking about our lives as believers, brother. And it's not what we want. It's not what we find pleasant. It's what He wants for us. And we should live our lives constantly in view of that moment when we're going to stand in His presence and everything.
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Absolutely everything is going to be evaluated at the judgment seat of Christ. This is one of the motives, brethren, that we're talking about in this chapter that is very important to keep before us.
Lord help us, Brandon.
Just go back for a moment to the eighth verse and relate an incident that was recounted by our brother Ralph Reed.
Who now is in the Enola, PA assembly? Ralph had a position where he often would.
Get together with administrators of various hospitals. On one occasion he was touring a floor with the main hospital administrator and a nurse came running out of one of the rooms very distraught, and the hospital administrator went over to her and said what seems to be the problem.
And she said I promised my patients wife.
That I would record his last words and he only said two things and I just don't understand what they were. And I'm afraid I can't communicate that to her. And the administrator in the presence of our brother Ralph Reeb said, what were those two words? And she said absent and present.
So.
The administrator turned to Ralph. Do you have any idea what she might be talking about? Ralph happened to have a pocket testament opened to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5. Read this first And she said, I'm so glad that I can report that to his wife. So that gave her joy.
When she heard those words and that last message communicated to her.
In these verses that we've read, 3 conditions. One is that we are at home, or should say present. We are present in the body. So right now we're present in the body. We're alive. We're not at home yet. To be at home is to be.
Completely.
There with our spirit, our soul and glorified body, then we'll be at home. And so we're present, it says in the body or we're absent where we're absent from the Lord. And then a little bit later on it says in verse 8, absent from the body.
That's the second condition or to be present with the Lord. So those three conditions are possible, but the encouragement that's given here, the motive in chapter 5, these first nine verses really and the verse nine is the conclusion of what he says is that wherefore we labor, we should labor in view of the fact that our bodies will be glorified. We're going to be in the presence of the Lord, will be just like him.
And because of that, with confidence, we're always confident. Verse 6.
And in verse eight, we are confident because of our confidence and faith. We labor because we know regardless of what takes place in this scene, we're going to be just like Christ. Our bodies are going to be glorified. So it should be a motive for us, and it was a motive for the apostle Paul. You'll notice verse seven has brackets, and that is it's a little bit of a parenthesis where we walk by faith and not by sight. So these things have already been said.
Are appreciated by faith.
In verse eight he says willing rather. Sounds like he'd prefer that, doesn't it? I had the privilege on Thanksgiving Day to visit a little bit with Billy Jennings. The first thing she said to me was I'd like to go home to be with the Lord.
I think she is willing rather to be absent than to be present. I've heard other dear Saints say the same thing. I'm ready to go. I want to go home.
00:50:07
What's so encouraging about that is it's because faith is is in operation so the word of God is enjoyed and it's become a reality to the soul. And so it says here when we walk by faith, well, what an encouragement it is when we do come into.
The company of those who are practicing the truth that the Spirit of God has put before us today.
That we have this wonderful hope of leaving the this body of, of sin and corruption and being being able to be transformed into that new body. And So what a wonderful thing it is when that faith is operating and when it displays itself in expression what our brothers just mentioned.
Faith and operation. I asked your dear mother, what are you going to say when you see him? She says I'm going to fall at his feet.
She's looking forward.
To a moment in the near future where she can fall at his feet.
It's a reality to her.
Well, the next motive that he speaks of is the judgment seat of Christ. And he says here we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And I believe Brother Bob mentioned it's very close to the time of the rapture. We might just refer to it in Revelation chapter 22.
The rapture oftentimes in Scripture is spoken of, and very soon thereafter it's spoken of, in connection with the judgment seat of Christ.
And so in chapter 22 of Revelation verse 12, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me. That's really referring to the judgment seat of Christ. It will take place very quickly right after he comes for us. And so it's a motivation for us. We ought to be motivated to live for Christ and to use every hour of every day for his glory. And so Brother Gordon used to say, Brother Gordon Hale used to remind us that we were.
Every day of our lives we were preparing to meet the Lord, and we were preparing.
A gift to give him. He would use a little illustration of a little box. We're going to present our lives to the Lord and we're going to say at the end of it all, at the judgment seat of Christ will present a little box to him, as it were. This is what I thought about you.
And this is the present. This is how I use my life for you. If we live 70 years, we have 25,550 days. And how did we use those 25,550 days? Maybe we get more, maybe we get less, but they were to be used for Him. And so there's the thought here that we're going to stand before the Lord and we're not going to be judged judicially for our sins. He's not going to.
The the judgment for our sins took place at the cross of Calvary, and Christ bore the judgment for our sins in His own body on the tree. So we're never going to face the Lord Jesus as a judge for our sins. He will. What He will review is our works here and our motives. There's different things that He will review, but here he's going to review it says the things done in His body.
Anything that we've done in our body before we were saved and after we're saved.
All will be reviewed and the Lord will delight to review it and to reward whatever He can reward. And then there will be that rejoicing. And so he brings this in as a motivation to live for the Lord and to live every hour for His glory. Then that last motivation, as we've already mentioned in verse 14, the love of Christ constraineth us, or it compels us.
So we have three things that compel us to live for Christ in this world. One is that our bodies are going to be glorified. We're not our place is not in this world. It's in the heavens itself with God's man. And we have the fact that we're going to we're working as it were in this scene that we might bear fruit for him and that our lives might bring glory to him be reward will be displayed.
00:55:11
His appearing, and then we have also the motive of love, affection for Christ, and it compels us to live every hour for His glory, for His honor.
In verse 10, it says that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he had done, whether it be good or bad. So it's pretty clear that it's not a question of our persons, it's a question of our works that are going to be reviewed in that day. And it is something to stop and think and that's why we encourage.
Believers to read the scriptures.
To have God's view of things, because only what's according to the word of God is going to last.
In that day.
Of the judgment seat of Christ.
I would like to make a comment and I hope it's not going to be confusing, but I think it's important that the judgment seat of Christ has various sessions.
Now I'm going to explain what I mean. This time of the judgment seat of Christ, it's the question of the believers lives, the works that are done, it's all going to be manifested. But now look at verse 11.
And he says knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men it indicates that there's going to be other sessions when the Lord Jesus is going to sit on a throne. We know in Matthew chapter 25 at the end is called the when he's going to sit on the throne of his glory and all the nations, the living nations are going to be gathered.
Before him as the sheep and the goats, and he is going to separate them.
According to how they manifested faith in the messages message delivered to them by the messengers, that's another session of that same judgment seat. And then of course, there is the judgment seat of Christ at the great white throne. It's the Lord Jesus that's going to sit on that throne and he is the one that's going to judge. Can you imagine the terror, the abject terror that's going to be on the face of someone like Idol Hitler?
Or Mussolini or Stalin, when they come to see Jesus. Here comes Pontius Pilate, if he was never saved, to think that he condemned him to that death of the cross and he's going to see him. Abject terror on their faces. This motivates us to preach the Gospel to the lost. And so, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
Oh, brethren, how important it is, these motivations to think about it. But here in verse 10, it's talking about our lives as believers that are passed in revision. And I want to give you another verse because there's several places in Scripture where the judgment seat of Christ for believers are mentioned. It's in First Corinthians chapter 3. And it's very helpful, I think, to understand this.
It says.
Verse 10.
According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master Builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let everyone, every man, take heed how he buildeth thereon. So we're all builders.
And I think that's so good. Tim mentioned that yesterday. We're all ministers. I cringe rather than when we look at certain ones who say are in the Lord's work.
We are all in the Lord's work. Even if you have a secular job, you should do that hardly. As to the Lord, you're in the Lords work. And so we're going to have that Lord, that work manifested in that coming day. Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon for other foundation can no man lay, and that is laid which is Jesus Christ.
01:00:03
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold.
Silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sword it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built, thereupon he shall receive a reward. Not only does the work remain when the fire has done its testing.
Job. But there is going to be a reward given on top of that. But then there's another case here in verse.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. There's going to be a sense of loss in that day, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. It's not a question of our salvation. It's the question of the.
Works being tested. So I just put those there. One other further verse in chapter 4 I'd like to mention because somebody mentioned about motives and the Lord's going to address motives as well. Look at chapter 4 and verse five. He says judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light.
The hidden things of darkness and will make manifest. Here it is.
The councils of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God.
It's beautiful, brethren, even sometimes I want, maybe I have the right motive, but it doesn't work out. God looks not only at the work, but He looks at the motive behind it. And I think that is encouraging to us too.
There's another aspect of it as well in chapter 12 of Matthew.
He says, the Lord himself says in Matthew chapter 12, verse 36 But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. So he's speaking at the day of the judgment seat of Christ. And so those idle words, those words that ought not to have been spoken.
He'll pass judgment on, as it were, and we might just clarify that there are two kinds of judges, and there are judges in the land that have authority judicially to imprison people and to find them and so on. But you and I will never face the Lord Jesus in that character. There are other judges that are judges that state fairs and in other matters at an art studio or something, they would judge the work and the quality of the work. And so in that sense, the Lord Jesus will review.
Our lives and judge the motives, the quality of the motives that were we acted upon the words that we spoke, the deeds that we did and how we labored in the Christian testimony did we labor according to the instructions given to us in the word of God. Yet is a man not crowned except these strive lawfully and so he has given us the guidelines and so this is.
Part of what the Apostle Paul was Speaking of here.
In connection with the motives or the judgment seat of Christ, the deeds done.
That everyone may receive the things done in His body according to that He has done. And it's a marvelous thing. Our consciences will be absolutely, perfectly clear, and we'll see things just the way He sees them at the judgment seat of Christ, because we will not have the flesh.
And we'll have a private audience, everyone of us with the Lord, and after that audience with the Lord.
All of those things that are not of profit that we thought we did for the Lord. They'll go on to the burn pile and we'll they'll never be mentioned ever again. And so it's to really the apostle Paul had made mistakes himself in life and I believe he uses this, he states this and by the Spirit inspired of the Spirit to just as a motive to say it's all going to be sorted out at the end.
01:05:03
And what was done for him, he'll sort it out perfectly and then there's going to be a reward.
And so it motivated them to live every day and every hour for the glory of the Lord.
You might mention one more aspect since we're mentioning different aspects, and that's in Romans 14, and it has to do with personal exercises. And sometimes it's easy to look at someone and be critical of a particular exercise they may have, but in Romans 14 it says in verse 12.
So then, every one of us.
She'll give a count of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather that No man put a stumbling block block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. And I know we do have to at times pass judgment on something that we see. I'm not Speaking of that so much if it's unscriptural or or just wrong. You know, we don't. We just don't stand idly by and allow it in faithfulness. We may have to say something, but there are.
Matters of personal exercise that we have as individuals and we're each going to give an account. The Lord said to Abraham, walk before me and be perfect. So in Genesis 17. So there is that aspect to just to to round out what we've been hearing, which has been very good.
But.
When we're we have the judgment seat of Christ is really a manifestation.
Our walk and waves every everything will be manifest as mentioned not.
For any judicial inquiry. But there is such a thing as a saved soul and a lost life. And the prime example that we are often referred to is Lot. We're going to meet Lot in the glory, without a doubt.
Second, Peter tells us he was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked every day. He was in the gate of Sodom, where he should never have been. His whole object was present advantage in this world. He lifted up his eyes, yes, but not any higher than the horizon of this world, and he got what he wanted.
The fields of ****** he moved in that direction, picked up a woman that I don't think was a believer, sat in the gate of solemn Sodom lost his testimony and his family.
Was escaped with the skin of his teeth. A believer who lived for the present advantage and the things of this world, and he received them but all.
A saved soul. But what was there there that the Lord can could commend in his life? Well, he's in the glory and the Lord the least thing that we do for him.
Even a thought upon his names is recorded in the annals of eternity and will be rewarded. And so.
We can.
Commit everything into the hands of the Lord, knowing that our work will be remembered by him. But there's a warning there. We have it in Jonathan too. You know, when David gave the list of his mighty men who were rewarded when he established the Kingdom, those that had shared his rejection in The Cave of Abdullah. The name of Jonathan is conspicuous by its absence.
His name is not there yet. Jonathan truly loved David and encouraged him, but there was a failure there. He didn't share the rejection of David and there was a loss there in the life of Jonathan. A little word where our time is gone. It's a little word of encouragement for each one of us is we can all look look at our lives and find flaws.
Maybe wasted time, wasted years, but the Lord has promised that he can restore the years that the locusts have eaten. And and so it may be that there has been a journey that we have been on and part of that journey seems to be barren. But faith and willingness to be found in, in the, in the, in a path that's in obedience to the Lord. We don't want to put limitations on what the Lord can do from this point.
01:10:23
On and so I want to encourage each one of us to walk by faith. That's what we've had here. These all of these things come to us. We come into the enjoyment of them like they walked by faith. God can bring much blessing into our lives. We don't have to look back.
And and suffer.
Emotionally, we're going to we're going to have a sense of loss at times, but I just want to encourage each one of us.
There's the, there's the, the future. Whatever time the Lord reads us here, I think the fact that the Lord says in that verse we read, every man shall have praise of God. There will be something in every believer that God will reward.
We welcome still thy faithful word. The cross shall meet its short reward, For soon must pass the little while Then joy shall crown thy servants toil.
And we shall hear the Savior say, Arise, my love, and come away.
See #282.
Master, we would.
Love to see the sea of darkness.
The Sword
Address—Mark Allan
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I'd like to welcome everyone to the address this afternoon.
It's not always easiest to talk right after you've had lunch.
But you know, I'm thankful to be here today and to spend time. You know, I appreciated the thankfulness that's come out in the last few meetings. And truly, we have an incredible amount to be thankful for when Phil called me.
A week ago to ask me about speaking.
I have to acknowledge that my first response was to want to say no.
Just with the cares of life and busyness I wasn't feeling.
Super on top of things and struggling a little bit. But you know, back in my early 20s, I remember feeling deeply convicted.
That I should preach the word and be instant in season and out of season. And I thought, well, maybe I should just say.
Sure, and trust the Lord that He would give me something. And you know, then I thought, you know, there's many, many here who?
Know the Word of God much better than I do, and perhaps have.
More consistency. And I know that focusing on ourselves is not the right thing, but you know, I, I did perhaps what's the cliche thing and said, can you give me a little time to pray about it? And I prayed about it and.
My wife was bugging me over the next day. Are you going to What are you going to say? What are you going to say?
I didn't find that particularly easy. And you know, the Lord at first didn't give me anything particular and I thought, oh, I'll sit down and open up the word of God and.
See if he has something for me to share. And I opened up the Bible to a chapter that was about the sword. It's Ezekiel 21. And I was like, am I going to talk with the sword that. And Phil had said that his burden is there be 140 young people here and.
He wanted the love of Christ to be shared with them and.
I just thought, how can I reconcile those two things, the sword and love?
But that's where I ended up. I did feel that that's what the Lord wanted me to share with you today. And it is in great weakness that I do share a few thoughts on this topic tonight. You know, in my office at home, I, my kids and wife actually gave me a sword. And it's sitting on the wall in front of the desk that I use when I'm working at home. And I think of it often actually the name Mark.
Means warlike and from a scriptural perspective, and I've often thought about the fact that.
I have a responsibility to fight for the Lord while we're here, and so I'd like to take up this topic and maybe we could just start the meeting this evening by singing 312.
Lead on Almighty.
00:05:02
So at the beginning of the last meeting, my wife nudged me and said, you know, Mark, I was talking to the young people. And some of them have been commenting that there's been a lot about death, and you have to be a lot more optimistic about that. And, you know, I thought about how am I going to talk about the sword and not talk about death?
You know.
I had been considering and when I think about a topic, sometimes I look at the bookends of it in the word of God.
In Genesis, we have this in of Adam and Eve in the garden and you have that sword, flaming sword that didn't let them in to have access to that tree of life because it would have been horrible if they did. And it was the result of sending, you know, the sword carries all the way from there.
To the other end of the Bible, which is revelation.
19.
And you see the Lord Himself.
After the judgment seat of Christ.
After the marriage supper of the lamb.
Where the Lord in His great love for us, His love for everyone who has put their trust in Him.
Is more amazing than we can imagine. You know, I thought of that verse in Ephesians. Husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. So you have that marriage, but then what do you have after that? In that chapter you have the Lord.
Coming out of heaven on a horse with that flaming sword out of his mouth to get rid of the enemies and you know it leads to the end of the Bible where there's complete victory by the Lord and that is the hope that we all have ahead of us is the Lord. That's all we just saying it says to love the prize possessed. We hear of war no more.
And oh, sweet thought for Everest.
On Yonder peaceful shore there will be a day not very far ahead where there will be no more war.
The Lord will be completely victorious and we will just bask in the sunshine of His love. And you know we can do that now and you know we'll have been given.
Rewards for the things that.
He caught, he gave us that he he worked in us that we just can't imagine. But that is that is where this story ends. And you know, it's going back into before that where we're going to take up this topic of using the sword.
And you know, I was just thinking about this last year.
You know, at the start of this year in Canada, Montreal assembly was not able to meet unless every single person was vaccinated.
They had to stop meeting in the meeting room for a little while.
You know, in March.
I went on vacation with my family and I had been under extreme stress in my work. I was doing 3 jobs.
And I knew that I was in serious trouble because of something that happened eight years ago. And I knew when I went to bed, I would probably wake up at 3:00 in the morning with the pain in my chest and knowing that I was falling apart and it wasn't going to get better.
And you know.
The Lord helped in both of those situations. You know, the Lord gave encouragement to Reno Ferry and he brought out a number of additional people and you know, there was trouble there, but the Lord allow, you know, everywhere we look, I just think of the last week.
You know this the US largely when put to the vote, it was the decision almost solely to.
Support the killing of innocent children that swung the election. And you know, I'm not trying to get into politics at all, but I just, I think of the battles that are going on around right now couple weeks from now, probably the biggest means of communication among a lot of people Facebook will be.
Banning all religious reference, How is a Christian supposed to function without?
You know, the battles that rage around us are incredibly real. I remember throughout the year.
And I'm a human being, my wife and I struggling and lying in bed and thinking how are we going to get past the issue that we were dealing with? I remember thinking I prayed and prayed and prayed for my kids in certain topics and.
I don't know how the word is going to come in. You know, these battles are real. And that's where I want to start today. So I'm going to go to a Seasons 6 and Justice. Look there at the context of this before we go to the Old Testament. I'm going to have to move very quickly.
00:10:13
Ephesians chapter 6.
My grandfather and grandmother Donald the Rule gave me a shirt when shirts were first coming out with a custom prints on it and it had this verse on it. It was verse 10610. It said finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
You know, the topic we're going to take up tonight is the word of God in the armor of God. You know, it is his might that we need. We cannot do it, can't even begin to do it in our own strength. And you know, the enemy that we have is a very real enemy. And I want to look at the enemy and in the cases in the examples that we look at tonight, what does it say in verse 12? It says before we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against.
Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The enemy is real and he's attacking in phenomenal ways. You know, I never thought I'd get to the point in my life where I'd see the world's second biggest superpower backed into the corner with no men left to fight, their artillery almost gone, and the only option left, nuclear weapons. You know, God is in control everything that has happened. But this warfare that we see around us is a very real warfare.
And so I just going down and with the whole armor of God, you can spend a ton of time on it, but I just want to specifically focus on the sword. It says there verse 16. Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. The topic tonight circles around this book.
And it's an amazing book, The Sword of the Spirit. You know, it's amazing about disorders. It's not our sword.
It's the sword of the spirit we had some comments about.
Spirit in the last meeting.
You know, it's, it's not ours, it's his and the strength comes from Him. And I think we'll see that in the references that we look at this afternoon. Well, I'd like to go actually just read one more verse in Hebrews 4. These are very well known verses, I know.
Hebrews 412.
Says therefore the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword.
Piercing.
Even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and a joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I'd just like to read verse 16 to let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace that we have made, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The Word of God is powerful, sharp and powerful. It cuts two ways and you know in a lot of these things that we'll be looking at this afternoon.
It cuts both ways and sometimes it has to cut us.
Before it can be used in other ways and you know, there's been nothing.
I shouldn't say nothing compares, but this book is absolutely incredible and it's the actual word of God and it's power, it's living, it's powerful. You know, the fact that we haven't are able to read it is an incredible thing.
And it.
It should shape our lives. Let's just turn back. What I want to go through is 10 examples from the Old Testament, and we'll have to go through them quickly, of people who use the sword. And I want to look at how they use the use the sword and just draw some applications from that. It's not, These are very common, very common applications and I just like to share.
What I've enjoyed from them, let's turn to the first one, and this is in Exodus 32.
In each one of these, I'd like to look at what the enemy has done, and I'd like to look at the response with the sword.
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And in this situation.
Israel.
Had been cried out. The Lord had brought them out of Egypt. He had brought them across the Red Sea.
Into the wilderness and was going to lead them into the.
To the promised land and yell, the Lord himself said, I want to dwell among you.
And Moses went up into that mountain.
And he was there a long time, and, you know, the enemy was at work to help, to make them lose a sense of the Lord's love, to make them lose a sense of what incredible things the Lord had done. And you know, I realize that in my own life, how quickly I forget what the Lord has done. I was even thinking this week, you know, the Lord.
Helped me in a miraculous way. And what happened earlier this year? I was off work for five weeks.
And just this week and work, things started getting a little bit hard again and I was like, I don't know I'm going to do we forget so fast about what the Lord does in our life. Well, here Moses up in the mountain too long and what do they want to do? They want to put they want to God's Let's just read what it says. I can't replace the word of God at all. It says that when the people saw that Moses was delayed to come down out of the mount. This is Access 32 verse one.
The people gather themselves together to Aaron and unto him.
And said unto him up, Make us gods, which shall go before us. And As for this Moses, the man which brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what has become of him. And Aaron said, Break off the golden earrings, which are in nine years.
Which are in the ears of thy wives, and your sons, and your daughters. And bring them to me. And the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool. And after he had made it a molten calf, they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built the altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast of the Lord. They rose up early in the morning.
Borrow They offered burnt offerings, peace offerings, people. The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
You know, this is, it's hard to imagine in the context of what's happened where God had delivered them out of Egypt and brought them across the Red Sea and miraculous preserving that they would do this. But you know, I was thinking how easy it is for us to be sucked into.
The attacks of the enemy around us, you know, there's been a downright assault.
On.
Christianity and the family in ways that we can imagine. It's done so subtly and you know.
Here Moses was coming down from the mount with the 10 commandments and the very first one.
Was thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul, and you know they had broken that very first one. And you know as we look around us, this world is trying to take.
Christianity out of everything, and they want to drag us along with it and convince us that.
That it's unreasonable not to do that and to try and sort of cover up this and you know, this is sort of AI just contemplated where it says tomorrow's a feast to the Lord. There's there's this weird mixture here that was just so awful. And what I the point of this and again, I'm going to have to go quickly is.
What happens here with the sons of Levi? They're the first ones I want to talk about with the sword, and they use the sword for consecration. And let's just read what it says. And you know, this is not the type of story that is fun to read, but it's incredibly important. It says in verse 25. And when Moses saw that the people were naked for Aaron had made them naked under their shame among their enemies, then Moses stood in the gate of the.
And said, Who is on the Lord's side, Let him come to me. And the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side.
And go in and out from the gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And there fell of the people that day about 3000 men. And Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son and upon his brother, that he may bestow.
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Upon you a blessing this day.
And it came to pass on the moral, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin, and now I will go up into the Lord, perventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. Moses returned unto Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Yet now thou wilt forgive their sin, and if not, blot me.
I pray thee out of the book which thou has written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go lead the people under the place of which I have spoken to thee, and behold, mine Angel, shall go before thee. Nevertheless, in the day that when I visit, there sin upon them. And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.
Well.
Moses comes here and he says who is on the Lord's side? You know, I was thinking about Bernie's talk yesterday about a decision. You know, I think, and this is the point I want to make with this use of the sword of the sons of Levi, they had to make a decision to stand with the Lord against sin. And you know, that is a decision that every person in this room needs to make.
To stand with the Lord against sin, and this is not.
About Moses not loving the children of Israel, you know, just hear what it says here. He was willing to have.
And this is hard to comprehend Himself blotted out of the book on their behalf. He cared about them so deeply, but he recognized the seriousness of sin in God's eyes. And you know, we live in a world that doesn't even want to acknowledge that sin is even there really, except on their terms.
They don't want to hear what this book says the word of God says about sin.
They want us to sort of conform to their thoughts on it.
And to take away and you know the sons of Levi here they consecrated it says in verse 29 Moses said, consecrate yourselves this day to the Lord. You know at the end of that verse it says that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day, you know when you.
Tear down God's design and go against this book. The end result?
Is this is everything goes out of whack and self destructs and you know, I think of of what we see happening around us, we need to be to use the sword like the sons of Levi did in consecration and take the Lords side against sin. And you know, that's not always an easy thing to do, particularly in light.
Of what we hear around us today.
And so I make that comment and you know, I struggled when I first thought about this topic. This sounds like a brutal story, but you know, I realize in my own life the need for me to take the Lord's side against sin in my own life to make that decision.
To follow him.
Well, this is the first use of the sword. I'd like to look at using the sword in Consecration. The next one I'd like to look at is in.
Joshua chapter. Well, let's go to Joshua one.
Again, I'll go through these.
Fairly quickly.
You know, Joshua was one of the two.
Men who went and spied out Canaan, which God had given them and.
He and Caleb Lanton, the other ten, and they saw that the 10 saw that. They saw the Giants and were terrified.
But Joshua and Caleb tried to steal the people and convince them that they should still go.
You know Joshua and Caleb, the children of Israel.
Murmured. And they had to end up wandering around the wilderness for 40 years as a result of that. And, you know, we get to the end where they're going to cross into the land. And Joshua has given the job of leading the people of God. And what struck me here is using the sword in courage. And you know, the enemy wants us to be afraid. He wants us scared to stand up for the Lord.
You know, that's what caused Israel to end up having to go through the wilderness for another 40 years.
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I enjoyed considering a man named Nashon. Someone came to Rio Ferry and spoke about the fact that Rahab married the son of a Prince. So I went and did a little digging on the man. Nashon. He's a Prince of Judah, you know, He led the biggest tribe in Israel. He led the biggest 3 tribes in Israel. He was the first out between the Cloud and the Tabernacle.
There was 600,000 warriors, probably about two and a half million people that went out to battle. He was the first person to bring his present.
To the Lord, that tremendous present when the Tabernacle was sent up, when the trumpet blew, he was the first one to lead them out to battle. But you know, we get to when the when the the spies come back and it's just Caleb and Joshua here we have the leader and he's silent.
You know fear can cripple us if we're not careful, and yet the Lord says be strong and of good courage.
He'll help us. And you know, it's amazing what the Lord can do. And the Lord is so gracious. You know, even in that story of Nashville that I mentioned, he's brought into the lineage of the Lord through his son Salman, who marries Rahab. The Lord is so gracious. You know, I think it's nine times in the book of Joshua and end of Deuteronomy. And Joshua, we have be strong and of good courage. So I just want to read quickly.
Got to watch our time Joshua chapter one.
Read verse one. It says Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of none, Moses Sirt minister saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore rise go over this Jordan, that thou and all this people unto the land which I do, give them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, Just stop there for a second. You know what the enemy wants to do is he wants us to stop us from enjoying what is ahead of us.
What the Lord has already given us in Ephesians, that's the context of the armor of God. Every person in this room who has put their trust in the Lord is promised these blessings, and the enemy wants to stop us from enjoying that.
And what does it say in verse six? It says, Be strong and of good courage. For unto this people shall umm, shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only thou be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayst observe to do according, to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. The book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. Thou shalt meditate.
Day and night thou shalt observe, thou mayst observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have I not commanded thee be strong and of good courage? Courage is the opposite of fear. The Lord is saying over and over to be.
Be strong and a good courage and not to fear. He says this to Joshua as they start this conquest of the land of Canaan. And you know, the Lord wants us to be strong and of good courage and we find that in his word through the word of God. You know, in all of these cases, it's I like thinking about it's the word of God that helps us to understand sin. That's what we had in using the sword for consecration is the word of God that gives us courage.
That's what we have in using the word of God for courage. And you know, it wasn't always easy for Joshua.
Of course, they go up and take Jericho and then they fail with AI and Joshua feels horrible at that time. I won't read it, but you know, and then.
Gibeon tricks them and then we have these massive kings that come.
And attack.
And you know, the natural response of the enemy attacking us is to be fearful, and he will attack us and He'll attack us over and over and over and over again in whatever way he can.
But you know, it's so nice to see that Joshua let's go over and this is just the verse I'd like to verses. I'd like to look at Joshua chapter 10. You know, when these 5 kings come against of the Lord helps them win an incredible battle.
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And we have here the 8th time that it says, Fear not nor be dismayed. It says in verse 25, Joshua said unto them, Fear not nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thou shalt the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. And afterwards Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hang them on five frees, and they were hanged upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, And they took them down from the trees, and tossed them into the.
And they had been hid, they agreed stones in the cave's mouth, which remained unto this day. And that day Joshua took Makita, smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, he utterly destroyed them and all the souls that were there, and he let none of them remain. He did to the king of Makita, as he did unto the king of Jericho. So here we have the Lord giving victory. And Joshua could say to the people.
That the Lord would give them victory and that they should be strong of good courage. And the Lord did that. I appreciate it. I think it was Bernie who read at the end of the meeting yesterday.
Joshua's words at the end, you know, was it a reality? Did the Lord do what he said he was going to do in terms of helping? He did exactly what he said he was going to do. And we read him saying at the end of his life to the children of Israel, he says, and this is in chapter 23.
And verse six it says, be therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you turn not aside from the right hand.
Or to the left.
We should use the sword.
In courage, so we should use the sword in consecration.
We should use the sword in courage. Let's go on to the next one. This is Gideon.
Again, extremely well known stories.
Judges chapter 6 and I'm going to have to.
Just give the background. So here we have the children of Israel and the enemy comes. And what does the enemy do here? First time he attacks with?
End of the first command once in the second one.
He attacks and tries to keep them from that which the Lord gives them. Here he attacks and he steals their food and all their sustenance and they're having to hide. That's actually, let's just read it quickly. This is in Judges 6.
Starting verse one. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian. 7 years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. And because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and in the caves, and in the strongholds. And so was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, the Amalekites and the children of the East, even they came up against them, and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel.
Sheep nor *** for they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for multitude, both they and their camels without number. And they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried under the Lord.
So the enemy had taken their food and you know, one of the things that the enemy wants to do is he wants to steal.
Spiritual food from his people, you know, even the fact that we weren't able to meet in the same way for a while, you know the enemy will do anything to keep us from.
The word of God and from being fed and you know what makes me sad when I see the young people and and and recognize that that there's a need for food and you know, the enemy wants to steal it. But what what do we have here in this situation with Gideon? You know, he's threshing wheat by the winepress and the Angel appears to me. He says, he says to him, he says Gideon.
The Angel Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
You know, Gideon lacked confidence and so this third one is using the sword in confidence. And I and I realize that I'm taking a little bit of liberty with the use of words in these cases. But you know, here we have Gideon. He just, he just he's discouraged. He's thrashing lead by the wine press. He doesn't feel like he's any strength. He lacks that confidence that we had earlier. What does he do? He puts the fleece out.
Not once, not twice, he has to take that sword and deal with himself.
Just like Israel did with their sin he had to deal with issues there first and then you know he calls together that are the Lord brings together that army starts out with over 30,000 gets whittled down to 10,000 gets whittled down to 300 the Lord wants Gideon.
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To have confidence in him and in him alone. The Lord wants us to have confidence.
In him and in him alone. You know what's amazing to me?
When they go to fight against the Midianites, there's a host that is it says camels without number, and there's just 300 of them. And they have, well, they have in one hand they have Lantern. What do they have on the other hand, trumpet? They don't even have their sword. Well, they have it on their on their side, but they didn't even need to fight with it. What does the Lord use as the enemy sword?
To conquer the enemy, you know it's the sword of the Lord, the sword of the Lord, sword of the Lord and Gideon, you know the Lord comes in an incredible way.
The confidence was not in a person. The confidence needs to be in the Lord. Gideon needed to learn that, that his confidence was in the Lord. And you know, the people who were afraid were sent home. And you know, it's amazing to see and so.
As we face our battles and the enemy is trying to steal food from the Lord's people, we need to have confidence in the Lord. The Lord is able to give food for his people, whether it's I've heard actually several people comment on a Bible study that popped up online over the COVID that was a tremendous encouragement to multiple people. I think I've heard it three times in the last week and.
The Lord is able when we have.
When we go to him for strength.
To give us confidence and provide for us as he did for Gideon here. Well, that's the third one again. Let's go to the 4th one. This is.
Jonathan.
In First Samuel 13.
He uses the sword, and what I'm going to say is the commitment of faith here we have.
In First Samuel 13, Jonathan is with Saul, and the Philistines come.
And.
The enemy here is trying to cripple.
Israel's ability and let's just read, actually, let's just read quickly, First Samuel 13.
In verse 19 it says Now there was Number Smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, lest the Hebrews make them swords or Spears. But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man, his share, and his Coulter, and his ox, and his matic.
Yet they had a file for the Maddox, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes to sharpen the goats. So it came to pass in the day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan, but with Saul and Jonathan and his son was there found in the Garrison of the Philistines. Went out to the passage of Mcmash. Well, we go into the next chapter.
I just wanted to note there that the enemy here.
There was number Smiths in the land and the Philistines were trying to control and limit their ability and keep them. You know, the enemy wants to take away all of our strength in whatever way. Again, you know Jonathan, and it's nice to see the commitment of faith with Jonathan. You know, he didn't tell his father. You know, Saul through his whole life, he tried to do things in his own strength.
But Jonathan recognized that he needed.
To trust the Lord, his strength needed to be in the Lord. And so he says in chapter 14 and verse one. Now it came to pass.
Upon a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare the armor, come let us go over to the Philistines Garrison that is on the other side, but he told not his father. Then in verse six. I just want to read these verses that use the word COM it shows.
His confidence in the Lord, it says and Jonathan said unto the young man, his armor bearer, come, let us go over under the Garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there's no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. Verse 12, it says the men of the Garrison answered Jonathan his armor bearer, and said, Come up to us and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armor bearer, come up after me, for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel and Jonathan climbed.
Upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armor bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer flew after him. Well, here we have Jonathan showing that beautiful commitment of faith.
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And he puts the Lord, he wants to be sure he's doing what the Lord wants them to do. And.
The Lord chose and you know, he, he's fully committed, He's crawling on his hands and his knees, and the Lord gives him that victory, the commitment of faith. You know, it's not easy necessarily when the Lord puts us in difficult situations.
Sometimes you hardly know where to go next. Sometimes you don't understand why the Lords doing what he's doing. Sometimes it feels like it goes on and on and on. But you know, Jonathan here, he's crawling on his hands and knees, is just him and his armor bearer. He is fully committed and showing his faith in the Lord. And to me that is a beautiful, beautiful thing to consider. And we all need to have that faith like Jonathan in the Lord and the Lord and the Lord gave him the victory.
He gave him the victory.
When the enemy was trying to limit what they could do, to me, that's a beautiful thing. So here we have the the sword being used in the commitment of faith. We go to the next one, Samuel. This is in First Samuel 15, so not couple chapters over.
You know here.
They're dealing with the Amalekites and.
Saul is told to completely wipe them out. You know, that may seem harsh, but we read in Deuteronomy 25, you know what? You know what the Malachites did? They preyed on them when they were weak and weary. You know, the enemy. I know this for myself, often gets the greatest inroads in my life when I'm worn out and I'm tired and then I start whether it's wasting time.
Reading stupid things or and that's when he makes the inroads in her life. But Solomon, the Commission to completely cut him off and he didn't do it. You know, the flesh is a horrible thing and and particularly when we're weak and tired out, it can just wreak absolute havoc.
Here Samuel uses the sword.
Incomplete obedience, you know, the Lord doesn't want just partial obedience, and it's not because he wants.
He recognizes the destruction in our life if we don't do it. You know, some of these things that we see coming, whether it's we need to cut off our social media because we just, if we don't have complete obedience in that area, we'll just be attacked over and over and over again. Maybe it's something that we know we have a proclivity to do or we're we have a weakness in we need to cut off the flesh completely, not just partially, but fully. Let's just read what Samuel does, you know, Samuel, I think.
Older here and it says here in verse 30 and it says in verse 31 of chapter 15 verse Samuel 1531.
Sorry. 32 Then said Samuel, Bring hit her to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. Maggi came unto him delicately. Maggie said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed egg AG in pieces before the Lord. And give hold all you know this sounds.
Pretty brutal.
But you know.
When the enemy prays on the weak and the weary and faint, it is an incredibly serious thing.
And we need to recognize that in our own life. I recognize that in my own, that it's when I'm weak and weary and faint that I am most susceptible. We need to have complete obedience to the Word of God in those situations and ask Him for help.
That's the next one, if we could go on.
This is David for Samuel 17. Sorry to have to go through these quickly.
Who's the enemy here?
David and Goliath. Goliath comes out and tries to just completely intimidate.
Israel, you know, Saul had been given the Commission to deal with Phil Steins and he didn't do it. David ends up doing it with the Lord's help, which is an amazing thing to see. But Goliath comes out and what does he say? This is chapter 17. There came out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was 6 cubits in a span, and he had a helmet of brass upon his head and was armed with a coat of mail. The weight of the coat was 5000 shekels of brass. He had Greaves of brass.
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His legs and a target of brass between his shoulders, the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed 600 chuckles of iron and one bearing the shield went before him. And he stood and cried under the armies of Israel's, and said unto them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? I'm not IA Philistine, and ye the servants of Saul choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me, if he shall be able to fight with me and kill me.
Then will we be your servants? But if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us?
And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day, give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul and Israel heard the words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
You know we live in a day.
When the enemy is trying to intimidate Christians like never before.
And I acknowledge that I fall prey to it myself often.
They want us completely silenced and not even to see any.
Evidence of Christianity anywhere. You know, I just thinking of what's happening with Facebook.
They don't want Christianity anywhere and he will do anything to intimidate the Christians, you know.
There's a real fear even with what happens if, what I.
What I say online is tractor. Somebody says the enemy wants to intimidate us. You know, I appreciate David. Again, I have to watch our time here. But David, where was David? He was with the sheep, spending time with the Lord.
In communion, using the sword in communion independence is what I would like to bring out about David. You know, David came and he hears this giant and he recognized this guy is defying.
The living God, He has no right to do that.
And you know, all he's ever used is a sling. It all gives him his armor. It doesn't fit him. He doesn't even need a sword. And yet he has the courage because he recognizes.
That defying the Lord is.
Horrible and foolish and you know he says I'm going to take your head off you to Goliath. He runs towards him in full confidence. Let's just read it. The word of God says it's so beautifully I love.
Just to see that confidence of David that comes from communion independence. This is verse 43 of First Samuel 17.
Says, When the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth and Ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistines said unto David, Am IA dog, that thou comest to me with staves. Philstein cursed David by his gods. And Philstein said to David, Come, and I'll give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beast of the field. Then said David, under the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword, with a spear, with a shield. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.
Whom thou hast defied this day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand, and I will smite thee, and I will take thine head from thee. And I will give the carcass of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth, that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel, and all this assembly shall know the Lord saveth not with sword and spear for the battle.
Is the Lords.
And he will give it.
Into your hands, you know there's a time.
Eight years ago when I was really struggling while he Deer came to our area at a special meeting and he spoke in this chapter.
I needed to learn that the battle was the Lord's.
And not mine.
That was a turning point for me.
David had the confidence to say to the to the giant, I'll take off your head. He didn't even have a sword.
He probably didn't. Whether he thought, oh, I'm gonna knock him down, take his sword, I don't know. But he put his trust in the living God. The battle was the Lord's.
Not his.
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We need to use the sword in communion and dependence and to look at things through the eyes of God.
It changes everything and justice go to the next one. It's using the sword and defense. This is in. Let's go to First Chronicles 11.
This is David's mighty man.
A couple weeks ago.
James Ferguson commented to me, he said. You know, Mark I it's interesting. I wonder why with Davidde, Great mighty men.
Their top qualification as they killed 800 men was he was Speaking of.
I think it was Shama, but these first three and you know, I went back and read these passages just in light of.
Of that comment just to dig into a little bit and you know, it's a little hard to get things figured out with the changes in names and what exactly happened and what happened at the.
At the well in Bethlehem. But you know, I just wanted to focus on this one man, Eliezer.
You know, he let's just read what it says. This is in first Chronicles 11. It's a little clearer in terms of the point I want to bring out here versus Samuel says he was with David in sorry first 12 after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo the oh height, who was one of the three mighties and he was with David at Pasadena and they're the Philistines were gathered together to battle where was a parcel of ground full of barley and the people fled from before the Philistines.
Themselves in the midst of that parcel.
And delivered it, and slew the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by great deliverance. The enemy here is trying to take what God had given.
And the food that was there and you know this man.
He fights with the sword in his hand, cleaving to that sword, and he kills.
It's a 301. It's 800 and the other I think it's.
Dependent on on.
Whether it's the three of them or the one of them, but you know, he clings to that sword.
And he fights to protect what God is given, and you know the Lord has given.
Each one of us. So many things, you know.
Even I shouldn't say even the simplicity of justice gathering in the Lord's name to recognize that ahead of us.
We will be with the Lord for all eternity that He's going to come and set up his Kingdom for 1000 years. He's given us so much. The enemy wants to steal that from us in whatever way he can and we need to defend it.
And I'm not here to specifically make too much of an out, but the enemy is trying to steal what the Lord has given us, and we need to defend it. We need to recognize what God has given us in His Word and value it and use the sword to fight back against the enemy when he tries to take it from us.
It is so important, you know.
Even among my own peers, I see some of them that have gotten discouraged. Maybe it's for the sake of their kids, or maybe it's for the sake of something that's happened in the assembly. Or maybe it's until they they give up something the Lord's given to them to try and fix the problem somewhere else, and it doesn't work that way.
I'm not. We need to recognize what the Lord has given us. Ask yourself that question. What has the Lord given me?
And defend it with the sword. So this is using the sword in defense or cleaving.
Using the sword and cleaving, let's go to the next one. This is with.
Solomon, let's go to.
First Kings three only in 4 minutes so I'll.
First Kings 3 Psalm is made king.
And he has this very complicated situation with these harlots who have two babies and one of them gets rolled on and killed and he's trying to figure out.
Who or what to do? You know, I'm just going to make this comment very quickly. You know, sometimes the situations that are put in front of us are very complicated.
We don't have the wisdom to know how to do it.
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Solomon uses the sword in a complicated situation with compassionate wisdom. You know I just.
It's amazing to see how the Lord can help in really, really, really hard situations if we lean on Him and on His word. Let's go to the next one. This is in Nehemiah, and I'm just.
Here the enemy.
Was attacking, you know, temple had been built and the walls were torn down. He didn't want that place defended and he was doing everything in his power to prevent those walls from going up.
You know, Nehemiah, you know, when I first thought of this, I was thinking of using the sword in protection. But yeah, I was just as I was driving here from Rio Ferry to here, we were. We drove from Saint Thomas to here yesterday morning. And I was just considering these passages and I had sort of thought of this as the sword in protection, but I was trying to think of words that started with C, just to help myself remember them so.
And you know he used his sword in his.
Career and I just use that. I know this is taking a little bit of liberty.
When he heard about the wall being destroyed, he wept. He was the king asked them why are you sad? He instantly prays as he did his work. He was instantly to go to the Lord and then when the enemy was attacking them building the wall, he got them to put their swords on their side.
And they had to be ready at any instant for the attack of the enemy. You know, we need to do that not every minute of every day. It's not just when we come to a conference. It's not just.
We need to be ready to use the word of God everywhere we go because the enemy wants to.
The last thing he wants is for us to build up and fortify the things around us. He wants to attack us in whatever way he can. So I'm going to say with that. And then the last one I'd like to just mention is in Esther.
And this is using the sword in care.
In protection.
You know the enemy wants to destroy the people of God.
In whatever way he possibly can. You know, we read in Exodus where they had sinned so horribly they need to use the sword and consecration there.
Moses loved the children of Israel. The Lord loved the children of Israel.
Read that verse in Deuteronomy. Beautiful. He loved them.
Morning Ki Whiskey is a picture of the Lord, of course.
He loved the children of Israel. And what does it say? Let's just read these few verses in closing. This is in Esther 3, verse 6.
Halfway through the verse, it says Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole Kingdom of a Hajeweres, even the people of Mordecai. You know, if we go to the end of this book and our time is up so.
Morning Ki, we know was rescued miraculously. The Lord works behind the scenes.
Providentially, and he's put into that position of power.
And Mordecai is used to protect the people of God and you know this whole book ends with for more to create a Jew who is next unto the king of Haji where's and great among the Jews and accepted of the multitude of the brethren seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all the seed. You know we need to use the sword for the protection of the Lord's people. You know it's easy.
To be at each other all the time.
One of the things I, you know, whether it's in our assemblies or whether it's among the young people, whether it's in families, the enemy wants us at each other. We need to have a care for the Lord's people. Here you have Haman who had, I mean, Mordecai who had a care for the Lord's people and when he used the sword in protection of the Lord's people. All these things are so important to think that the Lord.
And I go back, we don't talk. You go back to Revelation 19.
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You have the judgment seat of Christ. You have the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Lord has his bride.
That he died for.
He comes roaring out of heaven.
To defeat the enemy.
To set up His Kingdom and to fulfill His purposes for all eternity for His people. You know, these are things that I know I don't understand them as fully as I can.
And should, but they're beautiful. Well, I I just mentioned these things for you to consider and using the sword as we face battles every day of our life to use the sword in consecration.
Like the sons of Levi to use a sword encouraged. Like Joshua, use the sword in confidence. Like Gideon use the sword and the commitment of faith. Like Jonathan, use the sword and complete obedience. Like Samuel use the sword in communion independence. Like David use the sword in cleaving to what the Lord is given. Like Eliezer use a sword in.
Complication and compassion like Solomon. Use the sword in your career.
And use the sword in care and protection of the Lords people.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
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Oh Lord, tis joy, to look above and see thee on the throne, to search the heights and depths of love which thou to us has shown, 106.
Do you think it's starting perhaps the 1St 14?
Yeah, I would like to go back if it's not too much to just get the contacts from verse 10, if that'd be all right.
In Corinthians 5, starting at verse 10.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that He has done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them, which glory in appearances and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all. That they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we know man after the flesh? Yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and have committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ, then be reconciled to God.
Free hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
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I just, uh, suggested we read from verse 10 because it's such an important part of teaching in Scripture, the judgment seat of Christ. And I know sometimes it's presented in a way that results kind of a negative feeling, but I really believe, brethren, when we get home to glory, we're going to be thankful to have his evaluation about everything.
I think we're going to be thankful to see everything put in its true light. You know how often down here in this world, there's differences amongst brethren. Brother feels this way and another brother feels that way, and it's never exactly resolved.
There at the judgment seat, everything is going to be put in clear light of his presence and his evaluation of it, and it will settle all those differences that there were.
So I really look at the judgment seat of Christ as something positive. I hope we haven't left the idea that it's purely negative. There will be loss, of course, in to 1St Corinthians 3 because of things we have done that will be burned up. But I do believe that it is something that is positive. Am I right in that?
Amen.
At the judgment seat of Christ, our appreciation of the Lord Jesus will go up immensely.
When we see his evaluation of our life, we.
Think we're candidates for mercy? We'll learn. We'll see the mercy of God as we never saw it in this life, and we will. It will feed our souls to praise and him. We'll see the things that have to be burned up and we'll say, thank God they're burned up and thank God for his mercy to me and bearing with me.
And what he saw in my life and so it will be a very positive. There's the aspect of responsibility and again as was mentioned another day it's we won't perhaps be thinking about it, but our capacity for eternity is being developed now and yet at the judgment seat of Christ when the evaluation is given and we see.
The grace of God and the mercy of God and the control of God for our blessing over our life through the activity of life. It will tune our hearts to worship and praise Him far beyond what we are presently able to do.
I remember your father-in-law saying it will give us abundant reason to praise Him for many, much, many eons.
The judgment seat of Christ, we'll see the grace of God and there's so many things in our lives down here, trials that the Lord has permitted that we've never really gotten the full picture on there. He's going to say, I'm going to show you now what I was doing. And when he gets done, we will say, Lord, thank you for allowing those heavy trials in my life. I can see now.
Which you had in mind and it's going to be wonderful, Brandon.
It says in Romans Chapter 11, right at the end of Romans Chapter 11, the apostle Paul has just gone through the epistle of Romans. He's written, and he looks back and sees the wisdom of God and he gives a note of appreciation, you might say, to doxology verse 33.
So Romans Chapter 11, verse 33, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom.
And knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord, who or who have been his counselor, or who have first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto him again. For on him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever forever. Amen. Amen. And so there's the wisdom of God. And we don't often think of that, do we? We ought to, but the Lord is allowing what He allows in our lives and circumstances because.
Of his perfect wisdom and we ought to be thankful for the wisdom that he has in his dealings with us. And he says in Romans chapter 5 verse 20 as well, He's going to deal with us according to his grace, not only love, not only mercy, but in his grace he's going to reward us. He's going to review us. And it says in chapter 5 verse 20, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
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And so he's going to review and in Greece he's going to reward us.
We don't do, we don't look for the reward, for the selfish motives, we might say, but it's a given as an encouragement and it's presented to us as an encouragement. And so this passage of Scripture, as you say, Brother Bob, is written perhaps in a positive sense for the believer because it gives them fresh courage and just the sense that the Lord is going to review our lives in his perfect wisdom, his perfect love.
And it's not going to be with a critical spirit, you might say.
But His desire is to look upon us in grace and thank us for identifying with Him in His rejection, to thank us for bearing something of the reproach of Christ in this world. For He's going to thank us. Just think, He's going to thank us for what we did, for His name's sake in the scene. We don't deserve it. But He's going in, in perfect wisdom, perfect love. Just review our lives.
And what was not for His glory will be set aside and never mentioned for all eternity.
So are we saying that not only our works are going to be in review at the judgment seat of Christ, but we're also going to see his working, how he works to make all things work together for good? And would you say that at that time we're going to see the upper side of the tapestry? We're now perhaps we only see the underside and we see all these snarls and tangles of.
The thread and so on. It's not a pretty sight, the underside of the tapestry, but by faith Romans 828 and here's another KNOW we know we know that all things work together for good. And so we would it be right to say that we can also look forward to the judgment seat that we might see the upper side of the tapestry.
And to see how all things do work together for good.
If that be the case, I'm looking forward to that time.
Presence and not see it all.
Even in Israel.
In a future day, Isaiah 26, verse 12.
Says, Lord, Thou wilt ordained peace for us.
Where thou also has brought all our works in US.
So that's it. The Lord met for us in his death and sufferings.
There's an illustration given.
It's probably a thread well known to to some of us here, but I can remember under the ministry of our late brother.
HE hayhole.
Whom I knew well in my teenage period. He used to often give the illustration now.
To put it in perspective here.
I'm in a liability, I'm I'm in deep debt and furthermore, I'm bankrupt. I, I can't do anything about it. They're going to take away my house and I may be charged and.
And maybe incarcerated. So Bob, Tony comes along and he says, John, I, I've known you for years and I see your predicament here. Give me give me the whole situation and let me see what what is really the problem. So after a few days, he hands me an envelope and he says, John, it's it's all settled. You don't have to worry about it anymore.
Well, I said thank you, Bob. This really gives me relief.
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So I open up the envelope that night and I thought it was around $10,000 that I owed, but I looked at the the the bill and here it is $100,000. I said mine. I had no idea that my debt was so large and Bob had to sell his house and his car and everything to pay for it.
I'm filled with Thanksgiving, I think, to apply that to the judgment seat of Christ.
That we will.
Know in deeper and fuller measure what it costs the Lord to put away our sins, how great the debt was, and He gave all that He had to meet our deepest need. It's going to fill our hearts with praise, brethren, for all eternity, and not one word will pass His blessed lips that He remembers our sins and our failures.
Well, it should humble us now. In fact, we're not told to forget our sins, we're told to be humbled by them.
But not to be occupied with them, but to be humbled by them, to walk softly. But the Lord is going to unfold all the measures of His grace as Robert has brought before us in that coming day. It will take eternity, will be too short to utter all his praise.
I like that verse in Revelation 4. The two verses in Revelation 4.
After the judgment seat of Christ.
I think these verses show the climax of the grace and the mercy and the love and the righteousness of of God that's been extended to us. And as we see that which we've done, that was not for his glory. It's burned up, it's taken away. There's no more record of it. But then what's remaining is for his honor and his glory. And it's not for a reward. It's not for our glory. It's not for our our prestige. No, it's for the Lord.
And in verse 10 of chapter 4, the four and 20 elders fall down before him and sat upon the throne before him that sat on the throne and worship him, that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying so there's rewards that we may get those crowns from the judgment seat of Christ. They're not for us, they're for Him, and we cast them at His feet. Verse 11.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure.
They are and were created. And so the thought here is that there's eternal worship and praise for the Lord, giving Him glory for what He's done for us in our lives, and for His glory in His honor.
I have a question.
Uses the word terror. We've been talking about the judgment seat of Christ being something that's positive.
And I understand the Great White Throne to be something that's very negative and would be terrifying. Why here is the word terror used when it seems most of the rest of this is Speaking of the judgment seat of Christ, which although the bad things will be brought out, it will be a net positive. And I I do understand the judgment seat of Christ to be at a completely different time and in a different character than the great white throne. But why is this word used here? I take it that the great White Throne is one of the sessions.
Of the judgment seat of Christ that he has different times when he judges. It's like a judge in a used to go from county to county to judge different cases. And so this is the Lord Jesus. He's the same judge. And then when it is concerning believers, it's about our works. But then as we mentioned at the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25 is a different session.
There you have those that will enter into the millennial day, into the reign of Christ, the sheep and the goats that will go into everlasting punishment. That's another session. And then the Great White Throne is another session, and that will be terrifying. And given that, we persuade men.
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Does that make sense? Thank you.
Amplify a little bit and connect it with the verses that follow.
The meditation on these chapters began with a summary remarks about chapter 3 being the ministry, and then we have the minister and so on that does the ministry. The apostle Paul here in these verses particularly, they almost seem disconnected, but they're not. How does he suddenly start talking about letters of commendation in the next verse? Do we need a letter from you?
Is connected with the sense of the responsibility that Paul had in his own soul with review to the fact that he had been entrusted to a service for the Lord and he was going to have to give an account for it. And so he recognized in that service that he would give an account for the souls of men that he had the responsibility to present the gospel to.
And knowing the consequence for them, the terror of the Lord that they were going to face at the great white throne judgment, he felt in his own soul the real responsibility that he had, that there was coming that judgment seat of Christ for him in which he was going to have to give an account for his service in that regard. And so he then goes on in the next verse For, for we commend ourselves, not ourselves again to you.
Well, what, how does he suddenly start talking about that? Go back to the previous chapter that begins this whole series on ministry and ministers and so on, and look at that. And it's what's connected with what this verse is. So go back to chapter 3 and verse one.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we as some others, epistles of commendation to you, Corinthians, or letters of commendation from you?
Now he gives his answer to that question.
Ye are our epistles written, and our hearts known and read of all men.
For as much as ye are manifestly prepared to be the epistles of Christ ministered by us.
Written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. For such trust we have through God, Christ to God Word. Not that we're sufficient in ourselves to think anything of ourselves are sufficient as of God, who hath made us able ministers, that is, the Saints to whom He's writing these words.
Were Saints to whom God had entrusted him the responsibility of bringing his service for God to them. And he saw already some result of it. That ministry that had been entrusted to him was now written on their hearts. There had been a response in them, and he was. He recognized that, and he was thankful for it.
And now in this chapter, some of the question came up because some of them.
Were interested in Corinth in outward appearance.
And not the work in the heart. And yet the true service to God is a work that always doesn't generate necessarily some impressive outward appearance. But if it's a service of God on a good foundation with good material, it will result in as a work in the hearts of souls. And when we give account that the judgment seat of Christ, the good and the bad is going to be seen in the context of.
If it was a God, it produced a result that lasted in the heart. If it was of myself alone, it might have produced a lot of good outward appearance, but nothing that went into a eternity. It was that which was only to be burned up. And so in the next verse, verse 13, he says, whether we recite ourselves is to God. There is an aspect in service in which.
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We have to be between ourselves and God.
And that's just between US and God. It's not with respect to others. And so Paul could recognize in serving others and in the view of the judgment seat of Christ, he had first to have his own fellowship with God that wasn't necessarily even seen by others or seen that you might say even as a work itself, but as a fellowship, a communion that then he says.
Whether we be sober, it's for your cause. That is when we think about it and we act and we serve.
We serve for the benefit and blessing of others and so any who have served this weekend, one another at the dinner table at our brethren that have been preparing for us to be here this weekend, those who have spoken up verbally in the meetings and so on. Is it been for the blessing of one another? Well, the judgment seat of Christ will reveal that and the desire of.
The soul of the minister, It should be the sense that it will have that which lasts permanently for eternity.
It's important to relax that in Second Corinthians, the epistle, the 2nd Corinthians, Paul was defending his apostleship, wasn't he? And so they were attacking him. Those were a mixed company. There were those that were real believers, they were in the assembly, and then there were those that had come in among them and sought to have a position of.
Prominence among them. And so they accused him of being crazy. He was, really.
He is devoting his life and his energies entirely to the things of God. And so they said, So he says, We commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf. So he was working before the Lord, doing his work, serving the Saints of God, ministering the truth, and delivering to the Saints what God had given him to deliver by revelation, that you may have somewhat to endure them, which glory and appearance.
And not in heart. So there was a lot of fluff, there was theatrics and all kinds of things to try to deflect the attention from the truth of what Paul was ministering. And so they he lived so much for Christ and was so devoted to the cause of Christ. They accused him of being crazy. Whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God or whether we be sober is for your cause. But he says.
I'm doing what I'm doing for the cause of Christ. And so if you and I have the motive of really the appreciation of Christ and his work and we seek to labor in view of the judgment seat of Christ. We see that in the we can give him the praise and the Thanksgiving of our hearts that the judgment seat, but we can reflect our appreciation for the Lord by serving him in this scene.
By doing it with devotion, why the world will look upon us and perhaps even other believers say you're crazy. I mean get a life. There's there's other things to do and Christianity isn't all there is to life. But really I think it's Paul that quotes that says it in Colossians chapter three. He says Christ is everything. Christ is everything. And so This is why.
They were really berating him, but he left it with the Lord. He says the judgment seat of Christ. I'm not going to commend myself. I'm not going to defend myself in this way, but you can see that it's of the Lord.
And that aspect of that, too, that's important is Paul does give what might be called a defense.
But the defense is not a motivation to maintain his own reputation. It is because if they don't recognize the service that God had given to him as an apostle, they would lose. And it was his heart's desire for their blessing that he recognized that if they didn't accept him, they were not going to accept the ministry that God had given him.
For their blessing. And so he was reminding them that you ought to be thankful for what you are because the ministry that God has given me has that which is produced in your hearts. The response that's going to be for your eternal blessing. I say it lest we think that we have a need to defend ourselves to maintain that we are right. That's not a that's not the Lord.
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The Lord did not defend himself in His own life with the intent of maintaining a reputation.
He did it when he had to speak for the glory of God, but not for himself and for the glory of God, that souls might be blessed through it if they responded properly to it.
Could it be said that way?
To really defend the work of the Holy Spirit which happened to have been done in Him.
Respect to the Corinthians. So he's really defending the Lord.
And then we have verse 14, and I think this is so beautiful, for the love of Christ constraineth us, brethren, when we think of the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God coming down into this world.
In the form of a man.
And going all the way to the death of the cross, the Lord Jesus went through this world.
They said to him, are you only a stranger here? And he was really a stranger here. He came from the father's house and I've often thought that's why he wasn't really interested in having his own house, said The birds of the air have their nests, the foxes have their their caves, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Why didn't he have a house?
Because he came from the Father's house and there was nothing to compare with that. Just think of how the glorious Son of God, the creator of the whole universe.
Went to the.
Trial at the Sanhedrin and how those chief priests came up and spit in his face.
Are just Marvel breathing thinking? Has that spittle ran down his face? Was there any reaction to that?
They just watched him and there was no reaction. He did not defend himself and he went to the most awful death, the death of the cross, Pilot says three times. I find no fault in this man, and yet condemns them to the most awful death possible. There he hangs on that cross.
There he suffers those three hours of darkness, the wrath of God and all its fury falling upon him. Did that ever quench that stream of love? Never could.
Oh brethren, we think of His love. It does something on the inside of us.
That is inescapable. It's not a constraint. Nobody is standing over me saying you got to live straight in your life for Christ. No, it's something inside of me. The love of Christ constrains us. It's a inward constraint. And so this is one of the motivations.
We thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead.
I think he hung there, his mangled body dead on a cross.
So it goes on in verse 15, and that he died for all that they which live.
We still have our lives, brethren.
Should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.
You know, I think of the American dream is live it up.
Nobody else is going to defend you. Defend yourself.
Brethren, how contrary to Christianity that is.
00:35:01
May the Lord help us to recognize it. We live in this culture and I have to say I've been affected by it.
This principle of self pleasing.
Even Christ pleased not himself. Are we followers of this man?
The love of Christ constraineth us.
That word constrain is not a common word in the English language today. It might help to look at another verse, Luke chapter 12.
Verse.
50.
Excuse me?
Find the nerves here.
Yes, Luke chapter 12, verse 50.
Where the Lord Jesus says, but I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightened till it be accomplished? That's the same Greek word as constrained in in 2nd Corinthians 5. The Lord Jesus was straightened, He was held.
He was gripped.
And as he was held.
To the.
Duty of the Cross.
So off the lot, the love of Christ.
RIP us for His glory.
I have a question in connection this and I want to make a comment.
We have an Acts chapter 20 Paul making this statement verse 26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Now, if I understand this right, as we've been talking here.
Bob made a mention that there is a judgment that people will be terrified of, but in my understanding that's incidental in here that Paul is saying he says we and includes himself being before the judgment seat of Christ in Acts 20. He says that he has acted in a way that.
His hands are not guilty of the blood of any He's warned, He continues to warn that. And then here we have this thought that knowing, and we all know this, that lost men and women are headed for a lost eternity and they're going to face the terror of the Lord. So if we love Christ.
And Christ, we know, loves us. And as Bob was saying, and you think upon that and somebody mentioned that.
I think yesterday about.
That that you focus on his love and our love grows for Him and then we have it. What how scripture tells us that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts and we sometimes talk about all we need to do is get out of the way and let it flow through.
The capacity to love the unlovable has been shed abroad in our hearts.
So we have, as we have expressed, Robert was talking about motivations. So if I understand this right and this is my question, then Paul is basically saying, I know what's going to happen to people. They're going to face terror, I'm going to warn them.
The love of Christ draws me after to serve him to do the warning.
And then the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, so we can love the unlovable, because many times.
It's difficult to speak to people, to warn them, but because he does that, we do that. And if Paul can say that in Acts 20 that his hands are clean, then between these two things, the motivation lost men are going to a lost eternity.
We're like a car headed towards a bridge out ahead. If we're standing along the road and we have any care at all, we would jump out and warn them. If you go down the road, you're going to go off the bridge. It's it's out. Then we knowing the terror of the Lord, knowing that I had it, is this terror.
We warned them and that the love of Christ motivates, that motivates us because we know they're headed for lost eternity and we've been saved from it. And then the love of Christ that draws us after this is like two sides of this thing. So then because we're going to stand and give account one day, then warning men because of the terror down the road, we're not worried about the terror for ourselves. There isn't any, but because lost men and women are going to face it.
00:40:25
Then that's us, because we're going to stand and give an account, Paul says.
I'm confident I can give a good account. We should be able to be able to say that is that.
Am I getting this right?
The Lord has committed to us and.
In an actual fact.
God doesn't need to be reconciled to us. We need to be reconciled to God in the the thought that the Lord Jesus has to plead with the Father for the salvation of the lost is really a misconception. The heart of God is growing out in fullness of love and we should be a reflection of that. So the reconciliation is on our part, the thought that God gave.
Needs to be reconciled to us in some sort of a compromise is not is not what Scripture teaches is that is that right, brother?
In verse 15 that he's Speaking of propitiation. So he died for all that is that Christ in his death made all men savable. He made it possible for all to be saved. And so propitiation really has two parts and the first part is God's part. God has been satisfied with the death of Christ and.
Christ has dealt with sin.
According to the wisdom of God, and according to the purpose of God at the cross of Calvary, sin has been judged on a righteous basis. But then it says they that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. And so the second part of propitiation has to do with substitution. Christ took our place upon the cross of Calvary. We don't preach substitution to the Sinner who is lost because.
It's really propitiation that we preach in the gospel of the grace of God. God has made all men saveable because of the work of Christ. But because He died for me, because He died for you, if you've accepted Him as your Savior, it compels us. His love compels us to live for His glory, so that it says that we that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.
And so we have such appreciation for the fact that Christ took our place upon the cross. He bore the judgment for our sins in his own body on the tree. He paid the price and the motive was love. Our hearts just go forth to him and say he's worthy of our whole lives, not just a part of our lives, but he's worthy of it all. And so that's how Paul lived and has really what the motivation is that he presents before the Saints in this epistle.
Is to give it all to him. Well, that comes naturally from a saved soul. Recently I had the marvelous privilege of leading a lady in her 80s to the Lord. And as I sat with her, it's a Bible study in the little town called Washington. And as we sat together afterwards, she came to me with tears in her eyes and said, I know that the Lord Jesus is not in my heart. I know that I'm not saved.
I want to be saved and would you talk with me? So I shared the gospel with her Again. We went over scripture by Scripture. She bowed her head and called on the name of the Lord to save her. You know what her first motive was? She asked me to take the Bible that she had in Bible study and underline every verse I had shared with her and put a piece of paper in each page starting with the first verse because she had a niece.
That was like a daughter to her and she said this weekend I'm going to visit her. I want to lead her to Christ.
Is that the love of Christ constraining us? That was her first thought, was to go and lead someone she loved.
To the Lord Jesus Christ I think it is.
00:45:03
Club that transcends our highest thought demands our light, our soul, our wall, and we measure the love of somebody by the sacrifice they're willing to make on our behalf. So we think of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
Made for you and for me, and made for all who are willing to accept.
That mighty work that he accomplished at the cross of Calvary. So I think the love of Christ is that which warms up our hearts to Him.
But it also warms up our hearts.
To the world around us.
Because we find out that God was in Christ.
Reconciling the world to Himself, God would have all men to be saved and to come to acknowledge.
Of the truth.
But the source is love of Christ. But there's something else, the love of Christ.
The appreciation of it warms up our hearts to one another.
To our brother, our sister, We see them in Christ. We think of what the Lord Jesus said.
Over in John 13.
And verse 34.
John 13 verse 34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.
How much?
As I have loved you that he also loved.
Loved one another.
Now that's a high standard. We think of the intensity of the love that the Lord Jesus manifested, the cross that we might become his eternal companions, the value that he places upon us.
And we are to love one another in this same way. I remember a brother used to often pray. He said, help us Lord, to see one another through the eye of Christ.
Our hearts will warm up toward one another.
It's nice in verse 17 and goes on to speak of the new creation. We're a part of a new creation race of men and so it's part of Pauls doctrine that he's not the spirit of God doesn't fix up, patch up and renovate the old man, so to speak. The old nature that we have man is thoroughly corrupt and he was found his nature and he's entirely corrupt.
And so there's a new creation. Therefore, if a man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And so by new birth we're brought into that new life. And so it's a work of God. We have here in verse 16 the fact that we don't know the children of Israel knew the Lord Jesus as a man, as the Messiah, the one who came and presented himself as their rightful King.
But that's not how we present himself to you and I in the day that we live in. Yeah, we have known, though we have known Christ after the flesh. Now, those that were at that time in the land of Israel knew him as a man, yet now henceforth know we him no more. So we know the Lord Jesus as that risen man. He's the head of a new creation race of men. And when you accept that the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you became a part of that new race of men.
So there are two races of men living upon the earth. There are those that are a part of the fallen race of man, and then there are those that have new life that are part of that new race of men.
The largest are connected with the beginning of the chapter more intimately than we might at first recognize. We started in the morning, this morning or yesterday too, on the beginning about the body and the condition of the body and so on. And the Lord paying the price for the body.
But what is the body a house for?
What's the body a house for?
For the soul and the spirit. And you don't pay a lot of money for something unless it has value.
00:50:01
What value did the whole soul and spirit have in the condition of verse 16 or verse 14? Dead.
Do you spend a lot of effort and money and pay a big price to buy something that's condemned?
To put a house in of something that's condemned you and I were worth in ourselves nothing in our state of death and sin. And so the love of Christ, put aside the constraint side of it for a few moments. What is the love of Christ? The love of Christ is that which died.
For all.
So that.
We who live verse 16 How do we live?
We live because Christ died, but there's an important, at least important for the enjoyment of the soul sense of it. We had this morning the Holy Spirit of God.
As a earnest.
In.
Us. Does the Spirit of God indwell something that's useless or valueless? No, it doesn't.
So when did the Spirit of God indwell us?
In Christ, as he was known as a man on earth, no.
Not that man.
The man that's in view here is the man that died himself.
He died for all. He went into the place of death, and when he rose from the dead, he rose in what I'm going to use the words, a totally different condition of life.
He here was a man who, like us, was mortal.
And in the body which he had, sinless as it was, he died, and that body was taken to a cemetery to be buried.
We know it was not.
On the third day, he rises from the dead.
And he is alive as the first fruits of the new creation resurrection.
And so he says to them, I am come that you might have life.
And that she might have it more abundantly.
That life has eternal value.
Not the life you're born with. Not the life I'm born with. It didn't have eternal value. It was a sinful life.
It wasn't in itself worth dying for.
Accepting that in resurrection Christ, the first born from the dead arises on the third day.
Immortal.
Not subject to death. Oh, that's a life that has value.
He rises into glory.
And then?
That life is imported to us, and that life is worth.
The change of having a body suited to that life that is to be enjoyed in eternity with the Lord.
And so it's the beginning and the first fruit of a new creation that life is. When is the Holy Spirit seal?
Not until that life is in heaven.
Not until that person who imparts that life to us, that we share in that life, he says no, not until I'm glorified will the Spirit come and seal. And so the Holy Spirit waits to seal until the condition that it is sealing is that which is associated with what's not temporal, what what's eternal. It's called eternal life.
And it's eternal in its character, and that character of life is sealable.
By the Holy Spirit as that which is permanent for all eternity. And what we await for is the last piece, if you will. And he says yes, and he's going to finish the work. He's going to redeem the body as well, so that the body is suited to the life.
00:55:04
That we have that eternal life, and then we raise in glory. And when we look at the love that did the work that's just been described, that love enjoyed in the soul constrains us.
And it connects us with eternity. And so we labor in time in view of that which remains and is eternal. And our work, our service, ought to be in a constraining love in view of.
That which lasts for eternity.
Verse 16 has helped me to understand why the Lord Jesus in resurrection.
In John 20 says to Mary the first person he appeared to. He says in verse 17, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and send to them. I ascend unto my father and your father, and to my God and your God.
Mary wanted to have the Lord Jesus back as she had known Him in the flesh before.
And the Lord Jesus in effect said, no, Mary, don't touch me. You're going to know me now in a way that is far superior. You're going to know me now in new creation. And so the Lord Jesus in resurrection is the head of new creation. Wonderful to think about it.
And verse 17 then comes on it says if any man be in Christ he is as an italics.
There is a new creation.
Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God in new creation. All things are of God. Wonderful brethren, to realize that we are part of new creation even now.
But I believe that's why the Lord Jesus said to Mary touched me not we know that they touched him later on.
And it wasn't improper, but Mary wanted to have him back as she had known him down here. And he basically says, no, Mary, you're going to know me in a far superior way now.
So then he brings in the doctrine of reconciliation as our brother John has mentioned that God did not need to be reconciled to man, but man needed to be reconciled to God. And when it speaks of reconciliation, the thought is always in connection with our alienation from God and that we were enemies of God. The brother chapter Brown used to say that we were born into this world with our backs towards God.
We were enemies and our minds and by wicked works, and we needed to be reconciled. And so God has reconciled us. It means that He has by himself through the work of the Lord Jesus.
Made us so that we're no longer enemies and we delight to be in the presence of God. We delight to be enjoy the communion of our God and of our our Father. But it was an act of God. And so we've been reading about these some of these doctrines that are brought out in this chapter. And it's important for us to realize that perhaps in the book of Romans, the the epistle to the Romans, the Spirit of God goes through all of those things that God has done for the blessing of man.
He's forgiven us. He's he has reconciled us. He has done all of those things, but also there are things that God has done for his own pleasure and largely in the epistle to the Ephesians and the Colossians, he outlines those things that he has done for his own pleasure. I would suggest that what he has done here is in connection with bringing us into a new creation race, a new race of men, those that are.
No longer tainted. We're not characterized by sin. He sees us in the place of Christ acceptance. So to be in Christ. Therefore, if any man be in Christ or in Christ place of acceptance before God, that's where he sees us. He does not see us in a place of as those that are saved sinners who might say, but as those that are accepted. As he is in this world, so are we. As he is, so are we.
01:00:29
In this world we're accepted of God, and so He's done these things for his own pleasure.
He's done them in love, He's done them in grace. We're the recipients of this great blessing, but he's done them for his own purposes, because of his great love, but for his own pleasure.
To amplify a little bit.
1St and then go back.
And it helps us to understand as we go through about what our brother's just saying God.
Can have pleasure in man.
In his creation because.
Be reconciled to God is thoroughly changed if you look up reconciliation in the dictionary.
You will find it thoroughly changed and it's the man that's returned to godliness. And so when we go back through there. Where did he start at here and with these passages that we're reading and if I said to you.
My salvation was not a reward. Would that stand here is up in the back of your neck?
Well, my salvation was not a reward. My salvation was a gift.
Yeah, it was a gift. I couldn't do anything to receive that salvation.
It's what comes in Ephesians 2 and 10 about the good works after the salvation, after we have had faith. Turn with me to Hebrews 11 and verse 6 together.
Hebrews 11 and verse 6.
But without faith.
It is impossible to please him.
If I was to preach the gospel here to somebody that's unsaved, I could take this verse and I could sell them. You've never pleased God one time until you've had faith and trusted in His gift above all other gifts, the gift of His Son and the Son's finished work at Calvary. If you can't have the faith to simply believe and trust in that, you've never pleased him, OK? And I can see that in this beautiful gospel, in this, but it's not in the gospel.
It's in an epistle to you and to me.
But without faith was where I first pleased him. Now let's finish reading it. For he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Those things that we were talking about rewards before I just said our salvation wasn't a reward, it was a gift. It's the works after salvation and we have to look at who is the rewarder.
The one that's going to give the rewards and we've heard about the three things that are are are precious that are good and three that are bad that would hay and stumbles going to get burned up because it can't go up into heaven.
They were worthless things, weren't they? If we're going to build upon, we build upon the pure foundation that He laid, and then we build upon it. We need building material. We need the good building material. When you build something, you don't want a piece of wasted stuff that has no value. But look at here. If I diligently seek Him after my salvation.
The rewards will start to come turned in a second John, our times about up, second John and verse 4.
This Schofield labels this the pathway of truth and love that our brother asked a question about some people been answering on it. Second John verse 4I greatly. I rejoice greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment for the Father.
01:05:14
This here is referred to sometimes as the law of Christ.
Verse 5 Now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee.
But that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another, and this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is a commandment that, as ye have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. Moses laid down a law, and Moses demanded love. That was external, wasn't it?
The law of Christ is not external. We've been hearing that it's in the renewed heart and it flows from the Holy Spirit spontaneously.
You can walk over to the brother and you can put your armor on them. You can say I finally saw some beautiful grace in you.
Maybe you rubbed me a wrong way a long time ago. Now the grace is flowing out of me spontaneously. The love, it's constraining me to love him.
Love covers a multitude of the other person's sins. Love covers a multitude of sins. It means the other person's my sin can cover.
Their sins. And so we see here that I'm constrained by this flowing forth of the Holy Spirit with the love that is within me now, because I got a renewed heart, took away that old Stony heart.
And we see this, this pathway of truth and love that we can walk in.
And it it's a beautiful thing to love one another, isn't it?
I don't want to take any more time. I'll let somebody else finish up.
Ambassador for closing note here and uh.
It's our responsibility, brethren, is it not to?
To represent our Lord Jesus here in this world.
We're not part of this scene and the whole world system that is under condemnation and awaiting judgment, but we are here for a purpose.
Not to please ourselves, which will last, we too often do, but to please the Lord and His interests, which are eternal, of eternal value, and to represent Christ.
In Ottawa, where I live, capital of the country, we have the ambassador to Brazil. Three years ago I met him and his wife.
But he's a stranger in in Canada. I know where he lives and so on.
But he has nothing to do with the politics of Canada. If he meddled at all in the political affairs of the country, President Lula would recall him. He is there for one purpose, to represent Brazil in Canada. And are we not here for that purpose, to represent our Lord, to hold forth the word of life?
To use the opportunities that we have to point souls to the Savior, the way of escape from eternal judgment.
The last verse of the chapter.
To reconcile us to God, Christ died for all.
Because we all have sinned, and it was necessary for our reconciliation that the sins be removed from the sight of God.
But there's something.
Very important beyond that.
What about what we are?
What we have done is one thing. What what we are.
We're sinners with a ruined nature.
And the Lord Jesus Christ in his death fulfilled the second part of what's necessary to properly reconcile us to God, so that there could be a ministry of reconciliation, so that there could be ambassadors for Christ. And that's the 21St verse. He hath made him to be sin for us. That is the Lord Jesus.
01:10:02
Came before God at the cross, not only to pay for my sins, but to stand before God in all that I am in Adam and all the responsibility. And what am I in Adam but sin?
My whole nature is corrupted in Adam, and he stands before me.
Who he who knew no sin himself takes my place, and yours too, of course. Why, That we might be made righteous in him before God. And so he deals with that nature and dies to it.
And what's necessary for us? Well, we need a new creation.
And so we have his resurrection life.
Which has a perfect nature, we share in it. And in that when we have our new body, then the whole matter of sin is eternally taken care of. And in that we now are fully, perfectly reconciled to God, because not only what we've done has been taken care of, but what we are has been addressed and perfectly taken care of as well, so that we share the life of Christ.
And have perfect communion and fellowship with God and all the animosity that was in US. As was said, we were born with our back to God. That's before we ever did a sin. That inborn animosity is totally removed when that nature is totally taken care of. And put it before God in death, so that we have a new life and a new nature. And now we're reconciled to God and the consequences.
In verse 20.
We are made, or verse 21, we're made the righteousness of God in him, and so we stand before God perfectly righteous forever, and that's permanent.
That's eternal.
Sometimes people say I don't know what my ministry is.
Everyone here.
In verse 18.
Has been given the Ministry of Reconciliation.
Everyone.
The appendix #70 in the appendix.
Anything of the Realms of the Blast.
I dream of.
Oh boy.
01:15:21
The.
Also saying #67 #67.
First John, chapter 4.
Verse 17.
Here in.
Is love.
Herein is love.
Made perfect.
01:20:02
That we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because.
As he is.
So are we.
In this world.
Gospel 2
Gospel—Don Mackewich
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.
Everyone else, welcome to the Gospel meeting.
We are so glad that you can be here tonight and.
It's a privilege to be able to share.
This life changing message of the gospel.
So again, thank you for those who are listening to this recording. Thank you for.
Being willing to listen to it, if a friend is recommended this to you, if you're listening to it on a podcast, if you're listening to it on the Internet, thank you for taking the time to listen. This message can change your life. We're excited to be able to preach the gospel tonight.
And I ask that you listen carefully. This is not a time to be checking the sports scores on your phone.
This is not a time to be thinking about other things. Let's focus.
On what we have before us tonight.
It's a wonderful message. I'd like to begin with by singing #2.
Says Come tis Jesus gently calling ye with care and toil oppressed.
With your guilt, however appalling, come and I will give you rest.
I was thinking of verse three. It says come for night is gathering quickly or the world's fast fleeting day.
If you linger, if you wait till the darkness, you will surely miss your way.
And still waiting, sadly waiting till the day the course is run with his patients unabated. Jesus lingers for you. Come.
The gospel message tonight is come just as you are. Let's sing #2.
00:05:13
We want to thank everyone for coming. If this is your first time coming to a meeting like this because you've been invited, welcome. Thank you. We hope that you feel at home. And for those who've heard the gospel many times, we hope that you will listen again. And if you've never accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
We hope that tonight.
You'll make that decision and accept them. It'll be the best decision that you will ever make. It will be the best decision that you will ever make is to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior to have your sins forgiven. Just by way of introduction, I'd like to connect with those who are listening. My name is Don Mack, which I'm from Richmond, MI.
So we're from the east side of Michigan. My wife Christine and the four children are visiting. It's.
A privilege to be with you here in Saint Louis and so happy to be able to to come down here.
And so happy to be able to be able to preach the gospel tonight. Everybody enjoy a good supper tonight.
Everybody enjoy a good supper tonight.
We've enjoyed it too. We've enjoyed our time here and just what a blessing to be together. Haven't the meetings been good?
Yeah, I'd like to be able to try and connect. I like to try and engage with the ones who are here. I'm a school teacher myself, so I like to make sure and try to make sure that I'm being interesting. And I hope that tonight the message is interesting. I teach 5th grade, so I have 28 students in my class and I don't want to be boring. Nobody wants to hear a boring preacher, right?
So I am going to try to present the gospel faithfully and with power. And tonight, tonight is your night.
There's power.
In the gospel and it changes lives.
My grandfather, his name was William Mackiewicz.
When he was younger.
His mother was dying.
And the family.
Was called in to gather around the bedside.
He was a young boy.
He was there with his brother and his sister.
Bernie was talking yesterday about his father's last words.
My grandfather heard these last words from his mother.
I'm going to hell.
I'm going to meet you all there.
That's what he heard.
From his mother.
My grandfather got married.
A neighbor.
Shared the gospel with my grandmother.
Not a missionary from another country.
Not a gospel preacher on the radio or television, but a neighbor shared the gospel.
With my grandmother and she got saved.
Our family tree.
Has never been the same.
There is power in the blood. Our family tree was changed because someone cared.
Someone cared and shared the gospel with her.
And later.
My grandmother's three children, which would be my father, and his two brothers, all came to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
My grandfather at the very end of his life.
He was an alcoholic. It ruined his life.
But the good news, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth from all sin.
And I don't recommend this, and I hope that you don't wait to be like my grandfather. But towards the very end of his life, he too accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
I never met him, but I will see him again.
00:10:02
Because someone shared the gospel, our family tree was changed. My grandmother, my grandfather, my father, my 2 uncles.
Will all be in heaven. My dad is the only one living of that generation.
And the gospel has been passed on to myself.
And my brothers and my sister who many of you know, and now we have the joy of passing it on to our children. And tonight it's our desire. It's my desire as I share the gospel with you. Perhaps you have no one else in your family has accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, as their Savior. And perhaps tonight you're going to be the first one that will be marvelous.
There will be rejoicing in heaven tonight when that happens.
I also have a burden on my heart that perhaps tonight there are ones in this room whose daddy and mommy are saved.
Whose uncle and aunts are saved? Whose grandpa and grandma are saved?
But all of a sudden it stops at you.
And you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
That's a concern of mine, friends. The good news is, is tonight the blood still cleanses from all sin. Tonight the invitation is come.
We're going to look tonight at the story of a man who.
What we would say heard.
I would say it was close to the Gospel. It wasn't the gospel because the Lord Jesus hadn't died on the cross yet, but he heard. He heard a message that would change his life if he would heed it. And we're going to find out whether he did or not.
As you look over to the windows outside, what time of day is it right now? It's night. And this story that we're going to take, that we're going to look at tonight, it's been on my heart, is the story of Belshazzar and Daniel, Chapter 5.
And I want to look at it tonight, so let's please turn to Daniel Chapter 5.
I get nervous when I speak, I stutter sometimes and the thoughts don't always flow together. But with the Lord's help, I'm going to do the best I can. And tonight we pray that tonight will be the night that you your life has changed. As we look at this story, it's not my intent to get into a lot of the teaching of it. I want us to take a look at the this man, this king, his name was Belshazzar.
And we want to find out what he did. And was his decision a good one or a bad one? That's what we're looking at tonight. It's not my intent to try and again, get into the teaching of it, but we'll take a look at this.
And there's a lesson to be learned.
Daniel chapter 5 and verse one. Are we there?
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to 1000 of his Lords and drank wine before the thousand. So the King's name is Belshazzar will be referring to this king, and he decided that he was going to have a great big party.
He was going to invite friends, he was going to invite ones who he worked with. It was going to be a large company of 1000 of his Lords.
I'm not sure how many people are in here, but I would guess that we're less than 500. So think of this, this group of people here, we're double, but here was the king who was going to have a good time. And perhaps you're here tonight thinking I'm going to have a good time, got a break from school, I've got a break from work. I'm going to be able to be with friends. I'm going to be able to be with family.
Belshazzar, verse two. Well, he's tasted the wine commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar.
Had taken out of the Temple, which was in Jerusalem.
That the king and his Princess, his wives and his concubines might drink therein.
It was going to have a good time and it's going to get the beer and wine flowing.
Let me just encourage you young people, the Bible does not say thou shalt not drink wine, but learn a lesson from Belshazzar and learn from others in Scripture. It's a bad decision to start turning to alcohol and wine to solve your problems.
My grandfather was an alcoholic grandfather and it ruined his life.
00:15:04
Belshazzar here, he was going to have a good time. He was going to enjoy life. This was going to be a party. This was going to be a good evening.
Or so he thought. His friends were there. They were going to party like a rock star. More accurately, party like a king. And the king is the one who has what. The king is the one who has the money. The king is the one who has the resources. The king is the one who's going to have the space in the banquet hall to be able to throw something.
Tonight.
What are you chasing after? What are you following after?
It's not wrong to have a good time, but if it keeps you out of heaven.
Terrible mistake. Well, they brought the golden silver vessels. They were going to drink out of them. Verse three it says then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the House of God, which was at Jerusalem. And the kings and the Princess, sorry. And the king and his Princess, his wives and his concubines drank in them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron.
Of wood and of stone, there they are having a good time.
Drinking.
And praising the gods of gold and of silver, a brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Are this During this conference we've had the wonderful privilege of being able to hear about the Lord Jesus.
And when we talk about the Lord Jesus, he's someone that we can turn to, and can he hear us? Yes. Will he answer our prayers? Yes. Does he know all about us? Yes.
If your God is gold or money tonight, does your God hear you?
No. If your God is silver again, money, finances, will he hear you? No. Those things are you chasing after.
Thinking, oh, I'm not interested in the gospel, I'm just interested in having a break, having a chance to be with friends. And when I get back on Monday, I'm going to continue my education or I'm going to continue to climb the corporate ladder. I'm going to continue to make money.
Who is your God tonight?
Who is your savior tonight?
I hope that tonight it will be the Lord Jesus Christ. Belshazzar was trying to do his best to make himself happy.
Without God. Is that a good idea?
Is it a good idea to try to satisfy your needs?
Apart from God.
No, it's not going to work. It's not going to work.
We look around us today, just to mention a few names, but some of the wealthiest people in this world.
Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, they have buckets and loads and loads of money, but they've all been divorced and as far as I know, none of them know the Lord Jesus as their savior.
What shall I profit a man or a woman, if they gain the whole world and lose their own soul? They've already lost their marriages, and they have all the money that they can ever spend, and it's not satisfying that void. This king is having a great big feast, and it's not satisfying his heart.
Are you trying to satisfy your heart tonight with something other than the Lord Jesus?
Maybe it's social media. Maybe it's the pursuit of a fancy car. Maybe it's the pursuit of degrees. Maybe it's a beautiful woman. Are you chasing after something, trying to fill that void?
It's not going to satisfy.
Nebuchadnezzar here, he's trying to make himself happy. Trying to enjoy this big party has left God completely out of it. Do you think God knew about what's going on?
He does, and he did, and he had his eye on Belshazzar, and tonight he has his eye on you. He loves you too much to let you get away, to let you leave tonight without hearing the clear gospel.
Well, the party was going on, they were having a good time, they were drinking, they were living life. And then in verse five, it says, in the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and rode over against the Candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the King's palace. And the king saw the part of his hand that wrote.
Then the King's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote, 1.
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Against the hour.
Oh, he had left God out of his plans. He had left God out. But God had his eye on him, and God had his eye on. He has his eye on you tonight, whether you're 15 years old or whether you're 5. And Belshazzar. There he saw off by the Candlestick the fingers of a man's hand.
Imagine if we're here tonight and all of a sudden we started to see a handwriting on the wall.
Belshazzar went from being full of joy and enjoying the party to a completely different man.
The king saw the part of the hand that wrote. I don't know if anyone else saw it, but the king saw it.
And it says in verse six, his countenance was changed.
Friends, I hope tonight as we faithfully present the gospel, that if you're not saved, you're countenance will change tonight.
It says his thoughts troubled him.
And so the joints of his loins were loose in his knees, smote one against another. He could barely stand up.
If you're going on in your sins tonight.
You're in a terrible position.
Because your sins aren't going to go away on their own.
This world is not going to satisfy that emptiness in your heart.
Your destination right now, unless you change courses, The lake of fire.
And the Lord is coming soon too.
And we don't want any single person in this room.
To go there, we don't want any single person to go there. Belshazzar was troubled by what he saw. And I hope tonight that as the gospel is preached, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, that you do not have peace tonight. In fact, I hope you have a very miserable night's sleep.
I hope that tonight the Word of God speaks to you and it works in your soul because the good news is, is as that Holy Spirit works in your heart.
Our prayer is that you would accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior and that you would have peace and that your life would be changed.
Well, the king saw the writing on the wall. He was shaking. His countenance was changed. It was exercise. It was he was exercised about what was going on.
And what happened? The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers. Verse 7, The Chaldeans and the soothsayers.
And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing?
And show me the interpretation thereof. Shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck.
And shall be the third ruler in the Kingdom.
Instead of turning to the God God of heaven, instead of turning to God, he turned to man and his wise man to help him.
And I want to let you know tonight, if you don't turn to the Lord Jesus, no one else is going to be able to satisfy your need. No one else is going to be able to forgive you of your sins. No one else's blood can cleanse you from your sins. Don't turn to someone else right now. Turn to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll speak about His death on Calvary's cross for you in a little bit. We'll speak of His precious blood that was shed for you.
Take your eyes off of others and look to the One, the Lord Jesus, who died for you.
Belshazzar made a big mistake. He turned to others to get help and they were not able to help them. And if your friends don't know the Lord Jesus as their savior, they're not going to be able to help you. The advice that they give you is not going to save your soul. Your professors, if they don't know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, the advice that they give you is not going to save you.
I teach in a school.
And as far as I know, I'm the only Christian in the school. It's a public school.
And the children, I tell you this, the boys and girls going to school aren't hearing things like sin and death and judgment. And the only place they're going to hear it is where the gospel is preached to, the Christian songs that they listen to. So if you're hearing tonight, consider yourself fortunate and blessed because there are many boys and girls your age. There are many, I believe, young people your age who do not know and are not hearing a clear.
00:25:06
Gospel.
Let that sink in.
If you have Christian parents here tonight, or you have a Christian grandfather or a Christian grandpa, a grandfather, that's the same thing. A Christian grandfather, a Christian grandmother. I told you I sometimes stutter. An uncle or an aunt, someone who knows the Lord Jesus, and they've been faithfully praying for you.
And telling you about the Lord Jesus. Be thankful because there are many boys and girls who don't.
And don't ignore, don't put off, don't think, oh, Dad, you're old fashioned. Oh, mom, that's that's for other people. I can get by on my own. No, listen to what they're telling you. Your Sunday school teacher at Sunday school, listen to them. They love you. They care about you when the ones stand up and preach the gospel on Sunday night.
Listen, don't say oh, not interested, Don't put that off.
Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart.
Verse 8 then came in all the King's wise men, but they could not read the writing.
Nor make known to the King the interpretation thereof.
They couldn't help verse 9. Then was King Belshazzar, greatly troubled in his countenance, was changed in him, and his Lords were astonished. They noticed a change in this man. And it's a wonderful thing when we start to feel the weight of our sins. It's a wonderful thing when we start to realize that this world is not going to satisfy me. It's a wonderful thing when we start to realize that, yes, when I start hearing about hell in the Lake of Fire, it's a real place.
And I better not continue on that way. And when you hear people talk about the Lord's coming, which it is going to happen very soon.
That we don't put it off. Listen, it's OK if you're troubled about that. It's the Holy Spirit working in your heart if you're sitting here tonight and you feel your chest beating right now.
That's the Holy Spirit speaking to you.
God beseeching man refusing to be made forever glad. Don't reject that voice that's speaking to you tonight.
Verse 10.
Now the Queen, by reason of the words of the King and his Lords, came into the banquet house, and the Queen spake and said, O King, live forever, let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
The Queen, and I don't believe it was the Queen, it was probably the Queen's mother. But regardless, she wasn't there. But she heard that there was a change in Belshazzar and she came.
And spake to him.
And said, O King, live forever. And that was perhaps a greeting that they had back then. But little did she know that that night would be his last. And tonight, maybe your very last night on earth. I don't want to scare you, but I do want to be real with you. And you have no guarantee that you'll be here tomorrow. I've had seven students. This is my 17th year of teaching. I've had seven students who have preceded me in death.
Some to cancer.
One, at least one to a car accident in some suicide.
We have no guarantee how long we'll live.
Don't put it off.
And she said, Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. If you have someone tonight who is whispering to you or Saint, don't listen to him. Don't believe that.
31 minutes and the gospel will be over and then we can go to the hymn seeing and we can play basketball or volleyball.
And do all that other kind of stuff, she said. Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
That that you have going on right now. Don't ignore it.
Don't ignore it. Sin does not go away on its own. The Bible says that we all have sinned.
Including me. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and our sins do not just go away.
They do not go away. In fact, they accumulate day after day. And the burden of sin grows stronger. The burden of sin grows stronger. It's not going to go away. We used to have a mechanic who would tell us our car isn't going to get fixed on its own. And your sins aren't going to just go away on your own. And as we begin a new year.
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In just over a month, if we're still here, we can't just say, well, I'm starting today, I'm going to be a new person, I'm going to be a better person. I'm going to just ignore the past. That doesn't work that way. Your sins don't just go away. You still have them. What are you going to do with them?
Well, the.
The Queen Mother could tell Belshazzar there is a man verse 11 in thy Kingdom, in whom the spirit of is in the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him whom the king Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, the king, I say thy father made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
There is a man in thy Kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. Be thankful tonight for the ones who can speak the Gospel to you.
For the ones who open up the Bible and preach it to you and tell you as it is.
OK, it's our desire tonight that your life will be changed, that you will come to know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Belshazzar is going to hear from Daniel soon. Will he listen? Are you going to listen to me tonight?
Verse 12 For as much as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams and showing of hard sentences and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
I find it interesting that Daniel wasn't there, and I'm thankful for ones like Daniel who dare to stand alone, who didn't give in to the pressures of perhaps being associated with all that's going on. And let me encourage you as young people and us as parents.
It takes courage.
To not go along.
With the current of this world.
You may be made fun of.
You may be laughed at.
You maybe thought weird.
But take a stand for Jesus.
It'll be worth it.
The pressure is real, the.
The pressure is real, but.
It was said today, I believe Brother Sam said it. He said it and it's so true. Them that honor me, I will honor. Daniel wasn't there. But when help was needed, Daniel was able, not because of his own wisdom, but because the Lord, working through him, was able to give the message that Belshazzar needed to hear. And we're just instruments. I'm just a vessel. And I hope that tonight that the Lord is using me to pass on a message to you.
Well, verse 13 then was Daniel brought in before the king?
And the king spake, and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah?
Whom the King, my father brought out of Jewry. I have even heard of thee.
That the Spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellence wisdom.
Is found in thee. Belshazzar was hoping that Daniel would be able to help them. And tonight we can preach from God's word, the truth. The Bible says thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Are you in darkness tonight? The Bible says the entrance of thy word giveth light.
You're not sure about something wherewithal shall a young men cleanse this way by taking heed their core thereto according to the word.
Listen to God's Word.
He goes on to say in fifth verse 15, And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me.
That they should read this writing and make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But they could not show the interpretation of the thing. If your friends aren't saved, they're not going to be able to help you.
And I have heard of thee that thou canst make interpretations and dissolve doubts. Now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shall be the third ruler in the Kingdom.
Belshazzar wanted to know, and I hope that you have a desire to want to know the truth.
What is truth? God's word is truth. Jesus is truth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but might be. God's word is true. This is not a fable. The story that we're reading tonight is not a made-up story, it is true.
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God's word is true.
Verse 17 Then Daniel dancer and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
Well, Daniel is going to tell them what the writing is and what the interpretation is. Here's what I want you to take away. Belshazzar is going to have to make a decision. And tonight, later on, I'm going to challenge you to make a decision, too. I don't want you just to walk out of this room and say, yes, this was a good gospel meeting. Yes, I enjoyed what you had to say. If you aren't saved, you're still in your sins.
You still have an emptiness in your heart. You're still on your way to the Lake of Fire.
And the Lord is coming soon. That's a terrible position to be in. But the good news is you don't have to stay in that position.
Verse 18 O thou King, the most High God, gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father, a Kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor. And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him whom he would he slew, and whom he kept alive, and whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
But his heart, when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in the pride, he was disposed from his kingly throne, and they took His glory from him, and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beast, and his dwelling was with the wild *****. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God ruled in the Kingdom of men.
And he appointed over it whomsoever.
He will.
Tonight, you are not in control.
God is in control and He has his eye on you. He puts in power who He wants.
We're not worried about what we see going on around us or we shouldn't be saddened. Yes, but the Titanic is going down, so to speak. This world is on its way out.
How about you? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, or will you be left behind for judgment?
Belshazzar thought he was in charge. He was the king. He was throwing the great big party.
But he led to learn that the Most High God rules in the Kingdom of men, and He appoints over at whomsoever He will. He was not in charge, and you are not in charge of your life either.
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, has not humbled thine heart.
Thou the newest all this.
You know the story well. There was two men that went up to the temple to pray.
And one went up and he prayed and I said, I thank God that I'm light like this one, and I do this and I do that.
Was that being humble?
No.
The other would not even lift up his eyes and he said, God be merciful to me, a Sinner.
If you've never accepted Lord Jesus as your Savior, let's call it what it is.
Let's be real.
You are a Sinner.
Not my thoughts, not my opinion. That's God's.
Verdict.
But the good news is, those sins can be forgiven. Have you humbled yourself?
Have you turned to the cross and seen the Lord Jesus dying for you?
Have you accepted Him as your savior?
This verse 22 has been on my heart. It says, And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart.
Here it is.
Though thou knewest all this.
My concern is tonight I'm speaking to ones in this room who could probably give the gospel better than I can, who know the way of salvation your parents have told you.
Other loved ones have told you, though thou knewest all this, yet right now you have never made a decision to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
00:40:08
Though thou newest all this.
Can somebody know the way to heaven and go to hell? Yes.
Let's let's be real clear on that. You can know how to go to heaven.
And still go to hell.
I remember Mr. Hayhoe at the Saint Thomas Conference one year, Peter's father, he said Judas kissed the door to heaven and still went to hell.
But has lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee.
And thou and thy Lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them. And thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, and wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know. And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways.
Hast thou not glorified?
Every breath that you take is a gift from God.
The fact that you're here, the fact that you're breathing is a gift from God. He holds your breath in his hands.
And when you take the last breath, it is too late. Don't die in your sins.
And whose are all thy ways? Hast thou not glorified? Verse 24 then was part of the hand sent from him, and the writing was written.
And this is the writing that was written, Meanie meanie Tikal ufarsen. This is the interpretation of the thing meaning. God hath numbered thy Kingdom and finished it. Tico thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Harris Thy Kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. In other words, Belshazzar. Just keeping it very simple. You don't have long to live.
Your time is up.
In fact tonight.
It's over. If for you tonight you were to close your eyes and not wake up, where would you be?
Growing up next door, the neighbors, their last name was the Pinskeys, and one night Mr. Pinsky closed his eyes and went to sleep.
He never woke up. He died in his sleep.
My friend Dave, who his parents lived down the street, he was overweight. Same thing. He closed his eyes one night. He never woke up. He died in his sleep. If you were to die tonight in your sleep, where would you go? Where would you be? Well did Belshazzar listen to the warning. God hath numbered thy Kingdom and finished it. Thou art wade in the balances and found wanting.
Verse 29 Belshazzar command then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with Scarlett and put a chain of gold about his neck.
And made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the Kingdom.
That verse lets me know that Belshazzar didn't believe the message. He gave Daniel the goods that he said he would. He gave him the promotion. Belshazzar was thinking he was going to live for a long time tonight. Are you thinking that you're going to live for a long time? Don't be so sure. Don't be sure. Sure. Verse 30 and that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans.
Slain.
That very night was his last night here on Earth.
Where is he? That's the question. Where is he? Is he in heaven with the Lord Jesus?
He is not. I don't believe we'll see him. I believe he'll be in the Lake of Fire.
He didn't accept, he didn't believe the message. What about you?
Where will you be? Sorry, that's the alarm. I don't want to go over to overtime, so I'm going to be stopping soon. Where would you be? There was another man in Luke 12. He was prosperous. He laid up his goods. He thought he was going to live for a whole long time. I'll think within myself. I've laid up goods. But what did God say? This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Call them a fool.
It's foolish to think that you're going to go on.
And live.
Forever. It's not going to happen.
Well, I've had before us. I want to turn over to the Gospel of Luke.
As we start to wind this down, I want to take a look at one other man. We don't know his name.
00:45:01
But he didn't have long to live. In fact, he was nailed to a cross.
In Luke chapter.
20.
23.
So just kind of setting the stage. The Bible says God so loved the world.
It doesn't say God so loved the Republicans, God Southern loved the Democrats, God so loved the people to vote, or God so loved the people who don't vote. It says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And so God sent his Son the Lord Jesus into this world.
And man took the Lord Jesus and they nailed him to a cross. He was nailed between 2 Thieves.
And where this story picks up is the Lord Jesus is on the center cross.
Why was he on the cross? Did he sin? No, he didn't sin. He couldn't sin. He knew no sin. He could not sin. He did not sin. But there he was on the cross. And on his right hand and on the left hand were two thieves. They didn't have long to live either. Let's see what their decision was. Belshazzar made a bad one. He's in the lake. He'll be in the Lake of Fire.
There they were. They saw the Lord Jesus and on the cross.
God punished his Son, the Lord Jesus.
Not for his sins, but for those who would repent and put their faith and trust in Him.
And on the cross, the Lord Jesus was punished.
Verse 39 In one of the malefactors which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? We indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. There they were on the cross, the three men, and the one realized that this one in the center cross, the Lord Jesus had done nothing amiss. He had not sinned. We deserve the punishment that we were getting. There was a working in his heart. And now I hope that tonight there.
They working in your heart.
And he said, verse 42, Lord Jesus, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me.
And paradise.
There he was. He was on the cross. He didn't have long to live.
And he had to make a decision, am I going to put my faith and trust in this one on the center cross or am I going to go to my grave mocking, making fun of the Lord Jesus? Well, we know the story and it's a wonderful ending. He said, Lord, Remember Me when thou come us in thy Kingdom. And the Lord Jesus said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
And the wonderful news is tonight you can have your sins forgiven.
Well, what took place verse 46 and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father into my hands, I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost real quick over to John chapter.
John, Chapter 19.
John chapter 19 verse 32 Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side.
And forthwith came throughout blood and water. And he that saw it bear a record, and his record is true. And he knoweth that he saith true that ye might believe. Tonight we can preach the gospel. The Lord Jesus was the one who died on the center cross, the one who was punished for sin, and the one who can be your substitute tonight. On Monday, my students will have a substitute teacher.
Not all the students in the school will have a substitute teacher, but mine will because I have a substitute.
I have someone who is taking my place. I don't have to worry about judgment because someone took my place. The Lord Jesus was punished for my sins and tonight, if you will repent and put your faith and trust in Him, you too can have your sins forgiven. The sphere was thrust into His side, and the precious blood flow it out. It is the blood.
00:50:11
Of Jesus Christ that cleanses from all sin tonight.
There is power in the blood. We may be living in a day of small things, but tonight there is power.
In the blood lives can be changed, lives can be transformed because Jesus died and rose again and tonight Jesus is not dead. He is alive and in the glory and he is The message tonight is whosoever will may come. The message tonight is be it known unto you men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Tonight your sins can be forgiven not by anything that.
Who can do but because another has done it all. Jesus, when he was on the cross, was punished for your sins and mine. If we will repent and put our faith and trust in Him. His precious blood was shed for you and for me, the dying thief. There he was on the cross. He had not didn't have long to live, but thank God.
He availed himself, and we will see him in heaven.
As we close tonight and we'll sing a song in closing.
Who are you going to be like? Are you going to be like Belshazzar and brush off the message? You heard it. Perhaps you felt the Holy Spirit working in your heart.
That Belshazzar didn't believe the message.
And Belshazzar will be in the Lake of Fire. Or you can be like that thief on the cross.
He too didn't have long to live and he made a decision and we'll see him in heaven. Don't be like either one of those ones and put it off tonight. Tonight, except the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Tonight, before we sing a song in closing, I want to give you the opportunity to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior right where you are.
I've seen boys and girls, men and women, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. It's been wonderful. And tonight it'll be a wonderful time when you make that decision right where you are. I'm not asking you to come up here, but right where you are, you can, in your own words.
Tell the Lord Jesus you can say, Lord Jesus, I am a Sinner. I believe you died for me. I believe your blood was shed for me. Please wash away my sins. Please come into my heart.
In your own words, it's by faith. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So we're going to just take 30 seconds now, approximately right now. And if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, would you just bow your head? Would you pray? It's so important. We're not waiting. We're not waiting till tomorrow. We're not waiting till next week. We're going to decide for Christ tonight. Be like the one on the thief on the cross and you can say the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for me.
Decide for Christ right now.
In closing, I'd like to sing a song from the Little flock #322.
There is a stream.
Of precious blood which flowed from Jesus veins. And sinners washed in that blessed flood lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that Savior in his day. And by that blood thou, violets, he our sins have washed, are washed.
Away we sing the 1St 3 verses of 322. And would you stand with me?
There is a stream.
Don't be like Belshazzar, be like the thief on the Cross.
Today, not tomorrow, not next week. I leave you with this one final verse. Behold, now is the accepted time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Be like my grandfather, be like my grandmother, be like many in this room who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is the best decision you'll ever make. It'll change your life. If tonight anything that I said is unclear or you have any questions, I'll hang out over here or please ask another adult. Ask your dad, ask your mom, ask someone else that you feel comfortable speaking with. Don't leave. Don't say, oh, that was good, I enjoyed it. Decide.
For Christ tonight.
YP Talk 2
Ecclesiastes 12
Children—Michael Hapanowicz
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.
Looks like it's 9:15, so we can get started with a Sunday school today. Do any of you children have a song that you want to sing from this book or any of the others? Yes. William. That's right, It's William, isn't it? OK.
#5 OK, so we are going to sing #5 just the first verse and the refrain. If someone could start that for me.
Well, yesterday we had a very nice gospel meeting.
And there was a choice that was talked about. Does anyone remember? Does anyone remember that meeting?
Yeah, got a few. And he remembers that meaning, all right.
Very good yes. And so he's Jewel remembers that meeting he spoke about if you make a choice to have Jesus as your savior, that would be a happy day. And that's what this song is talking about too. So I think it would be really nice of yesterday was a happy day for someone. All right, so who has a song they would like to sing yes Jewel 14.
14.
All right, 14 And once again we are going to sing just the first verse and the refrain.
There was another gospel meeting that was two nights ago, and he mentioned that it was important to make much of the blood. So I think that's very nice, Jewel that you gave this out. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? All right, so you have a number #2 OK #2 is the last one that any child gets to give out. So I'm sorry I saw some other hands go up before, but.
I.
We'll sing some more at the end if there's time, but I don't make any promises. OK, so #2 just the first verse.
All right, now I want to give out a song and it's not in the sheet and I don't think it's even in the hymn book that we sing from on Sunday school morning. But I hope there's enough people here who know the song.
That we'll be able to carry on. And it's called God in Heaven above. People here know that song.
Any hands go up if you know that song? Oh no, because I'm definitely not going to sing a solo.
00:05:09
OK, Alex, so good. So I wanted to sing. It goes, the song goes. Like who did make the birds that fly?
The flowers that bloom, the fish that swim who sent his son to die, God in heaven above. OK, so it sounds like maybe it's ringing some bells now. So we're going to sing just who did make the flowers that bloom, the birds that fly and who did send his son to die? So I think each one of those has like a verse to it. OK, so.
Alex, can you start that for us?
All right, all right, so I'm going to read for you the verse.
That is the verse that I'm kind of expecting that some children will have memorized.
And I should have put a marker here so I didn't have to spend so much time flipping to it. It's an Ecclesiastes chapter 12.
And it's the first verse, I think that all that was in your Sunday school paper was just part of it. So this is Ecclesiastes 12, verse one. It says, remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. All right. Does that sound familiar to anyone?
All right, sounds familiar to some people. All right, so here's what we're going to do. If you say the verse, you can walk over to the table when you're done and you can get two pieces of candy. So either from the blue bag, which has chocolate, or from the orange bag that has some Skittles and Starbursts. Does that sound like a fair deal to you guys?
Fair deal. OK, so you memorize the verse, you speak into the microphone, then you get 2 pieces of candy. OK, so who wants to say it first?
All right.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Ecclesiastes, 12/1.
Annie.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Ecclesiastics, 12/1.
Remember now my Creator in the days of the youth. Ecclesiastes, 12/1.
Remember now thy Creator, in the days of thy youth, Jesus. 12 One good job.
Remember now. Remember now by Creator, by Creator in the days of thy youth, in the days of the youth. Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes, 12/1.
Remember now, like Creator in the days that youth Ecclesiastes 12/1. Thank you. Do you want to say it?
Remember now that I created the days of thy youth. Ecclesiastes, 12/1.
Do you want to try Easton?
What is it? Remember now. Remember now in the days of my use and 12/1? Yeah, good job.
Do you want to say it?
Never thou cry Creator in the days of thy youth. Ecclesiastes 12/1 All right, very good.
Do you want to try? Yeah, OK. Remember I created 12/1. Very nice. Alright, William.
The data that you want. Thank you, Jayden. Jayden, right.
Remember thou thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, in which thus us say I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12/1. Very good. Jayden, I'm glad you memorized bulb verse that makes me feel better about my Sunday school. I created in the days I used when the evil days come up, nor the usual night when that's outside. I have no pleasure in them, thank you, Elijah.
00:10:07
Remember now. Remember now by creator by creator.
In the days of thy year. Ecclesiastes 12112. Five right.
Remember now. Remember not now.
My Creator. My Creator in the days and days of my youth. My youth. Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 12112 One right. Thank you.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
Ecclesiastes 12/1. Yeah, good job.
Robert.
Remember now my Creator in the day just I used Ecclesiastes 12/1.
Remember now, remember now by Creator the kid in the days of thy youth, and the days are youth. Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 12112 one. Thank you.
Right. Do you want to say it? Remember now that I created in the days that I use Ecclesiastes 12/1?
You want to say remember now?
Very good. All right. That was a nice job by all of you. So remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. So we sang about who made the birds that fly.
No one knows. What about the flowers that broom? Oh guys, nice answer. What about the flowers that bloom? Who made the flowers that bloom?
Yeah, who made you and I?
Yeah, very good. God made you and I. Do you know what that means? That means that you have a responsibility to God. You have a a duty to God. And God doesn't want you to wait until you're old and retired, sitting on a rocking chair at Cracker Barrel to think about him. He wants you to think about him.
Right now, right now, while you're still young now.
Someone told me one time, they said Michael.
You do a good job of explaining in a simple way concepts that are impossible for children to understand, no matter how simply they are put.
I don't think that was a compliment.
And today is going to be no exception because I want to speak to you about this whole chapter, Ecclesiastes, chapter 12. And it it is Ecclesiastes. So it's going to be kind of hard. But you know what? I've prayed that the message that is given today would be like a seed that is planted in the soil of your heart.
That will one day bear fruit.
And there's something that you can do to help make that happen. Any ideas what I might be thinking about? What do you think that you could do?
Be good. Be good. Yeah. What? What's what does goodness look like when you're sitting on the front row of a Sunday school?
Any ideas? Let's let's give someone else another try, yes?
Listening and paying attention. That is the perfect answer. That is the exact answer I was looking for. You can pay attention. Can you guys do that for me? Can you do that for me? OK, all right, so I'm going to read Ecclesiastes chapter 12. And this is what it says. It says remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure.
Azure in them, while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain. In the day. When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few. And those that look out of the window be darkened. And the doors shall be shut in the streets when the sound of the grinding is low. And he shall rise up at the voice of a bird.
And the daughters of music shall be brought low, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, And fears shall be in the way. And the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail.
00:15:08
Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourner goes about the streets, Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it vanity of vanities. All is vanities, saith the preacher.
Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yeah, he gave good heed.
And sought out and sent in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words.
And that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as the nails fastened by the Master of assemblies, which are given from 1 Shepherd. And further by these my Son, be admonished. And of making of many books there is no end, and of much study is weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God.
And keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. OK, so that is Ecclesiastes chapter 12.
You could summarize the first half of this chapter by saying that Solomon gives 3 reasons why you should remember your Creator in the days of your youth.
Are you guys paying attention?
All right, so here are the three reasons.
The first reason that you should remember your Creator in the days of your youth is that life is hard.
Second reason is that your body will fall apart, and the third reason is that death is the destiny of all men now.
Yesterday, Mr. Allen said that his wife poked him.
And told him.
Don't be depressing.
But I don't have a wife so no one told me that.
So we're going to go through these verses, OK?
The evil days come nigh, thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Do you know that every year there is a company that goes out and they ask thousands of people?
Do you think that the future will be better than the past?
What do you think is the answer to that?
While Solomon has an answer to that and Solomon says.
I've looked at the future and things are not pretty, he says. The evil days are drawing nigh. He also speaks here of.
The be not darkened nor the clouds return after the rain. Do you know what the rain is in this chapter that he's talking about? He's talking about.
Hard times in your life. Now I have a story to illustrate what is happening in this verse.
And it might not be the best story to illustrate it, but it happened recently, so it's kind of fresh in my memory. I have a nephew and we were eating a very, very nice meal, and he had on his plate some cheesy potatoes. And he took those cheesy potatoes and he put them in his mouth. Do you know what his reaction was?
Yeah, he did not like those cheesy potatoes. He thought they were disgusting. He thought they were so bad that he was not going to swallow them. This was a hard trial. This was some rain in his life. And you know what? He would rather sit there with the potatoes in his mouth.
And miss the rest of the meal and the rest of the fun rather than swallow those potatoes.
Because life is hard when you're 7 years old. Well, you know what? Eventually the situation was resolved, The potatoes were gone. And you know what?
He popped up out of his chair and he went and he ran. He played with his brothers and you. 5 minutes after that was over, you would never know that he had to go through that hard, hard trial of eating those terrible cheesy potatoes.
00:20:08
And you know, that's what it's like in life when you're young and rain comes.
What's after the rain? The sun comes out and the sun dries up all the rain. And so if you were to look around, you wouldn't be see any evidence that rain had just been there.
What's he say happens when you get older?
Do you remember?
There's less rain. That's not what he says. That is a good guess. I'm I will give you bonus points for that, but this is what he says. He says when you get older after the rain is gone.
There's just clouds.
The sun doesn't come out. The sun doesn't dry up, all the rain. And if you look, you can still see the evidence that it just rained. That's what it's like when you get older. You know what the trials of yesterday weigh on me today. That's what happens when you get older. And so Solomon says for this reason.
Life is hard. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth.
We're way behind time. OK, so the next thing is he talks about your body and he talks about the body as if it's a house. So he's kind of speaking in riddles here. Does anyone know what a Riddle is?
You have a Riddle.
That's very good. Yes, Samson has riddles in his story too, doesn't he? Hear, Easton, I'm quite impressed. You've got a Riddle. Well, here, for those of you who don't know what a Riddle is, let me tell you what. I'll give you an example of a Riddle.
What is black and white and red all over?
Yes, you've heard that Riddle before. It's a newspaper. OK, so he speaks in here. I'll just read a couple of these so you can get a sense, he says.
In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease, because they are few, and those that look out of the window be darkened. So he's speaking in riddles.
And he's talking about a body.
So Nelly joked. Did some very nice artwork for you guys.
And it's here, so I'm going to give you a Riddle, and it's going to be something about the body. And I want you to guess what part of the body I'm talking about. And it's going to be one of the things.
On this board so everyone understands how this is working. All right, so here's my Riddle. Use me to sing.
And I sound sweet. Use meat a curse.
And I sound bitter.
Mouth. Does everyone think that's the answer to the Riddle? Yeah, that's basically the answer to the Riddle. What the exact answer is, is voice.
Is the voice. But do you know what happens to the voice when it gets older?
Starts to wear out.
And so, he says, the daughters of music are low.
You Can't Sing as loud as you used to, and your voice gets scratchy. All right, so that's the first Riddle. You guys did a good job of guessing it.
The next one.
I in the body's window to the world. Through me you can see.
Eyes. Is this it? Is that what everyone thinks is the answer to the Riddle? Yeah. Now what happens when you get old?
It gets harder to see, Yeah, you know what Solomon says? He says the windows are darkened and so it's harder to see now.
This one is here, courtesy of Mr. Roach. He has such a nice way with words. He says I can hold things, but I'm not a bag. I'm used to write things down, but I'm not a pen.
00:25:02
I have digits but I'm not a cell phone and I have nails but I'm not a hook.
What am I?
A hand. Is that the right answer? What happens to the hands when you get old?
Yes, they get wrinkly and they start to do what's this?
Yeah, they shake. That's what happens to the hands when you get older. So you guys start to see the picture that Solomon is painting here. I want you to imagine in your mind. So if you're a boy, I want you to imagine an old man. If you're a girl, I want you to imagine an old woman. OK, So you guys, you're starting to imagine this right now. Now you look at them.
And as you look at them, they smile.
A wide, big grin. So wide.
So big S grinny that you can see all of their gums.
And as you look into their mouth, you start to count their teeth.
123.
That's it. It's not enough to chew anything with, so those teeth just sit there doing nothing, waiting to decay. And that's why this old man or this old woman.
Is slurping their oatmeal with a straw.
Now.
One day.
That will be you.
You might say, Michael, I don't even have my 12 year old molars yet, but.
Solomon is making a very important point here.
I wanted to illustrate it this way. There's a story I've read a poem and I couldn't find the poem again, but it goes something like this.
A little boy goes to his father and he says, Daddy, can you help me with my homework?
And the father says, not now son, I'm busy.
So the boy finishes his homework and later he comes up to his dad and he says, dad, can you go outside with me and play? And his dad says, not now son, I'm busy.
Later that night, the boy is going to bed and his mom is tucking him in. And the little boy turns to his mom and he says, mom, where's daddy? And she says, I'm sorry son, he's busy.
Years go by and the little boy grows up.
And the father, he gets old and he retires and the father goes to the son and he says, hey son, I thought it would be nice to do something together. Do you want me to help build a deck? And the son says.
Not now, Father. I'm busy.
Later the dad goes to his son and he says, hey, we're going to have a BBQ, have some people over, nice Saturday night, play some games. Do you want to come over?
And the sun says sorry Dad, not now, I'm busy.
What happened?
By the time that that father made time for his son.
It was too late.
And that's what Solomon is saying here now, if you wait to think about God until you're older.
You will run out of time and it will be too late.
That's a very important lesson. Now the third thing is he says here. So that's our second sober reason to remember your Creator in the days of your youth. The third one is he says here.
The silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return.
Unto God who gave it. This is the third reason why it's important to remember your Creator in the days of your youth. And do you know what it is?
It's because one day if the Lord doesn't come, all of us will die. Now, these lights here, they're kind of fixed to the ceiling with a couple cords. But I think if you go into the dining room, there's those big chandeliers there and they're just attached to the ceiling by a single cord that. Does that seem right? Is that kind of how you guys see the chandeliers in the dining room?
00:30:22
You know they're attached by more than one cord.
They are.
You're pretty sure?
Looks like I'm being nasayed and Mrs. Roach is backing you up.
Well, let's just pretend, okay, that the chandeliers in the dining room are attached to the ceiling with a single cord. What happens if you go and you snip the cord?
It falls and then what?
Yeah, smash. All that glass will go shattering.
Because it's really a very fragile thing, and that's how life is.
He speaks here of this silver cord loose or the golden bull broken, you know, 11 little snip and the life can shatter.
So that's that's the third reason. And you know what he says here? Let me put it this way.
If you don't have God.
What is the only relief that you can hope for from rain in this life?
If you don't have God, what is the only relief you can hope for from a body that's falling apart?
What is it?
Help it now. The only relief you can hope for if you don't have God is death.
Yeah, that would be if you had God. This is without God. The only hope you would have for relief from pain is death.
And that's why he says in verse 8, Vanity of vanities sayeth the preacher, all is vanity. You know what the word vanity means?
Means like meaningless.
That's what he's saying. Meaningless, Meaningless. Everything is meaningless.
You come to the end of your life and it's the best you can hope for is just to die. That's meaningless. And so that's what the preacher says. Now, do you think we should end the meeting here?
No, that would be terrible. If that was the end of the Sunday school I'd go crawl in 1/4 and cry my tears into a cup of tea.
But you know what?
Solomon here is talking about, he uses the expression under the sun. See what that means? He's saying, I'm just using this world as a reference and he could look at the world around him and.
And he could see that there was a creator.
But his thoughts of God never got any higher than that.
And he was writing under the inspiration of God.
But he was writing about the truth with the perspective of someone who is placed inside of a cardboard box.
You can't see very much, can you, when you're inside of a cardboard box, can you?
Well, God has given us.
A bigger view of the truth.
He gave it to a man called Paul.
And so Paul writes about this subject, and he doesn't write about it from inside of a cardboard box.
He writes about this subject on top of a mountain. Can you see very far on a mountain? What do you think, Molly? On a mountain, can you see very far? Yeah. You can see down into the valley. You can see all kinds of land. That's that's the way to view the truth. You know where he talks about this?
Where does he talk about this? What am I thinking? Where does he talk about the body and what happens after death? Where might Paul talk about that?
Hmm, these are you kids been paying attention during the reading meetings.
Yeah, maybe.
All right, where's he talk about it? Second Corinthians chapter 5. So let's read a few verses from there. Second Corinthians chapter 5 And this is what he says. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God on house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
00:35:10
For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven, if so, that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life. OK, so do you remember when we were in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and we talked about?
Some riddles, right? Do you guys remember this?
And we said that when Solomon was talking about the body, he spoke of it as if it was what? Does anyone remember what?
Yeah, a Riddle, but he was what? What makes a Riddle a Riddle? It's because you're not talking about it in a plain way. What did question? Maybe I'll just give you guys the answers because we're like no time left. Okay? The answer is he talked about it as if it was a house. So remember he spoke about the eyes as if they're windows, things like that he talks about.
The ears as being doors to the street. OK, so.
So Solomon he talks about.
This your body as if it's a house.
What does Paul do here?
What does Paul do here? Well, he talks about the body as if it's a house too.
And what he says is there's a body that we have now, and he describes that body, and then he says there's a body that we're going to get from God. It's not a different body, but it's a new body.
And so there were 3 words I want you to remember about how he describes the body that we have now.
3 words.
Earth.
Tent.
Temporary, you guys think you got them, so let's say the mall together, all right.
Earth.
Tent temporary.
OK, then he describes the body that we're going to have, and you know how he describes it? He describes it with three words and they are heaven here. Well, I'll give them to you first and then you guys can repeat after me. OK, Heaven.
Building Eternal.
All right, so you guys got those, let's say them together. Heaven.
Building Eternal.
So what's it mean? Earth and heaven? You know, the bodies that we have now, they are at home in this world now. This world has been marred by sin, but they're at home here. What about in heaven? If you went to heaven in the body that you have now, what would happen?
Oh, let me tell you about a man named John.
John loved the Lord Jesus. You could say that he sat on his lap. That's how comfortable he was being with the Lord Jesus. Do you know what happened to John when he went to heaven?
He saw Jesus.
Did he go sit on his lap?
No, he fell down afraid.
You know why? Because his body was not at home in heaven.
God doesn't want you though, to be uncomfortable in heaven if you're, if you've made that choice that we talked about before and you've trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, he wants you to have a body that feels right at home in heaven. And so he's going to give you a new body that's just at home in heaven. Now the next thing we talked about was tent and building. So what is this?
What is this?
That's a building, yeah. So which one do you think?
Is stronger the building? Which one is more expensive?
Which one will last longer?
Building, yeah. So that's kind of how he's describing. The body that we have now is just like a tent. The body that we will get, it's like a it's going to be like a building, you know?
Mr. Rule shared this thought with me. I thought it was so nice in the Old Testament.
God dwelled with his people that kind of means, like he lived with them and he lived for a while in.
00:40:07
A10.
We call it the Tabernacle, but the Tabernacle is just another word for a tent. God lived in a tent and then later they moved the ark and the presence of God.
To the temple.
And God lived in the temple.
What is on the outside? Not necessarily this picture, but what is on the outside.
Of the Tabernacle.
So William, do you think we should phone a friend?
Should we get some help answering this question? What about Mr. Rusink? Do you think Bernie could tell us what was on the outside of the Tabernacle?
Yeah, you think so?
What was on the outside of the Tabernacle?
I'm looking for is badger skins. That's the that's right, isn't it Badger skins? We're on the outside of the Tabernacle. I looked up that word badger. They said it could be. Oh, I couldn't even remember the word they used. But essentially it's a manatee they think is what it might be. Do you think that that badger skins or that that manatee? Does anybody know what a manatee is?
All right, so you think if you took the the skin of a manatee?
And you covered it on something but that looked very pretty.
No, it's not really there to look pretty, is it? What's it there for? What do you think, Willie?
To keep the water off. Very good. What's on the outside of the temple?
Stone, but there was some gold there. Does gold look pretty?
So here's how we could put it this way.
Both the Tabernacle.
And the building had the presence and glory of God.
But the tent hid the glory of God.
The temple displayed the glory of God, and that's what it's like in the bodies that we have now. The bodies that we have now, they hide the glory of God. And you know what is the only way for the glory of God to shine out of the tents that we have now?
For there to be rips in it. He talks about that in another place, but what about the temple?
Temple displays the glory of God. Now the next thing is.
Temporary and eternal. We already talked about the bodies we have now being temporary, right? We said they get old. We said you're going to die. Life is fragile.
Bodies that you have now, they aren't going to last, but the body that's going to give you that God is going to give you. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, that body is eternal.
And you know what?
Isn't it nice?
That God who has given us eternal life.
Is also going to give us a body that is eternal as well because both of those go together. You need an eternal body to be the home for an eternal life and anything else.
Just doesn't fit right. So we're out of time to talk about that side of things. But I do just want to say this.
We don't have time to speak about the body as clothing, but Paul says we aren't hoping for death.
Remember how I said back when we were in Ecclesiastes, if you don't have God, the best that you can hope for is death to relieve your pain.
That's not true for a Christian, he says. We aren't hoping to take off the bodies that we have now.
We are hoping to put on the bodies that God will give us.
Isn't that amazing? That's a much nicer place to end the meeting, isn't it, than back in Ecclesiastes 12, right?
The Glory of God
Address—Don Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Good afternoon.
We're going to sing about the theme of what's going to be before us, so if you.
Pay attention to what you're singing. Maybe you can guess what we're going to.
Have before us this afternoon #105.
So we'll definitely need a starter.
Pretty sure you can come back on.
Your.
Raise the state.
Ment.
Turn with me to Job chapter one.
I'm sure that we all have some sense in US, whether we've ever seen the word in a dictionary or not.
Of the word glory.
Glory has to do with multiple aspects to it.
But it is generally.
Something that is excellent.
Something that is favored.
Something that expresses majesty or honor.
And God is pleased to use that word over 400 times.
In the book in your hands and gives it applies it.
To people like you and I. He applies it to governments.
He applies it to himself.
And he applies it to his son.
The Lord Jesus.
Very often glory is something that is distinct.
Lee given or identified with someone, and when it is, we often think about it in comparison to others who don't have it.
00:05:01
In order to.
Perhaps understand it a little.
And how God uses it for our blessing and benefit. We're going to start with ourselves.
As seen in A Man called Job.
It's.
A job represents your heart and mine.
It's important in the sense that we believe that it's the very first book of the Bible that is.
Was written because it talks about something and it takes up something that involves glory. And so we're going to look at it from the perspective that God gives to it. I trust as we find it illustrated the subject of glory in the life of the man Job.
And then we'll go on to look at it as it is presented to us.
In the more perfect, not more perfect, but be perfect life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And various glories of the Lord Jesus.
That are presented to us.
And we will hopefully end.
With a few encouragements for us to seek.
To understand it, the hymn we sang. Human thoughts are here confounded, tis too fast to comprehend.
And that's certainly true of the subject of glory as it applies to God in the Lord Jesus. So Job chapter one, verse one, there was a man in the land of Oz whose name was Job. That man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and essewed evil. And there was born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
His substance also was 7000 sheep.
And 3000 camels, and 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 chiases, and a great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men.
Of the East.
We learn as we read through his life.
And the record, or at least actually I say his life. While it gives us an overview of it, the book itself takes only a few months in his life in detail.
But as we see Job, he was a man.
Of glory.
He was a distinct among the people.
It records here that he was the greatest.
And everyone else, when they looked at themselves and they looked at him.
They can say this man is greater than I am. This man has things that I don't have.
I dare say I can speak with confidence as to earthly glory. It was greater than any buddy in this room was ever been. I'm not speaking spiritually. I'm speaking as Scripture speaks about this man and what distinguished him among men.
It was the greatest of all the men of the East.
It was morally commendable.
Upright.
Perfect among men, his outward life was without complaint.
He had blessing from God, ten children that were his own. He was wealthy with all the things that he had.
But.
God cared about him.
And he wanted to give him more.
Than he had.
And in the book he has twice as much, except for children that he started the book with. But in order for God to bless him, he had to put his hand on his life.
To teach him some lessons, and we'll see how some of those lessons connect themselves with glory.
00:10:06
And so God begins to work.
You sit here this afternoon and you're an unfinished work of God. He's working on you.
And he wants you to enter in, and he wants me to enter in more fully, more completely.
Into His glory.
Than you now or I now experience this afternoon and so.
He starts to work on job.
Does he get more prosperous? Is that how the work is going to be accomplished?
No, we're not going to. We don't have the time and I don't think I need to for your most of your benefit at least.
In the reread the verses that follow in, the first step of God working in his life is to take everything away, or almost everything.
He loses all his wealth that day.
He loses all his children.
In one day.
And.
How does he handle it?
How would you handle it?
If when this day end, you've lost all your family and you lost everything that was your property in possession.
Would you say it was a hard day?
I think most of us would be more than ready to admit we'd had a day unlike any other day of our life. So how does he handle it? Verse 22 and all this job sin not.
Nor charge God foolishly.
He's a remarkable man.
When we see how he handles adversity and sorrow and pain and difficulty in his life at this point, this is day one.
So in chapter 2, which we're not going to read.
We find.
The problem hasn't been he's got a problem, but losing everything doesn't make it known. It's not seen and in fact it's recorded. He doesn't sin. So in chapter 2 we find that while his life it can't be taken, if it was, he wouldn't get the blessing, he wouldn't profit.
From what God wanted to do for him, but God allows him.
Through Satan.
To put his hand on his body.
And he?
Is really physically miserable.
Pretty hard day.
How does he handle it?
Well, I don't know. Well, I do know. Scripture tells me, tells you. I know his wife didn't take it real well. That helped me that he had.
His helper in life. How did she handle it? She says curse God and die.
That's not being a great help, is it?
It says of him he sinned not.
With his lips.
Inside, he did. Outside, it still looked good.
Nobody else could have looked at him or seen what he had to say.
And said he wasn't handling the trials of life adequately well.
And very often when there's a work that God has to do in our souls.
People don't always see it. Very often the deepest needs that we have are not seen.
They're inside us in a way that God sees, but man doesn't see, and yet God is the one who is able because he sees everything perfectly.
To work for blessing in us, even when we may outwardly.
Perhaps put on a mask that doesn't truly represent.
What's there in our soul? OK, well, we don't. We're not going to go over all the details here.
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Since we don't have 10 days to do it, but let's turn over and keeping with the point of glory, let's turn turn over to chapter 19.
And.
We'll read the 1St 9 verses.
Whoops, I went too many steps and got into psalms and it didn't look right.
Job 19 and verse one.
Here's Job talking, and he's talking about what's happening to him. He's having a conversation with his friends and he's sharing with them some of his feelings and his thoughts. And if you watch carefully, you're going to find the word glory come into what he has to say.
Job answered and said, How long will you vex my soul and break me in pieces with words?
His wife wasn't a whole lot of comfort to him, and his friends weren't either because they didn't understand what God was doing.
And they made some wrong conclusions.
In their attempt to help him. And in fact they make some conclusions in their judgment that were actually sinful. So Job answered and said, How long will you vex my soul, my friends? I'll add that and break me in pieces with your words these 10 times have you reproached me? Are you not ashamed?
That ye make yourselves strange to me, and be it indeed that I have heard.
My error remaineth with myself.
You haven't explained anything I've done wrong to me.
If indeed you will magnify yourselves against me and plead against me my reproach.
No now.
That God hath overthrown me.
He's talking about how he feels God's treated him in his life. God hath overthrown me and hath compassed me about with his net. Behold, I cry out of wrong.
But I am not heard. I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
He hath fenced me up my way that I cannot pass.
He hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head.
He's not feeling too happy.
He knew, he recognized he was a man of honor.
He was a man that properly could be said that he was a man of glory.
And now he's looking at himself.
And he's looking at God.
And he recognizes that God has a power to do things that he doesn't have. And he says to his friends, you haven't been a help.
And God. God has just stripped me of everything.
He stripped me of my glory.
He's taken away that place that I hired among men.
And.
It's gone.
I don't have my wealth.
And the glory of it. I don't have my family and the glory of my family.
It was quite a as described in chapter one, a commendable family.
A worthy family to be recognized, to give honor to the father. You know, sometimes children shame their parents, but his family apparently was a family that was shown to be.
To enhance, if you will.
The Excellency of the man. But he looks at it and he says God's just stripped me.
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Of my glory.
Now he goes on. Let's go on to Chapter 29. Get a little more of how Job sees himself.
We all have some view of ourselves.
Can't escape it. You sit here this afternoon, you have some view of yourself.
So do I.
Which do.
We may make words.
We may say, oh, I'm nothing.
That may be true.
But God alone knows the full truth of it. Joe didn't know the full truth about himself.
He had his view of himself. This wasn't a very accurate one from God's perspective. That is his view and God's didn't line up very well. Sometimes we have a view of ourselves and the view we have of ourselves and of God don't align very well. And so here in chapter 29 we'll read the 1St 5 verses. Moreover, Job continued his parable and said.
Oh, that I were as in months past.
When chapter one starts as in the days when God preserved me.
When His candle shined upon my head, When by His light I walked through darkness as I was in the days of my youth, When the secret of God was upon my Tabernacle, When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were about me.
Verse 20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
Verse 30.
Here's the contrast. Here's how he feels it.
That's what it used to be.
Verse 30 and verse one. But now they that are younger than I have me in derision.
Whose fathers I would have disdained, or have set with the dogs of my flock, and so on.
It's pretty miserable, man.
He's looked at himself, he's looked at God, he's compared himself and he basically tells God, you haven't treated me right. You haven't been fair to me.
I've been righteous.
I have been not treated right.
Pretty He went through a pretty difficult test as to whether he thought God was treating him right. And so would you or I if we lost everything he lost, which we haven't.
What we need to learn the lesson that God's giving us from His life. So let's turn over to chapter 40.
Verse one. Moreover, the Lord answered Job and said.
The book starts out with his three friend, well, actually his wife.
Talking to him about the matter and then his three friends.
And.
Elijah is a wonderful example.
I'm talking to you this afternoon. I'd sure like to be like you. Like you and heart, I trust. Elihu starts talking to Joe about the matter.
And he's telling him some pretty searching right things. But you know the wonderful thing when Elihu talks, and you and I can covet to be like Elihu when he talks for a while. Pretty soon.
Job's talking to the Lord.
Lie here drops out of it isn't that nice that if there's really something that's from God.
It may seem at first to be coming from a person and might be the person speaking, but if the message is really getting to the heart and the soul, after a while we can forget the person. And it's God speaking to me. And that's wonderful here. And it is with Eli, who is now dropped out of the picture and now the Lord's talking to Job and he says.
In verses one and two more over, the Lord answered Job and said.
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Shall he that contendeth, Job, that's you contendeth with the Almighty, instruct him? Job, you're not agreeing with me on this subject. Are you going to teach me God something about it?
He that reprove God, you've been reproving me and the way I've been interacting with you and with your life. Verse 6 then answered the Lord unto Job out of a whirlwind.
He said gird up the loins now like a man. I'm going to demand of you, Joe, answer me, declare to me. You know, sometimes when we get into a dialogue with God, even though it's not out loud, God is sometimes puts his hand on us and puts his hand on our life in which he's I'm going to use the word he demands of us.
That we respond to him.
He says to us, Listen, here's what you've said.
Now listen.
The Word of God sometimes has that strength.
It always has that power, but sometimes God uses it in a way that.
We are, I'm going to use the word, forced to recognize that God is speaking to us.
And we have to answer them and so here job.
And when I say we have to answer them, yes, there's unbelief of an unbeliever, but I'm not talking to you as an unbeliever. I'm talking to you as a child of God. And as a child of God, he has every right to speak to you as his child in a way that you must answer. If you're a parent, you've done that with your children. You've at times said something to your child and it doesn't want to respond to you, but you made it.
Face it and respond. And so Jehovah, the Lord is doing that with job here. And so he says, gird up your loins. Will you now dissent all, or put aside my judgment? Will you condemn me so that you, as you say you are, may be righteous?
Enforcing him.
To respond here in verse 10 he says, deck now thyself, hast thou an arm like God?
Can you Thunder with a voice like him?
OK job. Deck yourself now with majesty and Excellency. Array yourself with glory.
And beauty.
As I said, very often the subject there's contrasts.
When we talk about glory in scripture, we see contrast very often, and here was Job contrasted with fellow men.
Now God is going to use the same mechanism with Job, and he's going to say and he says to Job, now Job.
Put on your glory.
And as it were, God says I'm going to put mine on and we're going to contrast them.
We're going to look at your glory job, and we're going to look at mine, and we're going to see whether my glory is valid or whether yours is.
Whether the view you have of yourself is correct or not.
From my eyes and my perspective. And so he says to him, he challenges it and he says to him.
Again in verse 10, deck yourself now with Majesty and Excellency.
And array yourself with glory and beauty.
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath, and behold, he's challenging Job. He says Job.
Cast your deck yourself, cast abroad the rage of your wrath, and behold everyone that's proud and abasive. OK, Joe, if you have glory.
I want you to take proud people and put them down.
A Basil.
I'll comment a little bit of a secret and sort of in it because Job was proud God was going to obey him, but before he gets to the recognition of that fact about himself, which he hasn't quite gotten to yet, but he's close, God says now, Job, you see proud people.
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I want you to use your honor, your power.
To obey some.
Look on everyone that's proud and verse 12 bring him low.
Tread down the wicked in their place.
Oh, there's wicked people around. I want you to put them down, put them in their place.
Hide them in the dust together and bind their faces in secret.
And if you can, Joe verse 14, then I will confess unto thee that.
Thine own right hand can save thee. If you can do that job, you can save yourself.
You have that power.
Then he turns to what almost seemed like a strange thing at first, but he turns and he uses an example with Job. He says, behold, now Behemoth.
Which I made.
With thee he eateth the wrath like an ox, and he describes this creature. It has a lot of characteristics to an alligator, and he's comparing.
He's saying job. If you have the right to take the place that you take before me, then you should be able to do what I do. You should be able to bring the proud down.
You should be able and then he describes this animal the.
Behemoth, which a lot of description, we would call him an alligator I think and he says.
Can you?
Manage it. Can you change its behavior?
Umm, if you have the right to judge, then you have. If you have the glory that you see yourself to have, then you should be able to deal with such matters.
I'm going to stop for a couple of minutes and.
Apply this.
As an example.
To myself.
My own experiences in life.
When I was the age of some of you young people.
Umm, I had finished. I was just finishing up my schooling.
And I was.
Job hunting. And so in order to job hunt, it's pretty common. I be, at least in my day it was. I'm not always sure what's common anymore in other people's day, but in my day it was common that if you were out looking for a job, you wrote a resume and your resume described yourself in a way that you were saying how you were qualified.
For somebodies to hire you to work for them, who needed the type of qualifications that you had, and then you presented yourself to companies that you thought needed what you had to offer.
So out went the resumes.
You know, I didn't realize it until the some of the responses came back.
Thank you, but no thank you.
That wasn't easy to take.
I didn't appreciate at that point in my life someone saying that I had something to offer and they weren't interested. They didn't think I had to offer something that was of benefit to them.
What was it pricking on? My glory? My pride?
Is a good way to find out. Not too painful away, but still it was.
Are they too proud? I'm going to have to tell them why they're wrong or something.
OK, first example.
Second example has to do with Behemoth.
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I don't recommend it for moms and dads in the room, but when I was a kid my mother and father allowed us to have an alligator as a pet.
We got our alligator Alley as he became known. He was about this long.
And we played with Ali, our pet, and he started to grow and we created a pen for him both outdoors and indoors for our pet alley and we really had a we enjoyed them.
He grew.
And he grew.
And one day we were playing with Ali and he was in his pen and we took a broomstick and we were poking him with our broomstick and he opened his jaws and he snapped it in half.
Mom found out and that was the end of alley for us.
If your pet starts breaking chewing broomsticks in half, he's not considered by some parents to be the greatest pet. And so it went to the local zoo and the local zoo accepted it and they put it in its pen at the zoo. What's the purpose of the story?
We had no power.
To change Ali's nature.
None.
We could, by our strength, put him in a pen. We could restrain him.
But we couldn't change him.
He was still an alligator and he was just according to the nature.
That God allowed him to have and control.
Job uses God uses that example with Job. He says Job, if you're who you think you are, well, let's let's see you. And in fact, I we don't have time for it, but.
He, he's, you know, you can, he's not like a bird. Can you give him the nice gentle characteristics that a bird might have so that you can pet him and you can play with them? And so he, he says no.
OK, Chapter 41.
Is more about Ali, I guess the alligator verse three. Well, he makes applications unto thee. Will he speak soft words unto thee? No, he doesn't so on so much for the time we have on Job. Job learned his lesson. He said I've heard of you God. Now when God gives him examples, he says now I see you and he repents and he gets twice.
The blessing.
Now let's go on to the Lord Jesus.
Turn to Psalm 2.
Psalm 2 presents to us gives us a little idea of the glory that God establishes for the man Christ Jesus as Son of David.
This is gives us a little of his glories. We will see the excellencies of his glories increase versus Son of David and then his Son of man and as Son of God and each one of them gives us a higher elevated view of the greatness of the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus. And so here in Psalm 2 it says.
Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel against?
Together against the Lord, and against his anointed and the Lord, how does he respond to that? He that sitteth in the heavens, verse four shall laugh. Lord shall have him in derision.
And you'll speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure, and say to them, Yet have I set my king upon the holy hill, my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son. This day have I begotten thee that is as a man ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
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For thy possession. And he shall break them with a rod of iron, and so on. Need to go quickly.
Here's the son of David, and God says to his son, I'm going to give you glory in the earth. I'm going to give you an elevated place of Excellency and power and majesty, and it's going to be displayed.
To all men on the earth.
And anybody who opposes, that's it.
Down they go.
You and I would say verse 12, kiss the sun.
And rejoice to look forward to that day when we see him in that exalted place as a man, as son of David, who?
Will reign over Israel.
And will reign over all the other kingdoms of the earth.
He will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will be supreme.
You will have the most exalted place over every other person that lives on the earth.
And we're thankful.
Now let's go on to see him as Son of Man and Psalm 8.
Psalm 8, verse one. Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is all thy name and all the earth, who has set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, and that thou mightest be the enemy still, the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider thy heavens and the work of thy fingers, the moon, the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man?
That thou art mindful of him.
And the Son of man, that thou visitest him, for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madeest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, yay, and the beasts of the field, the foul of the air, and the fish of the Seas, and whatsoever passes through the passages of the Seas. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.
What is man?
The dollar mindful of him.
Glory is seen often by contrast.
Oh, there's an Ant.
An Ant.
Took care of that, right?
I just compared myself to an Ant.
What's an Ant to me?
I just took care of it.
That's a comparison.
Of what I am to what a creature is.
Often we don't.
Think a lot of some animals.
And because our glory and the way we're created greatly exceeds their own, we treat them sometimes that way. Compare man to God.
Can man create anything?
Is there a single person in this room who has ever brought something into existence that didn't exist before? Yes, I know. We we talk about things that people do.
As if they were creation, but they're not.
Some may have the ability to design things, some may be have excellent ability and art or design or many other things, but none of that activity creates anything.
But here what is man?
Compared to God, the Creator, compared to the power and majesty and strength.
That God is.
By comparison, man is really nothing.
Until you come to this man.
And God has his own Son, the Son of man.
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Who has become a man, and in him what is man?
Something wonderful.
Something excellent.
He says to him, all the rest of creation is yours to manage.
We manage Ally, No. Does the Son of Man manage the alleys of the world? Absolutely everyone.
Can we say to man in his pride you're nothing this man does?
He puts down everything that would oppose.
The glory of God.
And.
God elevates him because as man, he.
Doesn't do anything except it be the will of God.
It takes that place that he had entered into as a man.
Well, lest we run out of time too quick, let's go on to John.
It's gospel.
Turn to Chapter 17.
Where we see this? This man is Son of God.
I have to get a tiny bit of context here. If you go back up a few chapters to Chapter 11, Lazarus dies and the Lord is very pained to see what sin had brought into the creation, knowing the death of a beloved friend, Lazarus and.
He says to those he said you this is necessary for him to die, that you might see the glory of God.
And so when they come, the glory of God is seen in the power of resurrection. That He had to bring life to a dead soul. No other man has ever done that or could do that. That's His glory, that He can take what's dead and bring it to life. None other is worthy in that way and can do that.
And so he's preparing them for his time to leave them.
And in chapter 13 I think it is.
They're together and Judas is in the room, and Judas leaves to go betray him. And there's an important little expression at that point. And it says, and it was night.
That expression in John's Gospel and connection with what takes place here was a statement that this world was now completely dark.
And in order for him to do what was necessary at that point.
To glorify God, He himself, in a world that was now treated by God, is totally dark and condemned.
Has to die.
And in his death.
The Majesty.
The honor, the glory of God.
Is.
Seen in that death.
And God is glorified as to His Holiness, His righteousness.
God is on display as the greatest expression of love.
In his giving that son to die, that you and I.
Might be brought into blessing.
And so here in the 17th chapter, he's anticipating his return to glory. And he says, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, but thy Son also may glorify thee, and thou hast given him power.
That's part of his glory.
Over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. We marvel at this person who not only had power in creation to give natural life.
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But he now.
Expresses the greatness of himself in even as a man of God to give eternal.
Life he doesn't give it in that character until he himself he says, glorify thou me because he died.
And he rises from the dead.
In resurrection life.
He returns to glory in the place of glory, where glory is seen in all its greatness.
And as from that position.
That.
Being glorified by God, he doesn't as a man take it for himself, but he is elevated by God as man to that wonderful place, and he says, As thou hast given him power.
That what is it that life eternal brings to us verse three, that they may know thee.
The only true God and Jesus Christ to our sin.
The true appreciation and knowledge of.
Understanding of glory requires knowledge and light. We won't be able to develop that thought much, but it does.
God said there, you did take a jewel.
Take a diamond, take a Ruby. Can you appreciate its beauty, its grandeur, its glory without light?
No, you can't. There has to be light. And if you study out the subject of glory in Scripture, you'll see it's very generally connected with light because it's light. The God who dwells in unapproachable light expresses himself in light, and that which is seen in that light.
Reflects.
The majesty of the source.
Of it and God. And in that way here he's saying, OK Father.
Glorify thou me in verse 5, which the glory I had before the world was. And then he says.
Elsewhere, when you do, I'm going to share it.
With all those I love, that's your destiny.
You are to because of his love for you. He wants to raise you up.
And put you at His side, that you may share in all the glory that's shareable. Not all glory is shareable. Not all His glory can be shared, but that which He can share with you. And when people on the earth look at you in the Millennium, they're going to see you in a most elegant, elevated place of honor at His side.
And in participation with him in his work.
With others. OK, well let's go on to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4.
Read a couple of verses here. Second Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 6.
But God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts.
Why did God shine the light here out of darkness into your heart?
To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
In the face of Jesus Christ.
God has shined light into you, into not outward, but into your heart.
So that you can see.
And have the knowledge.
Of the glory of God.
And you see it.
In the face of Jesus Christ.
It's connected with chapter 3, verse 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord or in a glass isn't clear translation. It's without a veil. We all without a veil can look directly on the glory of the Lord.
And then we see something wonderful.
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What's the consequence of looking, as we've been seeking to do this afternoon, at the glory of the Lord?
As we see it, every time we read our Bibles and read about the Lord Jesus, we see his glory as a man while it's hidden from its official display morally, we see him in perfection, and that's part of his glory, His moral perfection.
Oh, then it says.
We're changed.
How does that happen?
The Spirit of God.
As we look upon the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Takes the word of God and changes us.
This living Word of God, the Spirit takes it, and as we look upon the Lord Jesus, it's not our work, it's God's work.
It says change from glory to glory. That's a sense that it's a little by little process.
Every day when you look upon the glory of the Lord Jesus.
God is doing his work.
Talk about your work. Your work might be in chapter 5, whatever, but this is God's work in your life and he's very patient in how he works and he's working on you and he's working on me because.
He's changing us.
To be like his son.
Then when he's finished, we'll be just like him.
One last.
Verse or passage I guess, or two quickly. Jeremiah 9.
Jeremiah, Chapter 9.
But I can get there.
And verse 23.
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, but let him that glorious glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, righteousness in the earth.
And in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Just a quick comment here.
Don't seek your own glory if you're young.
Don't seek the glory of your natural youthful strength. If you're a little bit farther on then and get some accumulated wealth, don't seek it. If you think you've reached the point where you know a little bit and have a little bit of wisdom. Don't identify it as a glory for yourself. Why? Because it hinders you from seeing true glory.
When you look at yourself, you're a hindrance to yourself.
To your own blessing if you glory in those kinds of things, he says.
Glory in that he knoweth.
That's what you want.
You want to know God?
Lord, Apostle Paul had reached that point in his life, He says. Everything else I'll put aside that I might know him.
And if I know him, you know if you know God.
You'll know everything in its right order and its right perspective.
Job. Job was fuzzy minded because they didn't know it and so he drew a long conclusions if you don't have God's perspective.
We talked about going up on a mountain this morning, but also John had to go all the way up to heaven.
To get a right perspective of what was on Earth, it was told. Come up, hit her.
So he could see earth from heaven's perspective and get a right view of it. You have to have God's view to have really a right view of everything. And finally, and we'll finish with seeing a prayer in Ephesians chapter one here was Paul's prayer for the Ephesians.
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Almost want to read it as a prayer and stop.
I think that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Treat this as our final prayer.
Even though it's Paul's words.
Ephesians, chapter one, verse 16.
I cease not to give thanks for you and mention you in my prayers.
The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.
May give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know.
What is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory?
Of His inheritance in the Saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward 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?
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 have put all things under his feet, and given him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
Father, Amen.
Gospel 3
Gospel—Tim Roach
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Good afternoon. It's time for the Gospel meeting again, and I'd like to start by seeing #4. Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me #4.
Christ is the Savior of Savior.
Christ is the Savior for me.
Lord, I must change it. Since God is grace, I am praise.
I see many have left already to go home, but you are still here.
You know, presenting the gospel, there's many different ways.
That you can present the gospel.
Our first night we've had a very, I would like to call a soft gospel. You know, today at breakfast, I won't mention any names, but my daughter-in-law, we were we were, we were eating breakfast and we got these egg sandwiches and she took a bite and all the yolk ran out and all down on the plate.
It was a soft egg and I think the gospel can be explained like.
Like cooking eggs and when you have a soft egg, it's very easy you can.
You can touch it and the yoke will break and the yoke will come out very soft and Friday night we had a soft gospel and.
It was.
The goodness was flowing out.
Of the gospel. It was a call to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.
And then last night, we had another type of gospel message.
And.
It might be more like scrambled eggs because you know, you stir up the eggs, you stir them up to perfection. You put many condiments in and.
Saturday night, we heard a powerful gospel that stirred up our hearts urging you to be saved.
God said in Isaiah chapter 5 and verse four. I'll just read it.
He said What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not?
Done in it, I say. What more can I say to plead with you?
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To be saved.
It was all said last night.
But then we have the gospel presented like a hard boiled egg.
Some of the shells are very tough, and you need to hit them hard with a knife to break them open. Or you bang it on the counter to break it off, and you peel off the shell. And sometimes the heart becomes hardened from hearing the gospel so often and so many times at the heart develops a hard shell around it that's not easy to crack.
And as I present The love of God tonight, today is going to come with a hard warning.
Because I really do love you. I really do care about your destiny. And I want to talk today about the wrath of God and the love of God.
We are here tonight to share the gospel of Christ crucified.
And it was at the cross that the wrath of God met together with the love of God.
In a battle for your soul. And it was at the cross that the love of God accepted the sin to be put on the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus endured the wrath of God.
To take the punishment for your sin.
Some of you may have heard this message before, and that's OK because you're going to hear it again. And there are two reasons why Christ was crucified. One was the wrath of God, and the second was the love of God. And I want to start by speaking about the wrath of God against the Sinner. And we've heard it said that God hates the Sinner. Sorry, He hates the sin, but he loves the Sinner. And we know that God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him could be saved.
That includes all sinners. Whosoever it includes you, it includes me.
After we talk about the wrath of God, I want to talk about the love of God.
And as we discussed the wrath of God and the love of God, I want you to get a feel.
For the experience of the wrath of God, so you will know to appreciate.
The love of God.
And the fact that Jesus took the full force.
Of the wrath of God upon himself is evidence.
That the great low evidence of of the great love that Jesus has for you.
You know one day you are going to meet Jesus.
That day you will experience first hand either one of the two, either the wrath of God.
Or the love of God. And it will not be the experience. That just happens, just that one time, because it's an experience.
That will be your eternal destiny, and it will never end.
Tonight.
We pray that you will be ready.
To meet Jesus.
Back in the eternity past.
God was thinking about sharing his love with people.
And the very first people that God put on this earth.
Was Adam and Eve, and God loved them and he had a fellowship with them.
And he came down and visited with them every day but Adam and Eve.
They turned away from God. They turned to their own way.
And they disobeyed God, and they did their own will. And forever after that all people born into this world are the same.
They have gone astray and everybody has turned to his own way and you are no different.
You are selfish. Maybe you don't like to hear that, but you are selfish and you are going your own way and your iniquity and your sin is piling up as damnation against you.
And your heart and soul is being filled with this iniquity, and you are in danger of the damnation of the lake of fire. And already the wrath of God abides on you. And I warn you today to flee from the wrath to come.
God made God, made Adam and Eve in the image of God, and I believe that means that people have a spirit so that we can love God and so that we can have a fellowship with God.
Adam was also made in the likeness of God, and I think that might mean that Adam was without sin. God created Adam without sin so that God could have fellowship with Adam. But in the process of time Adam sinned and he sinned that against God and he disobeyed God and at that point he became a Sinner.
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And sin infected his whole body so that there was nothing good in him.
And at that point, sin separated Adam from God.
Go ahead and put them out of the garden.
I want to read a verse in Genesis 5.
And verse 3 and Adam lived in 100 years, 130 years.
And begat his son in his own likeness after his image, and called.
His name, Seth Adam, had children who were born in his own likeness. I think that means that they were born in the likeness of a Sinner, in the likeness of Adam.
We are all descendants of Adam, and so we are all.
Born in the likeness of a Sinner.
And what do we like as sinners?
Well, the Bible tells us very clearly, he says there is none good.
He says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He says the heart is deceitful of above all things and desperately wicked.
And the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and the thoughts of man were only evil continually.
There are some verses in Mark Chapter 7 that really explain the wickedness of the heart of man.
In Mark Chapter 7.
And.
And we'll begin with verse 21.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts.
Adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness.
Deceit. Lasciviousness. An evil eye? Blasphemy. Pride. Foolishness. Excuse me, you may say. Well, I haven't done any of these things. But you know what? It only takes a one second for our hearts to have a bad thought.
Or for or to have a moment of lust.
And perhaps you don't do the bad thing, but all that wickedness is still in your heart because you are a child of Adam.
Verse 23 tells us it says all these evil things come from within.
And defile the man you were born with this capability of sin in your heart.
And this sin has separated you from the love of God.
But you say that's not fair.
How can I be born a Sinner? I didn't do anything bad.
Why should I be condemned already?
Why should the wrath of God abide on me? But it is true. It is true. You are lost.
Lost in sin because you are born a lost Sinner.
And as you go through life without God in this world.
Your days are spent without hope and you are lost in your sin.
You maybe are thinking lost. I'm not lost. I'm right here.
Mom, Dad, they're there. My friends are right. I'm not lost. Well, let me explain.
Born lost with a parable. You know there was a nanny goat. A nanny goat is a mother goat. An Antigua wandered away from the farm and was lost and he got lost down by the dog food factory and the owner didn't know where the dog where the goat was.
And so all the nanny goat was lost. She gave birth to a baby goat.
I ask you, was the baby goat lost?
That baby goat didn't worry about that.
The baby goat was with her mother and she did not think that she was lost. But yes, the baby goat was born lost and the baby goat eventually died down by at the dog food factory because it trespassed with the Mama goat.
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And it was lost.
You are like the baby goat.
You are born lost in sin and your life is in danger of the wrath of God. No, the baby goat had no one to rescue it.
Nobody to rescue it from death, but you are different from that baby goat.
The baby goat died and that's the end. But you have a soul. You have a soul that will never die.
And with your soul you have opportunity to be rescued today from the wrath of God.
Wrath of God.
That would be the righteous judgment of God against the Sinner.
And we mentioned earlier that God loves the Sinner but hates the sin.
But let me tell you, if you reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we read that He is angry with the wicked every day. God is angry with the sinners who reject His offer of love and mercy.
There is a verse in Romans Chapter 9.
Romans 9, verse 22.
It tells us what if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? Well, God is long-suffering and He is patient with you. He is not willing that you should perish in hell.
And while God is waiting and giving you an opportunity to repent, you are busy.
Ignoring God, but as you reject God's offer of salvation.
You are fitting yourself. That means you are preparing yourself.
For destruction in the lake of fire.
And you're preparing yourself with your own sin, your own disobedience, your own unbelief, and your refusal to trust in Jesus.
In second Thessalonians one there is another verse.
Two Thessalonians 1.
You know the Sinner deserves the punishment that God has prepared for the unbelieving Christ rejecters who ignore the love and the compassion of God. And God describes your punishment in Second Thessalonians chapter one, verse 8:00 and 9:00.
In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not.
The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
The flaming fire taking vengeance, that is the lake of fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And if you do not know, if you do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, you will experience the everlasting flames of hell. I want to read a story, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Let's go to Luke, chapter 19.
Luke, Chapter 19.
I'm sorry, Luke, Chapter 16 and verse 19.
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, the rich man.
Died and was buried.
Verse 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment, and he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, son.
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Remember that you and your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted and you are tormented.
I tell you that there is no comfort in the fires of hell.
The wrath of God will burn against you forever and ever, and there will be no reprieve.
There will be no end of the torment. You are a vessel of wrath, fitted for destruction by your own rejection.
Of the Lord Jesus.
I travel to Africa often.
And I was in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.
It's on the Gomas on the far western border of Congo.
And on some of the clear nights I can lookout over Mountaineer A Congo and see in the sky the red glow of the Lake of fire and on the top of Mountaineer Gongo.
Is a lava lake. Lava is liquid or molten rock.
And the lake is about 200 meters across and if you were to climb to the top.
You could look down almost half a mile deep down into this pit.
And see a bubbling, boiling, roiling, smoking, steaming, glowing.
Lake of Liquid Rock. It is truly a lake of fire.
And it's always there.
The melting temperature of the rocks is more than 2000°F.
And the rock is so hot it melts into a fiery lake.
In May 2021.
The site of Mountaineer Agongo split from too much pressure building up inside, and the fire and the brimstone flowed down the mountain and their 17 villages destroyed.
There are 400,000 people that were evacuated and displaced, running for their life.
In fear and terror, and more than 30 people did not make it. The lake of fire flowed down the mountain, melting houses and animals and people. And there's one lady, I think her name was Ernestine, and she stayed with her invalid husband as long as she could. Her husband could not walk away, and the lava flowed closer and closer to their house and became very hot, and the sulfur made it hard for them to breathe.
And at the last moment, Ernestine had to run while the river of lava consumed.
Her house and her husband.
And the screaming of the people who could not get out of the way of the lava flow was heard.
In the terror of the night.
I have in my hand.
A piece of hell.
This was part of that lake of fire that flowed down the mountain.
In a river of fire near the city of Goma.
And when the lava flows down the mountain and it cools, it turns into a lava rock, just like this one.
I warn you today, the torment of the lake of fire will never cool down and turn into rocks. Your suffering will never stop in the lake of fire. And as the rich man looked across the ravine, he saw Lazarus over on the other side.
The rich man was in torment in the flames of hell, and I would guess Lazarus could see the rich man.
In the midst of the flames of hell as the rich man pleaded for relief. But there is no relief in hell. In hell is forever.
And you have no hope of ever getting out.
Hell is the wrath of God against the Sinner, and the wrath is the righteous judgment that you deserve because you are a Sinner.
And up to now you have refused to submit your life to Jesus as Lord, and you have not believed.
On Jesus.
You have not trusted him as your savior.
Jesus loves you and he does not want you to suffer in this way.
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He wants to save you from the judgment, but you need to trust him.
In the book of Romans.
Romans chapter 2.
It says in verse 4.
You have despised the riches of God's goodness and his forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that it is the goodness of God that leads you to repentance. Verse 5 but after.
Your hard and unrepentant heart, you are treasuring up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
As you go through life.
Despising the goodness of God and refusing to be sorry about the things that you have done. You are causing God to become angrier with you, and he will punish you even more on that day of judgment. And on that day you will find out how angry God really is with you.
It doesn't have to be that way, but the Bible says the wrath of God abides on you.
The Bible says you are condemned already. You will be bound hand and foot. You will be thrown with force into the screaming terror of the lake of fire as you well in hopeless despair.
You will know that you made a big mistake.
When you look back on today.
When you did not get to know God.
And you ignored Jesus Christ and you did not believe.
You will find out that God does get angry with the Sinner.
And you'll find out when you are judged on that day and cast into the lake of fire.
Lake of Fire. It's where selfish people go.
You did not want God.
You live for yourself in this world.
And so you will be cast.
Into the lake of fire by yourself.
That is who you live for all your life.
You lived for yourself.
Now.
You must spend eternity with yourself. You won't have any friends to go with you.
They'll be in their own compartment of hell.
You will suffer from loneliness.
And you will find nobody who cares.
Hell is hopeless.
Hell is endless.
It's eternal damnation.
It's alone.
Hell is alone in the darkness, and hell is your eternal destiny.
But there is good news. There is good news. God has made a way of escape.
From the wrath of God Christ, Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
The love of God was ready to endure the wrath of God that was coming against you.
At the cross, the Lord Jesus took it all because he loves you. Will you accept?
The love of God.
The wrath of God being against you.
Is not the heart of God.
We never read in the Bible that God is wrath, no.
God is love. God is not willing that you should perish.
And it was the love of God who planned that you would hear.
The message of the gospel of God's love. Tonight it was the love of God.
That made Jesus take the wrath of God upon himself so that you, the Sinner, you could escape.
The wrath of God. But this, this love, this love cost God so much.
When we consider how big the wrath of God is and how bad the wrath of God is against the unbelieving Sinner, it amazes us to find out that the God the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. And God took all the wrath and the punishment and the terror that was meant for me and poured it all out on his Son, Jesus Christ.
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It's amazing to me how big the love of God is.
When we understand, when we begin to understand how big the wrath of God is and how bad the punishment of sin is and how fearful the terror is. And we begin to understand, like that hymn that we sometimes sing. It says the love of God is greater, far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell, the guilty pair.
I believe that's Adam and Eve representing you and me. The guilty pair bowed down with care.
God gave his Son to win his erring child. He reconciled and pardoned from his sin. O love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong, it shall forever more endure the Saints eternal song.
It amazes me again to find out that the Son of God loved me so much that he gave himself.
To die for me, the Sinner, when he knew how big the wrath.
Of God was and how bad the punishment was, and how fearful the terror that would fall on him, how bad that was.
When he was crucified on the Shameful Cross.
But Jesus could say to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, not my will.
But thine be done, I have come to do your will.
Oh God. And so Christ died for our sins, and he was buried and praised God. On the third day he rose from the dead. And the Angel could say, he is not here. He is risen, He is risen from the dead. He is alive. Jesus is alive. And Jesus is a man tonight living in heaven, waiting for you to come. He says, Come unto me.
I have blessing for you.
I have forgiveness for you. I want to share my love with you.
He wants to give you eternal life.
Again, it amazes me to find out that the love of God is.
Everlasting.
Everlasting. That means that there was number time in eternity past when God did not love me and planned for me to be His child. It's an everlasting love.
And even though Jesus knew that it would cost him his life, Jesus was willing. We read that verse. Greater love has no man than this.
That a man lay down his life for his friends, but God commended his love toward us. Or we could say he approved the demonstration of his love for us because the Lord Jesus demonstrated to us.
The love of God.
And then, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The everlasting love of God. It wants to give you the life of God.
That is, he offers you everlasting life.
Again I will quote John 316 for God Southern loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten son, That whosoever believes in him should not perish but have.
Everlasting life. You can have everlasting life now, tonight. It's not something you get when you get to the gates of heaven. No, it's something you have now. It's something you can never lose. The Lord Jesus says I give unto them eternal life and they will never perish. And so you can have assurance that you have eternal life and you can know that you will never lose your eternal life. You are safe in the hands of Jesus, and no one can ****** you out of His hands. You are safe in the hands of the Father. You have double security in the hands of Jesus.
And in the hands of the Father, no one is going to get you out. Satan himself can't get you out. You can't get yourself out.
And your friends can't take you out. You are safe in the arms.
Of Jesus. What incredible love the Lord Jesus has for you, and God wants to give you that life. You don't need to remain lost.
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The love of God is so big that it can conquer sin and death and the wrath of God. You can be rescued today.
You have opportunity now to put your trust in the Lord Jesus.
Believe in him. Trust him. He will save you.
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Do you have time for Jesus?
Do you want Jesus? Will you accept his love, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
And you will be saved. I want to sing in closing.
Number one.
Almost persuaded.
Invite you here.
Let us know again twice a day now.
Falling off, I hear.
Come on. Come on there. Come.
There is another verse to that hymn.
I will quote it.
Almost persuaded Harvest his past.
Almost persuaded, Doom comes at last. Almost cannot avail.
Almost is but to fail.
Sad, sad. That bitter whale almost, but lost.
Just like the baby goat.
Lost.
Mephibosheth - The Lord Has Fetched Us
Saved? Friend of God?