St. Thomas Conference: 2008
Table of Contents
Beginings and Endings: Genisis to Revelation
Address—D. Rule
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We'll begin our time together this afternoon by singing the 1St 3 verses of #150.
Thou art the everlasting Word, the Father's only Son. God manifests.
God seen and heard the heavens, beloved 1.
Worthy, O Lamb of God, art thou that every knee?
To thee should bow 1St. 3 verses of 150 will need a starter.
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Spray.
Our God and our Father.
Thou hast heard us sing.
These words.
To thy son.
The one whom thou delight us to honor.
And the one our God, at least with our lips, we have given honor to.
In singing to him, worthy art thou, O Lamb of God, and we do pray, our God and Father, that thou would deepen in our souls.
That sense of the greatness, the honor.
That belongs to thy beloved 1.
We do look to Thee to bless Thy word to our souls this afternoon by the power of the Spirit.
For of thee comes the blessing.
We do desire that we may see no man.
Jesus only so we ask our God and Father for the glory.
In the honor of thy Son, and in his name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Turn with me, please, to the first words of the Bible.
Genesis chapter one, verse one.
Genesis 11.
In the beginning, God created.
The heaven and the earth.
And chapter 2.
And verse 7.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.
And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
And man became a living soul.
This afternoon I would like to.
Speak about some beginnings.
And endings.
And some beginnings which have no endings.
So the Word of God starts with the beginning.
But the center of the verse is God, and we would speak about Him first as one who?
Inhabits eternity. He has no beginning. He has no ending.
God is. He is the eternal I am. God stands or exists outside of time and space.
Everything that ever happens or will happen and has happened, God has seen it all.
Right at the same moment of time.
God who is?
But man ourselves.
Our creatures.
And God has created us in the context of space.
And time. And so in this first verse, we have the beginning of time.
In the beginning, we also have the beginning of space.
As it says, he created the heaven and the earth because before God created there was nothing of time or space.
If you look up into the sky.
I think it's between 5 and 10,000 stars.
Of the heavens can be seen by the natural or naked eye.
About 400 years ago.
The telescope was discovered.
And man was able to peer out into space.
That God had created. And see, I don't know at that time, but certainly the thousands became hundreds of thousands.
Of stars.
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We live according to the way man sees things, in a part of space that's called the Milky Way.
Around the year 1900 or thereabouts, man thought that the Milky Way was the extent of the universe.
That's all there was. That was the created.
Space of which this verse speaks.
Now he knows differently.
In the Milky Way.
There are an estimated 200 to 400 billion.
Bodies, stars, planets and so on.
200 to 400 billion.
It's a big number, number that none of us can fully comprehend or get our minds around, I don't think.
I have in my hand 1/4.
And it's about an inch in diameter.
And I want you to think of this quarter as representing.
The Milky Way Galaxy in which you live.
As one of those, I'll just use the word 400.
Billion bodies in this quarter.
The presently understood extent of the universe. If you look at this as.
The Milky Way is approximately 20 miles.
That is, if this represents 200 to 400 billion stars in God's universe that we just read about, the extent of the presently known universe would extend out 20 miles from this point where I'm standing.
That's what he now thinks is the size of it.
At the same time, he has certain calculations as to how much matter there should be in it, and he's only able to figure out about 60% of what he thinks there should be, and he doesn't know where the other 40% is at this point, so he's quite ignorant of a lot of it.
Nor does he know whether it's 1000 miles or 1,000,000 miles in extent in comparison to what he sees.
But turn your perspective around.
And think of God.
God created it all.
And God chose to go to a tiny little.
Insignificant bit of it.
Called Earth.
And there God chose to take a few grains of dust.
And breathe into them the breath of life.
And man.
Became a living soul.
Pretty small.
Pretty tiny, pretty insignificant in comparison to God and what God is.
I look around the faces of this room this afternoon and.
I recognize that as I look on you 100 years ago at most.
No one in this room existed.
You were not.
You had no being.
Some of you a year ago were not.
Or at least two years ago. We're not.
Now you are You had a beginning. Just like God placed in that first little bit of dust, the breath of life, so God conceived you in the womb of your mother.
And approximately 9 months later, we got to see you if we were older than you.
Or you came.
Into the world.
An offspring of Adam, and consequently just a little bit of dust, like he was.
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But in you God placed the breath of life.
You have a beginning.
But consider well the fact that you have no ending.
Pretty significant, isn't it?
Now that you exist, you are forever.
You will have no ending.
Turn over to Chapter 2.
Chapter 3.
Verse nine. Chapter 3. Verse 9.
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him.
Where art thou?
Verse 13.
And the Lord God said unto the woman.
What is this?
That thou hast done.
These are the first two questions that God.
Raised.
We won't go there. We don't have time to cover it, but it's nice. In the revelation, you might say, well, if that's the beginning, what's the ending? And I look forward to an ending that has no questions.
I believe when we're in heaven we shall know even as we are known and every question will be pre answered.
We'll never have any in heaven anymore necessary questions because it will all be known to us.
But that's not the point here. God.
Took an interest, a personal interest, in that little bit of dust into which he had breathed the breath of life, and he chose to leave.
His own dwelling place, a place outside of time and space, A place of uncreated glory, a place which no man can approach unto, for he cannot approach unto the majesty and the light of it.
We learned from First Timothy 6.
But God left it.
That he might come through that vast universe that he had created into that little speck of it called Earth, and into a little tiny part of that called the Garden of Eden.
To show his interest and care for that creature that he had created called Man.
So he comes into the garden the day in which we just read, and you know the story.
We don't need to tell it.
But the question is important.
Where are you?
He says to Adam.
Are you like Adam this afternoon?
Is that where does God come to you, to your soul this afternoon and say to you, where are you?
Where are you?
And the following question, what is this?
That you have done.
What is this?
That you have done.
It's an incredible thing.
Imagine that little bit of nothing save what God made it to be.
Would dare.
Would dare.
To disobey.
God.
And as a consequence of that disobedience.
He was lost.
He was lost.
You might say had no clue.
Where things were anymore.
What is this?
That thou had stunned.
Spit out, isn't he?
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That place of pleasure is what Eden means, pleasure. It was put out from that place of his pleasure.
He was put out from that place.
Lest he take of the one tree in the midst of the garden that.
Would have made him last on Earth forever, the tree of life there.
We know in the Revelation the Lord Jesus is the true tree of life.
And man has been restored so that he can partake of it. I partake in of it. And so of you. If you know the Lord Jesus, we've partaken of the tree of life.
But in the condition in which he was as a Sinner, he would have been an awful thing to be able to preserve that which he wow was indefinitely or forever.
Turn with me to.
Hebrews chapter one.
Verse one.
God, who at sundry times, and in divers manner spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.
Half in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, by whom He appointed, whom He appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world's, who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power.
When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
And verse six. And again, when he bringeth in the first born begotten into the world, he saith, Let all the angels of God worship him.
I'll turn over before we comment to Matthew's Gospel chapter.
20.
7.
Matthew, Chapter 27.
Verse 28.
And they stripped him.
And put on him a scarlet robe.
And when they had planted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head.
And to read in his right hand. And they bowed the knee before him and mocked him.
Saying Hail King of the Jews.
And they spit upon him.
And took the Reed and smote him.
On the head.
And after that, they had mocked him. They took the robe off from him.
And put his own raiment upon him, and led him away to crucify him.
Verse 35 And they crucified him.
And parted his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet.
They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
And sitting down.
They watched him there.
Over to John's Gospel.
Chapter 19.
And verse 34.
But one of the soldiers with a spear.
Pierced his side.
And forthwith came there out blood.
And water.
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God in his essential glory.
As we already referred to in First Timothy 6.
Dwells in unapproachable light.
Which no man can see nor approach unto.
God exists in such majesty.
That in his essential being, man even in heaven.
Will not approach there.
And in that I can't call it a place. I don't have words for it.
I'll just say there.
God looked upon the creature.
That he had created.
To whom he had had to say.
Where are you?
Now I know that God as we already said.
All these things were discussed and considered and determined before time began, but just so for our sake of following it through.
In a way that's easier for us.
We see God.
You might say having to make a decision.
What now?
What now?
God observed the passage of time on earth that became so violent and corrupt.
With lost man, sinful man, that he destroys it.
With the flood.
He allows 8 souls to survive the flood in the provision of the Ark.
The Institute's government on the earth to control man's behavior to some extent.
And things go on.
God himself no longer came in the cool of the day to visit where sin was.
But he did communicate with those called prophets.
Such as Moses and others to speak to the people on his behalf.
And many of them were rejected and refused.
And so a decision is made.
Surely.
They will reverence my son.
Surely.
They will reverence my son.
The son says here am I send me.
The father in his own heart decides to send the son.
But how can it be?
The first step.
Is the sun.
Empties himself.
Empties himself.
He puts aside not his person that could not be.
But he puts aside those things connected with his glory.
As part of the Godhead.
That which was his natural and proper place and right.
He empties himself of it.
God prepares for him a body.
Like unto the creature.
So that he might.
Go where the creature was.
And he comes.
He comes.
An incredible.
Going down.
Having come.
In the form of a man.
Partaking as that body of flesh and blood.
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It goes lower still.
He takes man's place.
As an obedient person.
For that's man's place. That was man's first.
Act against God was an act of disobedience resulting from His unbelief.
And.
He goes to the point of becoming a servant.
The lowest place among men, really.
He becomes a servant.
To do the bidding of God who had sent him.
He goes among men.
You know the story.
And it climaxes at Calvary's Hill.
Man takes a cross.
To put him on.
The Bible, God's Word clear dearly.
Tells us cursed is every man that hangs on a tree.
And so that little bit of God's creation called man.
Makes him a curse.
The Blessed.
One would come from God's highest heights.
Humbled himself.
And there is nailed to that cursed cross.
Hang.
Among men.
Spit on them.
They beat them.
Mock em.
They go so far as to say if you're really who you say you are.
Son of God, come down.
They not only taught him, but they taught God and say.
If you are the Son of God, let God take you down.
Off that curse cross.
Crucified.
I don't know how it affects your soul.
But I'm going to tell you how it affects mine.
Last Lord's Day.
Remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
The first hymn given out was sweet, the moments which in musing.
Or the cross we spend.
Sweet the moments.
Yes, looked at in a certain way, they're incredibly sweet.
But they're also, in another way, bitter.
Incredibly bitter.
And my own soul before the Lord.
Remembering that cross.
It came to me that.
As a creature that would dare do that.
So dishonor God.
The thought was.
I shouldn't exist.
I shouldn't exist.
Have no place.
Such a creature.
Doing such a thing.
Continuing to have any existence.
The cross is an end.
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It's an end of a number of things.
God said now.
Referring to that cross now is the judgment of this world.
The cross was the end for.
As he was.
Every single offspring of that first little speck of dust called Adam.
Dies before God.
Not one of Adam's race has any standing with God.
The Cross is the condemnation of mankind and the whole system that he has developed.
Now it's the judgment of this world.
The Lord Jesus himself, it's the end.
For him.
As associated.
With Adam's race.
He dies.
To it.
The.
In natural ways, we can wonder why God didn't just end it all.
He righteously could have.
He could have in His Holiness.
Wonderfully couldn't in his love.
But.
He does condemn it.
And says, as it were, that's the end.
It has no place that which we read about in Genesis 11. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And in chapter two, he breathed into man's nostrils, and he becomes.
The breath of life and he becomes a living soul. It's all done.
It's over.
There is no more history there. That's of importance to record.
We all know it's not the end of the story and I don't know how to present it.
Lord knows.
But we also read.
In John.
The very last act of man on the person of the Lord Jesus as a man in flesh and blood. The last act of man.
Rebellious man that's allowed is for this soldier to take that spear and Pierce him after that.
No unbelievers touch him or see him after his death.
Because his history with that.
Race of men is done.
But the soldier takes the spear, and he pierces the side of the Lord Jesus.
And forthwith came their out blood.
And water. God, working all things after the counsel of his own will, takes the last act of man.
And expresses his heart of blessing. The blood flows.
The blood, which is the very foundation of man, being reconciled.
To God.
Peace is made through the blood of His cross.
God is propitiated.
God is satisfied.
With the work that his son came to do.
And all of us who belong to the Lord Jesus.
Recognized in that our salvation.
Through that work that took place in those hours of darkness.
God and all that He is in love was never a greater display of it.
Then on that cross, the worst display of man is the greatest also occasion for the display of God.
All that God is in His Holiness is perfectly expressed as it never will be in a greater way.
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That in what took place at the cross, in the judgment of the Lord Jesus.
As the sin bearer and as the man who stands before God for Adam's race.
And all his guilt and what he is.
And he just made sin.
For us.
You might say, so what's next?
Turn with me to.
John.
17.
John 17 and verse 4.
I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee.
Before the world was.
Verse 21 That they all may be one.
As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.
Verse 24 Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory.
Which Thou has given me, for Thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
And now again over in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter one.
Verse 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.
This is chapter 2, verse 8.
For in that He put all things in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
But we see Jesus, who has made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory.
To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, For which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them.
Brethren.
Ephesians, chapter one.
Verse 20. Which the power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, And every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And have put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him.
That filleth All in all.
While that blessed man.
That blessed God.
Who had emptied himself, and came among men.
Was here.
God gave him fellows.
To companion with.
With disciples.
Apostles and so on.
Now the work is done.
And if I will again speaking in time, although the matter was just settled in eternity.
He had a choice to make.
He was free.
He had finished the work.
He was free to return to his previous place.
Incredible place of exaltation.
Which was his eternally.
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And he makes a choice. He says I will not.
I will not go out free.
That is, I will not return to.
To that place which I had before I came to that little tiny place.
Called Earth.
I love those people.
That I lived among.
And some of them God gave to me to be my own.
And I won't leave them.
I love my Master.
That is God, the place that God was to him as a servant on earth.
I love my Master.
And for my master's sake, I will remain with them.
That God's heart might be forever displayed to them.
We can't understand that.
We can't properly appreciate.
Whatever the right word is, I don't know but that he would condescend to remain that way.
Is still God.
But he chooses to remain men. He's always been God and always will be, but he chooses to remain a man.
And to keep in man's place the place of obedience.
Place of subjection.
God accepts that.
But he says.
OK.
But I'm going to take you.
From that little spot on earth.
Little speck of my creation.
And I'm going to raise you, you far above all the heavens.
That you might be where I am.
And so man and the person of the Lord Jesus.
Is taken from where he was, if you will, the place in which he was.
To a place of supreme exaltation for man.
Into the very presence of God, to sit at God's right hand.
When he came to the earth, even in the lowly way he was.
It says let the angels of God worship him.
And they did.
They recognized who He was, they knew Him, and they did worship Him.
But now he's given that place.
Right at God's right hand.
And God says.
Yes.
Son, son of Man.
I want everything that's been created that you created really.
We can't understand His person, God tells us that, but we can enjoy it.
I want everything under you.
I want you to have the supreme place.
Of all things.
So it's his.
Not yet as to its fulfillment as to the earth or even the heavens, because Satan is still in the heavens.
But in purpose, it's there and ready.
But what about those little specks of dust on the earth?
And which is the breath of life?
There's some of those little specks in this room.
What about those specs?
Father.
I will.
That they be with me where I am.
Can anything be denied him now?
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That expresses his wish or will.
Father.
I want them to be where I am.
That they may behold my glory.
They love me. That's assumed in those words, the thought in it, in his heart. They love me and I know they're going to want to see me.
In the my right place.
Turn with me to.
One Corinthians 15.
Pursue this thought a little more.
One Corinthians, chapter 15.
And verse 45.
And so it is written.
The first man Adam was made a living soul.
The last atom was made a quickening spirit.
Albeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural.
And afterward that which is spiritual.
The first man is of the earth, earthy. The 2nd man is Lord.
From heaven.
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.
And as is the heavenly, such are they also.
That are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthly.
We also shall bear the image of the heavenly.
As we mentioned earlier.
The race of man and Adam before the eye of God was done the cross.
The Lord Jesus died and rose again.
And when he rose again from the dead.
It was Behold, I make all things new.
He rose in a different character of life.
Not as the life that he had previously lived.
They wanted to take up a relationship with him, according to the old and as he said on the resurrection date of Mary. No, Mary, you can't touch me. You can't take up with me that old relationship in life.
He was truly in that way.
The man who came from heaven.
He descended.
And when he ascended, he ascended far above, as we said, all created things.
To occupy a place that God's right hand.
But.
He's the head of a new race of men.
And Adam had breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living soul, but the Lord Jesus.
The heavenly man.
Was a life giving spirit.
That is within his own being, his immortality. Nobody in this room has immortal at the present time.
We're all capable and subject to death, and the Lord Jesus is a man on earth was subject to death.
He had to take the low place for the very purpose so that he could die.
But now he's alive forevermore, not only in resurrection, but in his own person.
And.
If there are to be a race.
Just like you and I inherit the likeness to Adam.
So it will be in the new.
We bear the image.
Of the one from whom we come.
The Lord Jesus.
In the act of new birth.
Becomes literally our life.
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We share in his life, somebody said. We're of the same bundle of life.
The very life spiritually that you have this afternoon.
Is the life of Christ. That's why you can have the mind of Christ.
And having the very life of the Lord Jesus.
You are eternally linked to himself and his person and where he is.
There is your place with God.
And so.
You have an earthly body.
Not suited.
To your.
Being a heavenly man. And so it's going to be changed.
To be like unto his bloody of glory.
So that you and I.
When we are taken far above.
Everything connected with this creation.
Will be.
Properly there.
Unable to enjoy it.
What a destiny.
What a purpose and plan of God.
While he's there.
You know, he said in the beginning of the history of man, when Adam was there alone on Earth, he said it's not good for Adam to be alone.
He needs a companion.
The Lord Jesus is to be a man forever. It's not good for him to remain alone.
God says I'll give you a bride.
I'll give you a bride.
I will give you a body.
That completes you in that way.
To be the fullness that bride, To be the fullness of you.
The fulfiller of All in all.
So it shall be.
I want to conclude.
With the testimony.
Of three of our brethren.
First one.
Is James.
I'm sorry, first one I want to give is Thomas.
Thomas looked upon the Lord Jesus in resurrection.
He looked upon those hands.
And upon his side.
And Thomas looked in his face.
And they said.
My Lord.
And my God.
May that be the same response this afternoon in our hearts to that person.
My Lord.
And my God.
The testimony of our brother, the Apostle Paul.
He said.
I count all things but loss.
For the Excellency of the knowledge.
Of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Nothing.
Matters to me, he says.
But knowing him.
Better.
Testimony of Peter.
The last words of Peter to us are.
Grow in grace.
Everything from the cross on is grace.
To us.
Everything was judged there and done with, and every act of God for our blessing since has been an act of His grace.
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And Peter says crow in the enjoyment of that.
Grow in grace and in the knowledge of.
Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To whom be glory now?
May he find on earth now in your heart and mind.
That which answers to His glory.
To whom be glory now?
And for eternity.
Let's sing the last three verses of 150.
Lord Jesus.
We would in our hearts bow before thee.
To proclaim.
To thee.
My Lord.
And my God.
Amen.
Next meeting is for the reading of God's Word at 3:30.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Reading
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I wonder if I could take just a few minutes to.
Speak on behalf of the Local Assembly here.
In connection with these meetings.
We have a very definite exercise and desire that the result of our coming together for these few days would be that of edification and expectation and comfort for all who are here. And that the Lord would be honored not only in the meetings, but also in between the meetings and our conduct and conversational one with another, and then in the meetings, that the ministry would be such as.
We could all sense that it is the leading of the Spirit, and that we might receive the mind of God for this occasion.
And in that connection I'd like to read this a few verses.
First of all in Romans.
Chapter 14. Just one verse.
Verse 19.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and the things wherewith one may edify another.
And in first Peter.
Chapter 4.
And verse 11.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom he prays and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
And then finally, a passage in the First Thessalonians.
Bear with me please while I read a number of verses here that I.
If you want to characterize the Lord's people, especially at such a gathering as this, but certainly at all times, First Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 15 to the end of the chapter, see that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying.
Prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this this will be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
May the Lord be glorified in our time together.
May we sing hymn #191?
191 Still in a land of drought and dirt, our longing spirits cry. To these, to the Lord of heaven and earth are thirst dissatisfied.
In the same connection, could I suggest the last four verses of 275?
275 Beginning at verse 3. Thou weariest not most gracious Lord, though we may weary grow in season, the sustaining word thou gifts our hearts to know. 275 beginning at verse 3.
Valeria.
Was that First Corinthians chapter 2 That was suggested?
Read the chapter.
First Corinthians chapter 2 beginning at verse one.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in the weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words, or human or man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
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That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that come to nought. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world, until our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord our glory.
But as it is written, I have not seen, no ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yeah, the deep things of God. For what men knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him. Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth.
Pairing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Perhaps our brother that suggested the chapter would like to tell us in a few words if he has any special exercise in suggesting it. It's a very, very good chapter, and a very necessary one, but was there any particular thought you had behind it, brother?
Well, as I was saying a moment ago, I feel it's a very.
Important chapter for us because in Corinth they had a society that I would suggest is very much like that in which you and I Live Today.
At least in North America was a fairly wealthy place. It was a trading center right across the isthmus there between the northern part of Greece and the Peloponnesus down below. And as such it was a center that was fairly well off. They were also a fairly educated people, and sad to say, we're quite impressed with themselves on that account. But on the other hand, we know that God.
Had much people in that city as he told Paul in the book of the Acts when he visited there and more than that the Lord told Paul that no one would set on him to hurt him there so that Paul stayed there for an extremely long time at least a year and a half and many people were brought to the Lord and we know too that concerning the assembly there there was a lot of gift so that it was a place that had many things to commend it. But on the other hand, as we say, and it's sad that their worldliness and their.
Shall I say, pride in themselves tended to spill over into their Christianity, with the result that there were many serious problems in that local assembly. And so Paul has to start off dealing with the situation, but he does so here at the beginning of the epistle by pointing out what was fundamental to his preaching and fundamental to Christianity. And that was that in no way was it based on man's wisdom, in no way was it helped or in any way pushed along if we could use that term.
By the wisdom of men, but rather was directly opposite to man's wisdom. And so Paul brings that out here at the beginning of the epistle as a basis for the exhortations that he was going to have to take up with them one by one later on.
I think it would be nice to read the last two verses of the first chapter to begin our meditation here.
Verse 29 of chapter one was already read to us. The verse 30 says, but of him that is Christ.
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Are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification and redemption, that according it is written, he that glorious, let him glory in the Lord?
Getting a glimpse of who the Lord Jesus is puts us in our proper place, doesn't it?
So what about those last two verses, Doug? What does it mean then that is made out to us? Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification as redemption.
That's a big subject. Wisdom is the first one, isn't it?
Paul they would seem like there was those in Corinth that were wise and human wisdom. Human wisdom is all right if it's kept in its place, isn't it? But there's something that human wisdom doesn't bring us to God, and also the Lord Jesus is made that unto us.
In those verses, because we were told at school not to start a sentence with the Word, and our chapter begins with the Word and it's really connecting it with those two verses that you read.
As opposed to we could go back a little further perhaps with the young people here, we can look at the thoughts of this book here. That's not really the whole book. We won't have time. But the beginning of this book, the 1St 4 chapters in the sands where the apostle is talking about how they're not maintaining in the sense the unity inside the assembly. So you'll find from verse 10 of chapter one on going to about verse 24 of chapter 4. So as we go through this, we can keep that in mind that is talking about how are they failing.
To maintain that unity. So he began the 1St chapter by talking about what caused problems in the assembly. I know it's not the thought of the chapter, but we should briefly mention that we find in verse 10 there, there were different opinions. Verse 11 in chapter one there there was strife. And then verse 12 and verse 13, we find there were schisms because of that. And then we find that in to what? The latter part of the first chapter. Then he talked about wisdom, man's wisdom coming into the assembly.
And then in chapter 2 That we have the apostle break it down into perhaps five different sections of how we can receive in connection with giving and receiving the truth. So we find in our chapter, chapter 2 here in verse seven, we find that it's two ordinations. It is ordained before the world unto its glory. Then we find the second thing is in verse.
In in verse 9 how God had prepared for them. So we have ordination then we have preparation by God.
Then in verse 10 we will find that we have revelation. Things are being revealed to us.
In verse 13, the 4th egg we find here is that we have inspiration from God and then he end the chapter with verse 14 and 16 with eliminations. That's how the truth is being given and being received through this. Not to finish the thought. If you go on in the third chapter, he gives the consequences when worldly wisdom come into the assembly. The said result of that in chapter 3, you'll find in the first couple verses there, it actually dwarfed all the people of God when we let worldly wisdom.
Is not a democratic system, we need to be independence to the word of God. We find that in verses 3 to 8 there in chapter 3, it divides the assembly when we bring worldly wisdom in and in verse nine to seven if go even further 85 he filed the House of God. So he teaches things like that and then in chapter four he told us to emulate the walk the way the apostle has sat before us.
Wisdom is the.
Proper use of knowledge. Nobody can be wise if they don't know, and there's only two ways of knowing either. By our personal experience, we learn things so we can say we know them. All of us in this room have learned certain things that we know by our own experience, and we have passed them on to others. And sometimes they listen to us and sometimes they don't, and they learn by their own experience. Probably everyone here that's a parent has told their children not to touch something that's hot.
And probably all the children have touched something that's hot anyways.
They didn't listen to the knowledge that we had and the wisdom as to the consequences of what we know.
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And so they learn by their own experience.
Or if it's not learning by our own experience, we learn by what someone else tells us.
Those are the only two ways to gain knowledge, by personal experience or by someone else.
Man cannot rise higher than himself. He can't go higher than his own capacity to learn, to gain knowledge. And so man spends a lot of his energy in the world, and he's done some because God has so made him some pretty wonderful things in what we call technology and what he's been able to do. But.
There are many and the most important things that man is not capable of knowing by his own experience. And the only one that he can learn from is from someone else. And the only one that can tell him is God. And So what we know that's really important to us, that's eternal, comes as a testimony from God. God tells us certain things that otherwise we would never know and could never discover. And the apostle Paul, as he says in the first verse of this chapter, he says, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
That is, He's going to tell us some things that come from God. They didn't come from himself. They didn't come from his own experience or his own knowledge that he could gain, but they came from God, and it was important to Him to make known to them the fact that it didn't come from man. It wasn't according to what man could know or according to what man could make use of the knowledge that he had. That is human wisdom. But even in that which God tells us, we're not wise in it unless God makes it good in US.
And so that we can understand it and so that we can make use of it.
And not to speak too long in one moment, but the Lord Jesus.
Is God's wisdom for us and without seeing what God tells us through the Lord Jesus will never will never be wise. We can't be wise in ourselves. But it's also important right in the beginning of this meditation is to recognize that Paul is not simply concerned with wisdom, but in this chapter and in the previous chapter, he's very concerned with power. He's very concerned with power because man knows things, but it doesn't govern his behavior by what he knows.
Man does foolish things even though he knows better.
He experiences the bitter results of some things that he does and he says to himself, I won't do that again, but he does it again. And so man is given under the human wisdom doesn't control his life really. And the Apostle Paul in the first chapter and in this chapter 2 but he wants to say to them, verse 17, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel not with the wisdom of words, not even good words, not even a wisdom that is God-given, if you will.
As to how to say things right, he says, but lest the cross of Christ should be of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. You can tell them the truth, you can give them a testimony from God, and it's an accurate statement of knowledge and wisdom for man, but.
Why? Because the will is involved. Man says that's malicious. I'm not going to accept that. I don't want that. But unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. And so we need brethren.
The testimony of God. We need it given to us from God, communicated by the Spirit of God.
And we also need it made good in us by the power of God, for without that, it's not going to benefit our souls. And so we ask, we pray, as it were this afternoon, that God would not only teach us, but that by his power it might have its right place in our souls.
We have some verses in Proverbs 30 that kind of contrast with the ones we're reading here, and that seemed to be the condition in Corinth. I'd like to read them Proverbs 30.
There were words of Vager. We'll begin reading with verse two. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the Holy who hath ascended up into heaven or descended.
Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? In a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name? And what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?
Is this man teachable?
It would seem to me that he is. He doesn't start out with the supposition of knowing much.
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Is that not the case that we we have there in the third chapter?
Let no man verse 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. That is, let him take the place of knowing nothing. The truth of God is not an improvement upon man's wisdom and death.
Ability. It is completely contrary to man's.
Apprehension.
In everything, moral or spiritual, man isn't even logical if he's not to governed by the word of God. So there's an awful lot of worldly wisdom in these schools today, humanism and so on that leaves God out entirely and maintains that man has the ability to elevate himself into a higher sphere of knowledge and accomplishment and so on. But.
The wisdom of God is the opposite, as our brother mentioned of man's wisdom and the awful. Paul has had great advantage, naturally speaking. He was a well educated man, he knew the philosophies of the day and so on, and foreigns was the hotbed of philosophical teachings, or Greece was anyway. But if you go back to the history of Greece and look at their moral condition, they reached a a peak of the human knowledge perhaps.
Very seldom surpassed.
But the moral condition, as we were reminded often, is so terrible it's better not to read it. So a man's knowledge and their wisdom does not change his state of soul. He needs to be born again. He needs to have a new life. It's not the old life improved, but it's an entirely new life. The 1St man is set aside in the death of Christ. And I think that's what the apostle is bringing before us here.
Sometimes. Sometimes you see that phrase people use.
Knowledge is power and I'm sure you see that in magazine in a lot of places they use that phrase knowledge is power. We find the Corinthians in the first chapter saying that they that in verse 7 so that you come behind in no gift. So we know that the Corinthians were very gifted in many things. The other day I saw someone with a similar phrase. He said it didn't say knowledge is power, but he said that a little knowledge is dangerous and often man.
Or tree that we as men think we now have to acknowledge. But the knowledge, this man's knowledge does not necessary translate into God's wisdom. Our brother mentioned the verse in chapter 3 that prompted me to chapter 3, verse 18. I'd like to go back. I believe here it tells us three things about wisdom that we have to look at. Chapter 3, verse 18. Let no man deceive himself. Let any man among you seem seemeth to be wise in this world.
Let him become a fool, that he might be wise. Do I believe here in this verse is telling us that you want to learn more about wisdom? Then the first thing is that we have to look at ourselves. How do we look at ourselves? Do we seem to be wise with things of this world? What is the proper view we have of me? And then in verse 19 and verse 20, then he changed the subject a little bit, but it is still in regard to wisdom. But in this case it was the worldly wisdom.
Verse 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, He ticketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the lies, that they are vain. You want the wisdom of this world. The Word of God tells you that it is nothing but vain. So what is your own wisdom? What is the world's wisdom? And then there is another danger still. Perhaps we look at the wisdom of others, perhaps those who minister to West without going back to the word of God, and we find that in verse 21, therefore.
Let no man glory in man for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Sivas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come. All are yours and ye are Christ and Christ is God. So do we trust and put our faith into the oath of or perhaps we say we can say we set up those who labor among us on the pedestal. So we need to turn back to the wisdom of God and that they also if we go back to our chapter, then he's able to say to the Corinthians. He said in verse one and I brethren, when I came to you.
So what did He come to them with? Did he come and say, how well learned he was, how He was a Pharisees of a Pharisees, how touching the law? He didn't say any of that, did He? Here He begins this chapter by saying, I came to you. I came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
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James chapter 3 we get some of the characteristics of the wisdom of God.
Chapter 3 at the end of verse 13 refers to the meekness of wisdom, and then in verse 17 it says that the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Solomon was.
Given the wisdom above others.
For us, as an object lesson, God made Solomon a wiser man than the other men.
And he made Solomon such that he had every advantage, not only was wise, but he was rich, he was powerful, he was everything that a man, a natural man, could ever hope to have or be.
And he had the opportunity to fulfill every desire that came before his soul.
But he's also an object lesson to us, that while given even of God, his wisdom.
That didn't keep him wisdom and he turned to idolatry before the end of his life. That is, he turned away from God and was drawn away by his lusts.
And so, brethren, it's a, it's a lesson to us. We can talk about the wisdom of the world and we can read these verses and we can.
Recognize that we we don't get our wisdom from man, that our knowledge and the right use of it has to come from God. But even in that which God gives us, there's a natural tendency to go back to the human heart and say, look at me. I know a little more. I understand a little more than my next door neighbor or the Christian down the road and so on. And our hearts can be drawn away into pride by the very wisdom or understanding or knowledge that we have in spiritual things.
And so the Apostle Paul really makes an significant point that he, as he says in our chapter and this maybe to go back and point it out in chapter 2 and verse.
Two, I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.
That's the end of all man is, and all that man's wisdom is Jesus Christ crucified. That tells us where man is, and that tells us where the human heart goes. If it gets a part, if it gets separated from God, even as a Christian, it fails to recognize Jesus Christ crucified. That's what man did.
To God's Son, it crucified him. That's where man, if you will, in all his honor and wisdom and everything he thinks about himself, that's what it led him to crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. And even as a believer, if we don't stay right there in our souls in our daily life, Jesus Christ and him crucified, we will not lock in wisdom, but we will be drawn away by the sense of our own importance or knowledge or what we think we have and we do have.
It's a tremendous lesson to our souls to live our daily lives in the at the cross.
Recognizing always there is the end of men, and it's Christ crucified. And that's what the apostle Paul was bringing before these Corinthians who had a lot of wisdom and had a lot of knowledge, not of God, but of man. But even though he's going to teach them the testimony of God, it's always connected really with the cross of Christ. And that's where we have to live in our souls in a practical way in our daily lives, or we're no different than the man of the world.
That lives by his wisdom. We may live by our quote spiritual wisdom, but if it's disconnected from the Lord Jesus.
It's not the truth as it is in Jesus.
Just so there is no misunderstanding.
We need to be clear that Paul is not running down education, nor is he, when he speaks in this first verse about in our chapter, chapter 2, about the fact that he didn't come with Excellency of speech or wisdom. He's not running down the use of language in the proper way or any degree of having wisdom. As far as the things of this world are concerned, as we have already heard, we know that man has made tremendous advances in.
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Various areas of life and technology and so on, and God has given them that ability. We can be thankful for that. The danger is, and this is what the problem was in Corinth, it's been the danger all through man's history, is that man uses that thinking somehow that in the 1St place he can get along without God. That was where Cain started. And secondly, his brother Dawn has been bringing out. We can take a measure of comfort and pride even in knowledge and spiritual things.
And we need to realize first of all that in any moral and spiritual subject, we need a revelation from God. You and I are living, and you young people know it better than some of us that are a little older, that we are living not so much in an immoral society, although that is true, but what might be called an amoral society, that is man seeking to build up himself, but without any basis, any structure, any moral code that undergirds it at all. It doesn't work.
A man tried to arrive at a series of laws that could undergird society down somewhere in Texas. He was commissioned to do it, and he almost committed suicide over it because it couldn't be done. The fact is, we live, if we want to put it that way, in a moral universe, and there must be an absolute basis for it. Where is that found? In Christ through the word of God. And we can't get away from that. But man says I can do without that and the mass that we see the world in today.
Is largely the result of that. But what does God point us to? He points us to Christ as the wisdom of God.
And he's made us to unto us not only wisdom, but righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Everything is there in Christ. But then how do we live it out? How do we enjoy it? How do we walk in it with a sense of humility, a sense that all comes from God, a sense that everything we have is in Christ, and a sense that we can only live and walk in the good of it because of what Christ is and in walking with him. So again, I say, Paul isn't running down education in the natural sense.
But he's pointing out that when it comes to the moral and spiritual side of things, then we are completely dependent on divine revelation. The Corinthians had to realize that we have to realize it.
It's a good encouragement too in these two chapters before us. Sometimes when we are in front of someone and we have to have when we have the opportunity to speak for Christ, we sometimes say to ourselves, what do I tell them, How can I preach Well here we have before us that verse we have to preach. We preach Christ crucified and for young men here. Often we worry that don't wait. What stories do we tell? We don't need to worry about that. It is Christ crucified that we preached. Well, how do we encourage one another? How do we encourage the things.
Well, it's the same old story, isn't it? Here he tells us the same thing in verse two of our chapter, even though he said, for I determine not to know anything among you, but what is he to do? Say Jesus Christ and him crucified? I remember years ago we had young people meeting and a brother came. He was visiting in the last minute.
He came and he was asked to take the young people. And I remember we sat there for a few minutes and someone had a comment saying, I guess you don't have much to say because you weren't ready. And this remark he made says in my mind and my heart, all these years, he said when we have nothing else to talk about, we can still talk about Christ.
Tremendous effort today to try to reach people for God, for the Lord Jesus Christ.
By man's wisdom.
There's a whole movement and what's called the emerging church.
Movement in the United States and Canada today that seeks to reach souls by man's wisdom.
The thought is that man has needs, he has wishes, he has desires, he has problems, and so the way to reach man is to.
Need him where he is, which is true. The gospel has to meet a person. You go to a person and reach them where they are.
But it's not to the satisfaction or the satisfying of those immediate and perhaps personal problems and needs which that person has. But the gospel always goes back to the issue of the cross, and a man has to be brought to repentance, to the judging of himself, and then to the answer of God, which is trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not the meeting of some satisfying, of some immediate and personal need in his or her life. And so it's important for us when we seek the blessing of a fellow human being.
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That we not try to apply man's wisdom, but the recognize that the only answer to that person, yes, it has to start where they are, but it has to lead them to the cross.
The Lord Jesus took the man that said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And he didn't give them four spiritual laws or some other answer that said we can't do anything for yourself. You've got to trust in the Lord Jesus. No, he took the man up where he was. He said this, You're going to get saved.
By what you do, this is what you have to do. And so the man was presented with what he had to do, and he was brought to the conclusion that he couldn't do it. And sometimes you have to start with a person that thinks they can merit God's approval to bring them to the point where they realize they can't. But ultimately they have to be brought to the point where they judge themselves as lost.
And would turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. The wisdom of the world put Christ to death.
The wisdom of the world put Christ to death. That's where man's wisdom leads.
To crucify the Lord of glory. And so it's there that God takes up the issue in the first chapter. He says it please God by the foolishness of preaching. That isn't the foolishness of actually the fact of preaching. What it means is the foolishness of the message.
Jesus Christ and him crucified, that's the message that man has presented, and it's that message that man must accept.
To the salvation of His soul. If you go to the Acts and you look at every single preaching in the Acts where the actual message is given in the beginning, every single time He took them back to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. A man of that despised place that was of no importance in the wisdom of man. It was a place where man had was. If you were from Nazareth, you were nobody and unimportant among men. And yet the gospel preaching always took men back to Jesus Christ.
Of Nazareth, that is, they had to recognize that that man who came from that place was actually God's salvation. And if man is not taken there, then he will always have something of himself to glory in, and God will be robbed, and God will not be robbed of his glory. And so it's essential that we take a person to the cross and say this is our judgment. And the Lord Jesus, the man that we crucified, is the man that God presents to us to save our souls.
That's why we spoke earlier of revelation, but that's why Paul, when he went to Mars Hill, which was kind of the pinnacle of men's wisdom, he tells him two things that they could only know by revelation, judgment and resurrection. And he was thinking of Cornelius too. There was a lot that Cornelius knew about the Lord Jesus. He said that you knew that he went about doing good and teaching, preaching, peace. He said these things, you know. But then he went on to speak of the cross and the exaltation of Christ, and that was immediately met with faith and Cornelius's heart and.
He was saved.
So that's why Brother said that the preaching of the gospel is, he said preach facts. And especially in the day in which we're living, men are ignorant of the facts of the gospel.
Who Jesus is and what he has done.
Reach facts.
To the the Greek, the cross was.
A place of shame and reproach.
It was foolishness to him that a person could be saved by such a humiliating death. They couldn't understand that.
And the two was it was a stumbling block to him because he was looking for the.
Establishment of the Kingdom and the Messiah coming in power and glory. And so the cross was the center of two eternities. It's God's wisdom displayed the end of the first man.
And the introduction of new creation.
And the putting away of sin according to God's holy standard and requirement God didn't compromise his righteousness at all in the the death of Christ because.
The Lord Jesus bore the full judgment of sin there. I didn't pass over sin. It received its full and complete judgment at the cross. But you will learn to Greek this was foolishness. He he couldn't see. He was so occupied with his own importance and his own.
Human wisdom that the cross was nothing to him. He couldn't see any salvation for for his soul in the cross.
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Connection with this second verse. I had an experience several years ago when this verse was kind of brought to the kind of forcibly and it's a little embarrassing to tell him I'm going to tell it anyway. And that is, we had a labouring brother who was visiting in the area where I live, lived at that time. And he was staying a few days and there was some extra time in his hand and I, I met him for lunch. The Swiss chalet, Woodbridge.
And then there was some time available in the afternoon and I said to him, I wonder if they'd like to go over to my work and where I work and see what goes on there and, and.
Sort of fill up the afternoon and a little bit and he said, no, I don't think so. I think I'll just go and do whatever it was he was going to do. I don't remember, but I was, I was a little surprised. I thought it'd be interested or whatever. And I believe after that, that the Lord brought this verse to my attention.
I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And you know 1 field at times like we go to meeting and you see a brother drive in in a new car.
Or some of my family gets new clothes or something like this and we get too occupied with what our brethren lives are outside of the assembly. I don't know if that thought is embraced here in in this verse or not, but that's what I took for myself. And has it already been mentioned? The Corinthian assembly was a rich assembly and the Apostle Paul, he visited there and he was.
Where does it say? Right here, Further on in the book, I know.
That he didn't want yours, but you. He wanted them. He was. It was their souls, and he didn't come for their money.
He he desired that they go on for the Lord and I, I just like to think of this person that connection I determined on nothing among you say Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I would suggest rather than that sometimes after meeting, you know the Lord gives us a precious time, whether it is in the remembrance of the Lord or a reading meeting or a gospel meeting.
Now after meeting what we talk about.
I think it's it's nice to encourage one another. I don't mean never to talk about the welfare of other people, but the key. Christ is a preeminent theme in our life. That's what I like in connection with this person.
Well, we see Paul here in verse three telling the Corinthians that he was with them in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And I suppose we might wonder why that was so, because when we see him before he was saved, assault of Tarsus, he certainly was anything but a weak man. If you had seen Saul of Tarsus at the stoning of Stephen, if you had seen him at the head of those soldiers going on the road to Damascus to arrest believers.
I'm sure you would not have seen.
Someone that you looked at as a weak man.
Paul is a strong character by nature, well educated, forward. In fact he describes himself later on, and this is the Darby translation, as an insolent, overbearing man. Why did he say he was here then among the Corinthians in weakness and fear and much trembling. Was he afraid of the gospel? Not at all. He says in Romans chapter one, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. You had no question as to the message.
He had no question as to its power. What was he afraid of? Ohio. He was afraid. I believe if we could put it this way, that man's wisdom might mix with what God was doing and hinder the power of the Spirit of God.
He was afraid. And the more of man's wisdom that you and I may have naturally, the more even that we might have a measure of gift from God, shall we say, the more need there is of weakness and fear and trembling. Paul was not afraid of the message, I say again, Nor did he have any question that the Spirit of God had plenty of power to apply that message to the heart and conscience of those to whom he was speaking. But he was afraid lest anything of man should mix with it and water it down.
And he knew that if that were the case, that would never bring any of those Corinthians to Christ. He knew very well that unless we get back to what Don was saying to Christ and him crucified, there would never be any blessing. And again, I say to reemphasize it, it doesn't mean that we don't seek to meet souls where they are. The Lord Jesus did that himself. He spoke to Nicodemus in a totally different way than he did to the woman at the well. The apostle Paul spoke in a totally different way to those on Mars Hill.
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Then he spoke to the Philippine jailer. The situations were quite different, but in both cases we say again.
They were brought back to the cross. They were brought back to that which they could not know other than by divine revelation. And so I say that because it wasn't that Paul naturally was weak, nor was he afraid of the message, but he wanted it to be in God's power. He wanted it not to be in man's wisdom, but rather in the power of the Word of God by the Spirit of God, because that's what God could use to bring men to salvation.
You could present to somebody a perfectly presented message as to their need as a center and God's salvation for them. You could present it in the most persuasive manner, with the greatest ability and talent that any man has ever had. And it will do absolutely nothing for that soul unless God works in power.
The work of salvation depends upon the working of the power of God for the blessing of the soul and it's never in us. My wifes grandfather used to say if you if you traveled by train a lot and get on the train and if you presented a message to a person and they argued with you and you showed from the word of God.
That what they had to say was wrong. And you presented it such that they had no argument against it. And they raised another argument with you, and you answer that argument according to the word of God. And when they run out of arguments, he said, they'll get up and go to the dining car.
The point is, man in his will is a man does not want to retain God in his knowledge. And so it's necessary to be dependent in the presentation of the testimony of God that its effect upon souls be according to the working of the power of God by the Spirit and the living Word of God itself, to work in a soul to bring about a positive blessed result in that soul.
The apostle goes on in verse five to say something else. In what follows, he says that you're.
Verse six. I mean, howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. It's also important in the latter part of this chapter to recognize that the wisest man in the world is incapable. Say that again, the wisest man in the world is incapable of understanding the things of God unless he's born again.
It is impossible for man, natural man, to properly understand and enjoy the truth of God unless he's born again. He has to receive a new life that he might know, and without that new life, he cannot know. And the apostle was talking to his brother and he says you're, you're among the perfect.
That is, you are among those who have the capacity to know and understand and enjoy the things that are to be presented to you as a testimony from God. He then goes on to point out to them that the method of communication is not human wisdom, but the Spirit of God is the communicator so that they might understand them. And the receiver, the person who's going to receive them cannot receive them disconnected from their state of soul.
The truth of God may be presented here this afternoon, but if you're not in communion at the moment.
You're not going to get it. You're not going to get it. It's not going to be a benefit to you except to speak to your conscience in some way, to make you judge yourself so that you can be in a state in which the word will have its proper effect as far as the building up side of it. And so it's here he's speaking to some people who are depending on their own human wisdom, He said. You have the capacity, but brethren, you're carnal.
And as long as you're carnal, you're not going to, you're not going to listen, you're not going to receive. And so we're here and it's important to us. It's just not because we have minds that are capable of listening to words that we can get the truth of God in our souls. But God is pleased to communicate to us this afternoon if we are dependent, submissive to him. If any man will to do his will, not know, if any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.
Finally, the following chapter if you go on to explain that to obtain who godly wisdom is the work of the Trinity.
And find thy God, the Father, the Spirit, and the Son is all involved together. Let's take a look at it in verse seven. There we speak about those we spoke about the five things earlier on. But verse seven speaks of the ordination here in verse 7. But we speak the wisdom of God in the mystery, even the hidden wisdom. And notice here is that which which God ordained before the world unto our glory. So we see this ordination wisdom came from God ordaining it before the world.
00:55:25
And then in verse nine we see further work of God there says, but as it is written, I have not seen no ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which the things which bod hath prepared for them that love him. So we see the preparation of art was from God. And then we see in verse 10 Now it says here that God hath revealed. There's the revelation. That's how we learn wisdom too, isn't it? God hath revealed them unto us how?
God hath revealed unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things. Yeah, the deep things of God. How do we understand all these things of God? Through the Spirit, isn't it? Then we'll go further down in verse 13, Which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth. So we'll remind it again, not the worldly wisdom, but which the Holy Ghost teaches.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual so we see how God prepare how God we how how God ordained it God prepared it, the Holy Spirit revealed it the Holy Spirit in the sense inspire and teach us things and then in verse was such a read verse 1415 and 16 together. Now we see Christ involved here, but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God our brother God has mentioned that in the but for they are foolishness unto him, but neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet He himself is judge of no man, for he hath known the mind of the Lord, that we may instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ. How are we to have the mind of Christ? Or we're to be His first, aren't we? And to be His we have to be believed to finish work the the the preaching that to the world that was foolishness. For the cross is the Finnish work of our Lord Jesus Christ that I brought us on. Now we eliminated by His word through the work of the Father, the Spirit and the Son.
Man's wisdom strives for things bigger and faster and wiser and greater. And all of those superlatives? God, who is all of that in himself. His wisdom led him to give the Lord Jesus at the cross just the complete opposite. All of who God is in himself, without compromise, became a man and went to the cross. That wasn't a low point in God's purposes, That was the highest point.
In which all of God's plans and purposes would be accomplished and satisfied at the cross. That is God's wisdom.
Just the opposite to our own naturally speaking. And so we can't understand it except by the Spirit. How could we expect to understand that the eternal God would not only become a man, but go to the cross, and that would be to God's eternal satisfaction and glory. It's only by the Spirit of God that our hearts can be opened to receive it. And so as we speak of these things, it's not just.
A fact it's that something that should absolutely overwhelm us that this was the epitome. This was the climax of the wisdom of God when the Lord Jesus went to the cross and satisfied his Father had satisfied God about our sins, not only to bring us into blessing, but to bring the full glory that God had purchased, which is referred to even before the foundation of the world, all of the eternal Gods purposes.
Were satisfied at that point in this tiny.
Pixel in God's creation, it took place at the cross and all of his purposes from before, before the world began, all of the eternal purposes were satisfied and accomplished there. So when we speak of the gospel, we're not Speaking of of facts and events. We're talking about a moment in not only time, but in eternity when God accomplished his purposes.
Who dawned in connection with the comment about the will the cross at the cross of Christ we see thee ultimate will a man and exercise pilot deliver Christ to the will of the people. So we see for my will as a national man leads us. It's to the crucifixion of Christ and we see where the will of God play of Christ is to give himself for Sinner such as myself in connection with the truth that you talk to an ungodly man and he says well how do you meet and you explain to him and he said well that's the way it should be. Why is it because his will is not at work.
01:00:21
But you say that to a believer and immediately there are a bunch of arguments. And so why is that? Because the conscience tells them that the truth what the truth of God is and the way he ought to what act. And so Paul was with them with fear and trembling because he did not want it to descend into an argument, because arguments are when two wills are at work and in confrontation with each other. And so he was with them in weakness and trembling. I'd just like to read 2 verses in connection with Timothy in this third verse in First Corinthians chapter 4.
Verse 17 For this 'cause that I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. And then in the last chapter in connection with Timothy.
Verse 10 And if Timotheus comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he worketh the Lord, as I also do. The Corinthians are an intimidating bunch of people. And where the wisdom of man comes in and finds itself in conflict with the wisdom of God.
In that same connection, if I could ask Don to go back to his remark, who talked about the natural man you talked about the one that is spiritual.
And you also made reference to a believer that is carnal. And we do get all three of them mentioned, two of them in this chapter and the carnal man in the first verse of the next chapter. What's the difference between those three? And particularly, what's the difference between one who is carnal and one who is natural?
Natural man.
Is man as God created him as Adam was created?
And as a created human being, you had certain capacities that were given of God. One of the wonderful ones he had is referred to in this chapter as natural. Man has a spirit. If you put an Ant on this floor here, that Ant, having a body and a soul, has no consciousness of God's existence. It doesn't know there is a God because it has no spirit. But man as a creature has been given of God to know him, his existence and his power and his authority, because he has a spirit, and he is also a moral creature.
An Ant is not a mortal creature. It has no reference to God and has no morality as a consequence. But we are responsible to our Creator. We're morally bound to Him because of what we are, and that's a natural man. But when man sinned, then his will rises up in rebellion against God, and he wants to have nothing to do with God.
But he's limited compared to a believer because when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God gives us a new life with a new capacity that we didn't have before. If if you had an Ant here and it looked at me, it knows I am where you are. It can look at us, it can react to us. It recognizes our existence and probably something of the power that we have in comparison to itself. It knows about me, but that aunt doesn't know my heart. It is no knowledge of my heart. Truly, it can't. It's not capable of it.
But if you could impart to that end my life, then that aunt could know me in a totally different and wonderful way. And when God brings us into his family, it is a superior creation. Really, it's a new creation that is superior to the Adamic creation because having given to us the life of Christ, I can know as I couldn't know before the heart of God.
God is now able to communicate to me things that before I could not know because I didn't have naturally the capacity to know them. I know God, I know responsibility and so on as a natural man. But now as a child of God, I know God's thoughts, I know God's heart because they're communicated to me by the Spirit of God. But if I as a believer, and this is where carnality comes into it. If I as a believer revert to the thinking processes of the natural man.
I hinder the communications of the thoughts of God to my soul, and so I walk as if I wasn't a believer. I walk in a carnal way, and a carnal Christian is one who has capacity, but he doesn't have communion and enjoyment of God, and so the Spirit of God has to occupy him with himself.
That he might judge himself, so that God is free to communicate that which he wants to his soul, which is his heart.
01:05:04
As well.
Is joy so that there might be shared.
In the in the second chapter, as we mentioned it in verse 30, it says above of him that's a God of course.
Back to verse 27 of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who and I read from Mr. Darby's version, is made unto us wisdom of God. So the apostle is describing there a state of being in Christ. Now it appears from what we've been discussing that I can be saved but be a carnal man. In other words, I'm not really living in Christ and as such I don't have that wisdom that comes from God.
If, on the other hand, if I am in the state of being in Christ, living in Christ, having the cross very much brought before me every day as we mentioned, then I have I can have that wisdom of God.
Seeing Him done before him #4 I was thinking particularly the latter part of verse one. Indeed, from everlasting the wonderful I am our pleasures never wasting. And wisdom is thy name, hymn #4.
There God.
Hello, hello, hello, hello.
Before my Christmas Day.
And the world will live in.
I'm so cold water and the night goes out to him.
Defend ourselves.
God our Father.
Exactly that we've been brought to know Thee, whom to know is life eternal. So we thank Thee for Thy precious word that we've had open to see this afternoon. Pray that we might truly meditate on what we've heard. We might speak of Thee too, as we converse one with another. And so we just look to Thee now, Lord, as we begin this weekend and these meetings together. Pray Thy blessing hast thy help and thank Thee once more for thank goodness my love to us and just commend us. Do Thee now and and all to the Akim bags, bless and Savior, and Thy alone worthy and most precious name. Amen.
01:10:07
Amen.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Reading
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Exodus.
Access Chapter 15.
And verse 23 And when they came tomorrow, they could not drink to the waters tomorrow, for they were adventures. Therefore the name of it was called Laura. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord. And the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
And then verse 27 and they came to Elam, where were 12 wells of water and three score and 10 palm trees, and they encamped there by the waters. Let's pray our God and our Father, as we pause this morning to open up Thy word and just do spray for a blessing. We just do thank Thee that the bitter waters may be made sweet by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that has brought us into blessing. We just do thank Thee that Thou has given us a place to encamp also.
And to rest thy love and to be nourished. And we just do pray for encouragement here this evening.
This evening, this morning, that's just provide for each one of us that we might say that it's been well for us to have been here. In my name we can thanks Lord Jesus, Amen. Amen.
00:05:19
Connection with the Himalayas. Some of the sick mother have 115.
I would like to suggest we go on one more meeting on chapter two of First Corinthians.
I think that would be very nice too. Where should we start?
Verse 6.
First Corinthians chapter 2, beginning of verse 6. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that come to nought. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew, for he had. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loved him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yeah, the deep things of God. For what may knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man, which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of man, of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God.
That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, Which things also we speak not in the words which means wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
That he may instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ.
I was thinking here in connection with the word wisdom here in our passage. We spoke quite a lot about it yesterday, but it might be helpful for us to note the the context in the Apostles argument here.
Really, the wisdom of God has been completely.
Demonstrated now through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, and I think it's important to see that.
Mystery was something that was not revealed in former dispensations, but now in Christianity we have the complete revelation.
Of the mind of God.
Through the work of Christ as to God's counsels and God's purposes in relation to the believer, the church, the establishment of the Kingdom, and so on, the heavenly calling. All this is the wisdom of God and it was largely unfolded through the ministry of the apostle Paul, which to a great extent is refused and christened today. I was just thinking of brethren, that those that are mature.
Doesn't mean without sin here, but I think it refers to a believer who is mature in the things of God. These wondrous truths are unfolded to us. The very heart of God has been revealed and I know that verse nine is often applied to us in a future sense that we don't realize the blessedness of being forever with Christ. I have no objection to that. But really verse 9 brings before us the truth that these things.
Can be comprehended by us now, or apprehended by us at the present time.
That God's mind has been revealed and the councils and the plan of God has been unfolded to us and He would have us to enter into it, to enjoy it, to understand the purpose and the a plan of God for the church and for this whole universe. I think the wisdom of God would include that. Am I right there, brethren?
00:10:29
Yes.
Is it connected? Isn't it primarily with the crucifixion of the Lord of Glory?
We have that in the first chapter. This is how God's wisdom is manifested. The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them, not perish.
Of the crucifixion of the Lord of glory, because the men of this world knew not the wisdom of God. This is the wisdom of God, the crucifixion of the Lord of Lords and all that ensues from it to us. But this is the beginning, the center, the fullness of it is the crucifixion of the Lord of glory.
And I would suggest that that is the starting point of it, and it's what the apostle brings before us here. But the wisdom of God ultimately includes, doesn't it, all His purposes concerning His beloved Son. That's why it says here that it was ordained in verse 7 before the world unto our glory. We know this well. But it bears repeating that long before this world was made, God had purpose to, as we get in Ephesians one and 10, to head up all things in Christ.
Things which are in heaven and on earth, even in Him. And more than that, He purposed to bring you and me into blessing with Him.
And chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The cross is the basis of all of that. And as we said yesterday, all of that runs totally contrary to the wisdom of man. And it isn't that there wasn't a wisdom of God-given to this world before Paul's ministry. Man had the witness of creation. And we see the wisdom of God in the wonderful works that he has done in creation. But how much more? How much greater?
How much more wonderful the wisdom that has been brought out in Christ coming into this world. How much more wonderful the wisdom of God in bringing lost sinners into blessing, and yet not sacrificing any part of His holy nature. How much more wonderful that He associates us with His beloved Son in all his counsels concerning him. And so that is the mystery, the secret that was committed to Paul, isn't it? And he is so anxious, so careful that these beloved Saints would get hold of that.
But if they try to arrive at it through man's wisdom, or try to mix man's wisdom up with it, it only spoiled it, didn't it?
It couldn't come out until the work of the cross had been finished. It speaks about wisdom in Proverbs 8, and it says, among other things, my delights were with the sons of men. God had that plan back in the past eternity, but it couldn't be revealed until the Lord Jesus came right on the cross, set us apart, redeemed us, sent the Spirit of God down to dwell with us, to enable us to enter into these things. Now the whole counsels of God can become out and be made known to us. We can enter into it and appreciate it.
Through Christ he is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. With that is established, then there's a basis for fellowship with God and to enter into these. So these are the perfect ones that Paul speaks to. Even though the Corinthians were acting carnal, they were born again, Christians among them. And these have the capacity to enter into these things. And so he he writes to them in that way. But if we're walking carnally.
Then we're seeking these things.
In our own ways that we can't.
Will never arrive, we'll never get to it. God tried man 4000 years and that way.
And that they, those who were the most religious, who had, were those who crucified the Lord Jesus. They were.
Exactly on the wrong side.
What you say, brother talk and what brother John said about the ninth verse is confirmed if we read it in the Old Testament where it comes from, because it says that here. It says for them that their chapter.
Old revelation coming out says.
But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man that things which God prepared for them that loved him, where that's extracted from the old quote from the Old Testament, that they just wait for him. The waiting was over. Christ had come and done his work.
That's in Isaiah 64, I believe.
00:15:01
64 and four.
Since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, neither have the eye seen, O God, besides to eat what He has prepared for Him and waited for Him.
What does that mean? That it's referring to the eye and to the ear and to the heart?
And the eye for seeing, the ear for hearing, the heart for affections that naturally.
The understanding of these things cannot be received in a natural way. The eye.
Hath not seen.
Or the north ear heard well I'm going to know the mind of God in in connection with the his divine councils connection with Christ is the head of the church.
And my place in the body of Christ. All of these things are only revealed in communion with the Lord Himself. Is that really what is being brought out here?
That's a question.
It means that the natural man isn't capable of thinking it up or knowing it.
But the only way he can know it is if God reveals it to him. And so he says in the next verse, But God hath revealed.
And so the natural man isn't a creature capable of conceiving in himself the purposes and plans and will of God, but God has chosen to make himself known to his creature. But he didn't fully make himself known, as Doug spoke of, until the cross.
When the work was accomplished, which was the foundation on which God's purposes would rest in their accomplishment? It says in Acts 15, known unto God are his works from eternity. And so it's interesting God never learns anything. He never discovers anything. God knows and has known from eternity everything. I lift my finger that action was known of God forever.
He didn't just discover I was going to lift my finger, but he knew.
Before this world ever existed, at this moment in time, at this occasion, that finger would be lifted, known unto God or all His works from eternity. But God's time to make them known to His creature, man was according to his own will when he would do it. And man, until that time came, would never conceive it according to his natural heart. And when the time came to reveal it, it's only revealed.
To the Newman, it's only revealed to the believer.
Who has new life? And then it's revealed to him by the power of the Spirit of God working in him. And so if God didn't work on a man by the Spirit, even now the natural man can't understand the purposes and counsels of God. He's incapable of it. We who sit in this room, who are the Lords, God reveals it to us by the Spirit, and we enjoy it as God's children.
Find a spirit through his word. I'm just going to read the first verses of John's epistle. That which we had was from the beginning, which we have heard.
Which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon on our hands, handled of the word of life. For the life was manifest, and we have seen it and bear witness and show you that eternal life which was with the Father manifested unto us. The Spirit takes the Word of God and those that were witnesses to it, and that's how He makes it good to our souls.
Important too, to recognize though, in the verse that you just quoted, it's the living Word. We sometimes limit our thoughts about it as if it was simply these words on a page in a book that is involved, but it is. It is that it's words on a page in a book. But the book we have in our hand isn't just a book. It is the living Word of God. It is a word which gives life. Every one of us in this room who have life with God, who have been born again, have received that life by word which is living and made good to us by the power of the Spirit of God.
We're composed of a body, a soul, and a spirit, and God communicates to us through all that we are, it says in first John 5. His Spirit, that is the Holy Spirit, witnesses to what our minds know, to our spirit, that we are the children of God in the Old Testament, in the coming day, in Ezekiel when God's people are regathered into their land.
00:20:12
They didn't keep the law of Moses before and they'll be in a new covenant relationship with God. But still what was in the law was right. And so he says, I will write my laws in their minds. No, in their hearts. And so our relationship with God is this word that's in in our hands is is living. It's not just words on paper. It's living and it has a power given of God.
To actually bring life to us, spiritual life and God takes and speaks to our souls by the Spirit.
As it says a little later, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means. And so we want to be sure that we don't take these things up and limit it to the way man looks at things and he thinks, well, my mind is the thing that I understand with. We're not talking about things here that are just limited to what the mind can understand. God has given us the very life of Christ, that when Christ feels something, we have a life that can feel it the same way.
When the Lord Jesus looks at his soul and loves them, it's what He is in His heart and His being.
And when he gives you life, his own life, and you look at that soul, you have the capacity to love him in the same way.
You didn't have it before, but now you do. And so it's important for us to recognize the truth that Paul's bringing before us is a living thing. It's a living thing. It's our whole being in relationship to God.
Thinking also that for the young people, it might be valuable to note a few points about the Spirit of God, because there's a tremendous amount of confusion out in Christendom on this subject. The fear of God is a divine person. First of all, it's not an influence. And although the Spirit of God worked in Old Testament times as we know it, came upon serving persons and used them like Samson, and even came upon unsaved people like Saul, but he never.
Abode in the in the believer in the Old Testament.
But now since Pentecost, fear of God has descended, sent from Christ, sent by the Father. Now he has formed the body of Christ. I know that does is not the subject here, but he has formed the body of Christ, a new Organism that never existed before. And we've been united by the Spirit of God to an exalted man in the glory to Christ in in heaven. 1 body, but also he indwells the believer.
That was never known in Old Testament times. It will not be known after the church is raptured. There will be no indwelling of the Spirit of God in the tribulation period for the remnant or in the Millennium. But now this is a peculiar characteristic of Christianity, living man in the glory, one thing, and the Spirit of God abiding in the church collectively and in individual believers. So that brings a responsibility before us. How are we walking? Are we breathing?
Grieving the Holy Spirit of God.
If so, we're not going to understand the wisdom of God that is brought before us here. We're not going to apprehend these things or grow spiritually. If that divine guest is grieved within us, grieved not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. He will never leave us, so don't grieve him. And this is important. I'm sure that our brethren would agree that the Spirit of God must not be hindered in His operation electively in the assembly.
But also individually in our lives are we walking in self judgment so that we might enjoy these precious things that have been revealed to us by the Spirit of God?
We see the apostle is actually building up to just that, isn't it? Because in the following chapters he emphasized that about how the Spirit of God actually indwelled. In fact, if we go further down, glance down to the next chapter in verse 16, he started off with a very interesting way of starting off with a phrase. He started off by saying, know ye not as if sometimes as young people we talk that way, don't we? When we think someone should really know about something, we'll say, well, you should know this. Don't you know this? Well, that's exactly how it's worded here. Know ye not.
And I think we should pay attention to it that do we really know this? The verse says, know ye not that ye are.
The temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Oh, what a question.
So here do we know that now here in this case, I believe it's referring to the assembly as a whole that the Holy Spirit dwells in the assembly that we were to go down further to chapter 6 verse 15, we'll find as our brother referring to dwelling in US in chapter 6 verse 15. Notice the question. Notice these the verse begin, but the question again, know ye not know ye not that your bodies are the other members of Christ.
00:25:26
Then I'm sorry, in verse 19, what know ye nod that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not of your own, for ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods. We're no longer ours and we have that Holy Spirit dwelling in US and that's what's teaching us. That's what's helping us, isn't it, to understand.
So here now chapter we find as it was mentioned yesterday, it's we find that there is the preparation in a sent by God that we have in verse nine and then the revelation of wisdom through the Spirit of God that teach us how we are to walk.
And justice to make this practical too. Whenever we get the Spirit of God brought in, well, I better not. That's a pretty sweeping statement. But generally when we get the Spirit of God brought in, it is not only intelligence in the things of God, it's enjoyment. Enjoyment. Man, prior to the coming down of the Spirit of God was not intelligent in the same way. Look at the disciples, how difficult they found it.
When the Lord Jesus told them what we would consider to be fundamental things, and over and over again he would tell them things and they couldn't get it clear. But what a difference after the day of Pentecost. What a difference when Peter stands up on the day of Pentecost and preaches pulling scriptures out of the Old Testament, tying them together and bringing out clearly the whole force of the gospel. What made the difference? The Spirit of God. But it's also intended for our enjoyment. And So what we have here in this chapter, I believe.
Among other things, of course, is Paul saying to these Corinthians, and ultimately to us too, you cannot enjoy the things of Christ if you are trying to go at it with the natural mind. It won't work. It seems totally opposite to the natural mind. But God says now I've given you my spirit and now you can enjoy those things. The wonderful expression here in this chapter, the Spirit searcheth, as it says in verse 10, all things, yeah, the deep things of God.
Every husband and wife here knows what it is to enjoy the deep things of one another, things that no one else perhaps knows about, things that have to do with the the other ones being that no one else knows about. Things that you can share together that no one else does. God says, I want to share those with you, I want you to enjoy them. And in order that you can do that, I am sending down a person of the Godhead to indwell, as we've heard, not only every true believer individually, but to dwell collectively among believers as the House of God in order that you can enjoy them.
So as our brother Dawn remarked, yes, it is true, we will enjoy these things in a wonderful way in eternity. God says you don't have to wait till then. It's not a question of yes, those wonderful things will be yours in heaven. I want you to have them and enjoy them now.
My brother read this morning about Peter's comments on the amount of transfiguration where Peter said it is good for us to be here. I believe that was Peter's assessment of the situation. But God had the Lord was going to show him a better thing than enjoying a Kingdom here on earth. And so a cloud comes and overshadows the scene, and there's an excellent glory there. That's a picture of what is our portion. That's the heavenly glory in association with Christ as one body.
Taken up there to dwell with the Lord Jesus in glory. That's real fellowship. That's the place that God has called us to. That's the wisdom of God bringing a people here on earth to that. When Cain slew his brother, he thought he got rid of his brother Abel. But Abel still speaks in resurrection, and in resurrection he's going to enter into that glory. We too. And so you have to go to the cross by the way of the cross to get there. In that sense, death and resurrection with Christ.
And so that excellent glory here is, this is part of what this mystery here Paul is unfolding brings us into fellowship. And they saw no man save Jesus only. And that's where we're brought now.
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Maybe we could turn to John 3 to go back to Brother Dawn's comments referred to Ezekiel about the replacing of the Stony heart of the heart of flesh, the work of the Spirit of God, because it even precedes the indwelling of the Spirit of God. And this interview that the Lord had with Nicodemus, verse three of chapter 3. And Jesus answered, he said on him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except the man, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Verse five And Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, You must be born again. And so he said to Nicodemus, Holy art thou master of Israel, and knoweth not these things.
That there had to be a work of the Spirit of God for him to even understand, to even see these things, to be able to enter into them. And so we get this in Peter's epistle, the 1St chapter, we see the brother spoke of God knowing even the lifting of our finger, but.
First Peter chapter one and verse 2.
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So there was a work of the Spirit of God in my dead soul and yours.
That allowed us to lay hold of the truth of God, because it could not be apprehended by natural means.
I believe the Corinthians were in danger of losing this blessing.
Independence on the Holy Spirit.
By things that they were doing there they were seeing men in the first chapter. You know it was yesterday they were looking at a Paul and appalled as I'm off Cephas and so on. That's the danger I believe that and Paul saw with them setting aside you might say they leading up the Holy Spirit. They're now seeing men and whether it be their oratory skills or certain line of doctrine or certain manner of speaking. Whatever it was, it was effective to the and that's the danger we all have. Have we set men up instead of the Spirit of God.
That's why, Paul, I believe in this chapter we began yesterday says it and from the first person when I came on to you.
I came not with Excellency of speech brought wisdom because we have that tendency to look towards those things, those we might call it gifts or whatever natural things that we just appeal to us. But it's the spiritual things. Whereas in our chapter that brought out it's the spiritual things. And they were in danger of losing that because they were getting away from that and looking at men, informing groups as it were under these different ones. And that's a grave danger.
Make a few remarks and more on the Spirit from John's Gospel chapter 16.
John's Gospel chapter 16 and verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. If I go not away, the Comforter, that's the Holy Spirit will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Verse 13. How be it been? He, the Spirit of truth has come. He will guide you into all truth, where He will not speak of Himself. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he shall show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
The Spirit of God.
And coming into the world to dwell in us guides us into truth.
Man's truth tends to glorify. That is what man calls. Truth tends to glorify man, and a man that has it tends to be proud about it because he knows something or he can communicate something that he's discovered that others have it.
But the Spirit of God guides us, if we're submissive to it, into truth in such a way that it glorifies the person of the Lord Jesus and makes nothing of us. And so we get to enjoy truth without the side effects which are bad of pride and self exaltation. Also, the spirit of truth that is in US is that which undertakes for us to know when we're hearing truth.
When people talk about things.
Like Violet at the crucifixion, he said what's truth? And if you get into a discussion with people about supposedly some matter and what's the truth of the matter, there'll be opinion involved in it. I think this is the truth. No, I think that is the truth. No, I think something else is the truth. And each man, according to his own judgment, will have his belief in what in the matter in question is actually true or truth.
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But it's wonderful when we sit here this morning and statements are being made by this brother. And that brother, the Spirit of God in you is going to confirm in your soul if what you're hearing is truth. And if two different brothers say two different things and one doesn't agree with the other, the Spirit of God is not going to affirm in your soul the one who says something that's incorrect. But the Spirit of God will confirm in you that which is truly of the Spirit.
So we don't need to fight over truth. We shouldn't ever. But in the same way, when a brother says something of God, he doesn't need to, as it were, try to convince biologic or reason or persuasion that he said the right thing and his brother said the wrong. The one that does that work for all of us is the Spirit of God.
When the Spirit brings us into the true knowledge of glorifying Christ in our souls, it produces, as Bill said, joy. And so the work of the Spirit brings the joy to the heart and saw when the Lord Jesus is presented to our hearts in a way that honors God, the Spirit of God takes that and this doesn't make it. Oh, I learned a new fact which might be true in itself, but four more importantly, it brings produces a joy in the heart that is of God.
And honors and exalts the son and something else very important are many things. But another thing very important is.
The Spirit of God is the power of our Christian life. The Word of God gives us the revelation of the mind of God, the life that we have, the life of Christ gives us the desire to please God, but it's the Spirit of God that gives us the power to do it. It's not in ourselves. It is in that spirit that dwells in us, that energizes properly the Christian life, the new life in itself. And so God has made every provision for us to walk in communion with himself in the Lord Jesus. That it's expedient for me to go away because.
If I didn't, I'd looked after your every need. But now that I go away, the Spirit of God has come, will come and he will dwell in you and he will provide all these, if you will, services, comforter position. He will look after everything that you need to enjoy, to honor, to know, to walk in the truth of God.
We haven't commented much on verse 8.
But it just bears out what was being said earlier, namely that the wisdom of man is directly opposite to God's wisdom.
And we might take this verse it says which none referring to the hidden wisdom in verse 7, which none of the Princess of this world knew or had they known that they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. We might take that to say, well, if only man had understood, if only man had realized what he was doing, he wouldn't have done it. And we're thankful for what the Lord Jesus said as they were crucifying him. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. But I suggest that the real meaning of this verse is.
That if man had realized what God's purposes were and the largeness of blessing that was going to result from the work of Christ.
The wonderful things that were going to come to you and me. And ultimately, of course, prior to that, God's purposes in Christ. I say again, if man had realized that his natural heart would have been so contrary and his will would have been so much against God that he would said, well, if that's what's going to happen, then I won't do it. Just if possible to frustrate and thwart the purposes of God. And so it's a terrible commentary, isn't it, on our own natural hearts because before being saved.
That's where we were, that's where our hearts were, and we need to realize that ultimately that is the attitude and spirit of the world around us. Now, it may be glossed over with nice things, and we're thankful for the measure of interest that we may find in the Word of God. But at the same time, we have to realize that deep down in our natural hearts, there's not only an ignorance of the purposes of God, but a direct willfulness that says, if that's God's purpose, then I will try and go in the other direction if possible.
To thwart and frustrate the purposes of God. So when we realize that, it really puts things in the right perspective, doesn't it? It shows us exactly where man's wisdom takes him, and it shows us where man lies in his natural state with reference to the purposes of God.
So it says, if any man will to do his will, he shall know the doctrine. And so if there is a submissive, willing heart, God makes known what he's doing to that person. When God was about the Lord was about to destroy Sodom, he said to his companions.
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As it were, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I'm about to do?
Abraham was a friend of God and friend Cher, and so he had a purpose with respect to that wicked city. But as it were in his own heart, he wouldn't carry it out without first telling Abraham.
And Abraham then intercedes and God as far as his faith will go. And the Lord knew his faith wasn't quite up to the full measure of what he wanted, but the Lord knew what he wanted anyways. He knew that he really wanted the preservation of his nephew Lot. And and the Lord acts and preserves Lot, even though Abraham's faith couldn't quite go that far. But if a man like the Princess of the world are opposed to God in rebellion against him. If there's someone in this room who is in your soul.
Not walking with God? Then you're against him. God won't let you know, but He will take every action of your life and control it to His own honor in such a way that His purposes are carried out in spite of you and even through you. And so we have many instances in the Word of God where God lifts up someone to fulfill His will.
He allowed Judas that place to fulfill his will, and yet at the same time that will was contrary to God, and in the end, the end result for that person is punishment.
Judas is a terrible future, you would say. Pilate, as far as we know, has a terrible future, and so on. And nations have been raised up and will be raised up, and then the Lord will turn around and judge the very ones He uses, because all things serve His will, regardless of who they are and who we are. But the enjoyment of Himself and the knowledge of that will is only for those who, it can be said, willing to do His will.
I'd like to take a moment just to look in the Gospel of John and the 11Th chapter just to illustrate from this passage what her brother Bill and what brother Don have been talking about in connection with the heart of the rulers. In John Chapter 11 and verse 47, you see the chief priests and the Pharisees in a council, and they said, what do we for this man do with many miracles? We let him mess alone. All men will believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place.
And nation. And so you see what's in their heart, as has been mentioned, is their own exaltation. That's their wisdom. And then it goes on. And it says in verse 49, one of them named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, you know nothing at all, nor consider that as expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And so his thought was, remove Jesus from the scene, take him.
And remove his influence. And yet you see at the same time what's just been spoken about how God worked through this man. This is actually a prophecy. And as we go on, we see here in verse 51 This he spake not of himself, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation and not for that nation only, but also.
But that also he should gather together and 1:00 the children of God that were scattered abroad. And so you see in his wisdom he would take Jesus off the scene so that Jesus would have no more influence in the nation. And yet that very thing is what God and His wisdom used to turn everything around and to bring us the blessing that we enjoy today.
The apostle Paul was an example of one who didn't know the wisdom of God, and he lived his life contrary to God's persecuting Christians. And that's a wonderful thing that God can use ungodly people to accomplish His purposes. They missed the blessing even though they're a mouthpiece for God himself. The Iphus could prophecy here and God could use them. It's a serious thing for us to think to ourselves. We can communicate the things of God and miss the blessing woke to us, and that be so.
How much better to be in the?
Good and enjoyment of these things and walking in the submissive will that brings that about.
Might be valuable to note here that there is no such a thing as a new revelation. Any group that promulgates such an idea is completely contrary to the Word of God. We have the full revelation of God in this book, which we hold in our hands. It doesn't need to be brought up to date.
And there's no further revelation, new doctrines, or.
Slants on the truth and so on. There can be, there can be interpretation and application, but revelation of God that we have is complete. It gives us the full mind of God and there's no further development there in our souls. We should come to a deeper understanding of these things and that is possible and desirable.
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But there's not another unfolding of God's mind at the present time. Is that right, brother?
A prime example of a scripture of somebody who spoke the right words.
But didn't get the blessing is Balaam. A prime example of a person who spoke God's words but didn't get the blessing is Balaam. Balaam spoke, he's called a prophet, and he spoke wonderful words of blessing concerning Israel in the future. But to show the state of Balaam, God speaks to him with a *******. What a contrast that God would have to Balaam was so himself out of communion with God that while he was an instrument of God for communicating, fulfilling the will of God.
When God speaks to him, he's at where he says, well, Balaam, I'll have to talk to you. I'll have to take a **** *** and communicate with you in that way because you don't listen. You're just as stubborn as that *** and you are won't listen. And may the Lord help us not to have to be spoken to by God in that way, that we wouldn't miss the blessing that we would have the words of God, but that they would come by the power of the Spirit.
And be lived out in our lives.
They correct the opposite of that or the right application of that is our verse 13.
Which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual or by spiritual means. Balaam didn't didn't. He was doing it by natural means, wasn't he? And he communicated something, but it was outside the blessing of it.
Any right to say too, as we consider the Scriptures as being the revelation of the mind of God to us. Now, the care we take in, in translating the scriptures, if our minds have the pretension of understanding the mind of God, perhaps we can translate freely what we've understood. But I believe care should be taken for one who's spiritual to translate what is written rather than what is understood. And then we can have a faithful translation through which the Spirit of God can communicate to us the thoughts of God from the Word of God.
Yesterday we quoted the verse. Our brother quoted a verse in Proverbs 30 in regard to wisdom. I'd like to turn to that. Perhaps see if there's a little bit of practical application for us by looking at those passages there on how we ought to walk in order to understand wisdom. Proverbs chapter 30. Now brother read verse three and four. He said, I have neither learned wisdom. Actually, he began with verse two, saying surely I am more British than any man.
And have not the understanding of a man, I neither learn wisdom nor have knowledge of the holy. So and then he raised those questions. Seven questions are raised in verse four. Who had ascended up into heaven or descended? Who have gathered the wind in his first? Who had found the waters in the garment? Who had established all the ends of the earth? What is his name? And what is his Son's name, if thou canst tell? Now our chapter ends by saying we have the mind of Christ.
What a difference compared to this man. But my thought wasn't really on this because we spoke on this yesterday and I know many were not here yesterday, but I'm sure you can go through that with a tape. My my thought is more in verse one. It's a little bit strange to read those names, but let's read that anyway. The words of Agar, the son of Jacqueline, even the prophecy, the man spake unto ethial, even unto ethial and you call.
Doesn't really mean much as we read past these, but if we were to look at the meanings of these names here, it may give us a little bit of a practical way to walk a guard. I believe it means stranger, but I also believe it has another meaning. It means to be gathered together. Now let me go to the meaning 1St and then we'll come back around. Jacob J Cal means obedience.
And itiel means assign or the coming of God, coming of the Lord.
You call means power of.
So if we were to look at this, perhaps we can glean a lesson from it here. S Juan Agard I believe there's another meaning too. I think some believe that that's another name for Solomon, the wisest man. Here's one that would say that he acknowledged that he is a stranger in this land, stranger position. We should be taken tuition with pilgrims and strangers. But he also understand that he needs to understand why he is gathered too. And I suppose we can take that as a lessons too.
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Below we gathers to whose name are we gather to, and how are we to walk as we are gathered to his precious name? And then who are his friends? And so he's the son of Jayco. Jayco means obedience.
The sun up the obedient one and then he speaks to his friends who are his friends. Well, one of his friends reminds him with the name that the Lord's coming is every night. It was assigned to him. Always do we associate ourselves with those who reminded us of the coming of the Lord and then you call power that we serve a powerful and almighty God. We have one. We were reminded who is the head of the body of the church. The one has full power in our lives. The one has full power in the assembly. The one who can take care of everything. As we remind, even lifting of our hands. He recognized that. Now if we can walk with that in mind and then going back to our chapter in first Corinthians, Corinthians chapter 2 and then go back and you remember again that that God has ordained all this.
Wisdom for us and by the way, we go back to verse six, the wisdom that we speak of, you know, we spend a lot of time on this, but here he says how the earth we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. This is not to the world is to the believers. And then now we can go and look at see the wisdom of God that all it is was preordained and that he prepare our hearts, our eyes, our ears, our hearts so that we can serve him. And then it was revealed to us in verse 10 by the Spirit of God. And then in verse 13. That is the inspiration.
Of the Spirit of God that teaches all these, and then the chapter sum it up by saying, because of all this we have the mind of the Lord if we walk in the way we ought to.
Says in verse 13 comparing spiritual things with spiritual, and then in verse 14 he introduces the expression which we had yesterday, the natural man.
And verse 15.
It speaks of being spiritual.
If you go to the first verse of the next chapter, he says to them, and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, that is unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. So we have the natural, the spiritual and the carnal. And they should have been spiritual and they should have been receptive to receiving spiritual things by the spiritual means that God uses of the Spirit to communicate his truth to them. But Paul says.
I I couldn't do it. I could not communicate all that is in my heart from God for you brethren, because you're not spiritual, you're carnal. And as we had, he was, he's bringing out and this is his burden to his brethren is that he feels limited in what he can communicate to them of the things of God because of their condition as being instead of being spiritual people. They were believers, but they were walking, as he says, not as spiritual but as carnal.
To understand it a little better, go over to Romans chapter 8 and we'll see what that really means.
How God presents that thought of Colonel to us in Romans 8.
Romans 8.
And verse 5 For they that are after the flesh, to mind the things of the flesh, and they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God. Neither can indeed can be, so that they that are in flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
And so on. This really explains to us what Paul had before him in our chapter. And that is the natural man, because he's sinful and in a sinful condition is carnal and carnality is opposed. It's a mind that is opposed to God. Oh, we might say, well, how could that be in a believer? But if a believer is walking carnally, then they'll lift up themselves and their own thoughts and reason and so on.
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And that opposes God. That's in direct opposition to God's purpose, which is not to exalt the 1St man.
But to exalt Christ and to give him his due place and honor. And so it is an enmity against God. It's opposed to what God is and what God wants from His creature. And so he says to the brethren, Brethren, your state of soul is such that you're walking carnally. You're in. As to the position, they were in spirit, they had received, that is the believers there. They had the Spirit of God and they were in spirit, as Roman Romans 8 presents it. But you can be in spirit. That is, you can have a spirit of God in you and still walk carnally. Any of us can do that.
And so it's important to see in these things that the enjoyment of the truth of God.
Cannot be disconnected with the state of our hearts and souls at any moment in time.
A person May 1 moment, like Peter be given a tremendous revelation from God as to the person of the Christ, and say, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And a few moments later on the same day, within the same hour, have to have the Lord say, Don't get thee behind me, Satan, get thee behind me, Satan. That is the thoughts that were later coming from Peter's heart were not the wonderful revelation of the person of the Christ, but Satan was behind them. And the Lord discerns it and says so to him. And so like Peter, so are we.
We're capable one moment of presenting the most exalted of truth, and the next moment, if we lose communion with the Lord by our willfulness, becoming turning Colonel and losing not only the enjoyment of it, but being a hindrance to others.
Was the apostles who had this these revelations and it's important to.
Emphasize that that these revelations were given to New Testament to prophets, not Old Testament. This is brought out in several scriptures built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Those prophets are not the Old Testament prophets, the New Testament.
Profits. So these revelations were given to the apostles, particularly to Paul, but to others I believe as well. And then not only were the thoughts of God revealed, but we have inspiration. The very words of Scripture are inspired.
So we have the reveal mind of God for this dispensation through the ministry of the apostles and prophets, neither of those guests that we have in the church today, and they have laid the foundation and passed off the scene.
But we do have ministry in the Church of God. We don't don't even have ministry in the Old Testament in the same sense, but we have ministry in the New Testament through the gifts which the ascended Christ has imparted through the Spirit of God to make these things real and to bring us into the enjoyment of them. But we're not going to understand these things if there is not diligence in our lives. And you young people who have sharp minds for.
Intellectual things you should be spending more time.
In the written ministry that is available to you because amongst brethren using that word advisedly, we have the richest ministry of available in any part of Christendom, are we availing ourselves of it? Mr. Darby said. I don't write for lazy readers that I'm one of those lazy readers. There has to be diligence in our lives to search these deep things of God from the Word of God with the helps that.
The gifts that God has given to us would help us and assist us in our.
Understanding of these precious truths.
There's another practical comment to that I think is brought before us in this chapter. We've spoken of the Spirit searching the deep things of God. And as it says in verse 11, what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him, or spirit of man. Even so, the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. And then we have received that spirit, if you and I, as we have heard, want to enjoy Christ.
It is important that we get everything out of the way in order that the Spirit of God can give us that enjoyment. But what is the result of that? According to the last couple of verses of the chapter, spiritual intelligence and guidance from the Lord in our pathway In a practical way, I think Don mentioned a few moments ago that we can't talk about these things, either the intelligence of them or the enjoyment of them, without bringing our state of soul into the picture.
I suppose it's one of the commonest questions that arises among Christians. How can I know the mind of the Lord?
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In a given situation, we're used to the information highway today, aren't we? We're used to be able to going to go to the Internet and plug in whatever we want, get information on just about everything. But if you want to have the mind of the Lord, we must walk with him. We must be intimate. If I could use that expression with the Lord. We must be willing to allow the Spirit of God to minister to us the deep things of God, not just so that I will have an opportunity.
That comes up and can seek guidance, but because I want to enjoy the deep things of God, because I want to enjoy the Lord for all that He has done for me. But then what happens according to verse 15? He that is spiritual judgeth all things. A situation comes up in the world. A situation comes up in my life. I can see everything in the right perspective, but I need guidance in my life. What will I find? I'll find that the Lord will instruct me according to verse 16.
And how wonderful it is to be able to enjoy that relationship with the Lord. Is it possible? Yes, it is. Which one of us would stand up and say yes, and I've arrived there. No, none of us I don't think would say that. But I believe it is possible to have a sense in our souls of what the mind of the Lord is for anything in our pathway, even the smallest decision, and have the confidence that the Lord is with us. Not that we'd go boasting about it or telling someone else about it or anything like that, but having a quiet sense in our souls. This is the mind of the Lord.
And so I say that because these things are intensely practical and intended not only for our enjoyment but also ultimately for guidance in an increasingly complex and difficult world. But the Lord is able to give that to us by the Spirit, isn't he?
Started out by speaking about the Word, and we're speaking about the spirit now. But just to go back to the Word in Hebrews 4:00 and 12:00, we know this verse practically by heart, but the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So there we have the soul, the spirit and the heart. And we talked earlier about who we are. We know we're spirit, soul and body, and who we are as people, as personalities, perhaps as who we are in our soul.
And before we're saved, we're a soul, but we're spiritually dead. But we've spoken about being spiritually alive and now who we are as people, as persons, as those who enjoy certain things and do certain things with life, spiritual life, by new birth, we're capable of fully enjoying the things of God in our soul and by the spirit. But we can never really determine in ourselves what is spirit and what is soul and what is heart. The only way.
To be clear is to apply the Word of God. How do I know whether I have the mind of the Lord? I really don't. But I know that the Spirit of God working on who I am as spirit and soul and my affections and emotions in the heart, will divide and discern and pinpoint exactly what I need as a man and as a spiritual man. It's only the Word of God by the Spirit that can do that.
Just the connection with that last verse two who had known the mind of the Lord, but we have.
The mind of Christ.
We think of having the thoughts of God, and I'm sure we have access to that by the Spirit of God. But here the Spirit of God uses the word. We have the mind of Christ. This is very specific.
Right, as a man, he only has that title as a man. The apostle said in the second verse, the only thing he wants to know among them was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Philippians 2 told us that this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So it's not just a question of knowing things and erection and wisdom. I believe it's character. It's a character of the believer. That's what we're going to be made like when the Lord Jesus comes. We're going to be perfectly like Him as men and He would make us to be now in the understanding by the Spirit of God.
Of who he is and what he's done and what he's brought us into to give us to be similarly minded in our life.
David, in connection with your comment, Glen Buchanan made an interest, asked an interesting question once. He said, if I kick you in the shins, is it the natural man or the final man that responds? Which one hurts? But we know by reading the Scriptures that the Lord was a real man. He had feelings, but of course there was no flesh in him at all. And so it is by going to the Word of God that I can divide between that which is just a natural reaction of a man who's got to hurt chin and a reaction in the flesh. And so you get very much very little of the Lord's reaction in the Gospel to his treatment by men, but very much of His feelings in the Psalms.
But we have the word of God to divide, as you say, between the soul and the spirit.
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We sing #210 Two 110.
One spirit with the Lord's, oh blessed wondrous word, what heavenly light, what power divine, does that sweet word afford 210?
Our God and Father, we just come before Thee this morning, and we thank Thee for this beautiful chapter that we've had before us. We thank Thee for that hidden wisdom that was ordained by the blessed God long before this world was ever created. Be thank me too, that God has prepared it for those of us who love Thee, and Thou hast revealed it unto us by Thy Holy Spirit. We thank thee too, blessed God, that Thou is freely given it to us and has communicated it to us by spiritual means.
Oh, we just pray that these things might reach down into our hearts and consciousness.
And that we might appreciate what we had before us. And we would pray for the remaining meetings. We pray, Lord, to thou just guide by thy Holy Spirit.
And there might be that for the young that can understand and appreciate Lord Jesus, and also for young parents and for those of us who are older. And so we would just thank you for this time being together, and we just commit all to thee and the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
1 Corinthians 3:1-12
Reading
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Could we sing together Him 288?
288.
O thou whose mercies far exceed all we can do or say does in thy people thou indeed does daily. More display 288.
I was thinking along that line as well, how these first four chapters are really tying closely together and as an outline was given before that these four chapters, the 1St 4 chapters really speaks of how the failure we have in maintaining the unity in the assembly. We spent the time on chapter 2 in regard to the various types of wisdom in our chapter 3 would give us more of the practical side of what how we ought to walk. So would it be OK if we continue brethren?
Yes, First Corinthians chapter 3, beginning of verse one. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as until bathed in Christ I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither ye now or ye able. For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying, and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and locked as man?
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Before Lyle, when saith I am appalled, and another I am of Apollos, Are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul? And who is Apollos but ministers by whom he believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, and neither he that watereth, but God that give us the increase. Now he that planteth, and he that watereth are one.
And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building according to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master Builder. I have laid the foundation, and in other builders there are. But let every man take heed how he build it there on. For other foundation can no man laid. Then that is laid which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man built 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 sort it is. If any man's work abide which he had filled there upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself.
Shall be saved yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy. Which temple? Uh, let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he take, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
And again, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in man. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Paulus, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
Toward the end of the last meeting we had to comment about we have whether we have the mind of Christ and spoke to some that somewhat questioned and doubted. I just want to make a brief comment on that. The end of the chapter where he said but we have the mind of Christ. This is not a question. This is a statement. We have the mind of Christ whether we seek the mind of Christ, whether we look for it is another issue. I'd like to turn to another verse two that tells us even more so in first John in first John chapter.
First John. I think it's in chapter 4.
Where is if you know, I'm sorry, first John chapter 2. There's another verse that tells us more than we know the mind of Christ.
Verse 20 But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things. Those are two statements. You know everything. You have the unction from the Holy Ghost. And we may look and say, I don't know everything what you do, just that you may not know it yet, but you do. You know how there are times to that You know what is right and what is wrong.
You have the unction as a believer that the Spirit will show you to all truth.
That statement is made through famous in Christ, not made to the Father's. It's made to the babes in Christ. Somebody who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior yesterday would have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
And I think what is addressed here in our third chapter here babes and ancient, but it's a different word than babes in the first John.
And really what the apostle is talking to, there are those who ought to have thrown up because all the gifts that they had been given in that assembly there, there would have been because I say normally speaking, spiritual growth there. And the apostle has to say, well, it hasn't happened. You're carnal and what it's meant, but it's bathed in Christ. We have the inviting of the Holy Spirit as we had at the end of our last leadership. It was true. And everyone who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
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Normal healthy adult can normally be expected to eat quite a variety of foods and enjoy it and benefit from it. But if they get sick, what they can take may be limited because of their condition so that they even know they're an adult and their normal diet is a variety of things. Because of a physical or condition in them, there may be a limitation and they can't take everything for a while until they're made well.
I think that's a little analogy to what's said. And it wasn't, it just was mentioned. It wasn't a matter of being babes and having not yet grown, but they were, if you will, adults and they should have been able to take the meat, but they were not able to because of their spiritual condition. They weren't healthy, if you will. And consequently the apostle was restricted in what he could communicate to them and he had to go back and Hebrews, perhaps chapter 6, I forget the exact after, but he said I don't want to have to go again and lay the foundation all over the beginning things, but I want to go on and.
Present to you additional things that belong to you as believers. But if we're not in a healthy spiritual condition, then you can't just keep feeding. If we aren't, we can't receive. We have to be established and and healthy, you might say. And when carnality is at work, that's a hindrance to the healthy reception of truth.
It's noticeable what the Apostle lays his finger on as being the real exhibition of their carnality.
As the epistle goes on, we find there were quite a number of things that were wrong in the Corinthian assembly. There was very serious immorality that had to be dealt with. They were going to court with one another. There was disorder and drunkenness even at the breaking of bread. They were getting involved in things offered to idols and other things that the apostle has to address. 1 by 1. But what he has already mentioned in the first chapter, and which he brings up again here, is the strife and envying and ultimately the systems that were among them.
It didn't mean that they'd separated 1 from another from another. There hadn't been an absolute division.
But there were difficulties among them that were causing a party spirit. Well, that is something that I believe the Spirit of God would focus on here to show us how serious that is. Yes, there were other things going on there, things that absolutely demanded that the assembly deal with them in a public way. And for example, the one that was guilty of immorality, he had to be put away, at least for a time. But here the Lord draws attention through the apostle to this envying and strife.
And ultimately the precursor of divisions, which has been a problem that has been with the Church of God all down through the ages. And so that was one of the main things that was part of their carnality. And it's something that we have to face today, don't we? It goes all the way back, of course, to the disciples who it's recorded were arguing among themselves as to who should be the greatest and when we know that James and John, their mother came to the Lord Jesus and requested that the two of them would sit on the right hand and on his left in the Kingdom and.
How upset the others were when they heard that. We won't turn to it, but we will remember what the Lord Jesus had to say to that and that in essence, he said he that will be the greatest among you, let him be the servant of all. And so I believe that was a voice to the Corinthians who, as we saw yesterday, were proud and well off and quite satisfied with themselves. And sad to say, that attitude that had existed in their city and in the world at large had crept into the Church of God and was causing real problems. And it's still a source of real problems, isn't it? So it speaks to each one of us, because it was really.
Impeding their spiritual growth as we get here.
It's beautiful how the apostle takes up this matter of the building. Their selfishness and and lack of consideration for one another was a denial of the truth of the Spirit of God collectively working in the assembly and to be the director of the building, the Assembly of God here and in verse 15.
16 know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? That is the collective dwelling of the Spirit of God in the assembly, directing the church, the assembly. These saying, one I'm appalled, another Apollos and et cetera is a denial of that. It's a very narrow minded, selfish view. And if we look at things in that way, we can get Arnold too. When the Spirit of God came down on Pentecost, there were two signs.
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Of his presence there, the cloven tongs and the.
The wind or the Spirit that filled the house, those were the two demonstrations of the two ways that the Spirit of God dwells in the church individually and collectively. And they're both, they've already been referred to here in Corinthians, these two ways that the Spirit of God dwells in the church collectively. He organizes and directs the whole. And so Paul brings this out, how that the building compares a church to a building that's that is built.
And how that the apostles were the ones who laid the foundation and others participated, each one according to as the Lord, the Spirit of God would direct. So when you have that kind of a view and look at the assembly in this way, it's the remedy for this problem that existed at Corinth. And this exists in our day very much too, doesn't it?
The individual side you get at the end of chapter 6, is that right? That's right. It dwells in the our body as a it's a our body, our physical body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
And so we need to respect the body for that reason.
Perhaps they help the younger one. Again, we can look at this chapter of dividing into two sections. You find from verse one to perhaps down to verse 17. It gives us about perhaps 3 results of what happened when we follow worldly wisdom. And then from verse 18 to the end, it's giving us a few solutions, perhaps four different ways to avoid causing a division. The first part where is set about the consequences of a worldly wisdom. We talk about that. Some of it already in verse one and two. It shows us that.
When we use worldly wisdom in the assembly, we won't grow. So we would be like being fed with meat to someone who's not ready. It doesn't grow. We see a lot of little ones here. We've got young ones, babies. We don't go up there and give them the cheesecake that you enjoy. Perhaps they would like to have it, but it's not going to help them with the growth. So verse one and two tells us how if you take that worldly wisdom, that's what would happen to the assembly. You go down to verse three to about verse 8, you'll find the next consequence. When worldly wisdom come into the assembly, it caused problems. The word he used in verse 3 is.
Would cause envy, strife and divisions.
And I think Brother Bill used to attraction, we see that in the margin for that word there. So it gave us that. And the third thing.
That is worldly wisdom would cause defilement in the House of God. So we find their invention about this builder, this building with certain things that are not good. You've got gold, silver and precious Dome. But then there's also the wood A and double. And then when you go down. This is the first half of this. So as we go through this chapter, we can keep that in mind and that might help us understand these verses. And then the second part is what would help us to cure the division. I believe it was commented yesterday that our commented again in verse 18 there it tells us that we are not to look at it from our standpoint. So we go on and let no man deceive himself.
Often ourselves is the biggest problem. And then verse 19, this is just doing it briefly to verse 20. Then it says it says to to to take a look at at the Lords view have a proper view of what it should be. And then we have in.
I said four, there should really be 3IN verse 21 to the end there. And don't set someone else up as a pedestal as here Paul used the example with a Paul or Paul. We had to look at Christ as an example. So I hope this this little breaking down of the division of this chapter would help us understand it as we go along.
We weren't really setting up all of the policy, but he says in the 4th chapter these things that I transferred myself to Paul and Apollos because the youth themselves as an example. In fact, we find out that Paul had to defend his own apostleship and so they were they were having others apostles that were not apostles but lie both were really the ones who were following. What our brother David so has brought out to us we see repeatedly is that if the Saints don't grow in the truth and they follow a man and when they follow a man, they fall into serious error in some area that is so serious it's defiling the House of God.
How is it that Christians fall into serious, serious error that attacks the person of Christ? It starts with a lack of personal growth and personal exercise. It proceeds to following a man, and then they start following a man's bad doctrine and sometimes reading the wicked doctrine as to the person of Christ. And it is astonishing among brethren how many people have fallen into very serious doctrine as to the person in the work of Christ. And this is the pathway to it.
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I think it's important to see in our passage that is the responsibility of man that is prominent in this chapter. The Church of God, the House of God is not looked at here.
As the work of God like first Peter chapter 2 verse five. He also has lively stones are built up the spiritual house and holding priesthood to offer a spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God like Jesus Christ. That is all genuine, that is all I.
Real and true believers in that chapter, in that verse, in that aspect that Peter brings before us, but that is not the aspect of the House of God that is before us in this chapter. Man is the builder here, not God reverently speaking. And man is the responsible one. And he when he builds, he brings in false material, wood, hay and stubble. He even goes as far as to defile the temple of God. That is, where have the terrible teachings denying the divinity of the Lord Jesus? Where have they come into heathen them? No, they've gone into Christendom.
And so these emissaries of the enemy have brought in these evil doctrines into the bosom of Christendom. But the point that I'm trying to make is that here man is the builder and he is responsible for what he does. The judgment seat of Christ is going to reveal the character of our ministry. The apostle here is Speaking of ministry in the assembly that was that's peculiar to Christianity. There wasn't a ministry in the Old Testament in the Jewish economy.
But in the ministry here now in Christianity, and we are able to be ministers by the gift that God has given to us, and we are to build in gold, silver, precious stones the ministry of Christ that will abide and receive a reward. Not that that is the motive, but God promises reward for faithfulness in the ministry in the House of God.
Days of Israel.
Lord took them out of Egypt as his people to take them to the land. He watched over them for the 40 years of the wilderness, and he brought them safely into the land and he established them there. And then they say, give us a king. We want to be like the people around us. We want to have a king to be over us. We want a leader.
That we can see and that we can follow. And it wasn't of God.
And in fact, in the beginning, they chose their leader, Saul, who became the first king. It was man's choice and it was a disaster. And here we have God's assembly, God's building, God at work for this temple. And he doesn't want, it's not his wisdom that there be, if you will, the leader, the king, to take a place in it. He says, I will direct, I will decide what?
Part of the building, each one is responsible. As John mentioned, it's a lot about responsibility here.
In the building of God, but he does make the comment in verse nine. He are laborers together with God. And it's in the sense that God is in charge and I'm just a laborer who takes instructions from the master. And so it should be for each one in the body of Christ. But here's the Assembly of God that's in view. Whatever the party is, it's God who decides what part each one of us should have.
And we labor is unto him, but we have a natural tendency in times of particularly when there are difficulties. If I can use the expression differences of judgment and understanding, the heart naturally says what does so and so say.
What the so and so say that often is the very evidence of what's in her heart.
We unconsciously perhaps have deceived ourselves and say, of course I follow the Lord and no one in between. But if we find ourselves in a difficulty immediately wanting to know what so and so view is, that's the spirit of it. And God says, I don't want anything between you and I.
No man has a place between you and I in that way. A man I may use to help you, but he's not the foundation of your understanding or your faith. And if we look at somebody else, it's easy to say about them, they followed a man I didn't in a matter of division or something like that. But God knows, and God knows if we truly are in relationship to himself or whether we followed Apollo or an Apollo's or somebody else by example.
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So it's an important thing to always bear in mind that we never want anything to come between our souls and God at any time. He is supreme in his relationship to us. Not setting aside other New Testament teaching either, which have to do with elders and so on.
While we don't want in any way to be critical, we're not here for that. But I would just say that ultimately what we have here, I believe was the roof and beginning of the clergy system as we see it today. It started off on the one hand with men wanting a place, but those who were looking to those men were equally responsible because instead of being willing to search things out for themselves, instead of being willing to pay the price.
For personal communion with the Lord, personal prayer, reading His Word and walking with Him, the attitude became, let someone else do it. And if you are gifted, if you are willing to minister to us, we'll pay you to do it. Sounded good on the surface, didn't it? But eventually it came about, just as Dawn has been saying, that it brought a man between me and God, it brought a man between US and Christ. And whenever that happens, man is exalted, even though he may, as far as it goes, be a faithful man, even though he may want to minister correctly. Yet it exalts man and takes away from the glory of Christ, doesn't it?
And when we get to that point, then we're on a downward slope and as Neil was bringing out, next thing you know, the man goes wrong and everybody that follows him goes wrong with him because he tends to be the final authority. But how wonderful to think that God has given every one of us, as we have had previously, the Spirit dwelling within us. Some of us were talking at lunch and we were using an old analogy that somebody remember from our written ministry, and that is that it takes a good engineer, for example, to build a road, but anybody here that can drive a car can tell you whether it's a good road or not. And if somebody were to say, well, what exactly went wrong with this road? Why is it that?
This and that has happened to it and all the rest of it. You might not be able to go into a scientific explanation of what was wrong, but you can say, I know it's a bad Rd. I. I don't need to know all the INS and outs of what it costs or what it means to build a road in order to tell that. So it is with the believer. God has given us gifts. He has given those who can teach, those who have the gift of an evangelist, those who have the gift of a pastor. And we do well to recognize and value them, but they themselves are only instruments.
And ultimately anyone of those instruments can go wrong. And what God looks for is a heart that puts himself between US and the individual rather than putting the individual between US and the Lord. Brother Dawn was referencing Hebrews. I think it's appropriate to look at some verses in chapter 5 because as well, going off of what Brother Bill Cross was saying, I would suggest that Hebrews in some ways deals with that. But there is only one mediator between body, man, and that's the man Christ Jesus. And in chapter 5 of Hebrews, so it suggests that.
The essence of there being babes here is also a lack of the knowledge of Christ. And he says, verse eight, though we were a Son, yet learned to obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all of them that obeyed him, called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. And this is the problem of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered. Seen your dull of hearing. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teacher again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk.
And not a strong meat, as we got in First Corinthians. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful, or in the margin it says half. No experience in the word of righteousness, for he is obeyed. But strong meat belongs to them that are full age or perfect, even those who by reason of use or habit or perfection have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
What you were saying, Bill?
Command may go wrong and take others with them because too much confidence was placed in the individual. And I think we've seen that and experienced it. But it may also be that when the Lord takes the man, not necessarily that the man goes wrong, but the one that we were looking to is removed and we may go wrong because we were looking at the wrong person.
Well, that's very, very true, Dave. And the Lord often does that if we look to men, doesn't he? If I put a man between myself and the Lord, then if the Lord takes the man away, I may find that I can't find the Lord because I've been so used to looking to the man for everything that then suddenly he's gone and I have a difficulty finding the Lord. And that doesn't mean that we don't miss someone who has been a real help to us. And all of us here who are at least perhaps in my age bracket, can look back to those who are a tremendous help to them and who eventually were taken home to be with the Lord.
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And we felt their loss. We felt the hole that it made in our lives. But if we're really walking with the Lord, we'll find that it only draws us closer to Him. We appreciated the gift, but it only draws us closer to the One who never changes.
Lord Jesus is not mentioned here in this chapter just to bring the connection with the Lord into it. Here is God's house. It's not looked at as the body of Christ.
But it's man and responsibility and and God's assembly or God's house. And there is a connection found in Hebrews chapter 3.
To what we have here with which brings in the Lord.
In Hebrews chapter 3 and verse one. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who is was faithful to him that appointed him. As also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, in as much as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house where every house is builded by some man. But he that hath built all things is God. And Moses barely was faithful in all his house, that is, in God's house.
Of the House of Israel as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after, but Christ as a son over his. That is God's house. Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end? So it's God's house, and God has chosen to put the sun over it.
He was faithful, perfectly faithful, in all that was given to him to do and in his perfect faithfulness. God, whose house it is, says, My Son is over it.
On my behalf, Moses was faithful and not perfect, but he was faithful in.
God's House of Israel and he did, and he's likened to it here in that way. He was never placed over it as the sun is placed over the house. And it's so it's important to see in it. Go back to our chapter the fact that it's God who chooses what every builder does. We don't choose for ourselves. We don't say what will I do for the Lord. At least that's not really God's mind for us. We go to the Lord and say, what will thou have me to do? And it's his choice. It's God's choice by the Spirit.
To determine what our role, what our party is in the overall.
And so it's here in chapter 3, Paul Speaking of himself and his work, he says in verse 10, according to the grace of God which is given unto me. Isn't that why we, any of us have anything to do with the House of God? Because God says, well, in my grace I'm going to use you. And what was it that God chose Paul to do as a wise master builder? I have laid the foundation that is speaking about God's assembly here. And Paul is specifically the one to whom the revelation concerning the church.
Has been given. It's not Peter, it's not John. John brings us the family of God. Peter brings us the wilderness journey and they sustain the truth of the assembly and all that they say because it's all one perfect hole. But the actual explanation or teaching of the revelation from God as to what the assembly is and what its place is is specifically given to us in the teachings of the epistles of Paul. And he was in that way the body of God's grace. He was given that responsibility and he fulfilled it. And so he says, so we don't want to turn around and say, well, I think I'll add to the foundation.
That's wrong. Any man who adds to God's foundation, he said it's already done. And yet there are ways in which man by what he does is, is like he said, well, the church is not adequate for every need. And so I'll build a little addition on the side and I'll put some more out there. No, that's wrong. God wants us to say the foundation is laid. We are to build up in our generation. There's not new teaching that is it hasn't already been given the word is there?
It's to heat it, to live it, to go by it.
I believe Paul's ministry presents the church to last in three aspects. We now force the word itself really as a collective noun, meaning the called out ones. And so whenever I see that word in scripture, I have the whole family of guardian do except that reference in second John.
And so that word, the church would include everyone that knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
Here we have it presented as the body of Christ, and particularly the 12Th and the 14th chapters of this epistle would tell us how it works then as the body of Christ, and then here, of course, it is the House of God. And what are we to learn about these three aspects when the respect of the church, I believe it's that which Christ loved. That's what we get in Ephesians 5. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it, because the Washington was born by the word that he might present himself to himself a glorious church, that having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
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Perhaps we'll come back to that. Then of course, there's the body aspect. And what do we get there? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of heaven and we're the members on the earth. But each one of us has a function in the body of Christ and we have the Holy Spirit, as we've been mentioning, because the nervous system till I say that connects us with the head in heaven and teaches us how to act in each particular situation for the benefit of the body as a whole. And then it's where we have in this chapter here, it's particularly the house aspect. And what's the house aspect? What house aspect is order?
If you're going to build a house, you don't start putting your windows in before you build the walls. Before you can build the walls, you've got to build a foundation.
And so there is an order in the Church of God, and there is our responsibility, as I believe we get it in this chapter.
Because it's in.
In the 10th verse is but let every man take heed how we deal with the one everyone in this room who knows that Lord Jesus Christ to save it as responsible and so we have in this chapter our responsibility as builders fought before us just the just a favoring Christ somebody who might have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior yesterday has this responsibility now. Now in connection with this I'd like to refer to a thought that my brother-in-law shared with me and it's Ezekiel 9.
And I don't want to read a lot of it because it's where it was, the end of God's epoch of dealing with the children of Israel as a nation.
The Spirit of God was about to leave the place between the above the mercy seat, between the cherubims of the threshold of the house, and then depart from that temple, and the times of the Gentiles were about to begin.
And Ezekiel is told, and I think it's the fourth person in the 9th chapter. And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that saw and cried for all the abominations that be done in the 5th day of.
He was told to go and sit a mock upon those at sighed. Why did they sigh? Because they knew what that temple was in God's purpose. They know how God should have been glorified in.
Him being able to be in the midst of his people and what blessing there would have been in Jerusalem.
Had those children of Israel fulfilled their responsibilities and just kept his work?
Now I just wonder whether we enter into.
How the Lord Jesus Christ has been dishonored in that which has come in to His Church and the divided state of it. We read in John 17 that they all may be one as thou, a Father, asking me and I and me, and that they also be the one in us, that the world may believe that they are simply there to be a test, a united Christian testimony.
Was to be a testimony to the vote that the Lord that God descend the first with the Lord Jesus Christ into this phone and how we perhaps at the end of an epoch 2 is we wait for the Lord to come. We have to recognize that we as individuals who can't point around to say well it was that brother that did that we use individuals have to recognize our failure and I hope we.
How the Lord has been dishonored in the divisions that have come in, even amongst those who have the privilege of being gathered to His name.
Would you think, brother Dave, that that those side and grown there would be correspond a little bit with what you have in second Timothy with him that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. There you have the house in disorder, the great house. That's what we see around us today.
And there's so much confusion. It's there's a lot to mourn over. There's a lot to sigh over as we look at how the church is developed and put in the hands of men to to in responsibility and so much failure. And I'm not talking about out there elsewhere. I'm talking about among us, those candidates of the Lords name. There is so much failure. Our testimony is so poor so often. Yet the Lord has been faithful to preserve us to see the premium that he puts upon those who all on the Lord out of a fewer heart. That is what the ones with whom we can seek to meet together.
In contrast to that, I would just like to go back to our chapter here and they notice the how God in his faithfulness preserve that that disorder would not come in through the apostles. Paul speaks of himself as the wise master builder. We ought to be very thankful, brethren, that God saw fit to preserve the apostles and give us the foundation correct and we have that in the writings of the apostle. If we have the right order, we have the the order.
That God intended the Church to be built on. He did not allow the failure to come in through those first apostles.
00:40:04
We know it came in very soon afterwards, and even here at Corinth there was failure coming in, but Paul laid a good foundation. God saw it to that, and I think that is the faithfulness of God to to preserve that to us in the writings of the apostles.
In Ephesians we get the temple is fitly framed.
And growing a holy temple and there's nothing that defiles in it. Inerts the house and its purposes and Christ and the thoughts of God. There's nothing that defiles here. As it's been already mentioned, it's man's responsibility. I'd like to mention one other thing. We get good works in Ephesians that God has ordained that we should walk in them. In Matthew, the Lord exhorts us to let your light so shine that man might see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. But here in this chapter, it's not works. It's singular, it's work.
And it's the whole lifes labor in this sphere of responsibility of man in the House of God. And it's really ministerial efforts or labor. It's not all the works that we might walk in. There's those things that we walk in as individuals seeking to be like Christ here, displaying the life of Christ in our mortal bodies, works that our fruit for God, that this is very specifically work, labor in the House of God. And it's the whole life's efforts in a certain sense that are in view here.
How has that worked? How is the whole breadth of it, not just the individual 2 by 4I nail in place, but what's the whole structure? What's your Ben York way? You have approached and taken up buildings. Has it been right? Has it been according to God's word? And they value the things of men. They value those things which men thought much of, and they were bringing that into the House of God and their responsibility in that place and it had no place there.
They said that there are three workmen that are properly for us in this passage. We've often heard this, but maybe it would be good to repeat it. There's the the Workman who builds according to the plans according to God's mind.
According to the word of God and his work remains. That's very.
12 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. That means the judgment seat of Christ is going to manifest the character of my work in the House of God. Then we have in verse 13, every man's work shall be made manifest.
14 Of any man's work abide which he has built there upon he shall receive a reward.
Has the Lord's approval there and there will be a reward for faithfulness in ministering the truth according to the rules, so to speak, at the judgment seat of Christ, we should labor. In view of that time, how can God reward what is not according to his word, though there might be earnestness and.
A motive that is right, but you take a sister that preaches the gospel on the street corner. I have witnessed that and perhaps others have. She is not building according to the Scriptures.
Not being LED of the Spirit of God in the work that she is doing. Then we have in verse 15, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet soiled by fire. Here we have a Workman who is a true believer. There's no doubt about it because he's saved, He has soared by fire. He has a saved soul, but his work is burned up at the judgment seat of Christ. There's no reward. He has lived for the world a lot is a good example of this.
Perhaps he has not built or worked according to scripture, he has not shared the rejection of Christ in the place. The outside place gathered to the Lords name like Jonathan and there is loss here in his life. A true believer save soul but a lost life. Then we have in the third instance the 17th verse. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy the temple of God. There is the House of God in his collective aspect.
Which we are in now composed of true believers and unbelievers, because the house has been enlarged to this. This character of a great house doesn't mean that the Spirit of God has forsaken it. He is still in the House of God in the confessing Christendom. But here this person is an unbeliever. He brings in evil doctrine into the very bosom of God's assembly.
Into the House of God, He defiles it. Cults do this we are aware of. He defiles the temple of God. He is just His doctrine is destroyed and he is destroyed himself.
00:45:11
God will bring judgment upon any individual who does that. Again, I say he brings it into prison, death. So I think that it might be helpful to see those three types of workers that we have brought before us here.
It is important what you said, that a Pentecost, the Spirit of God came down and filled the whole house. And so the Spirit of God indwells the house, not just the assembly. And I've heard people say, well, I know the Lord is there because I felt the Spirit moving, but the Spirit will move wherever He's given liberty to. It is true in men's systems that they have to limit the Spirit of God or else He would bust their system up.
Or may lead men out of it. But the Spirit of God filled the whole house. I think it's important to what you pointed out in connection with this man to following the House of God.
Is it's not Speaking of the man in first Corinthians 5, though he was a wicked person, but it is those that have brought in bambiable heresies as to the person of Christ. And so somebody looks and they see all kinds of things, some horrible Hopkins just a person of Christ distilling me envelope. You're driving by somebody's house and you say, well, that's that's Neil's house. If I have a drug dealer living in my house, he's associated with my house. And but somebody holds wicked doctrine, a broad wicked doctrine into the person into the House of God and he has to file the House of God and the reputation of the House of God.
Very serious thing.
Yeah, I mentioned the work and there's a character of of that work that's basically a lifetime thing.
And yet I, and I suppose all of us, are very influenced by the environments in which we live. I would suspect that my views of Scripture might be different if I lived 600 years ago.
I would suspect that my views of Scripture might be different if I were born into a different family or if I lived in a different country.
And these kinds of situations that might influence.
Shall we say a life work or give character to it? That troubles me considerably.
And I would ask if it's feasible or possible we have the meat that's mentioned in verse 2.
In contrast with, I take it that that's really solid, solid foods versus liquids.
And then we have a foundation which has a particular shape and form to it.
Would be possible to to have some sort of laundry list?
And I, I see it that way because I'm inclined to say, well, you know, we just, we just get it from Scripture. Well, this world is full of a lot of Christians and it seems like either there's different scriptures or there's, you get this race that.
That we have different points of view and all these kinds of things. Would there be a particular laundry list of important points in connection with meat? Things that we should seek to understand from scripture and joy, and a certain laundry list of the shape of the foundation? What what, what is to be built on this foundation that would be in an alignment with the foundation and something that we would.
Be able to have as a level of benchmark for our work.
For the Lord and something and I would suggest something that would have the character which would make bodily sense in this room, but sense to any believer meeting this chapter.
I was thinking in connection with the building.
How we build it comes out as to what material we use in building. Some will resist the fire and some won't. In the 12Th verse we have gold and silver and precious stones.
When the building in the ministry of the Spirit of God.
What material is he going to use to edify the Saints? He's going to speak of Christ. He is the foundation. Everything is based on Him. If we think of talking about the body of Christ, he is the head. Everything depends on him. So I would think as people say, well, we are a lot of professing Christians. They know about Jesus Christ.
They know he's God.
That's the gold. I enjoy it this way.
What about his work on the cross today? No eternal redemption. Many believers, many Christians don't know. Eternal redemption. That's a silver.
00:50:02
But if you know of Jesus, God, and what if you know that you're safe forever because of the work on the cross? Well, all these precious stones, all the glories of his person we can enjoy together and as the Spirit of God is free to speak to us and.
The fact that He's God, to speak to us of the wonderful redemption he operated for us on the cross, He sets before us the glories of his person. What's the result? We're going to be transformed into the same image from glory to glory. We're going to grow together. We're going to be bound up together. He says in the first chapter, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same things, that you all have the same language. What's going to bring us to this desire of unity, of peace with one another? I beseech you, by the name of that very one that's been set before you as God who redeemed you by the work of the cross that you've been enjoying in all these aspects.
Well, don't you want to say the same thing as your brethren? As long as we're going on in this group, don't you want to go along with them for my joy and my desire? So I just enjoy this in connection with as we build up together in our most holy faith, the central object of that being built up together is the same person that the foundation on which the house is built, the same one that's the head of the body, the glorious Lord Jesus who filleth all things. Let me show you travel quite a bit and you meet a Christian on a trainer, on the bus or in a coffee shop and you know they're a believer and you share as much of Christ with them as you can.
And if you might, somebody who doesn't bring the doctrine of Christ is not abiding in the doctrine of Christ. He says, well, Jesus could have sinned. He may even be a real believer. You sinned, but has picked up a bad doctrine. And he may seek to help. But if he insists on it and you say this man doesn't bring the doctrine of Christ. And many believers unique, you bring as much of Christ to them and they bring us and let them bring as much of Christ to you as they want to. And it's you find it's a very happy thing and it's a very happy thing to our souls as we think down through the ages. We're talking a little bit about this between the meetings about Christian 600 years ago. I don't know what they knew or didn't know, but it's a wonderful thing to think when you pick up a Sunday school paper or a book, Mary Jones and her Bible. I'm looking forward to seeing her in heaven. And so we meet believers.
And we should really enjoy as much of Christ with them as we can.
I think the end of the last verse of the chapter perhaps gives us what our object should be in building in this house. You are Christ and Christ is God. Now is our objective when we're building the house. The glory of the person of the Lord Jesus is that arrogative. Our brothers talked about putting a stud up to the thought you know, and maybe I just get older too before it's a rock and then it's not it badly not eat, but I haven't written place anyway and well.
That's good enough. We find that perhaps in.
In the last, last in Malachi, in Malachi, you know, anything was good enough for the Lord. They didn't give him the 1St place. Anything was good enough for the Lord. And the Malachi says will the name of God, that shortchange in the Lord to do something that's a shoddy job for him because he's not the objective. The objective is just to get done and it needs to do it. I also could take a square and a nice piece of timber and then we can put in a star that's perfectly square and beautiful job.
And there's a danger in that. And the danger of that is pride, because I might think I've done a good job. We're still I might take that square and take it to the stud that my brother put in and find that's not quite as good as mine.
That leads to it's because the Lord is not the objective. The objective of our work should be to glorify the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now our brother here, and I know where he's coming from, said, well, are there things that are there, shall we say, guidelines?
Well, we have, shall I say, some guidelines in the work we hold in our hands. But remember, we have an unction from the Holy One and all of these things. And as we get in the 12Th chapter of this Gospel.
You know, sorry, that's right. Therefore I'll give you to understand that my man speaking by the Spirit of God call if Jesus the curse and no man can say that Jesus is Lord by the Holy Ghost. And so we've been equipped, we've been equipped to do a good job if our objective is the person of the Lord Jesus.
For us to glorify him, not ourselves in the work, but to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it's is there something that I can do? And we've mentioned ministry as a word. And you know, that's we associate that with the brother and the brother exhorting us. Well, that that's that's a former ministry too. It's a form of ministry that provide a work of encouragement to the Christians sitting next to you.
To be a practical help, maybe for someone who needs practical health, it's a poorly and it should be done with prices, the objective, and the Holy Spirit directing us as to where and how and where you do it.
00:55:02
I'd like to address a little bit of what was raised by Bruce a few minutes ago by going back to the first chapter of the epistle and.
Verse 9.
After one verse nine, God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And verse just quoted a few moments ago. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, but you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that should be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Verse nine is perhaps the very key to the whole Epistle.
The very expression God's assembly has the thought that we once all existed in a world that is opposed to God, and God has chosen to gather out of the world a people for himself. Assembly means a gathering, a collection of people together in some way. And so God's assembly is God's pulling out of this world a people for himself that are his own. Consequently, in the epistles you have the expression within.
And without, they're very important to see in the different places in the epistles. And the without is the world and the within not speaking about after confusion comes in, but the within in the mind of God is, and His purpose is those he has gathered out of the world to what purpose?
To the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
And so the gathering out is not only the separation from something, but it is bringing together for a common thing, which is that those so gathered out might have fellowship with his son. And the assembly is particularly that sphere where there is fellowship enjoyed with the son. Tremendous thing and the point, though, with the passage of time and confusion and everything else not to.
Speak too long, but it says the fellowship of his Son Christ for Jesus Christ our Lord. Very important the way it speaks. Press our Lord, Jesus Christ our Lord. And when you find confusion coming in, there is particular emphasis in the word given to the lordship aspect, the Lordship of Christ. And so he is the one in the fellowship that God has formed who is supreme.
In Authority, we talked before about not having anything between our souls and God, or anything between our souls and the Lordship of Christ. It's important to recognize in it that Lordship is primarily individual. Each one of us individually has to respond to it. Lordship isn't really the collective aspect of the assembly, but if each one of us individually submitted fully ourselves to His authority and his Lordship, all would be well.
All the BS it should be and so we're in difficulty comes in, for example, Second Timothy chapter 2 where you have God doesn't even call it the house anymore. The Spirit of God isn't even pleased to identify in Second Timothy in the first epistle, when all is in order, the Spirit of God looks at it and says this is the description of the House of God.
But when the disorder and the confusion comes into it, the Spirit of God looks at it and says, this is a great house. In other words, it no longer has the character of that which God has established. But we're in it. We're in the great house. The only way you can get out of it if you're a Christian is to give up your profession of Christianity. But in the great house, what are we to do? Let everyone that nameth what the name of the Lord?
It's his individual authority that's brought in question. Let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity, and then walk with others of the same heart that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. If you think about it too, you'll see why it's such an emphasis is made in First Corinthians later chapters 10 and 11. It's the Lord's table.
It's the Lord's Supper. It's the Lord's Day. Because even in a day of confusion, the claim of the Lord upon us individually never changes, and consequently he calls us. The fellowship to which we're all called is all name, the name of Christ. But the actual enjoyment of it in a day of confusion is often limited to the enjoyment of the fellowship of Jesus Christ. When I can do so.
Where he has his right place as Lord.
01:00:04
I suppose, too, that we need to remember, Bruce commented that if he had been born 600 years ago, that he might take a different view of things. And I can understand that. And if we were born in different circumstances, perhaps under different circumstances in North America or even in another country, we might look at things in a different way. And those of us that have traveled a little can attest to that. But what we do find is I believe that, and it bears out what Dawn was saying, that.
When there is an honest heart before the Lord and a spirit that says Lord, I want to know more, the Lord meets that individual where he is. I know it touched my heart greatly, and some of you may have heard me mention this incident before, but it touched my heart greatly in reading the story of a marker for the faith in Scotland back in 1546. He was burned at the stake in Saint Andrews in Scotland for his faith in Christ man by the name of George Wishart. And the day that he was to be taken out and burned at the stake, the captain of the army who happened to be a Christian, but who had to do his duty as under orders.
Said, Have you got any last request? And if it's possible I'll do it for you. And George Wishart thought for a minute or two and then he said, I'll tell you what I'd really like. He said, If you can get a few believers together and you know who they are and I know who they are, I'd like to break bread with them one last time. I don't suppose there were quibblings and questions about whether they were gathered on the ground of the one body and all those things that probably, at least for the moment, even though they may have had some understanding of the truth, but it didn't enter into it. God met them where they were.
And an eyewitness said it was one of the most moving experiences to be there and break bread with a man who was going to be with Christ in a matter of hours. And he knew it, too. And yet they said he was the calmest of them all. What does that say?
I hope I understand you, Bruce. When you say a laundry list, do you mean a number of things that we need to carry this out? Is that what you meant?
Where is Bruce?
What what might be some of the things that and perhaps it goes back to Pete, that's why I mentioned meat. What might be some of the things that are meat and what are some of the things that.
Our work should be in alignment.
I think it's already been mentioned our work would not necessarily be aligned with the scriptures if it's a clergyl system.
I think on the negative side, what would our work in line with?
I think some good answers have been given Connection Price himself.
Though that often is not.
Where we seem to have our drugs and differences.
So which things really really stand out that that my thoughts should run along the lines of?
Certain things, certain the word objectives was mentioned. I like that word.
They even keep scriptures.
No, we gather. We're going to gather tomorrow morning. And why?
And how?
My dad did it this way, but that's not quite good enough authority for me, so I respect my dad.
I All of these things are part of building, I take it, in a certain sense.
After four I'd like to read the 1St 2 verses. Bruce, I don't know if this answers your question at all, but I feel like it like to say something here on the two hour chapter 4 verses one and two. Let them in. So account of us as of the mysteries of Christ.
Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. God hasn't called us all to the same thing, He's given a different work to each one.
Paul spoke here of him being the wise master builder, and he did not exhort the Corinthians about master builders. No, but there was something given them to carry out. And this is all of the part of the plan. To me, it's a wonderful thing to have been born with the Christian Father and been entrusted a lot of Christian heritage, and I don't question God's wisdom about that. God didn't call everybody to that, but the general principle that applies to all this faithfulness in stewardship.
Whatever he's called us to, we need to be faithful in that. And I find this very no luck to use this word, but I'm going to use it challenging because brethren, we have been given much here. Most of us in this room of Christian heritage, stewards of the mysteries of God. We are ministers of something that most Christians don't know very much about.
01:05:12
Our stewardship is more.
Critical It's more We have more to lose. We have more endangerment. And so let us be faithful.
When we think about being second and third generation or 4th or 5th generations.
People among the gathered Saints.
And think about what my children and my grandchildren are going to get through me.
That is very challenging. Am I going to pass on to my children what my dad passed on to me?
Stewards were stewards of these things. God didn't intend that every generation should get a new revelation and start all over again. We started from where our forefathers.
Ministered to us things that were put into our hands to keep. Faithfulness is required. And this is the way I look at measuring the what has been given to us. If it's much, then we have much to keep. If it's little, if we were born 500 years ago and didn't have much truth, still the same standard faithfulness, whatever we have and to carry it on. And God sometimes gives more.
I don't I'm thankful for a father that gave me a lot of truth, but I certainly don't limit myself in my understanding to what my Father taught me. I respect him, yes, but I think the Lord has taught me a few things by myself. I've gotten it from the word of God and I'm thankful for it. I hope I can pass it on to my children too, and they pass it on. Faithfulness is this is what I see that we need to emphasize better. And it's not a question God chooses whether we get much or little, but whatever we got.
It's required faithfulness.
Something that's been helpful to me, first of all, the foundation has been laid. So as far as the form worker, where we don't or what we do, that's already been established. But Mr. Darby wrote a track because somebody asked him to.
Set down a.
The principle that the truths that were essential to his religious system that he was associated. So he thought about that we all and sure many of us have read the track. What I learned from scripture and the comments that he made that was helpful to me was.
As soon as he starts to divide it up, the truth up as a unit, to divide it up, it's like taking a tree and cutting it up. You have pieces of wood. He says that the only way that we can understand the truth and carry it out is to look at it and behold it as a whole. And so.
If you want to, if fruit is important, the only way that you can really understand it and maintain it and nourish it and produce it is when the tree is a living.
System and so the roots have something to do with it. The trunk has something to do with it. The branches, the leaves, everything has a part in them. And so for myself, the hindrance with me and I'm sure everyone of us is that certain things become more important than others. And there are certain parts that we exclude because they're contrary to what I want. And so if the truth as a whole, it's it's been entrusted to us is one thing and we can be thankfulness gathered to the Lord's name is that we can open up the book of Corinthians.
In any chapter and we can open it up and we may have difficulties we may have we struggle with it and carrying it out practically, but it's given to us in relation to the whole truth and by grace we can understand if we submit.
You in the back of the book. 22 in the back of the book.
Holy.
My voice of God and Father, we thank you for our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and how it touches our hearts to think of ourselves here in a tiny speck of that universe. Minds can't even conceive the size of it, but to think of those words uttered by the Lord Jesus thy Son. And this is like eternal that they may know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ who now is sent. And we thank you, our blessed God and Father, that we've been brought to know thee as we've had these words of comfort and exhortation.
Brought before us and to stir us up and to exercise us about those things that are a hindrance to knowing Thee more and knowing Thee together we do prayer. Blessed Godfather, Thou bless the word that we've had before us so far. We do thank Thee for Thy kindness and thy goodness. Our blessed God, to think that Thou should think on us before we took our ever breath, our first breath, before the first stars ever shone. That Thou art. Love was set upon us and purposed us for blessing. And so we do pray that in our lives and in our conduct. 1 to another.
That they may reflect that love and give thee pleasure. We give thee thanks, our blessed God and Father, and our Savior's precious and worthy name.
Amen.
Gospel 5
Gospel—B. Hindsley
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.
I did forget one announcement with respect to the young people sing.
And I hate to pick on this back section here.
But the chairs that we've set up for this thing are likely to be insufficient. So if you could clear your things off to your seats after the gospel meeting, it would be very convenient if we could just turn those seats around for the sink. We appreciate your help in that.
Good evening.
And welcome.
This has been announced.
As a gospel meeting.
30 minutes before this meeting started.
There were many people in A room.
That were on their knees.
Praying for different ones in this room.
I believe.
Before we start this meeting.
That there are those who are sitting in this room.
Who have never.
Taking Christ as their own personal savior.
Tonight, I want to talk about that matter.
Before we start, I'd like to sing a few hymns.
The hymn sheet that you have.
#4.
Christ is the Savior of sinners.
Christ is the Savior for me.
Long I was chained in sins darkness, Now by his grace I am free.
After this meeting.
If there's someone that's sitting here that's unsaved, I hope you can sing.
This song, now, by his grace, I am free.
#4.
Christ is the Savior.
They came from judgment to pray. Now there is no convenience.
There is just something that one day.
Save your own 700.
Save around tenants like it shall be his life on my bride's song. This is the state of for me.
00:05:39
We also sing #38 I know not why. God's wondrous grace.
To me he hath made known, nor why, unworthy as I am, he claimed me for his own. But I know whom I have believed in.
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day #38 I know not why.
All I am clarification, I am flying.
Before we start, I'd like to ask the Lord's help.
Where we read from His holy word.
Our gracious God and our Father.
We do give thanks that once again.
We have been afforded this opportunity to present Thy well beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Savior of sinners.
Tonight, our God, we would pray that thy spirit would not be hindered.
As we would open thy precious word, and that if there is a soul here.
In this room, our God, we do pray that thou wouldst convict that person.
Of their need, that they may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Savior, to have peace with thee, our God, and be on.
That road to heaven. And so we would ask these things in the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
00:10:09
Before I start I want to say a few things.
There are many young people in this audience.
Turn off your cell phones.
Your iPods, Your text messaging.
Because as I mentioned, 30 minutes prior to this meeting, there were people on their knees praying for lost souls in this room.
This is not a time to be drawing or to be carrying on.
It's a time for you to listen.
Because.
The message tonight is from.
A holy God and he's talking to you this evening.
I want to read a verse of scripture to start with from the book of Romans.
My brethren from Grand Rapids, remember that I've read this verse before.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 4.
There's a part in this verse that I want to read.
Let God be true.
And every man.
A liar.
Let God be true and every man a liar.
Tonight, the message of the gospel is from God.
This book, the Bible.
Is his word.
The Spirit of God caused men to write this word.
And it is this word.
That is the absolute truth. This is not a fairy tale book. It's not a novel. These are the words from a holy God.
And when anytime you open this book, you should know that God himself.
Is the author of these words?
And so it is no light matter this evening, the responsibility that is before me this evening as I open God's word and speak tonight. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Men have written books and given different sayings, and some of them may be fine, but they're not all true. This book that you have in your hands tonight. This book that I'm going to read the scriptures from.
Are the absolute truth. This is where the truth you will find it is in this book. Let God be true and every man a liar.
And now I would like you to turn.
To a text here in the Word of God in the Gospel of Matthew.
Chapter 27.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 27.
Matthew 27.
Verse 22.
Pilate saith unto them.
What?
What?
Shall I do then with Jesus which is called?
Christ.
This meeting this evening is to tell you about the good news.
The Gospel.
This gospel originated from God himself, and it is about his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You say to me, Brian.
What does this matter to me?
What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ? What does that mean?
00:15:05
I will tell you what it means.
Every person.
In this room.
Is a Sinner.
It's about the sin question.
This is why God.
Offers the good news because of the sin question, you say? But Brian, I'm a pretty good person.
I'm here to tell you.
That there will be.
Many good people that end in hell.
And I'll tell you why. It's because they never, they never stopped.
And paused and answered this question that was here that we just read. What shall I do then? Which is with Jesus, which is called Christ?
You see?
What happened in the Garden of Eden all the way back in the book of Genesis?
Adam and Eve were in the garden. They were told not to partake of a tree.
Eve partook of it. Adam took also and saw sin came in to this world.
And you say, Brian?
How can you say that there is sin in this world?
If I brought my newspaper from Grand Rapids here with me.
And took you to the obituary page and pulled it out.
You would suddenly realize that, as God said in the book of Genesis, dying, thou shalt die. If I got a newspaper from right here in Saint Thomas and I went to the obituary page, there would be dead people that are mentioned in that newspaper. There's a testimony that sin is in this world because we have death.
So don't think for one moment that you are going to escape.
Death because you are a Sinner.
And God calls you a Sinner.
He says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
You were born a Sinner. I was born a Sinner into this world. There's nothing you can do about it.
You're born that way. And then guess what?
It doesn't take long for sin to rear its ugly head in any small child as they grow up, as we become adults, there's not a person that can raise their hand in this audience and say I have never sinned.
An outward act of sin. There's not a person here that can say it.
You're a Sinner because you were born that way.
And you're a Sinner because you do things that are contrary to a holy.
Tonight.
Tonight, I want you to see why this is good news. The gospel of God, the gospel of Christ. It's because of the sin question. And I'm sure there's people in this room that are sitting here this evening.
Who have an uneasiness.
Because they've never taken Christ as Savior, they have never settled the sin question. And they walk through this scene uneasy. They say I'm trying to do the best I can, but there's an uneasiness. You're right, there's an uneasiness because you're a Sinner.
You're lost, you're helpless, and you're hopeless.
Back in Michigan, where I live now.
My wife and I like to go about 16 miles from our house there's Lake, MI.
And there's a place called Grand Haven, and we like to go there a lot.
We like to watch the sunset. It's beautiful. There's a pier that goes out and there's a lighthouse.
And some of the sunsets are the most beautiful things you've ever seen.
00:20:07
In September of 2003.
Two young men.
One of them's name was Andy. Andy Fox.
They jumped into the water and were swimming and they were having a good time.
And there was an undertow that was out there. The one boy was able to swim back, but Andy says I can't make it.
I can't make it.
And the people on the shore, they dial 911. No one could get him, and he drifted out.
And young Andy Fox lost his life because there was number life preserver, none on that pier. He called for help. No one wanted to risk themselves to go out into that water. But if there had been a life preserver.
They could have gotten it to him, and they could have rescued his soul tonight. I'm here to tell you.
That the Lord Jesus is your life saver.
Because you are out there in the sea of life.
And the same question not being settled, you are going to sink.
And there's going to come a day that you are going to stand before the Lord Jesus and he's not going to be as Lord, He's going to be as judge to you.
And so tonight.
You're a Sinner because you're born that way. You're a Sinner.
Because you do things.
That are wrong we practice.
And so.
This question.
What shall I do then?
With Jesus.
Which is called Christ.
You know.
In a few weeks.
It'll be April.
14th.
Some of you in this room may remember what April 14th is.
April 14th was a Sunday in 1912.
There will be 96 years.
There was a boat, a huge ship. It wasn't a boat, a huge ship.
That sank 400 miles.
Off of Nova Scotia.
A lot of yous remember the name.
As the Titanic.
You know.
If you've ever read the history.
About the Titanic.
And you read about it.
It is a picture.
Of people going through life.
You know why?
That ship.
Was huge.
Almost 900 feet long, like that's like four city blocks or something, 100 feet wide, this huge ship.
One of the deckhands said God himself can't sink this thing.
It took off from England, heading over to the United States, going through the Atlantic.
Made a few stops and started coming over.
Now you know on that boat.
You go and you read the history about this.
There were boys and girls.
There were young men, young women.
There were rich and poor, some of the richest people in the world.
They estimated the wealth of the people that were on that boat $600 million.
Estimate for 1912.
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That boat heading across the Atlantic?
I'm going to read to you an excerpt.
And I read this because.
I see in life.
This going on.
And that is why we have these gospel meetings.
And I call this the unheated warning.
On Sunday afternoon.
Sunday afternoon Now. The ship hit the iceberg at 11:40 PM Sunday night.
Sunday afternoon.
The Titanic's wireless operator.
He forwarded this message to an office in Washington, DC.
Baltimore and a few other places.
Here's the message.
April 14.
The German steamship America reports by Radio Telegraph passing two large icebergs in latitude 14.27, longitude 50.08, latitude Titanic.
BRS.
The warning went out.
Hours before that Titanic hit those icebergs.
Tonight, the warning goes out.
You are a Sinner if you're sitting in your seat and you have not accepted Christ as Savior.
The warning is going out tonight.
This man in charge of that message?
I don't know if he related or didn't, but they went full steam ahead.
And at 11:40.
They hit the iceberg.
In under 3 hours. In under three hours.
There were over 2200 people on that board on that boat.
Inside of those three hours, only 7:05 left.
Boys, girls, men, women, rich, poor. They went to a watery grave. They either drowned or they froze to death in that cold water of the Atlantic Ocean.
And you know what?
You read some of the accounts.
People thought, oh, they're just having a drill. I'm not paying any attention.
And this is exactly what's happening in this world today. People don't pay attention. They've heard the gospel many times. And people start to say, I don't want to hear it again. I'm here to tell you tonight.
Sitting in your seat.
And you do not make a decision for Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you don't settle the sin question.
You will be cast into hell.
You will be cast into hell.
And God will be righteous in doing that, because the sins that you have committed, the sin question has to be paid for.
You say, Brian, how about if I never sinned again?
How about have I never sinned again?
The debt that you already incurred still has to be paid.
You know.
God's plan of salvation.
As I mentioned, required that sin had to be paid for.
The same question had to be settled.
And so God.
He sent his well beloved son.
00:30:00
The Lord Jesus Christ down into this world.
For those of you that know Christ as Savior.
It's absolutely amazing.
Why the Lord would save a soul like me?
For different ones of us that are sitting here, I know now why. God's wondrous grace.
To me. To me.
He hath made known.
Godson, his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, He came down to the scene.
Born of a virgin.
He walked this scene down here and he is the only one, the only person that walked the face of this earth that was sinless.
There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
The Lord Jesus, God's old son, came down to this scene and he walked these very roads down here, this earth that we inhabit, the Son of God walk.
And he said to man, I want to show you, I want to show you what God feels towards man is creature. And so there were people that were blind and they couldn't see. The Lord Jesus walks up to them, he touches their eye and they're made to see.
There were people that couldn't walk.
The Lord Jesus could say rise up.
There were people that had diseases.
That he could like just someone touching the hem of garment, they would be healed.
He showed the heart of God to mankind.
But you know what this world gave to him?
They said we don't want you.
We don't want you.
And in this chapter.
This Roman man, Pilate said. What shall I then do?
With Jesus, which is called the Christ.
And they said let them be crucified.
This is what this world did to the Son of God who came down to show the heart of God to all of mankind. They said we don't want you. And furthermore, we're going to crucify you. We're going to nail you to a cross of wood. The most hideous way to kill somebody and they take the blessed Savior.
They spit upon him, they beat his back, they take a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They make fun of him. They do all of these things.
And I might add.
That all of that suffering.
That the Lord Jesus endured at the hand of man.
Did nothing to settle the same question.
Oh, but the sin question would be settled.
They took the blessed Savior and nailed Him with nails through His hands.
And I believe that the palms of his hands were exposed for all of mankind.
Because I believe.
Had gone through the Lord Jesus Christ.
With his hands outstretched, his saying to you tonight, you sitting in this room that don't know Christ as Savior, come to me, come unto me, and I will take care of the sin question.
I love you.
And I died for you.
You know.
They nail them to a cross of wood.
They do all these things to him.
And God says man.
You've seen enough. You've done enough.
And he shrouds that scene in total blackness and darkness.
And that is when.
That is when.
00:35:02
A holy God.
A holy God.
Poured out judgment on the Lord Jesus Christ.
As he hung there on that cross.
He poured out judgment that I deserved, that every person in here that knows Christ as Savior, that you deserved. The Lord Jesus Christ took your punishment. He took mine there at the cross of Calvary. You know what? I can't enter into that kind of suffering. No one in this room can enter into it. But you know what? You go back in these Psalms and you read some of them.
You read some of these psalms and it is as the Spirit of God has pulled back the curtain for you a little bit.
And you can see the thoughts of the Lord Jesus Christ as he hung there on that cross in those three hours of darkness.
My God, my God, why? Why hast thou forsaken me?
A holy God pouring out judgment.
That I deserved, that every blood bought St. here in this room deserved. He paid and settled the same question for me and for you.
What love?
What love?
And then we hear that cry.
We hear that cry.
It is finished.
You know what?
There's not a person in this room.
That can dismiss their spirit. There is not a person here who can say I'm going to die right now.
But only the Creator could do such a thing. After he cried, it is finished. He dismisses his spirit.
All. But you know that's not an That's not all.
It says a soldier with a spear pierced his side and blood and water.
Came out.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins. The blood had to come from the blessed Savior to settle that sin question. A holy God poured out the judgment upon Him that we so rightly and justly deserved, and the blood coming from His blessed side.
Is my title to glory.
And now I can stand in front of you this evening.
I can stand in front of you and many other people in this room can stand here with me.
And say the same question.
For me has been settled because the Lord Jesus died in my stead. And unless here tonight, you as you're sitting there in your seat, realize that you are a Sinner, you cannot be saved.
You must realize that the things that you have done, the nature that you have, that you are a Sinner, and that the only way to settle that question from God's Holy Word is that you must put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear God, I'm a Sinner. You can say in your seat here tonight, I accept.
Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior, that he died for me.
I accept him this evening.
What?
What shall I do then with Jesus?
Which is called Christ.
Have you ever seen such love displayed? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe.
Believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
There has never been.
A greater display of love.
As told out in the message of the Gospel of God.
The Gospel of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the centerpiece.
00:40:00
God's own Son, God is now just.
The sin question when he looks down at me and if you tonight.
Take Christ as Savior when God looks down at you.
Guess why?
He sees me as he sees his well beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Does he see the Lord Jesus Christ as a Sinner? No.
He sees his son as doing a perfect work.
And you tonight can be in that same way as perfect in God's sight.
And so.
The message of the Gospel.
It's one of life.
And happiness.
It's not a message.
Of sorrow.
Now.
It will be a message of sorrow.
If you choose, here tonight.
To walk out those doors and say, you know what, you made me think so. But you know what? I got a lot of things I'm doing right now some other time.
Yeah, I'll think about it.
And you put it off.
The scripture says behold now.
Now is the accepted time. Behold now.
Now is the day of salvation.
As I said, I see in the story of the Titanic so much.
Of what's happening in this world. You know that ship, if you've ever seen some pictures of it, it had all of the amenities.
It had a band, it had big huge tables, big huge dining rooms, all of this type of entertainment. And you know what? That's exactly what this world has to offer today.
There's football, basketball, hockey, you name it. There's the theaters, there's movies, there's all kinds of things. And in my mind, Satan is taking people right down the lazy river to hell because he takes.
People and he distracts you. Some of these things in themselves. There's nothing wrong with playing a game of basketball.
Or playing hockey, some of these things, another wrong with them.
But Satan uses these things to distract your mind, to take away the time that when you could stop and think about your never dying soul.
He uses them and he's a master at it. You don't have to pick up a paper and you have all kinds of sections. You have the sports, you have the entertainment, you have all kinds of things.
And so tonight, I urge you, do not, do not put this off.
Because.
I am going to read to you.
And as I want to remind you, let God be true.
And every man a liar.
I'm going to read to you the Book of Revelation.
And it talks there about the great White Throne judgment.
Revelation chapter 20.
Revelation 20.
And this is a most solemn, a most solemn scene.
I'm going to read it to you and then I want to make some comments.
Verse 11.
And I saw.
A great white throne.
And him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead.
00:45:01
Small and great stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every man, every man.
According to their works and Death and Hell were cast.
Into the lake of fire and this is the second death and.
Whosoever.
Whosoever.
Was not found written in the Book of Life.
Was cast into the Lake of Fire.
Tonight I've told you about the love that God has for your soul, the love that Jesus Christ displayed on the cross of Calvary when he died for you and he took the punishment that you deserve, and he shed his blood.
For you to reject that offer of salvation.
There will come a time and there are those people in this room that know Christ is Savior. We will be standing there when people that are from this audience tonight I fear will be at this great white throne judgment.
And we are going to hear these words.
Depart from me as the Lord, as judge.
Takes you and cast you into the lake of fire.
Tonight we're preaching about the destiny of your never dying soul, and don't believe for one minute that you're going to get out of this. This is not an appointment you will miss. It is appointed unto Man Wants to die and after this the judgment.
You will meet the Lord Jesus as judge if you reject Him tonight.
And I will stand there with other people in this room.
And we will see as you are taken and cast into the Lake of fire.
Does this not move you?
Does this not 'cause you to stop?
And look at yourself and say, dear God, I'm a Sinner.
Sorrow and repentance, saying and owning before God.
That you're lost and that you need his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is required. If thou shalt confess, Jesus is Lord, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
You see, after they crucified the Lord Jesus, they laid him in a tomb.
But all.
God the Father looked down and he said no, my son has done a perfect work.
And God raises him from the dead.
We have a savior that's alive. There's not a tomb somewhere where he is.
We have a Savior who is alive and in the glory.
And he's calling to you tonight.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I.
I will give you rest. Those are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ this evening.
And Saul?
There is a responsibility.
On your part tonight.
To realize how solemn.
This matter is.
When you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ as judge.
There will be no jury. There will not be a decision. And when we say let's have a discussion and then we bring the matter to the judge, no.
There will be a judge. There will not be a jury.
The Lord Jesus will issue a sentence.
And guess what?
You won't be able to appeal it.
You won't be able to say, wait a minute, you didn't get all the evidence because the word of God says every mouth shall be stopped.
00:50:10
And so.
Tonight.
As I mentioned before this meeting.
There were brothers on their knees praying for souls in this room.
And as we have read from the word of God here, there are people that are praying right now for your souls. There's moms and dads who have children, I'm sure, that are in this audience.
Who their children have never made a confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
And so tonight.
As you sit here, I'm not asking you to raise your hand, I'm not asking you to walk up here, but I am asking you. I am pleading with you.
I am begging you to take Christ as Savior.
Because he loves you and he died for you He wants.
To save your soul as you're sitting there in your seat, you can say, dear God, I'm a Sinner and you can come to him tonight. He won't turn you away. You can't say, oh, but I've done terrible things, I'm awful, He won't save me.
Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. He loves you and He wants you to come to Him tonight. Will you take that offer of salvation?
Will you take God's offer tonight, or will you let it slip by?
You know there's no guarantee.
That you'll be here tomorrow.
You know.
Back in.
Now I do a little bit of different stuff, but years back it worked in an emergency room down in Atlantic City, NJ.
And I worked the night shift and my responsibilities were to people who weren't breathing right, to hook things up to them and so on and so forth. And I remember vividly.
One night working and being called down to the emergency room and they said there's been a house fire.
And they said they're, they, they think there's some people in there, you know?
First there was a little girl. She was about 7.
They brought her in.
And a little few minutes later, they brought in her brother, and then they brought in another brother.
And then they brought in the dad.
And, you know, their house had caught on fire and smoke had filled that house.
You know they all perished. Do you think they went to bed the night before?
Expecting never to wake up.
You have no guarantee or no promise that you are going to be here.
Tomorrow.
And using words that remember my dad always preaching and saying.
You are.
But a heartbeat?
From eternity.
One heartbeat away from eternity.
So didn't height.
I urge you.
Plead with you and beg you to take Christ as your Savior.
In closing.
I was.
Brought up.
Down in Jersey.
And.
There was a brother there.
Named Adrian Roach.
Trying to find my paper on it.
But Adrian always used to quote.
This saying.
I'm going to read it to you.
This is for all of us.
What, thank you of Christ, is the test.
To try both your state and your scheme. You cannot be right in the rest unless you think rightly of him.
00:55:05
As Jesus appears in your view as he is beloved or not.
So God is disposed to you, and mercy or wrath are your life.
Some take him a creature to be a man or an Angel at most.
Sure, these have not feelings like me, nor know themselves wretched and lost.
So guilty, so helpless am I, I durst not confide in His blood, nor on His protection rely unless, unless I were sure He is God.
Some call him a savior in Word, but mix their own works with His plan and hope He is help will afford when they have done all they can if doings prove rather too light.
A little they own, they may fail. They purpose to make up full weight by casting his name.
In the scale.
Some style hymn, the Pearl of great price and say he's the fountain of joy, Yet feed upon folly and vice, and cleave to the world and its toys. Like Judas the Savior, they kiss, and while they salute him, betray.
What will profession like this avail in this terrible day?
If asked what of Jesus, I think.
Though still my best thoughts are but poor. I say He's my meat and my drink, my life and my strength and my store, my shepherd, my husband, my friend, my Savior, from sin, from thrall, my hope from beginning to end, my portion, my Lord and my all.
These words were written.
By John Newton.
The very man who wrote Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound that saved a Wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now.
I see.
And so tonight.
I do pray.
That she would take Christ.
As your own personal savior and settle the sin question once and.
And for all.
Like to close?
And sing just as I am.
Just as I am.
Without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come.
Just.
Dance, God shall fall and grace.
Without the pictures, they fall.
Come just as you are. Shall we close the word of prayer, our gracious God and our Father?
We do give thanks.
For the gift of thy love, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who gave his life there at the Cross of Calvary?
Endured the punishment of a holy God.
Who shed his blood?
Who has now risen and on high. Blessed Savior, we give thanks for that mighty work.
And this evening we would pray that if there is a soul or souls in this audience.
That they would take thee tonight as Savior.
May thy Spirit, our God work.
In the hearts of those here this evening.
So we would ask these things, giving thanks in the worthy and precious name.
Of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Overcoming
YP Sing Address—B. Prost
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Please help me.
I will pray.
I will be healed.
By my husband.
00:35:20
Well, let's just have a word of prayer before we start.
Loving God our Father, we do thank Thee again for the happy time we have had today, for the privilege of having so many of Thy people gather together, the privilege of having Thy word open before us, the privilege of singing these hymns together. Now we look to Thee once more as we open Thy word and pray for help. We pray too, that now will use Thy word to speak to each one of us, the speaker included.
Where we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, I'd like to speak for a few minutes on a subject that is very close to my heart, and if you've heard me speak on it before, maybe you'll pardon the repetition, but I want to speak for a few minutes on the subject of overcoming.
Overcoming.
And I hope that even if we say a few things that have been said before, that it will be fresh, even if it's repetitive.
Overcoming What does it mean? It means to get the victory. It means to win, doesn't it?
And the world has a little bit of a saying with a touch of humor to it, that winning isn't the most important thing, but then somebody puts A twist on it and says it's the only thing.
The only thing, and of course sad to say, in many parts of the world, that means winning by whatever means you can. Even if you have to cheat, even have, even if you have to break the rules and get away with it, you win, whatever the cost.
But when God presents the subject of overcoming in His Word, it's not in the worldly sense of the term. It's in the sense of you and me being victorious in our Christian lives.
And it's not easy, and the Word of God never tries to pretend that it's easy. But at the same time.
And I say this with all confidence.
God wouldn't talk to us about overcoming if it were something impossible to do.
I have heard believers talk like that. They have said it's just too difficult.
The Christian pathway is just too difficult.
And you know, if you try and do it in your own strength, it is too difficult.
Somebody made a remark one time.
He said it is not that Christianity has been tried.
And found to be difficult, he said. It's rather the other way round, that because it's difficult, it has been left untried.
And that's all right up to a point, because the devil delights to present to us all the difficulties, so that even without trying.
I will say that's going to be too difficult. I won't even try.
But it's very interesting that as far as I recall, and somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, I'm never told, at least in the New Testament, to try to do anything.
Is that right?
If somebody can show me a place in the New Testament where a believer is told to try to do something, now there are reference to believers.
Trying to do something.
But not with the mind of the Lord.
When the Lord tells us to do something, He never says to try. He just says do it because He's given everything to enable us to do it. Do we fail? Yes, we do. Do we sometimes not finish what we start out to do? That happens. But God never contemplates that because He's giving us every reason to get the victory. And so I'd like to look at 3 verses.
Three different kinds of overcoming, the first one in Luke Chapter 11.
00:40:04
Look Gospel Chapter 11.
And this is very precious to our hearts because this is in connection with the Lord Jesus.
Luke Chapter 11 and verse 21. Here's the Lord Jesus speaking. Notice what he says.
When a strongman armed, keepeth his palace.
His goods are in peace, but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted.
And divided his spoils.
Maybe this is kind of mean, but I would like somebody under 20 years old to tell me when this happened and what it refers to in about one or two sentences. When did this happen? What was the Lord Jesus referring to and when did it occur?
Anybody want to offer a suggestion? And I won't be upset if nobody volunteers, but does anybody want to tell me OK.
James.
Yes.
Exactly when the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, that is what is referred to here, the temptation at the beginning of the Lords pathway. He was tempted of the devil and you'll remember the devil brought three different temptations before him, one after the other. OK, here's another question. Then again, somebody under 20 tell me.
How did the Lord Jesus deal with those temptations? In a simple answer, what did the Lord Jesus do? How did he deal with those temptations one after the other?
Anyone that is anyone. Oh.
Oh, Mr. Hebert, come on, you're under 20.
There's a boy behind you, can I let him try first?
Thank you. Did everyone hear that he quoted verses from the Bible? I'm sure Mr. Hebert was going to say that too.
He quoted verses from the Bible. Why did he do that? He could have told Satan to go away because he was God, and as God he had the power to do that. Why did he call verses from the Bible?
As an example, for you and for me, all those temptations were related to the same kinds of things that you and I are tempted by. They were the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. And the Lord Jesus overcame them simply by quoting the Word of God. And so you and I can be overcomers. And what this is, is one way that Satan tries to get us.
To sit.
And the reason I bring it out is because this is basic. Much of the trouble in our Christian lives is not because we don't understand the truth of Paul's ministry or not because we don't understand the truth of the ground of gathering, or not because we don't understand all the details of prophecy. Those are very important. But much of the trouble in our lives starts with very basic things, and that is giving in to the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
And the Lord Jesus didn't argue with the devil, He didn't try and give him any long explanation. He simply said it is written.
But Satan has lots of tricks in his bag, if I could use that term. And Satan has two basic ways of attacking us. Sometimes he attacks us by.
Trying to think of a good word. He allures us. He puts something before us that we really like.
Let me use an illustration sometimes if people want to break into a house.
Or into a property that has guard dogs on it. They will take a good big chunk of meat, and when they go there, they toss the meat to the guard dogs, hoping that the guard dog will be so occupied with a piece of meat that he won't bother with them as they go in and try to commit the robbery. Now, a properly trained guard dog doesn't fall for that trick, but unhappily, a lot of dogs do. Because that's the way they're made, aren't they? That's what Satan does. He allures us with something that tempts us so strongly.
00:45:17
That we fall right for his trap instead of looking to the Lord for strength and going back to the word of God and simply saying it is written.
But then the Satan has another trick, and he tried that one on the Lord Jesus too. Let's turn over to John's Gospel.
Chapter 16.
As far as I know, these are the only two occasions of overcoming in the life of the Lord Jesus.
But they cover the whole scale of overcoming as far as Satan's temptations are concerned.
And this is in the last verse of John 16.
Verse 33.
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation.
But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world.
This is where the cross comes in, isn't it?
There Satan came in a different character at the beginning of the Lord Jesus life. He tried to present something to him that would allure him into sin.
That would kept him in the sense and there was nothing in the Lord Jesus to respond to it. But the Lord gave us an example.
But then the Lord Jesus came at him, at the cross, in all his fury and power. If allurements wouldn't work, then persecution was going to come and all Satans power was brought to bear on the Lord Jesus. And sometime don't do it right now, but sometime if you have an opportunity, stop and think of all the things that happened in the life of the Lord Jesus.
Surrounding the cross and immediately before.
Think of it. First of all, his own follower in the person of Judas was plotting to betray him, and even though the other disciples knew nothing of it, the Lord very well knew, and Judas betrayed him and sold his master. The other disciples couldn't understand what he was saying, and when the time came that he needed them the most, first of all, they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And then later on it says they all forsook them in flesh.
The rulers of the nation whom he had come to save plotted against him in order to get rid of them, and the main reason for doing that was because they envied him for his influence among the people. It wasn't the only reason, but it was one of the main ones.
The very people whom he had been so good to in feeding them and healing them.
As a mob took a cue from their leaders and stood there in front of Pilots government hall and cried out, Crucify him, crucify him. One thing after another, one thing after another. And then we won't go on. But you can look at that record there.
Everything came together there, all the power of Satan brought to bear on the Lord Jesus in every possible way. What does he say? Fear not, I have overcome the world.
And I believe here it's the world as it's going to persecute the Christians, and I'm looking at those here. I think for the most part, I don't live under the threat of real persecution the way some of our brethren do. But all I can say is that it tells us in Second Timothy three that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. You're going to get it one way or another. And Satan will try these tactics.
In different orders. Sometimes he'll try attacking by persecution. If that doesn't work, he'll try it in the way of allurement. But in one way or another he will try and get you off the track.
And, you know, he's being all too successful today. I won't bother. We don't have time to take a lot of say a lot of things about this. But you know, and I know how bad the world is getting. And it's getting bad slowly so that you don't notice it so much.
But it's in terrible shape and in these countries where the gospel has been so widely preached and where we've had an open Bible.
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The giving up has resulted in a far worse condition than if we never had anything, if we'd never had the Bible and the truth. What do we need? We need all the more to walk with the Lord and in the light of His Word.
But that brings us to a third area of overcoming, and for this one, let's turn to Revelation Chapter 3.
Revelation chapter 3.
And in some ways this is perhaps more difficult.
I'm only going to read one verse or two here, but there are many here in the second and third chapters that refer to overcoming.
But notice here in chapter 3, verses 11 and 12.
This is in the address to an assembly in Philadelphia.
Verse 11, Chapter 3 of Revelation. Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more ever. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God.
And I will write upon him my new name.
Overcoming within, shall we say, the profession of Christianity?
Is perhaps the most difficult. Why is that?
Because the opposition may welcome from those from whom you would normally expect support, and that makes it doubly difficult.
I remember talking to a young woman once who had been through a lot.
She had been brought up in a Christian home, but sad to say, her parents did not go on very well for the Lord, and particularly her father had been anything but what a Christian father should be. As a result, there was serious disorder and confusion in that home.
And the details I won't bother going into, but I remember well talking to her and she said to me something like this, she said, Bill.
It's one thing to be persecuted from the world, it's one thing to have Satan attack you from the outside. But when problems and difficulties come in right in your own family, that's supposed to be a Christian family that is 10 times harder to bear.
I couldn't relate to that in personal experience, but you can imagine.
How? That is for how it was I should say and here.
In the addresses to these seven assemblies in Revelation 2 and three.
There is always a space left for an overcomer, and here in the address to Philadelphia, the Lord looks for that in a day when there's much giving up that responds to Him in every possible way.
Is it possible to be an overcomer in that condition? I believe it is, but it's not easy.
Most people that know me well know how much I enjoy a good him sing, and it just thrilled my heart to sit there and sing those hymns tonight. But as I was sitting there kind of glancing around, especially at some of the young people enjoying themselves and singing so heartily.
It took me back to a remark that was made by my late father-in-law, Albert Hayholt, probably a good 40 years ago now.
And referring to a Bible conference, I believe he was at this particular Bible conference, not here in Saint Thomas, but at a Bible conference at the time he made the remark.
And he said, you know, if I were just to come here and justice be able to look at the faces.
It would make the whole trip worthwhile.
I think there are many of us that can relate to that. It wouldn't make the whole trip worthwhile just to see the faces.
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But then he made a rather sobering remark.
But I've never forgotten.
You just kind of set out half to himself and half to some of us that were standing around.
He said. I wonder if I would have the grace and the strength from the Lord.
To walk away from it all, give faithfulness to the Lord, demanded it.
That's where the rubber hits the road because.
The reality of the Christian life does not depend on a wonderful hymn sing at a conference or all of the Christian fellowship that we may enjoy, wonderful though it is.
The basis of your Christian life and mind should not be that. If it is, we'll be tested sooner or later. The basis of your Christian life and mine is not a happy local assembly, although that is the most wonderful thing and God has given it for encouragement for us. Thank God for it.
But the basis of your life and mine, walking before the Lord, is a personal relationship with the Lord.
An acquaintance with His Word, and a firm resolve in my heart as a result of that, to walk before the Lord faithfully.
Regardless of what others do.
There are those here who have had to go through something of that painful experience of walking away, perhaps from those whom they loved and cared for so much in the Lord.
Because there was no other way if they were going to be faithful to the Lord. Now, we don't want to go too far with all that because sometimes what passes for faithfulness to the Lord can be other motives involved. But all I say is when it's a question of overcoming.
Within Christianity Today, of necessity, faithfulness to the Lord may mean.
Separating from that which is not according to His word. Let the Lord be the reference point though, not others. And if the Lord is the reference point, then what will happen? O, my heart of love to every other believer will not be diminished one bit. It won't be a question of I'm right, you're wrong. It'll be a question of faithfulness to the Lord.
Can I quote my father-in-law again? I valued what he said and it stuck with me, he said. You know there are two ways of maintaining the truth.
They can maintain the truth with the attitude that I'm right and you're wrong and I'm going to prove it to you. If it's the last thing I ever do, and if I do it in that spirit, the result will be the same as what Dawn Rule said in the reading this afternoon. I may put people to silence. I may be able to use Scripture to back them into a corner. But then to use his words, they'll just get up and go to the dining cart. Why? Because a man that is persuaded against his will, as the old saying goes, remains of the same opinion still.
But if I present the truth of God in such a way as to say I am nothing, and it's only the grace of God that keeps me. But by the grace of God, this is so precious to me because it is connected with the person of my blessed Savior and connected with the one who loved me so much to die for me. But I can't, no matter what price it costs there, to let any of it go, I may maintain the same truth.
They may use the same scriptures, but the spirit of it all will be so different, and the result and impact on someone else will likely also be different. And so I leave those three things with us, The first two in the life of the Lord Jesus, because when He overcame the world, He did so as an example for us. Notice I'm not talking about the atoning sufferings when I refer to the cross. I'm talking about how many overcame.
The power of Satan against him there and when I talk about the temptation in the wilderness.
Again, I say he showed us by dealing with the whole issue in the same way that you and I can. And then when it comes to overcoming within the profession of Christianity within Christendom, if we could use that within the Great House as it's referred to in Second Timothy.
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May the Lord give us grace to walk before Him, to have our eye first of all, back on Calvary's cross and all that He did for us, and then on the wonderful reward that is spoken about here for the one who is an overcomer. Again, I say in closing, God would not tell us to be overcomers if it were impossible to do so. And I believe God is looking to the younger ones here to be overcomers.
In these last days because there isn't much time left of us, but God is looking for overcomers that will follow Him and be faithful to Him until the end.
Let's just have another word of prayer and then I guess Brother Dave has some more announcements to make.
Will will does okay.
OK, our loving God and our Father, we give thanks again for thy precious words. And we thank Thee that the One who loved us and died for us also showed us the way to overcome the power of Satan against us, whether by allurement and temptation or whether by the fire of persecution. And we thank Thee to our God that Thou just give us the grace even within Christendom today.
In the great house, to be able to be overcome and to be faithful under the end. So we give thanks now. We commit the rest of the evening to Thee. We ask Thy blessing on Thy word, and do so in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Year Book Lessons
Children—D. 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.
Well, good morning. We'd like to welcome everyone to the Sunday School.
And we'd also like to encourage the younger ones to come up to the front.
And let's begin by singing a well known hymn #40 Jesus loves me.
This I know, for the Bible tells me so little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong #40 Jesus loves me.
Everybody is from Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes.
Yes, yes.
Yes, yes.
I'm.
I'm back and you will still make me glad ways to hold me in his arms.
On every month. Yes, he's a salty. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes Jesus loves me but I forgot me. So she wants, loves me, loves me still. When I'm buried, we can build from his shining place on time.
I'm still watching me where I live.
Yes, she's a sponsor. Yes, she's not lost me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me. He will stay close beside me all the way if I trust Him. Should I die, it will take me all my time.
Yeah, she starts lost me. Yes, she starts lost me. Yes, Jesus wants me the final count me so.
We'd like to take favorites from the children and also from those in the audience. We'll sing some songs. You can pick any song that's in the hymn sheet, one through 47, or if there's one that you remember from Sunday school, that's.
Not on this hymn sheet. I think that we can, with the collective thinking and the remembrance of the people here, I think we can try and sing some of those songs like The Wise Man or Jesus Loves the Little Children, some of your favorites. So we would like to give out a song first.
#38.
I know.
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And I'm persuaded and he is able to keep. I wish I committed.
Unto him against that day I.
Despair and close the men's and.
Rebuilding our spirit of love when created.
But I don't know, I have been in bed and that persuasion.
Isn't it wonderful? We don't know how it happens. We know that the Spirit is working. But have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Do you know Him as your Savior?
We heard a really good gospel message yesterday, didn't we? In fact, we even sang this song.
Is Jesus your Savior?
Or are you putting him off?
He's inviting you to spend eternity with him in heaven.
Let's make the right decision. Let's receive Jesus as your savior. Well, let's sing some more. We have some time to sing some more favorites.
#32 and for those coming in, we'd like to encourage the young children to come up to the front row.
Plenty of seats available.
What was the number?
32 Let's stand for this song.
What can watch away my sins?
Why can't make me whole again? Nothing of the world Jesus all right shall stands up flow. God makes me whine that snow no vibrant outside now nothing must have lost the blood of Jesus.
Nothing but the log of Jesus.
Or my part of this, my place. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white and stone.
No wonder how I'm dying of I know.
Nothing but the blood.
Jesus.
Nothing but the world, Jesus.
I'm not good that I have done nothing but the life of Jesus.
Oh gracious, is that what God makes me? Like a stone?
No other outside, no.
There is no time now, nothing but the love Jesus.
We could just walk around here.
Let's sing three more songs. So we want to give people a chance to give out their favorites. What a great way to start off Sunday morning by singing some of these good old gospel songs, some of these very good Sunday school songs. Who else has a favorite they'd like to give out?
How about someone beyond the 1St row is here.
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Yes #5.
I'll sing two more after this one.
Oh Happy Day, that fixed my choice and be my savior and my God. Has there been a time in your life where you have accepted Jesus as your savior? Have you made that important decision? If not, we hope that you'll make that today before the Sunday school is over. Oh, happy day.
And jealous.
When Jesus was.
Talking about.
Him praying and every thought.
Every day I'll be dead. I'll be dead when Jesus washed my sins away.
The great transactions of I am my Lord and he is mine. He's really happy.
To come back, I want to ride. I forget. I forget when Jesus was my sins always.
When Jesus was my simple reign.
When Jesus wants my sins away.
It's like we have to watch and pray and will rejoice in and.
I have to be there. I can be shame.
Two more.
Thank you, Uncle Dan. It's not in our hymn sheets, but I think we know it. Wide. Wide is the ocean, high as the heavens above. Deep, deep is the deepest sea as my Savior's love. Is that the right one? Let's sing it wide. Wide as he knows.
Or his work it just me that his love graciously.
That was great. Thank you. One more.
31.
41.
#41.
Around.
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Glory, glory, glory is new God.
Love, shame cannot share against life to push away their sins. Now watch him have most gracious 1 Behold and white and clean singing glory, glory, glory.
You can just take your hem sheets, maybe carefully put them on the chair.
Make sure that we don't have them end up on the floor. What we're going to do is we're going to pray and then we're going to get into a good Bible lesson. Let's close our mouths.
Close your eyes. We're going to pray, OK?
Lord Jesus, we just ask for Thy help this morning. We thank You that you loved us and that you died on the cross.
For boys and girls, we just pray that if there's any boy or girl or even a teenager.
Maybe even a dad or mom, a grandpa or grandma who does not know the as their own personal savior, that today they would receive the as their own personal savior. And for those of us who are saved, that there might be something this morning that would help us and encourage us and help us to live as lights in this Dark World. We pray for a message that will be just suited to the needs of each person here. And we ask this in the name and the power of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I'd just like to begin by asking some questions.
And the way for you to answer it is just go ahead and raise your hand. I want to find out if there's anybody here that's in kindergarten.
I see a hand. How about first grade?
Go ahead and just raise your hand. I'm just going to step back here because I need to put my glasses on so I can see better. How about second grade?
2nd grade or third grade? Oh, second grader? Third grade.
4th grade.
4th, 4th grade. Oh, another one. Fifth grade.
All right, the fabulous 5th grader, 6th grade.
OK, our super 6th graders 7th grade. Good.
8th grade.
8th grade.
High school 9101112 do they do 13 here?
Not anymore. How about in college?
We have some students here, any grad students?
Good. We have some grad students and in the school of God we'd never graduate. We're all learning now. This morning, the next 20 minutes, I want to talk about something that I'm kind of familiar with and try and bring in a nice gospel message with that. But before I show you what it is, I want you to kind of think and guess what I might be talking about. And as soon as you know, go ahead and raise your hand. And even if you're not in the front row, you go ahead and raise your hand. I have my glasses on now so I can see. And if I can't, maybe an adult just.
Draw my attention that way.
I'm thinking of a book that has a lot of pictures in it and it has a lot of names in it. And it usually comes out at the end of the year. And if you go to a public school, you usually get one. I see a hand way back there. What is that a yearbook? And I'd like to talk a little bit about a yearbook. I have seven things that I want to bring out about a yearbook because I've been working on one at school with my middle school students. And I think there's some good lessons that we can learn from my yearbook.
And I'm just going to get my notes here.
This is a rough draft of the yearbook that our students have been working on, and these are the pages, and we'll look at them just a little bit more in just a few minutes. But this is a book that has pictures of boys and girls, doesn't it?
These are kindergartners here, first graders. Let me turn to the 4th graders. Can you see those?
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This is a book that has pictures of boys and girls.
See them in there?
And as I'm looking at these pictures and as I hold it up, one of the first things I want to bring out, thing number one, is I'm reminded that Jesus loves boys and girls.
Of all different ages, races and backgrounds.
As you get your yearbooks later this year, number one, I want you to remember that that Jesus loves boys and girls.
Of all different ages, these are 4th graders. These are 5th graders.
I got to show the middle school ones. So you guys are probably interested in middle school. You have a middle school science teacher right over here, Miss Rusink. But these are the middle school students here. And that's the first thing I want to bring out is that Jesus loves all the boys and girls of all different ages, races and backgrounds. And I want to turn to a verse in the Bible that helps bring that out. And I'm going to have one of my the children here read that. Could we turn to Galatians chapter 2, verse 20?
And as you get to your yearbook later this year, if you get one, you're going to remember this Sunday school. You're going to remember that, hey, there's things that I can learn from a yearbook. I need someone who has a nice, strong voice who'd like to read that for us.
And if I can't find someone in the front row, I'll find someone, hopefully to a volunteer in the other rows.
Galatians chapter 2, verse 20. Would you like to stand up and read it?
Get this microphone turning.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Thank you.
Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. We'd like to just begin by saying that that every single boy and girl and adult in this room.
Is loved by Lord Jesus Christ.
He loves you and Brian, he quoted a verse last night. It said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So the first thing I want you to remember is that Jesus loves boys and girls of all different ages, races and backgrounds. And you can look in a yearbook like that and see from kindergarten through 8th grade, which is what that is. See boys and girls with different last names, all different backgrounds. Jesus loves every single one of them.
And he loves every single boy and girl that's in this room. The second thing I'd like to bring out?
Is that your life is being recorded. Everything you do, say and think, it is known to God. That yearbook which we have right there, we like to say, we like to capture the memories. We like to see the smiling faces of those children. We like to capture those memories of them in their classrooms. We capture the memories of the sporting events, the talent show and the different activities that they do. And we have it.
In a yearbook. But did you know that everything we do and everything we think.
And everything we say.
God sees that.
And Brian was telling us last night, we're going to have to give an account.
You can fool me, you can fool your parents, but can you fool a God who knows everything? A God who sees everything?
Can we fool him? No.
And is it a good idea to try to fool him? He might be able to fool your parents. And I hope there's no one here, but I don't know, with the size, with the amount of people that are in here, there might be someone who's trying to fake it. Can I give you a piece of advice? If you fake it, you will not make it.
If you fake it, you will not make it to heaven.
Remember, just like this yearbook, everything that you're doing.
These are just some of the pictures, some of hundreds and hundreds of pictures that have been taken.
Have been recorded and the children at the end of the year will get this yearbook if they purchase one. But God sees everything that you've done and he knows everything that you've said and everything that you're thinking. He knows the heart. Could we have a verse for that? The answer is yes. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 13.
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And I'm going to ask Reg to read it.
Got a nice big voice and I enjoy hearing what he has to say. Could you read Hebrews chapter 4 verse 13?
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
God sees everything and if you fake it, you won't make it.
Those cameras that were used to take pictures, they record the evidence.
Are you faking it today? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?
Before we go on to #3 as an added bonus and as a reminder to you that cameras can take pictures and can record information, in this room underneath the chairs, there are 8 chairs that are marked with a piece of tape and a camera. I want you right now to stand up, look underneath your chair and see if there's a disposable camera under your chair. If there is, it is yours to keep a reminder that everything we do and say is being recorded.
There are eight of them in this room, so if there's not one under your chair, please look around to see.
And if there is one, you could take it off. It's yours to keep a reminder that everything we do and say is being recorded. And make sure you say thank you to my brother Steve Mack, which he's the one who bought them.
There should be one in this row up here somewhere. When you have it, could you stand up so we can make sure that all eight are accounted for? Here's one.
There's two. There's three.
There's 456. We're missing 2.
I think there might be one in this row over here, someone might want to take a look.
This first row is expecting some of my boys and girls to be sitting there. Oh here.
Ladies and gentlemen, I wonder when you get to heaven if everyone of us will be accounted for.
And we'll see you in heaven.
OK #3.
All the boys and girls in that yearbook are growing and getting smarter.
At the end of the year, they will either pass or fail.
We had a little bit of outgrowth yesterday. I'm wondering, are you growing? Are you growing closer to the Lord?
Are you growing closer to your parents and your brothers or city? Brothers or sisters? Not brothers. Oregon cities, brothers and sisters. Are you growing closer to them?
Are you making your life count?
One year from now, if we saw you here at the conference, if we're here next year, will we have seen some growth in your life?
You know what if a boy or girl doesn't pass in school, then what's that called? It starts with an F if they don't go from one grade to the next all the way to the back.
Yep, that's you failing or flunked.
Failing or flunked? I wonder if there's anyone here. If we saw you next year, if we had to say, you know what, you flunked, you really didn't grow like you should have been. And for the adults, we wouldn't use the word flunk necessarily. We might use the W word. A wasted year.
A year that was wasted.
Are you reading your Bible each day? Are you praying? We're keeping this simple. This is a Sunday school.
But a year from now, has there been growth in your life? And by the way, only someone who knows the Lord Jesus can truly grow, OK?
Are you growing a little bit each year? Growth takes time. Or a year from now we would have to say that was a wasted year. You flunked. There hasn't been a change.
As I look at this yearbook, could I have someone hold this up for me?
Just kind of hold it. I look at the boys and girls in it.
And I'm reminded of this.
Every boy and every girl, and there's probably about 500 to 50 to 600 students in there. Every single boy. This is point #4 needs a savior, is a Sinner and needs a savior. You can sit down for a second. And the Bible says in Romans chapter 3, verse 23, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And not just those boys and girls in there, boys and girls sitting in the front row, the one sitting over here, over here, and all the way in the back.
When I look at a yearbook, I'm reminded of boys and girls, that they're sinners.
00:30:01
And that they need a savior. And I'm reminded that there are people in this room.
Who need a savior?
Because you have sinned. Brian brought that out last night, did such an excellent job, but the truth of God's word, you could put your finger on the verse that says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The song's not in our hymn book and we're not done yet, but I'd like to sing it. It reinforces the point. It says Jesus loves the little children, and the second verse says Jesus died for all the children. Could we just sing that song? And then we'll continue on with the next point.
Jesus, as long as the little children of the world.
So before we go on to point #5 #1 Jesus loves all the boys and girls.
Regardless of their age, regardless of their race, regardless of their background point #2 your life is being recorded. Everything you do, everything you say, and everything you think.
#3 all the boys and girls in that yearbook, all the boys and girls and adults in this room are growing and getting smarter. At the end of the year, Or if you will, if we're here next year and you're here, could we say that you've grown or could we say that you've flunked or it's been a wasted year?
#4 all the boys and girls in that book and all the boys in this group.
All the boys and girls in this room.
We're all born sinners and we all need a savior #5 Second Timothy chapter 2, verse 19. Could I have someone read that verse for me?
Maybe I'll stroll down this way and see if I can find someone I'd like to have participation.
Two Timothy chapter 2, verse 19. Do you mind reading now?
Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
That verse that he just read, it says these words. The Lord knoweth them that are His. I'm just going to take this yearbook apart. This is again a rough draft.
And I'm just going to give out a few pages.
Want you to pick out the Christians for me.
Let's go ahead and look at them. I don't know. Is it the smile? Is it their clothes that they're wearing? Let's think about this for me. And I just want people to pick out the Christians in these pages.
Please make sure I get these back because these are real students.
But it's OK if I just walk back here for a second.
Pick out the Christians.
What criteria would we use to pick out back here? Could you help me pick out the Christians?
We just read the verse. The Lord knoweth them that are His. There's 550 to 600 students in there.
There's all kinds of boys and girls in this room. Now. You could fool me. You look so pretty. You look just like the ones in the yearbook. By that I mean dressed up and nice and smiling. And those boys and girls, they do look that way. They're dressed up nice. They're smiling.
Could you pick out the Christians?
How about in this room here, just looking around, you kind of look the same. Dressed up nicely, smiles on your faces.
Could we pick out the Christians?
But that verse just said the Lord knoweth them that are his, and he looks down through the clouds.
Through the roof on this building, through those white tiles, down into where you're sitting. And he knows. Listen carefully. He knows if you are one of his own.
If you fake it, you won't make it. You can fool your parents, you can fool me, you can fool other people in this room.
00:35:03
But the Lord knows whether you belong to Him and if you don't?
It's a serious thing.
That's number five.
The Lord knoweth them that are His. Which ones are the Christian? Is it based on the outward appearance? No, it's based on the heart, isn't it? It's based on the heart number six. The school year yearbook reminds me that the school year will come to an end.
Your life will come to an end. Mr. Rule talked about a beginning yesterday, didn't he? But the life will go on, won't it? And ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, your life will come to an end. There's a verse in Amos chapter 4, verse 12.
It has 5 words without turning to it. Could someone quote those 5 words?
Let's see, we have 5 minutes left. We're on track, but there are 5 words that says this. Prepare to meet thy God. The school year is going to come to an end, Lord willing, and students are probably hoping that it will sooner rather than later.
And eventually your life will come to an end. I'll collect all those at the end if I could. Are you prepared to meet the Lord?
Are you prepared to meet the Lord? We've already talked about the fact that we all have sinned. Can we get to heaven in our sins?
I wouldn't want to go to heaven if there was all kinds of people there and their sins, people who would steal my stuff or people who would lie to me. That already happens here on earth. I've had a car stolen.
Would I want to go to a place where that's all going on again? Is that going to happen in heaven? It's not going to happen in heaven.
Boys and girls, let's take a close look at ourselves. Do we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior?
And are you prepared? You prepare for spelling test. I hope you do. I hope Miss Rusing students prepare for their science test. I hope that the ones in college prepare for their test. Be prepared to come to meeting. But are you prepared for what lies ahead? Because life is a lot more longer than it is here on earth. It's forever.
In the last one, and it's interesting that Mister Hinesley brought up this verse yesterday. It was one I was thinking of. And when you think about it, if they're 31,000 plus verses in the Bible and two people think of the same verse, there must be a reason for it. And the seventh thing I want to bring out with the yearbook.
Students at the end of the year might come up to me and say Mr. Mack, which my picture is not in the book or my name's not in the book.
Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life?
Your picture, Your name won't be in this book, but is your name in the Lambs Book of Life students whose names are not in this book, chances are they missed the day that we took pictures or they missed the retake day.
Or they came after after the pictures were taken.
But is there going to be someone who's missing in heaven?
Because they missed out on the opportunity to receive Jesus.
As their savior, if your name is not in the Lamb's book of life.
Let's just read it. I want you to be able to put a finger on that verse because it's true. It's a very solemn verse, but we wouldn't want anyone.
To leave not knowing the truth and not knowing the consequences of what happens when you reject the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Revelation chapter 20 verse 15. Could I have someone read that?
Would you mind reading it? Revelation chapter 20, verse 15.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, we don't want that to happen to anybody. But that's the truth. And we would not be telling you the whole entire truth if we were to admit that part. We started off by saying that Jesus loves boys and girls of all different ages, races and backgrounds that we've talked about, that all have sinned.
We talked about how Jesus died for sinners. We even sang the song Jesus died for all the children of the world.
And he has a book. It's not a yearbook, but he has everything before him of all that you said and done and thought.
And if your sins have not been washed away by the blood of Jesus, if your name is not in that book.
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You will end up, and it's so sad to say but true, in the lake of fire.
Does anyone want to go there?
I hope not. I hope that you will receive Jesus as your Savior.
That you will put your faith and trust in Him. And when you do, the good news is your name is in that book.
And when you die or when the Lord Jesus comes, you will be in heaven. I hope. I'm not 100% sure because I do not know. And with a group this large, I would doubt that everyone's a Christian. I hope that every single person that's here this morning.
We will see in heaven.
That there will not be one person missing.
And if there is, it's your own fault. You cannot say Jesus didn't love me. Jesus did not make a way for me. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We're going to close with a song and a prayer. Excuse if anyone has any. Excuse me. If anyone has any questions, would like to talk more about it, I'd be happy to talk with you. I'd love to see you receive Jesus Christ as your savior. Will you be in heaven is your name.
In the book I'm Sorry before We.
Before we sing the song, let's just quickly review #1 Jesus loves all the boys and girls of different ages, races and backgrounds #2 Your life is being recorded. Everything you do, say and think #3 Looking at that yearbook, I'm reminded that all the boys and girls.
Growing smarter each year. A year from now have you grown or have you flunked? Has it been a wasted year #4 Looking at the book I'm reminded that every boy and girl is a Sinner and needs a savior. And looking at this room I'm reminded of the exact same thing #5 The Lord knoweth them that are his. You can't pick him out and I can't pick it out to who are the Christians? But the Lord can and he can pick you out and he knows.
Who in this room is real and if you fake it you will not make it #6?
The school year is going to come to an end, Lord willing, and your life will eventually too. Prepare to meet thy God and #7 Is your name in the book? Our students names are in that book. There's going to probably be some missing. Is your name in the Lamb's Book of life or is it missing? The song I wanted to sing is We know there's a bright and a glorious home.
Away in the heavens high where all the redeemed shall it's Jesus dwell.
Here's the question. But will you be there? I'm going to be there. I think your father and mother, your grandpa and grandma are going to be there. I hope they will be.
Hope they're not faking it, but will you be there? Let's just sing verse one.
And four, could we do that and could we stand verse one and four of #24?
If you take all things make I know good heartedness once and thy when he gathers his Lord and that bright cold.
When you'll be there and I.
Why will you be there?
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At all.
Shall we close with prayer?
Lord Jesus, it is our prayer that not one person in this room, not a single boy or girl or teenager or dad or mom or grandpa and grandma will be missing in heaven. We pray that if their name is not in my book, that this morning they would receive Thee as their own personal Savior. And for those of us who know Thee is our own personal Savior, we pray that there might be growth in our lives.
And that we would not flunk, that we would not have wasted lives, but live them for thee, and be lights in this Dark World. We ask this in the name and the power of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
After the announcements. Thank you.
If you could just pass the hem sheets to the center aisles that would be a help for collecting them. Thank you.
2 Corinthians 4
Reading
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There wasn't.
A.
This is some of the laws. What's down here?
That's all made into. They're making it into.
My career and then I'll have you know, I'll tell you what I'm going to work on, working on it, you know, I'll be able to move on to the beach.
This is This is.
And these are some of the units.
This is this is where you go into the Convention Center like.
Brand new in your grocery here and the floor is always.
Toward the Hotel Saint George St.
We sing 172, him 172. Oh, teach us more of thy blessed weight in 172.
Oh, teachers.
And pray, let us believe.
On our violence.
Where the beginning of the land?
Why we hang again?
So so we can bring.
Really strength I love.
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We pray, our blessed God and our loving Father, we give Thee thanks for the many happy hours we spent together in the reading of Thy Word and that which Thou has taught us already, and because we have sung them as Him, teach us more as we go into the next meeting, as we consider Thy word together, we pray that there would be that which would encourage the hearts of each one of us that are here. We would pray also for those that will be traveling now. Keep them safely. We pray that the.
Savor of the good things that we have been able to partake of might go with them and also they may be kept from the dangers of the of the road. And now we just look to Thee for Thy guidance. Give us a portion, we pray, that would be beneficial to each one here, young and old alike. Lord Jesus, we ask this and Thy blessed and precious name, Amen. Amen.
I suggest, brethren, that we take up Second Corinthians chapter 4 last.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 4.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4, beginning at verse one.
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we feigned not.
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commanding ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
Who is the image of God should shine unto them, For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.
And ourselves your servants, for Jesus sake, for God who commanded the light to shine, our darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side.
Yet not distressed, we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death.
For Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be may manifest in our mortal flesh.
So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written. I believed, and therefore have I spoken. We also believe, and therefore speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with You. For all things are for your sake.
That the abundant grace might through the Thanksgiving of many redundant to the glory of God, For which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward men perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is 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.
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But at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Chapters been commented on referred to several times.
Today and yesterday as well.
Speaks about ourselves as being.
People with an earthen vessel that is our bodies.
Into which God has placed a tremendous treasure.
And so each one of us who are going to go home shortly.
Are those who are going to carry in the vessel of our body?
An incredibly valuable treasure. A treasure that is to be.
Appreciated in our own souls, but also it speaks of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.
And that's to be shared. And so it's been brought before us as to going over the wall as well, and the brightness of the light we had in Psalm 19 and.
Also the creation yesterday and this incredible light that God is.
Has shined where? Right down into our hearts. God has taken the darkness of our own hearts and shined into them and placed in them an incredible treasure that is ours for our own.
Enjoyment, but for the glory of God. More than that. And so it seems a profitable thing, an encouraging thing, but a responsible thought too, that when we leave what we have to take with us from God to enjoy, as well as what we have to share.
I've enjoyed that thought with the.
The crews mentioned this last night in our meeting in First King 17.
There it says the cruise of oil never failed. The oil will speak of the Holy Spirit.
The moment we're saved.
We're the dwelling place this Holy Spirit comes in. Ephesians received but the Holy Spirit.
So everyone of us in this room is a believer as that Holy Spirit within. And in First Kings 17 it says the the oil never diminished, it was always oil in the vessel.
It may not have been filled. It was always there in the Spirit of God.
Would have us be filled with the Spirit.
And that's a good desire. It would be filled with the spirit. But he connected also with the wedding in Cana. We have there the earthen water pots.
Speaking of the word, and I think we need both.
I could be filled with the as a water with the word of the Lord and not have the Spirit.
I could have the spirit, which I do.
And not be filled with the water. You need both. So there it says, the Lord says fill the water pots to the brim. And that's what he's been doing and seeking to do with each one of us this week is fill those water pots to the brim and then it's instructed to take out now and bear to the governor of the feast.
And we had Jonah mentioned that the word of the Lord came unto Jonah. Well, if we're filled with the water pot or with the water, the Lord can use that with his spirit and and a timely way. What we need, as you say, we need both for the earthen cruise, the earthen vessels accrues and there's that storm water pot filled with that. The word of God obviously enjoyed that.
Connected thought we need votes because I met a balance with either one.
I need that balance in my life, not only to have a word in due season, but to have the Spirit of God to know when to minister that word, and often I'm lacking with that.
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Verse two says having renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God.
Deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth.
Commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
So not only was there the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, there was a life.
That manifested the truth that was enjoyed and it was walking and it was a recommendation to the conscience of every man in the sight of God.
They could say, oh, this, this, this person is real.
And that's really what is before us in this chapter, isn't it? It's a practical side of things that applies the wonderful treasure that we have in Christ in glory to the difficulties, the problems, the practical walk in our everyday lives. In the third chapter, perhaps the ministry is brought before us. And so the apostle says at the beginning of this chapter.
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, then what? How do you and I act?
Well, sometimes, as we see in this chapter, God has to break the earthen vessel. God has to work on it in order that the light might shine out the brighter. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Well, if that's what has to happen, then it's well worthwhile. And So what God has before him here is, as Dawn was mentioned in verse four, it should read the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
That is the treasure that you and I have, not just the gospel as we think of saving lost souls, but the gospel as it starts with Christ, God's purposes in Him, and all His glory. We have that treasure, but where? Right down in our hearts, in earthen vessels. Now the Lord says, I want you to live so as to display that, and whatever is necessary, we can be thankful that He'll do it in order that it might be displayed more.
It's connected. This chapter really is introduced to us in the previous chapter.
In verse.
7.
Of chapter 3 it says, But if the administration of death, written and engraving in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
With the administration of condemnation be glory, how much?
More doth administration of righteousness exceed in glory.
And then down in verse 14. But their minds were blinded.
Speaking of Israel, until this day remain at the same veil.
Untaketh and away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Verse 18 But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Glory. We use the word all the time, but seldom do we try to describe what it really means. But glory is the display of excellence.
And God's object for our hearts in us as creatures.
His purpose is to display Himself to us in all His own Excellency, and the Excellency of God in the manner in which He displays Himself to us is through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man and a Son of God. Well, he's comparing that which we have to what Israel had, and he reminds them of the fact that when Moses went up on the mountain and he received a ministry from God, the law.
00:20:04
It was such, and even in itself, just in its righteousness was such a display of God in glory, that when Moses came down from the mountain, the people couldn't look on him.
His face was shining from that which had been given to him as being in the presence of God.
And so they asked, they said, Moses put something over your face because we can't look at you as you are, you're shining in some way. And so he says now, but compare what Moses had in the glory of God displayed through Moses to the glory of God that's displayed in the gospel of the glory of Christ.
And it's beyond really, brethren, the shining of the noonday sun.
It's something that is to the heart, to the physical eyes. We can't look at the noonday sun. You can. I remember being taught as a little child and I think most, even little children here have been taught, don't go out in the middle of the day and looks directly into the sun. It's you can't do it or you shouldn't do it. But God is using that as something to tell us. He has something so wonderful for us.
That it's brighter than that to the heart. The difficulty, however, is man, the creature into which God wants to shine. Because as you have in John's Gospel chapter one.
The word comes into the world.
It's the light.
But man is looked at not just as in the dark, but darkness itself. And so the dark, the light shined in the darkness, and it says the darkness comprehended it not. That was the response of the natural man to the light of God. He doesn't comprehend it. And so we have that in this chapter when the message of the gospel is presented to the natural heart, the natural mind, as he says.
Satan, the God of this world.
Blinds the minds of men, lest that glorious light should shine into their heart.
A ministry is an outgoing, isn't it? And as I said before, the Judaism really wasn't characterized by such. They were a very exclusive.
Enter to, you might say a group of people that have the oracles of God. But there was not a an outreach beyond the confines of Judaism. But in Christianity we have a ministry to reach out to the lost and also to edify the people of God.
And we need that dependence upon the Lord if that ministry is going to be effective because Satan is going to try to influence us and detract from the the purpose we have there in verse 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body and can remember in Ottawa that this Scripture when I was.
A teenager or a little beyond?
Now this was repeatedly brought before us this verse. What does it mean?
Always bearing about in the body. Well, we have that old nature which is ready to.
Act into manifest itself whenever it's given the opportunity, and we are called upon to keep that in the place of death.
That there might be fruit in our lives, that Christ may be manifest. The life of Jesus might be manifest in our body, but that's only in the measure in which that old nature which we all have in our conscious of every day is kept in the place of death. And that's the meaning, I believe, of that verse always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That is the application of the death of Christ.
Practically day by day in our lives, to our walk, to our ways, to our thoughts and so on, then there's going to be a channel of blessing as our brother brought before us. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And God would have us to have a fruitful life down here and.
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And to reach out with the gospel to others, and to encourage the Saints of God.
But we need to remember that we must apply the, you might say, the knife to the flesh. Remember in the book of Joshua, often spoken of before, they use sharp swords on the children on the heathen nations in the land of Canaan. They were told to destroy them, you remember. But before they commenced that work, Joshua five, they used sharp swords on themselves.
Circumcision had to take place. It wasn't easy, it was painful, but before they could engage in their heavenly warfare, they had to use those sharp knives. And I believe it's a picture of keeping that old, ugly, hateful nature that we have in the place of death, that the life of Jesus might be manifest in our body sometimes.
We don't do that and so God brings circumstances into our lives where we are forced to do it. Verse 11 where we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake. Is that the thought to hear?
Have a kind of a question that has come in my.
Thoughts as I've read through these chapters, Would appreciate some help on it. We apply these things to ourselves and I think the Spirit of God would lead us in that way. And yet I can't help but notice the language as we go through the chapter with the apostle using the word we and ours and you and yours.
As he addresses the Corinthian Saints, and I'm just wondering how we would understand that and yet we do apply these things.
To ourselves. But he seems to speak very distinctly of himself and those that labor with him.
Differently than the Saints at Corinth whom he's addressing, I just point out a couple of.
Of instances verse five we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants, and then.
Coming down a little further, so then verse 12 death worketh in us, but life in you, and then a little further, verse 14 knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
I go on to detract from the ministry and application to ourselves, but I'd be helpful to understand why it is that the apostle distinguishes.
The Corinthian Saints from he and those that labored with him.
Scripture is always given in the context of a need.
And the Apostle Paul was writing this letter to answer to a need.
That was in the state of the Corinthian assembly and the need there was involved in multiple things, but one of them was that they were questioning his apostleship.
And so the apostle Paul, for the sake of the truth of God, not to be lost to them, because he loved them.
He wasn't trying to defend himself.
But he felt it was necessary for the for the benefit of the Saints there, to show them that the ministry that was entrusted to him was of God.
And that's what he is in the context of this chapter, that's the we they in contrast to himself and those that were identified with him in that ministry were questioning it. And he said we aren't handling the word of God deceitfully.
And you can see in our lives the manifestation of the truth of that which is being presented to you. So that's, I believe the the context here of why he makes the distinction. But it's often the case that when there is a problem and it has an application in a very specific way, God is using it for the benefit of the whole. And so it has its equal, can I say application by the Spirit.
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To us today, even though it has that very specific way it was written and and applied originally, I'd like to call attention to verse 18 of the previous chapter and how it connects to this chapter in a very significant way.
It says we all and here he is including everybody in that. That is, it wasn't a ministry issue here in this verse, but it's all we who are believers.
Paul and those with him and all in Corinth we all with opened face, and that's in contrast to Moses and the veil that was put on his face, Mr. Darby translates. An unveiled face. That is, all of us in this room have the privilege without putting a veil on our face.
Without having to say the light is too bright, I can't look at it, we can look at the glory.
Of the Lord.
And we can be occupied with the glory of the Lord. That glory is so wonderful if we are occupied with it. That and the new translation is helpful. It says we're transformed. That is, you gaze upon the glory of the Lord Jesus as presented to you in the Word of God, if you have your gaze fixed upon that glory of the Lord Jesus, as it says in that verse.
By the Spirit of God.
You are changed.
You, the person, are changed, transformed by the object that is before your soul.
The glory of the Lord and when you are transformed in its, as Bill said earlier, it's a practical thing, It's another, brother said. We grow little in the Sunday school. We don't grow up all at once and in the things of God, that transformation in the practical sense presented here.
Is keep your eye on the object, on the glory of the Lord, and little by little the Spirit of God working in you. You don't do it yourself. The Spirit does it. It transforms us. How?
To be more like the object.
To be more like the object that's before our souls. Do you want to be more like Christ?
Gaze on the occupied with himself, just to look at him, just to marvel at him, just to be engaged with him. And the Spirit of God will take that and change you and make you more like him. And then he says in the next chapter.
To these can I say transformed people. Now I want you to go and display that transformation to your fellow man.
That transformation in you involves what's in the chapter. In your own heart, which was once dark, now resides the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's your treasure to carry, but it's also in your transformed state. That is what you have to present to your fellow man. And if my soul is not in the true enjoyment of it, I may go mechanically.
And say, here's how to get saved. Do this, do that, do the other and you'll be saved. Well, God can use a **** ***. He can use anything he wants to save somebody. And it's the work of God to do it. But from the responsibility side of ours is God expects us to be so occupied with his Son that when we go to our fellow man, it is that life, the very life of Christ that is now in us.
That is displayed to that person and draws them to Christ.
By what they see in US, and that which is presented to them of the message of the Gospel.
Just like John was speaking a few minutes ago in verse 11, always bearing about in the body.
The dying of the Lord Jesus, Why?
So that the life might be deceived. What is it? The life of I have the life of Christ. You have the life of Christ. But what obscures it? What makes it so it doesn't shine and live out in a living power to others?
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It's when the flesh that is in me is not practically judged as it was at the cross of the Lord Jesus. And so every single moment of every single day, if you will, we have to live in the conscious sense that I died at Calvary with Christ. And so if that's not practically.
Working in me at any given moment, then the life of Christ isn't going to be shining out.
From me and the treasurer will be obscured in the hearts of my fellow man and.
You might say, well, I don't know, you seem to be interested in the same things I am. I don't see any difference in you, your interest, your objects, the things that bother you are the same things that I've taken up with. So what's the difference? Or when the soul is truly transformed by the Lord Jesus, the interests are different, the object is different, the conversation is different, the life is different, and the person says he has something, she has something.
What is it?
Interesting that it says there verse 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord.
It's not the death of the Lord, it's the dying of the Lord. It's something that's constantly being applied practically in our life.
Not that the Lord is dying constant. The Lord died, but I died with him. But he need to apply his death in the dying of the Lord. That's where we are to have this power now and saying no to what we are in the flesh. That's actually where we saw the end of the flesh, Michelle, isn't it at the cross, that's where God.
Not only died for our sins those evil acts that we had done, but put away the old nature that had produced that test.
Ugly fruit put it away in his sight so.
Really we the the end of the first man is at the cross. God is not trying to improve the old nature and and nor should we try. We should keep it in the place where God has put it.
And it's not an easy thing, as we get in this chapter. It's often very difficult, and to have the earthen vessel broken is not a pleasant thing.
And humanly speaking.
Referring to what our brother Steve was mentioning.
It must have been doubly difficult for the apostle Paul to have those in Corinth to whom he had been used, first of all to preach the gospel, and then to bring the truth before them. To have them use the very things that the Lord had allowed in his life, such as his bodily presence being weak and his speech contemptible, and other things. I say again, it must have been difficult for him to have them use those things against him and say, well.
Paul, you don't amount to much. And if you're an apostle, then those things that ought to characterize you and a bodily presence and a good delivery and all those things, they're just not there. But what were they an example of to the Corinthians of one whom the Lord was using by breaking down the vessel to such an extent that Christ shone out brighter and brighter. And what's so beautiful in Second Corinthians is to see that when all of these objections come.
As brother Dawn was mentioning, Paul doesn't defend himself.
He defends the Lorde glory, He defends in that sense his apostleship, because as the apostle he was responsible to carry out those functions. You might say, if I could use that word before the Lord. But when it comes to finding fault with him, he answers everything with Christ. And if, as it were, they say, well, Paul, you don't amount to much in your bodily presence is weak and your speech contemptible.
Paul says, well, brethren, I didn't want you to look at me anyway, and I wasn't trying to make something of myself anyway. So if that's what God has to do in order that the glory of Christ might shine out brighter, that's fine with me.
Well, what a humbling thing that should have been to the Corinthians. Whether it was, we don't know. We trust so. But what a humbling thing it should have been to find a man who was accused like that, using the occasion simply to minister Christ to them. And that's what God looks for in you and me, doesn't he? If he breaks the vessel down, he says, it's not that I want to see you belittled necessarily, but I want to see the glory of Christ shine out brighter and brighter.
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The great secret is to see Christ in glory, and that's our that's what gives us our character, our position and everything. Just like in the Old Testament, there was the was that God came down and dwelt in the Tabernacle, but because of the condition of the people of Israel, a veil had to be there. That's the same word that was used concerning Moses when he came down from the mount. He had to put a veil over.
Because God was holy.
God was bright and his face shone and they couldn't stand it and there wasn't the means to change their condition to accommodate to God's glory. And so a veil was used to separate the two. Now when the Lord Jesus came.
He was to, he removed that veil. He made a way where men and God could come together. But you have to do it through the Lord Jesus. And if you reject him, then there's still a veil, there's still a hindrance, there's still something that blocks that view of that God wants to reveal to his people.
It's interesting how the the chapter progresses here. It would seem like the children of Israel under the old economy of the law continued on with all the traditions and the the book, the 10 commandments and all. But in order to do that, they had to.
Make accommodations and changes because they couldn't reconcile still a holy God with their present condition.
For example, when the man came to the Lord and said what good thing will I do to inherit eternal life, the Lord directed him to the law, and on one occasion I forgot whether it was that.
He in order to accommodate it the law to him's own needs, he says, who is my neighbor?
Now that's craftiness, that's bending the rules. That's what developed under the old economy, and so they were used to that.
Sad to say, the same thing happens in Christianity. We verse two we don't renounce dishonesty. We're not honest with God and ourselves. We're crafty. Sometimes we think that we'll we can be that way.
What happens when we are that way? It becomes a tool that the God of this world uses so the light doesn't shine out from us.
We're not properly representing the Lord. We haven't seen him in glory like he really is, and we're not showing that out to the world around us. And so the world doesn't get a good representation of the gospel through us. That's a that's a work of the enemy, the God of the world.
Of this world, who in that way hides the gospel?
From those who could see it if we are practical condition.
Was in conformity.
To our real position.
Been read already Psalm 19.
The heavens declare the glory of God.
And so when we look into the heavens, we see a display of God's power, God's majesty, God's excellence, and what he's created.
And you might say it shines on us.
But what we have in this chapter goes farther than that. God has something more wonderful, a greater display of himself and his light. And he's not content that it simply shine on us. But his choice is that it shown in us to get into our very being, into our hearts and into our souls. And so he shines that light right into us, that glory of the person of his Son. And.
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In his exaltation now and all his glories that he has, and it shines into us but.
You know, if you if you take a vessel like a fine piece of China.
It not only.
Holds something, but it becomes if it's. If it's of a certain character, it becomes transparent so that what's in it can be seen from without.
And so while God has put this treasure in an earthen vessel, his work in the vessel is also it's such a wonderful thing that the power of God has to sustain it. The vessel can't sustain it.
But also in the breaking down of the vessel, it makes it more transparent so that what is there will shine out to the benefit of others and.
It is to the glory of God, because what God can do with the vessel is beyond the power of the vessel itself.
And so God says, well, I'll take the vessel and I'll shine into it.
That which is the light of the glory of my son. And then I'll make the vessel transparent.
And I'll sustain it, and I'll make it.
Such that the light which is within will shine out for the blessing and benefit of others. And often God takes a person in affliction or a trial and uses it to show his own glory, to be able to sustain that vessel in its weakness, and also so that we can see Christ in the vessel.
And it's a blessed thing.
Painful for the vessel, but it's a blessed thing when God chooses to take a vessel and if you will break it down so that there's a transparency to it and that the result is that he is glorified in what He does.
Is there a reward connected with that too? We get in the 17th verse.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment work it for us.
More exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So not only is their present glory manifested, but there is an answering glory to glorifying the Lord. If I could use that word down here.
So it says in verse 15, connected with what's just been said for all things are for your sakes.
Everything that God brings into our lives is for our sakes. It has a purpose of God behind it, which when we get to glory, we will be able to look at and say that's sorrow, that trouble, that agony of heart and so on that I went through hopefully with the Lord is that which was for my sake.
So that the end result is.
In perfection, a vessel which displays the glory of God for eternity.
It's not an allusion to Gideon. I think that it's a tacit allusion to the life of Gideon. We know the story about the.
The soldiers of Gideon's army having.
A trumpet in one hand and a picture in the other, within which was the the torch.
The trumpet was blowing. That's the clear testimony.
But the light did not shine unless the picture was broken. So the picture was broken and the light was displayed.
The vessel was broken before the light was shown forth. I think we have the breaking of the vessel here in verses 8:00 and 9:00.
There was discipline in the apostles life.
Needs to be disciplined in our lives too. Justice meant and.
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It was that was not necessary in the life of the Lord Jesus because he did not have an old nature which would act with us. There's always that danger. And so God does bring discipline in our lives and the circumstances that we pass through, persecuted, not forsaken and so on. The breaking of the vessel that Christ might be seen in our in our walking ways.
I remember Brother London.
He spoke about a country where they used to take an earthen vessel and they used sandpaper on it and they sand it down till it was very thin and then they would make certain features stand out by putting a light inside the vessel and then you could see the transparency.
When it was very thin, you could see the light shining through and you can make beautiful designs and so on this way. And so the, the purpose here, I believe, is in this illustration that God uses or the apostle uses, it isn't necessarily the breaking of the vessel that's the purpose. Sometimes that is, we look at it that way, but it's really sending it down so that Christ shines through us or in US.
And and that of Christ is seen in US, and so that is beautiful.
To the the wonder is not the vessel. The wonder is the light in the vessel, the treasure in the vessel. That's what needs to be seen. And that's why Paul could be rejoicing these persecutions as and even how the Corinthians treated him. He could he could accept that that was a sending down of the vessel.
Of breaking it down, if you will, and so that the light could shine out. And he was willing for that to happen. And may the Lord then give us that willingness to, you know, our own self-interest, our own dignity. Sometimes we, we refuse to want to refuse certain things because we may look bad and so on. Well, that's getting occupied with the vessel.
Let's there's something more valuable in US than the vessel itself.
And that's what needs to shine out.
The other translation.
Where Excellency is translated the surpassingness of the power. So it's not a question of an excellent power being contained, but it's a surpassing power that shines out. And there's another helpful phrase in here in the verses that we're considering.
In the.
9th 1St the 8th and 9th 1St seeing no apparent issue but our way not entirely shut up.
And related to that, Dave, I'd like to call attention to what we get both at the beginning, at the end of the end, at the end of the chapter.
And that is, we're told, in both cases not to faint.
And the word here, anyone can look this up, but there are different words that are used in the New Testament in Greek that are translated faint, but this one. And then again, anyone can verify this. I don't know Greek, but it has the sense of not losing heart, not getting discouraged, not giving up. And it's a day when Satan is using discouragement as a tremendous tool against the Lord's people. There are all kinds of things happening.
And it's not always, although frequently it is opposition from the world.
In one sense, as we were saying the other night at the Hemsing, that's easier to take than the difficulties that happen among believers themselves. We expect the opposition of the world, but when it's opposition from within the framework of Christian profession and even from other believers, it becomes doubly difficult. Paul was facing that here. Paul was facing, you might say, rejection from the very ones that ought to have looked to him for guidance and teaching and health.
But what does he say? Don't faint. And he gives 2 reasons for it. On the one hand, at the beginning of the chapter he says seeing. Therefore, therefore seeing, we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not. That is you and I, and it's already been brought out. Have the privilege of looking up and seeing by faith all the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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No one can take that away from us. We can allow something to come in the way ourselves.
But no one can take that away from us. And then where does the pathway end? It ends in certain glory. And so it says at the end of the chapter in verse 16, for which 'cause we faint, not for what? Cause for the fact that all things are for your sakes. Are the things which are seen difficult? Are they hard to put up with? God says they're temporal.
Temporal. What about the things I can't see? Oh, the Lord says by faith you can lay hold of them, because those things are eternal.
There's a qualification for each one of these things here. Like persecuted but but not forsaken and cast down but not destroyed. God is in control and he only lets things go so far and till he gets what he wants out of us, and then he stops it.
I like it this way in my own enjoyment of that point. If you go into a China shop somewhere.
My wife would smile and my interest in China shops, but if you go into a China shop somewhere you might see this little label handle with care.
And brethren.
God has put a treasure in US.
He's going to handle it with care.
That's why the Excellency of the power of it is of God, and that's why those things that are mentioned, it can only go so far but no farther is because it's not a child that's taking care of the vessel, but it's God himself who has put the treasure there. He values that treasure and he wants it maintained, and as a consequence, he exhorts us not to faint. And there's our own side of it that's brought out too, because Scripture gives both balance perfectly.
But it's nice to, as it were, to be recognized. I am a vessel.
That has the label handle with care, and I'm in the whose care, God's care, and it's a the the power to maintain it is the power of God, and that's a surpassing power to sustain that vessel.
To Adam, God formed a vessel in the garden out of the dust of the earth, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Sin came in, and he was broken, and he couldn't contain.
That for which he was formed any longer. But we're kept by the power of God, Peter says.
But he had something through faith, and that comes back to the end of Chapter 3. Having the proper objects for faith before us, He keeps us, and we're changed into that same image.
In the application in in John 2, the servants were instructed to draw out and bear.
When they did so, something happened to that water. It was turned to wine.
The disturbance do that.
No, they had nothing to do with the Lord. Turned the water into wine.
And then that wine was used for refreshment of all who gather that that wedding feast.
And so we didn't concern ourselves with making wine, as it were, the Jewish piece of joy. That's the Lord's portion. You'll do that. We simply have the drought and bear it carefully.
Back.
You can look at the the song there while you look and you look it up. I'm just going to read a well known verses in Psalm 23.
Psalm 23 verse one. The Lord is my shepherd.
And it's verse five, the end of the verse, my cuff, run it over #72 in the back.
Can we ride?
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Our God and our Father, we are past two days.
Are sold in this meeting, our God, and we thank thee. We want to collectively thank thee, our God, for giving us rich ministry from heaven.
And we ask thee that we may put it into practice in our lives. And we pray for everyone who has the privilege of being here.
So, Father, we commend ourselves to thee, many leaving now the gospel to go out yet, and we commend our God, that message to thee. Prepare the vessel who gives it out, Father, make him a channel to pass on.
Message from Thee. So we look to thee and give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
Open Mtg. 9
Open—D. Hayhoe, D. Buchanan, M. Payette
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I'd like to turn brethren to Genesis. I believe it's chapter.
49.
Genesis 49.
Verse 22.
Joseph.
Is a fruitful bow.
Even a fruitful bell by a will whose branches run over the wall.
The Archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him.
But his bow abode in strength in the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From thence is the Shepherd, the stone of Israel.
'S.
I have particularly before me to start off with this first verse. Joseph is a fruitful bow.
Even a fruitful bow by a well.
Whose branches run over the wall.
I'm going to tell you just a little story about this verse homespun story.
There's a family, a young family.
That we're reading this chapter.
In their home.
And the father said to the children.
You know the man next door has an apple tree.
That apple tree is right beside the fence.
And that tree grew up, and there are apples growing in every direction off of that tree.
Some are on his side of the fence and some are on our side of the fence.
Whose do those do the apples belong to that are on our side of the fence?
Well, you know what children would say.
Well, there are ours.
Joseph is a fruitful Bow. Who?
Even a fruitful bow by a well whose branches run over the wall.
You know, it's wonderful, brethren, to contemplate our Savior. Joseph is a picture of Christ.
Joseph was the one who was put in a pit. Joseph is the one who was exalted.
To the pinnacle of the world power at that time.
And Jacob said of his son Joseph, he's a fruitful bow whose branches run over the wall.
The blessing of Joseph went far beyond that family of Jacob.
It went into Israel and he's only a little picture of Christ.
We had much before us this morning about our God and about His beloved Son.
And I have enjoyed so much in connection with the Lord, you know, it says.
There in that chapter we read in Isaiah, So shall he sprinkle many nations.
The King shall shut their mouths at him that which they have not.
I've been told them shall they consider?
You know the results of the cross of Christ.
That have flowed over the wall of the boundary of Israel.
And gone to where you and I were.
The mighty God of Jacob the Archer sore wounded that blessed man.
At the cross but all the blessings, so shall he sprinkle.
Many nations like to think of it. You remember back in in Leviticus, it tells us about the priests, about the men that had leprosy. What was he to do with the blood?
He was to sprinkle it.
On the person who was a leper, that he might be cleanse, so shall he sprinkle many nations.
The power of the blood of Christ that has extended over this whole vast world through the centuries.
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And come down, brethren, to you and I, and will be extended right through to the Millennium.
And the value of it, those of us that know Christ as Savior are going to experience for all eternity.
We just had a little picture of it this morning when we were together in the presence of our Lord.
Notice here that it says whose branches run over the wall. You know it's like this, friends.
God could not contain Himself to the confines of Israel.
And so that verse was read to us this morning, for God so loved the world.
Experience it and enjoy it in your soul.
And may it run over the wall for you and me and what I'm thinking of in connection with running over the wall, here we are near the end of the conference.
You're going to leave. I'm going to leave the confines of this conference.
We're going to drive along the road. Are you going to drive the same way you came?
Are people going to notice a difference in the way you drive?
When you speak to somebody, is there going to be a difference?
Is Christ going to be seen in your life and in mine?
Run over the wall.
Having Christ in our lives. The fruitful bow.
Whose branches run over the wall have some tracks to give out here and there to speak of Christ. Dear young people, you can reach people that the rest of us can't reach.
They'll listen to you better than some of us that are older.
Run over the wall.
To others, what about brethren that aren't with us at the conference?
You're going to have something for them when you leave.
Run over the wall.
Carry something back.
To those.
That you know.
Whether in fellowship or not in fellowship with us.
Take some food with you.
Spread it around.
This world is hungry.
For the word of God.
I have some scriptures in mind.
We sung that hymn. Lord, Thou hast drawn us after thee. Now let us run.
And never tire. And so it says here, a fruitful bow whose branches run over the wall.
Let's go for a minute over to John's Gospel Chapter 4.
John's Gospel, chapter 4.
And.
Verse.
Let's I'll start from verse 13. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst but the water.
That I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Sir, the woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw, and then go down to verse.
20 Our Father is worshipped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is a place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet a Jerusalem worship the Father.
You know worship, you know not what.
We know what we worship for salvation of the Jews. The hour cometh. And now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for this Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now I was thinking particularly of the verse. There in verse I think, is it 14 Who's?
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Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water drink springing up to everlasting life. You know, there's two glasses of water here on the table and I'm not going to do this, but both of them are pretty full. But if I took this second one here and I started to dump it into this other one here, it wouldn't be very long before the water in this this first one here would start to overflow.
So it says here in this verse, The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
You know when you and I got saved and we accepted Christ as our Savior, there was a well of water that was put inside.
And and that is the Spirit of God that was put there and, and it's springing up all the time. And God wants it and brings in worship in this chapter. And I believe that the purpose that God's purpose in putting it there is that there might be worship that would flow from a redeemed heart out to the one who loved us and gave himself for us.
Springing up.
To him, worship. And that's what we did in this room this morning.
Worship is not something that should characterize us just when we come to meeting. Worship is something that should characterize us every day of our lives. It is a a thankful spirit to to our blessed Savior for what who he is and for what he has done. Worship first of all and the Lord must have the first place in your life and mind you want to be a happy Christian.
There's not anybody in this room that doesn't want to be happy.
If you want to be happy and I want to be happy, there's only one way to be happy.
And that is that God has made our hearts so that that only in that that state of worship and Thanksgiving first of all, flowing out in our hearts to him, filling our hearts with praise and Thanksgiving.
That it gives us that happiness in our souls.
That communion with the Lord, to walk with him.
To walk with him, to stay close to him in our lives.
Just think of it, what dwells inside a new life, the life of Christ Himself, the Spirit of God indwelling us to give us the enjoyment of His presence everywhere that we go.
The life of Jesus that it might be manifest in our bodies.
It will have an effect on yourself and your friends, your family. Everyone starts at home, works out from there, it'll have its effect.
Now turn, please to John, Chapter 7.
And verse 37.
In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying If any man thirst.
Come unto me and drink he that believeth on me, as the Scripture has set. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. You notice it in the 4th chapter, it says that the well of water sprung up to everlasting life. And in this chapter what does it say that the that the waters would flow rivers of living water, they flow out.
First of all.
It is something that is God's portion in thankfulness.
From the beginning of the day to the end of the day, worship and Thanksgiving to Him. And if there is that in my life and in your life, then the rivers of water are going to flow out and that is where.
00:15:13
I think we can use that little example we had with Joseph being a fruitful bowel whose branches go over the wall that they that the flowing out to others the fruit.
The blessing may fall to those that are outside. Oh, it's a wonderful thing. You think of this poor world and so unsatisfied with everything it's around. And you and I, what do we have? Friends, brothers and sisters.
Turn to that verse that was read to us this morning in First Corinthians. I think it was it First Corinthians 4, Two Corinthians 4.
First must have been Second Corinthians 4, was it?
Think it's Second Corinthians 4 thinking of the.
And verse 6, and I'm thinking of verse 7, but let's read verse 6, God.
Who commanded the lake to shine out of darkness that shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? You know it took just as much a work of God, or maybe more to save your soul as it did to make the world.
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, is shine in your heart and mine. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation.
It took the arm of God in connection with your salvation. It says to the world that he made it with his fingers.
When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers, so it says here.
The God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not in verse four that God.
The God who who made us, who commanded the light to shine a darkness is shine in our hearts. And that wonderful to think that God loved you and I so much not only to send his Son to die, but went to work in your life and in mind to the point where he got saved.
Now, as they say in the next verse, we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
Well, this cup is here and it's filled with water. One time it was empty and they filled it up. And you and I are just like vessels.
What are you going to be filled with, Friends. What am I going to be filled with on a daily basis? I go on through this world.
You're going to fill up somewhere. We don't live our lives in a vacuum.
Oh, there's nothing like having the Lord as the 1St place. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, not of us. And so it is. You can't do anything in your own strength, and I can't do anything in our own strength. It can only be done.
With the Lord's help.
And how many times have you experienced? And how many times have I experienced botching it up as we go along?
And you feel?
Like.
You haven't done very good job.
Go back to the Lord. And now that's where I want to come in for the second part of what I want to talk about.
In connection with that, because I want to talk to you about a man in the Old Testament.
That missed the Lord's mind.
You know, our brother Gordon Hayhoe had he? He said over and over again.
Connection with Moses at the end of his life.
And I think it's Deuteronomy 33.
Moses at the end of his life, he's looking back on the children of Israel and he said said this.
Yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in his hands. You know what our brother used to say quite often in connection with that verse?
Moses at the end of his life could look back and see all the failure that children of Israel.
And from God's sight, he said, God never gives up on his people. The.
I have said to some of my own children, don't you give up on the Lord because he's not giving up on you?
God never gives up on his people. I think sometimes we give up before the Lord gives up.
00:20:04
Yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in his hands.
So I want to turn for justice a little bit.
To Jonah.
Turn back to the book of Jonah.
I'm not going to take too long.
Obadiah, Jonah.
I don't know how much you read here. I'm going to read. I think I'll read the 1St chapter.
And then just briefly skim a few thoughts to leave with us.
The whole book is good, but now?
The word of the Lord came unto Jonah, you know, Isn't that nice?
The word of the Lord came unto Joan.
Has the word of the Lord ever come to you? You've got it in your hand.
I think yours beyond that, you know, sometimes the Lord has a very special message for us.
The word of the Lord came unto Jonah. Make sure.
You get a message from the Lord in your life.
After.
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of MIDI, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and cry against it for the wickedness. Their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee from under Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa. And he found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea.
And there was a mighty Tempest in the sea, so that the ship was likened to be broken. I think we'll just stop there. I don't think I'm going to read the whole chapter.
You know.
Jonah was a prophet, he tells us that. I think it's back in Kings.
And he was a true child of God.
Now God had a special message for him that he was to take to this city of Nineveh.
When God saved you and He saved me, He saved us for a purpose, and that was that. He might have us for Himself, that there would be worship that would ascend to Him. But He also has a purpose for you and for me in our lives. You know, I feel this so strongly.
So the Lord had a purpose for Jonah.
And Jonah was given a job to do that no human person could do it.
Unless he was equipped with the strength that was beyond himself.
Was God able for it? Yes, God was able for it.
But Jonah had to be brought himself into a state of nothingness before God.
So that God could use them.
Well, the word of the Lord came unto him.
To go to this city of Nineveh, and Nineveh was the capital city.
Of I believe it was the Syrian Empire.
And it the Syrian Empire controlled the world of that day.
And justice? Imagine.
This man being asked to go to that city to take a message from God to it. A people that knew nothing basically of the God of heaven outside of the confines of the children of Israel. And Jonah was a Jew.
And the Jews had the word of God, and he was asked to take a message to this Gentile city, furthermore, to this great city in the whole greatest city probably in the whole world.
I tell you that naturally I can understand, understand the reticence on the part of Jonah to go to that city.
And, dear friends, you and I can't do what God wants us to do in our own strength.
00:25:01
It's impossible.
Every true child of God has to learn it one way or another.
The greatest servants of the Lord have had to learn that the apostle Paul had to learn it.
My strength is made perfect in weakness.
But the Lord has equipped you.
And he has a, he has a life work for you.
He has a purpose for you.
There is nobody here that doesn't want to follow the purpose that the Lord has for.
I don't think truly.
You remember the breathings of the Apostle Paul as soon as he was saved.
Of his innermost soul, wanting to know what the Lord wanted him to do.
That is the natural desire of the new life that you have and I have.
Well, Jonah.
Was asked to do this.
And he rebelled against it.
You ever find in your own life that.
You don't want to do the job. Maybe you feel that the Lord wants you to do.
Self will will take us on a wrong course.
And when we get away from the Lord?
We get in a dangerous state.
And brethren, I speak to myself more than anyone else in this room, and may the Lord help us.
In this regard, so Jonah had a downward course, and it seemed that it increased as he went along here once the Lord spoke to him.
He just wanted to seem to. It seems like he wanted to get away further and further as quickly as he could, and he ends up down at the bottom of the ship. But oh, isn't it wonderful to think of God?
He won't leave us to ourselves. He's paid too great a price for you and for me to leave us alone.
Isn't it wonderful?
He loves us and He won't leave us alone.
And you know, I've thought about this in connection with what happened to Jonah with the storm that came out and he fled from the presence of the Lord. It tells us that two or three times over in this chapter and finally in the 11Th verse.
Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea rotten was tempestuous.
And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea.
So shall the sea be common to you, for I know that for my sake this great Tempest is upon you.
You know the Lord was working deep in Jonah's life here.
Now.
I'm going to tell you a thought that I've enjoyed in connection with this and I have not. I don't know if I'm quite correct, I've never read this exactly.
But it says here, What shall we do? The sea may be calm unto us. And he said, Take me and throw me overboard.
Now the very act that Joseph of Jonah here in saying to take me and throw me overboard.
I have wondered, brethren.
If there wasn't.
Hidden in this because Jonah never talks about himself here. Nothing.
He doesn't say anything good about himself. He says good about the King. He says good about the Mariners and says good about.
About other things here, about the fish and so on. But it doesn't say any good about himself. And that's a sign of the work of God in a man's soul.
And I've wondered if there was faith on the part of Jonah when he said to the men, take me and cast me overboard. You know what he was really doing? He was throwing himself completely on the hands of the Lord.
Out of the ship and into the hands of the Lord and.
And God's a man's extremity is God's opportunity.
And then God takes over.
When you and I meet Jonah someday in the glory of God.
You can ask him about this, I'm sure.
00:30:01
If he regrets.
At all what the Lord did to him in his life.
Why did the Lord send all this trouble in Jonah's life?
Because he loved him and he loved the people of Nineveh.
Maybe there's someone here in this room that feels it's kind of all over for them.
Maybe you feel that you've made some mistakes in your life.
And you wonder how you can go on.
The Lord hasn't given up on you.
The Lord hasn't given up.
He didn't give up on Jonah, and he won't give up on you.
Because he loved you to death.
Well, you know the story of what happened to Jonah.
And finally, he went to Nineveh.
God's purposes were accomplished in that man.
And to me.
The departure and the restoration of Jonah in the Old Testament.
Is similar to the departure and failure of Peter and the and the restoration in the New Testament.
There were 10s of thousands that were blessed through the restoration.
Of Jonah and there were, I believe 10s of thousands that were blessed through the restoration.
Of Peter.
May the Lord help us.
To help one another.
Confess your faults one another, and pray one for another.
That she might be healed.
Our brother has spoken to us about the desire of God to reach out and bless.
By the way, the apples over the fence belong to the people on the other side of the fence.
The laws of the state of Illinois State that.
It's a beautiful picture of God wanting to.
Reach out.
Our brother has brought before us about Jonah being a messenger.
To a nation that was not of Israel.
And God wanted to reach out to that nation and bring blessing instead of judgment.
That's what our God is like.
And I would like to read from the book of Matthew, one of the parables that further illustrate this in chapter 22.
And along with this, I'm going to offer some practical.
Advice about weddings.
Weddings are a wonderful occasion.
And I believe there's much to be learned about God from weddings.
We often get into difficult situations today about going to weddings.
Difficult to know. Can I go, should I go, how can I go and so on.
And I'm going to give some advice.
Personal as I look at this.
Parable.
Because it speaks about how God.
Has a wedding.
And I believe he's a wonderful example.
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Let's read a few verses from Matthew 22.
And Jesus answered, and spake unto them again by parables, and said.
The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made him marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding.
And they would not come again. He sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden. Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed.
And all things are ready. Come unto the marriage.
But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.
And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth.
And he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers.
Burned up their city. Then, saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready. But they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together, all, as many as they found, both bad and good.
And the wedding was furnished with guests.
It's lovely to consider in this parable.
A picture of God wanting to honor.
His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is really a response to the previous chapter.
Where you have the householder who had a vineyard and he lent it out to servants.
And sent men to receive the goods, and they beat one, and sent them away despitefully and killed and 1:00.
One and another, and last of all, he sent unto them his son.
This is what happened when Jesus Christ came into this world.
God's Son.
He was rejected.
I'm amazed to compare this story with Jonah.
When Jonah went to Nineveh, he was not treated this way.
They repented.
And God blessed him.
God.
God delights to bless.
The vow of Joseph reaches over the wall.
It did it in Jonah's time. It's done it in our day. Those of us who are Gentiles outside of any of the Old Testament covenants and promises, we've been blessed because.
The wedding invitation.
Has extended out beyond the first realm.
The gospel was preached first to the Jew.
After Jesus died and rose again.
The goodness of God and the pent up love and compassion of his heart could not be stopped.
By one nation rejecting him.
And so the Lord Jesus gives us this parable.
Of the Kingdom of Heaven.
This applies to our time that we're living in right now.
We are a part of this Kingdom of heaven that's being formed. We are the people that are invited to the wedding feast.
And when we stand up and proclaim the gospel, we extend the message to both bad and good. It's not a question of the worthiness of the recipients. It's a question of the goodness of the heart of God that wants to go out beyond.
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I want to tell you personally, this is something that I did not understand.
Until I participated in a wedding in my own family.
You know parents love their children.
We want the best for them young people. It may not seem like it sometimes, but deep down we want the good and blessing.
Any true hearted parent does.
We know God's like that too, don't we?
God wants to honor His Son.
It's a privilege to participate.
And seeking to honor that one, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part of that is preaching the gospel.
We've had about the wealth springing up first of all to return to its source in worship.
We've had about the well, the water flowing out to others.
Preaching the Gospel.
This is God's heart going out.
It's when you begin to understand the heart of God that.
The importance and the value of this love and compassion.
Will constrain you.
Endure certain things.
To get the news out, the good news, the love of God to give the demonstrations of it.
At a wedding.
We do that.
You know, I didn't have a wedding when I got married. It was not an occasion where it could be had for good or for bad.
I didn't know very much about weddings when I was young.
But I'm thankful to have learned over the years a little.
And when the time came to participate in a wedding in our own family.
The thought of this chapter, this parable.
Came home to my soul.
In this way.
God loved his Son.
He wanted the best for his son.
His son deserved the best.
There was so much joy to be shared.
It wasn't sufficient for just a few to be there.
I believe that is what this is, what this parable is teaching us.
It's teaching us what God is like.
Jesus Christ, God's Son, God wants him honored.
And so instead of responding from what happened in the previous chapter, chapter 21, where the beloved son was rejected and cast out, God didn't turn around and give eye for eye and tooth for tooth.
The question was asked, what shall the Goodman do?
And the answer was given.
Let me just read it so I get it right. Verse 41 It is, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen.
But what is interesting is that before he comes back to destroy those wicked men, he introduces something new, something different, and that is the parable.
Of the wedding.
And that is what is happening now in this nearly 2000 years.
Since the Lord Jesus was rejected.
Before God comes back and sends his son to destroy and judge.
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This Earth and those responsible for that act.
He does something different.
He wants to get a people.
To share with his beloved son at the wedding.
And that's why we preach the gospel.
That's the Kingdom of heaven. That's how you get in it. By believing on the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you become one of those that are invited.
And what are you invited to to share?
With Jesus, our Lord Jesus.
What doesn't come out here is that.
Some are even going to be the bride.
That doesn't come out. That had to wait till later before the beauty of that could be comprehended. We do have in the last parable of the.
Kingdom of heaven in this book in chapter 25, the parable about the.
10 virgins who are waiting.
Or we're waiting for the bridegroom to come.
Five wise and five foolish.
It's again a picture.
Of our position here in the world right now.
We are the ones who are profess at least to be waiting for our bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, to come.
And there's an exhortation there about watching, about having your lamps.
Burning brightly and lessons to be learned.
But when the Lord comes.
He's going to take his own and there is going to be a marriage in heaven and the Lord Jesus is going to receive a people to himself.
And there's going to be a lot there.
And it says there will not be one empty seat.
I love that.
Not one empty seat.
My house may be full.
It's sad on Lord's Day morning sometimes when we break bread together that there's empty seats.
Someone's maybe it's for health reason, other things, but you know the Lord misses it when there are empty seats.
And God is seeing to it that in heaven there will not be one empty seat.
The Lord Jesus deserves it. God is going to have all his own together there.
The branch that went over the well over the wall has gone out.
To the Gentiles.
It's too bad that Jonah.
Was a little bit slow to learn that lesson than going to preach to the Ninevites.
It's too bad when our hearts are slow to take in.
God's thoughts concerning these things concerning the Lord Jesus.
To get the people in.
Heaven full.
Well, briefly the chapter goes and the wedding invitation went out.
To the first who were called, and I believe that's a picture to the Jews.
But they made excuses and wouldn't go to the wedding.
The heart of God.
Is not content with that.
He has gone out and he has invited from all nations.
The gospel is preached.
And we are thankful it was preached here last night.
Wonderful.
Maybe some souls got saved.
If so, they're going to be among the number.
To be at that wedding feast.
So.
When we have a wedding.
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Isn't it nice to think that our weddings here on earth?
Or a picture of this, you know, God was the one that.
Instituted this.
The Lord Jesus himself brought the first bride down, gave him to Adam, gave her to Adam.
When he was here on earth, he attended and participated in the joy. In fact, he contributed to the joy. He made it possible to be a joyous occasion.
Now what is the good thing to do?
In a situation like this.
A family has a son or a daughter in the going to get married.
Why do they invite other people?
Well, that's what I learned.
In having a wedding.
I began to realize.
Because I love my children too.
And I remember.
That God loves his Son.
And he wants the best for him.
And so.
When the day came to make out a wedding list.
You know the names start getting long when they start getting up into the hundreds. You start scratching your head and thinking, wow.
How are we going to pull this off? How are we going to do all this? How are we going to provide for all these people?
Are we going to invite so and so?
I'm not quite such an open hearted person maybe as some of my children and they had lots of friends.
I think most all of them were invited.
Now what do you do when you get an invite like that?
What's to be the attitude when somebody sends you an invitation to a wedding?
I'm going to suggest this is the way to look at it.
Weddings are a picture of what God has done.
The best thing to do to a wedding invitation, if you can, is to go.
And honor that occasion by your presence.
If you cannot honor it with your presence, then you better not go.
But if you can, honor that occasion with your presence.
It is a good thing to do.
Because it is a picture, it is a demonstration.
Of the response that everyone of us should have to our God.
Who has invited us to participate?
In the wedding of his son the Lord Jesus, and.
And were we worthy?
In the.
In another.
Down farther now, we did not read that part, but you have the part. Apparently they had different customs in in in the old times. And it was the custom, or at least in this parable, it was the custom to give a wedding garment to the guests.
I don't know whether that was literally the custom at that time or whether the Lord purposely put this in here because He knew in reality of our own selves, we would not be worthy to even be at this wedding.
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Regardless of.
What it was, That's the picture given to us.
This wedding is so worthy that they have this guest, this the wedding garment given to the guests. Well, we know this is a picture of the garments of salvation. The Lord Jesus not only invites us to the wedding, but He makes us worthy, forgives us, clothes us in righteousness so that we can be at this wedding. It's really all things are of God.
None of us started out contributing in this.
But it does honor God to take him at His Word and to respond to his invitation.
By our presence there.
And so.
This.
Has been an encouragement to me.
To How to respond to a wedding invitation.
When we respond to a wedding invitation and we go.
We don't go there with our own agenda.
Our own feelings.
We, as it were, set those things aside and we honor the family.
I'm the couple that are there.
And join in.
With whatever the joy they have on that occasion.
And it makes it an happy occasion.
Well, these are just some thoughts that have helped me and encouraged me in the situations. I know there are difficult situations.
In life here.
And the Lord alone can direct, but may the Lord.
Give us to see from this chapter.
God's view about weddings and may our.
Own individual lives and our weddings that we have.
Continue the picture.
And make souls understand.
How great is God's love and goodness?
He needs.
These poor hearts and souls of ours to respond to it.
To assent to it to honor him.
With our presence.
Psalm 19.
19 Psalm.
Verse 4.
Psalm 19, verse four. Their line has gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.
In them.
He set a Tabernacle for the son.
Which is as a bridegroom.
Coming out of his chamber.
And rejoice it as a strongman to run a race.
Is going forth is from the end of the heaven.
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And his circuit unto the ends of it.
And there is nothing hid.
From the heat thereof.
You know this Psalm? The apostle Paul refers to it in Romans, and he uses it to bring.
Man's responsibility before him in connection with the things that he sees in creation.
But I believe there's also in here for us.
A secret from the heart of God.
For us who know the Lord Jesus.
We had that in our first hymn when like a tent to dwell in.
He spread the heavens abroad.
I would ask you, dear ones.
What is the most glorious object God has placed in this creation?
You would have to say from man's perspective, that is the sun.
The SUN.
When you look at our universe, it's true that the scientists, they look up in the heavens and our brother was speaking yesterday of all these galaxies, and the vastness of it all is just.
Beyond our minds, really, to take it in.
And scientists say some stars are so much brighter than the sun, they're probably right.
But if you just use the senses that God has given you to watch His creation, you'll find that the most glorious object that you can see in the heavens is the sun. And when the sun appears, all the other heavenly bodies disappear.
Save the moon.
Becomes almost transparent because of the glory of the sun.
If you look at our universe, the small universe, we live in the solar system.
All these planets gravitate around the sun.
He is the center of our small universe, we might say.
And I believe the sun in this creation has been given to us to be a picture.
Of the son, Son.
Who is, I believe, the object of God's heart in making this universe?
He made this universe, this physical universe in its vastness.
Purpose of manifesting.
The glory.
Of one person is beloved son.
So it says here in the last part of verse 4.
In them hath he set a Tabernacle.
For the sun.
In French it says there he made a tent.
This universe that you watch, that starry sky that you watch at night.
Think of it like sometimes you can lay in a tent during the summer in daylight. You can see the little holes there in the tissue there.
If you can't see them, you'll feel them when it rains.
But these little stars up there, they're there to speak of the glory of God. But if you think of them as just as being a tent, God made this universe for one purpose, to manifest a person, which is the Lord Jesus.
That very one that he's called you and me now to know.
My brother spoke about Joseph. You can go back to Genesis there and Joseph in one of his dreams, you know a type of the Lord Jesus who had he bowing before him.
He had the sun, the moon and the stars bowing before him.
And you can see well the authorities of the world in that fine. But when you compare the Lord Jesus Christ to Joseph, you see the Son itself disappears in glory before the glory of the sun.
You know this. We had that verse in First Two Corinthians chapter 4.
In the beginning of this universe.
Verse 4 where God speaks the first time God said let.
There be light.
So light is introduced.
And you read down to the 4th date and the sun, the moon and the stars.
Are introduced. There is light here, God himself, his glory, shining Fort. And yet these other celestial bodies are just accessories brought in later.
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You read in Revelation chapter 21.
When the Lord himself reigns on the earth, he says the city doesn't even need the sun.
Anymore.
Because the Lamb is the Lamb thereof, the Lord Jesus himself is there.
The glory of God don't need the Son anymore.
Brother was talking about weddings.
Verse five of Psalm 19.
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.
When the Lord Jesus, the Son of righteousness, appears.
We will appear in glory with Him.
His bride, the one that he redeemed with his precious blood.
Every eye shall see him, Nose appears to him.
Is going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit until the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. All things are naked before him with whom we have to do, and when he comes he's going to establish his reign of righteousness. Things are going to be according to how.
He watched them.
The apostle Paul when he saw the Lord Jesus in glory on the way to Damascus, he says from when account to the other gets brighter, and he says a light brighter than the sun.
When the disciples are on the Mount of Transfiguration and they saw the Lord appear in glory.
His face shone like the sun.
You know God is a spirit. You can't see His spirit.
The sun is a physical object.
Scientists will tell you how far it is and maybe measure the heat thereof and.
Here is one who is the expression of the glory of God in a physical body.
That you can touch. Touch me. A spirit hath no flesh and bones, as you see that I have.
In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead.
Bodily.
Were given to know the glory of God.
In the face of Jesus Christ.
There was these things, they're beyond me.
Who can enter into these things? Our brother yesterday was talking to us about the vastness of the universe that God made and that he would be.
Preoccupied with little specks of dust like we are.
But God is so great, he has revealed to these specks of dust that we are.
The secret object of his heart, the Lord Jesus.
And you and I this morning, dear ones, we were here.
In the presence of the Lord of Glory Himself.
In the presence of God Himself.
No silver, gold, no fine apparel, no temple to catch your eye.
Nothing to disturb your soul, I trust, but a loaf of bread on the table and a cup of wine.
Yet, dear ones.
To be brought by the Spirit of God and fellowship with the Father.
And the sun.
They went, both of them together. We had that this morning.
And now they're bringing us along, dear ones.
They're bringing us along.
Are you enjoying that? Is that affecting you, dear ones?
It's a wonderful privilege and truth to know to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But don't let that dwell only in your mind.
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Don't think about the believers with a sense of pride.
Look the other way.
Look to the privilege and to what God has brought you into.
Into the sweetness and the depth of fellowship with his thoughts.
The Lord Jesus, what a delight to his heart.
Have you and me as He leads the worship to the Father. He came.
To manifest the Father and hear these ones.
Redeemed by his precious blood have been brought into the enjoyment of God.
As their Father. And we cry ABBA Father, and we worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
And we worship the Lord Jesus too, and fellowship with the heart of the Father, whose heart is filled with delight.
As he considers him.
So, dear ones, just a thought in connection with the Psalm and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we could compare it to the Son, and that these thoughts might just.
Thrill our hearts.
And then affect us.
Affect us to say Lord Jesus.
What a privilege God has given us to know Thee as our Savior and to be brought into by Thy Spirit, by Thy word, into this sweet fellowship of glory beyond our understanding.
And we can just bow our heads and worship and enjoy.
And it's going to be like that for eternity, dear ones, to enjoy the fullness of the presence of God, of His glory, all manifest to us.
And one person, the one who fills All in all, yet manifest to you and me in a man.
A man you and I are going to see face to face, and we're going to hear his voice.
And enjoy him forever.
178.
Bless Father.
Of joy.
I wish our hearts live.
Let's get. Thanks.
Our God and our Father, we just do thank me. How? It's such a remarkable way. Now it's brought before us the Spirit and the Father and the Son. We just do and pray that we might rejoice.
And all that thou has given us, and in particular the very revelation of thyself, our God. And we thank thee for that day in which.
God will be All in all.
And thou wilt have thy people there with the sun in a full enjoyment for all eternity. We just do thank thee that we can feel that now.
And we can rejoice in the fruit and the labor of thy soul. Lord Jesus, in thy name we can. Thanks, Amen.
Gospel 10
Gospel—M. Payette
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.
We start our meeting by singing together #25 on that hymn sheet that was given you.
#25 life at best is very brief.
Like the falling of a leaf, like the binding of a sheep. Be in time.
Eating days are telling fast that the die will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed.
Be in time, be in time, be in time while the voice of Jesus calls you be in time.
If in sin you longer wait, you may find no open gate.
And your cry be just too late. Be in time.
#25.
Life advantage.
And it stays no longer way. You'll make sure I know when you get it and you're crying. It's just too late.
Living in time.
And your pride is not.
In time oh I miss I slept with life and it tells me to both come down to your arms of Jesus life being in time.
All I pray is held to the cost. Air the faith.
God and your priceless soul.
While the voice of Jesus.
And you're on your way. You may. I know you can't wait.
And your body is just to land in time.
Why don't the voice ever be in the following decision?
If we send you all your way, you'll get hide the whole thing and your pride is not steering away from.
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Before we open the word of God together, we'll have a word of prayer.
Most of us have been here for a few days.
And as her brother was talking yesterday about the beginnings and endings, we're coming to the end of this conference. This is the last meeting in a few minutes.
Our time together here will be over.
And I know many of us have received the blessing of being together in this way.
But the Lord gives us a little bit more time now this evening, and perhaps there's one here who's going to receive blessing from our time being spent here looking at the Word of God and telling forth of the wonderful news from God's heart about the Lord Jesus.
We're going to go to Luke's Gospel Chapter 23.
Because there's an ending there. In Luke 23, there was a little time left.
For three men there.
As we have a little time before us this evening, the Lord leaves us here.
In the 23rd chapter of Luke.
I just read quickly from verse one.
Luke 23 verse one. And the whole multitude of them arose and led him, that's Jesus unto Pilate.
And he began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give.
Tribute to Caesar saying that he himself is Christ a king.
And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews? And he answered him, and said Thus sayest it.
Said Pilate. To the chief priests and to the people. I find no fault in this man. There was a more fierce saying. He stirred up the people teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man was Galilean, and as soon as he knew that, he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction.
He sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.
Verse Satan. When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad, for he was desirous to see him for a long season, because he had heard many things of him.
And he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then He questioned.
Then he questioned with him in many words, but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war sentiment naughty and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together. For before they were at enmity between themselves and Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers, and the people, said unto them, You have brought this man unto me as one that perverted the people. And behold, I, having examined him before, you, have found no fault in this man touching those things. Where have you accused him? Nor, nor yet, Herod? For I sent you to him. And lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
I will therefore chastise him and release him, for of necessity he must release 1 unto them at the feast. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas, who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder was cast into prison. Pilate therefore willing to release Jesus, speak again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify Him.
Crucify Him. And He said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath He done? I have found no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And He released unto them Him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison.
Whom they had desired, but he delivered Jesus.
To their will.
And verse 32.
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And there were also two other malefactors LED with him.
To be put to death.
And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him.
And the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them.
They know not what they do. And they parted as raiment, and cast lost. And the people stood beholding, and the rulers also with them, deriding him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin.
And Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ.
Save thyself and us.
I was stopped there for a moment. The 39th verse.
We go back to Matthew's Gospel. We'd read there not only this malefactor, but both malefactors.
We're insulting the Lord.
I want you to take the time to consider the scene we have before us here in the Word of God.
A lot of people involved.
Rulers, priests, kings, governors.
And the meekest man that ever lived, the Lord Jesus.
What do we notice in this scene?
You know, people in their societies, they.
We have differences, we have cultural differences and language differences and different races and there are all sorts of things that.
Set us apart from one another.
There's been wars on the face of this Earth for centuries.
Differences between men, other men in countries and other countries.
But here we find they have a common object, these men.
Even Aaron and Pilate, who were powerful men.
There were enmity one with another.
And then they found a common ground they could agree on.
They could agree on rejecting.
This person called Jesus.
So with the chief priests, the rulers, the people.
Here they're screaming away with him. We don't want him.
Pilots said three times he's never done anything wrong.
Why get rid of him? Why crucify him?
There's something wrong, something wrong in their hearts, in the presence of one, which is Goodness himself.
This is all he ever did was good.
All he ever said was true.
Never said anything wrong or did anything wrong. The perfect man.
Full of compassion and love.
What are these words that we hear from the lips?
Of the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Of these men behaving as dogs and bulls of basin.
Want him to see him suffer, gaping upon him with their mouths, it says in the 22nd Psalm.
Father.
Forgive them.
For they know not.
What they do?
When you read verses like this.
I'm sure many of you have heard this account before, the account of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
Does it do anything to you?
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You feel you'd like to stand with these people and mock him?
Call him names.
Rejoice at seeing him suffer in that way.
I don't think so.
But God sets this scene before us, and He sets it before you this evening, dear one.
Because he wants you to take sides.
You can't stay on the fence.
You're going to have to take sides.
And there's not much time left to take sides.
We might not finish this meeting, you know.
There are two things that are sure to happen.
Absolutely sure to happen.
Ones are very happy thing.
And the other one is a very sorrowful thing.
The happy thing is the Lord Jesus is coming back from heaven.
He's coming back.
For those that have put their trust in him, they didn't stay on the fence.
They put their trust in Him. They received Him as their savior.
They accepted His sacrifice on the cross. They accepted the forgiveness that He was asking here of the Father, not only for these ones who were such wicked men.
But there's forgiveness in the Lord for you and for me tonight, and I know it's true of many of us tonight. We have received forgiveness of sins through faith in His blood.
But the other thing that's going to happen shortly too, after the Lord comes.
There were events predicted in this book, prophesied I should say, called the Great Tribulation, a time of sorrow that this world has never known before.
And it says that if these days weren't Aboriginal flesh would survive.
It's a terrible thing and if you're conscious, a little bit of what's happening in the world.
How things are going. You can see it on the horizon. It's coming. It's coming fast. I don't know when, but there's just a little time left before God settles the accounts with this world.
Now we stopped at verse 39. I just want to tell you.
I'm French speaking, many here are English speaking. This is our mother tongue. But you know.
We have something in common in the flesh.
Is that we blasphemed the same name?
The French blasphemy name of Christ and the English to use his full name, Jesus Christ. We have that in common too. Just like these people here, there was a united thought of despising this One who is worthy of all praise and honor and glory forever.
And I can confess freely. I'm guilty of having done that in the past, before I knew him.
And the many curse words that I used, I used his blessed name.
And perhaps some of you have also.
You know some of these men here this.
Malefactor in verse 30 and I said, if thou be the Christ, if they'll be Christ.
Of course he was.
If he knew he was the Christ, he would have spoken to him that way, would have mocked him.
If thou be the Christ, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But there's verse 40.
Wonderful verse.
Luke 23, verse 40.
But.
Here was a man.
He got such a blessing.
In the little time that was left in his life.
He received a wonderful blessing.
What kind of man was he? Well, he was a malefactor. He had been judged by the courts of this world.
And condemned to death.
Perhaps he was a murderer like Barabbas who was set free that day. Doesn't tell us the crimes that he did, but he was a malefactor.
00:20:09
Nobody in this room I would think has ever been under a death sentence.
I've met men who have told me that they killed somebody. They weren't happy about it, but.
This man, but the other moments before.
If you read Matthew's Gospel, we look at that verse in Matthew, Matthew 27.
Just want you to see that.
Verse 44, Matthew 27 and verse 44.
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
They insulted him the same way. They use the same language as the others.
You wonder.
Here's three men hanging on a cross and this crowd.
Crying insults to the center one, I don't know, Perhaps we would say if he was a regular man, you'd say, well, don't worry about it, be over in a few minutes. You know, never mind what they say. We're suffering enough as it is. No, these men beside the Lord, they join into.
How can that be?
Allows it to happen so we can see what the heart of man is like towards God.
I choose there on that center cross the Lord Jesus, a man, yet also God, manifest in flesh.
There he is rejected and hated.
Forsaken by his disciples, denied three times by Peter, betrayed by Judas.
What a fine testimony to mankind.
Well, here's a fine specimen. This man, he's a manufacturer. I have nothing good to say about him. I know no good works that he's done.
Ever.
But.
Something happened in the heart of this man at that very moment.
The Spirit of God was working near getting into his mind and his heart. Say, what am I saying?
What am I doing?
He questioned himself as to his own behavior. You question yourself about your home behavior, young people.
Perhaps you've never heard the gospel before, but I know many in this room. You've heard the gospel many times.
You question yourself about your behavior.
Well, if God judges you on your behavior.
And if God judges me on my behavior.
We're headed for a lost eternity of torment, of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
That's what we deserve before a thrice holy God.
This man says Luke 23, verse 40.
But.
The other answering rebuked him.
Maybe he's just a bit, you know, Why don't you be quiet?
Why don't you be quiet? What's the matter with you? You were insulting him a minute ago. What's happening to you?
Anybody ever ask you what's happened to you? You've changed. I used to hear you swear and use bad words and go here and there. What's happening to you?
That ever happened to you, yet a change of heart concerning the person of the Lord Jesus and seeing yourself in His presence.
The other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God?
There was something there that wasn't there before. The fear of God and this man's heart.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. He was becoming a wise man. Didn't have much time left and neither do you.
Are you wise tonight? Do you fear God?
We had that verse brought before us. Prepare to meet thy God. This is not my God. You're going to meet Him anyway.
You're going to give an account of yourself.
Let me tell you, we're going to read about this man who's going to go to heaven that very day.
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What did he know about the Lord Jesus?
What could he say about this man? Was he a witness of the miracles that he made?
Did he hear the Sermon on the Mount? Was he there in the upper room when the Lord spoke to his disciples?
I don't have the proof of any of that.
Maybe the only encounter he has with the Lord Jesus was there's moments that he had when he was crucified with him.
He didn't know much. He knew just about this much.
Yet this much that he had in the presence of the Lord, the Spirit used to quicken his soul.
And he turned around.
And he went to heaven that very day.
What do you know?
About the Lord Jesus.
You know more than him.
You know a lot more than him.
You've heard about him, maybe, over and over and over again.
You're going to stand before God and say I didn't know.
I didn't really understand, it wasn't clear.
Brother stood here last night and made it perfectly clear.
Would God help? With God's help, I hope it's clear tonight.
What are you going to say? Because you are going to stand before God.
And you are going to answer for yourself before God.
And you're not going to be able to say I didn't know.
Canada, the United States, the Western countries.
Inhabitants of these lands I speak generally.
There are even more without excuse.
They print these bibles in these lands.
They have them in every hotel room.
And there are Christians everywhere, trying, we trust.
To tell them.
About the one which is called the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we're not going to settle all these.
People talk about what their end is going to be. What is before us tonight is you in this room. You're hearing about it.
You cannot leave this room tonight and say I didn't hear. Maybe something's not clear. Make sure you don't leave with that thing uncleared in your mind. This man.
He left this world that very day. I don't know how much time you have left or much time I have left.
But time is going by quickly.
Like the falling of the leaf.
We have half an hour gone by, a few minutes left.
Dost thou fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? Verse 41.
And we indeed justly.
That's something you know when you come to own.
That you've done wrong.
And that there's penalty, judgment, consequence to having done wrong. So you do wrong, you get the consequence that's just.
This man, he was there.
He had acted in this world in a way that was reprehensible, and he was judged found guilty and condemned. And he said, and we indeed justly, for we received a due reward of our deeds.
In this world.
There's more rewards.
Because it says it's appointed unto men once to die.
And after this the judgment.
You steal $20 from your mom and dad and you hide that.
And maybe you start working and then you say I'm going to pay that back. And you pay that back and you figure it's all over. It's not all over.
You stole. Giving back the $20 doesn't take away the fact that you stole.
00:30:00
Stealing is a sin. 20 bucks doesn't erase sins.
Undoing the harm that you have done is not going to erase the sin of misbehaving.
Of disobeying God.
The ones down here might say, OK, you stole $20, she gave it back fine.
But it's appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.
These men hanging on the cross were judged in this world, and they were going into eternity.
To be judged again.
By God.
For their deeds.
Maybe somebody says, well.
These are these are criminals. I'm not a criminal.
Father said that verse last night. Romans 323 all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God, this world has got.
Elastic morals.
They stretch, whatever they generally go on with, they stretch and they say that's all right, we're all going on with it, it's all right.
But God's morals, they don't stretch.
They're always the same. It used to be when I was a kid and the religion I was in, if you did certain things, it was a sin.
Turned out later not a sin anymore. That's man standard. God's standard doesn't change.
Well, it's not really sin, it's a failure weakness.
Mistake.
You might want to call it what you like, but God calls it sin and the wages of sin.
Is death eternal separation from God?
And weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth forever.
These men are going to enter eternity that very afternoon. This one has a change of heart, he says. We received a due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss Well.
He's progressive, he's looked at himself and he says I'm a guilty one. I deserve what I'm getting.
But then he changes his gaze, and he looks on that one beside him on the cross.
But this man, was he left or right? I don't know, but this man had done nothing amiss.
He spoke well.
Of the Lord Jesus.
Your friends hear you speak well of the Lord Jesus.
People you work with.
In your family, do you speak well of the Lord Jesus?
Or you say.
You're going to laugh at me?
Well, you know when I read this book.
And I receive what God says as to how he made the world.
A lot of people say things. It makes me laugh.
People believe the most ridiculous things, you know.
And if they want to laugh when I tell them about the one who loves them and conceive their soul, they can laugh if they want.
They're the losers. I'm not the loser. Don't be afraid, dear ones, to speak well of the Lord Jesus.
And if they laugh, well, too bad for them. Maybe the Lord is going to use that to convict them.
That there's something wrong with their hearts. And then he turns and he says to the Lord verse.
42.
And he said unto Jesus.
Lord.
Remember Me when I'll.
Comest into thy Kingdom.
I said before and this man didn't know much.
He knew a few things.
He knew that this person beside him had done nothing wrong.
And he was no ordinary man.
He called them Lord.
Have you ever called Jesus Lord?
Is he tonight? Is he your Lord and Savior?
Perhaps you haven't done that yet. I'm thinking about it. Well, let me tell you.
00:35:02
If he's not your Lord tonight.
Somebody else is your Lord.
Somebody else is your Lord, and somebody else is ruling over you.
And I can tell you in love, you're in a lot of trouble.
You're in a lot of trouble if the Lord Jesus tonight is not your Lord.
You're headed for trouble in this life, and worse trouble after your time is over down here.
This man I.
I kind of see it as a worst case situation. He's.
We're not like that man physically. We've got education and we we didn't misbehave as he has and.
There's perhaps better things we could say about you and each one of us that we couldn't say about this man. But God is showing us here that this man, as bad as he was and up to the last minute, insulting the Son of God. If I'd have been God, lightning would have struck him right there. And the other one too. And all of them too. Get rid of all of them. That's me.
Upsets me.
But you can't upset God. You can't provoke him to wrath.
He's going to deal in his own time. His right is going to come in his own time. Nobody's going to provoke him to do it out of time. What he has now is forgiveness.
And as wicked as we could be, and here's the manifestation of it, God says there's your heart and here's mine. This one you spit upon and you hit with your fists and blindfolded.
Scourge his back nailed him to a cross, and when he was hanging there, you showed absolutely no pity, no compassion.
You made fun of him then too. That's your heart.
And I'm going to show you my heart.
I'm ready to forgive you.
I'm ready to forgive you, and the way I'm going to forgive you is for this one who is called Jesus.
To hang on that cross, and in three hours of darkness to bear the sins of all those that God is going to bring to heaven, and to be made sin.
For men.
And to become the savior of the world, well, this man, all he said was.
Lord, Remember Me when thou comest in thy Kingdom. He didn't say. Lord, forgive me my sins, wash me in thine own blood. He didn't know all that.
He had just a little bit, but he knew this man had done nothing wrong and he was the Lord and his Lord. What about me? Can you do anything for me? I'm using my own words. But he called upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord answered what he saw as faith in him.
What did the Lord say verse 43?
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today.
Shalt thou be with me?
In paradise.
That man went to be with the Lord Jesus in paradise.
That very day.
You know.
If he could have walked up to him after the Lord said that.
And I would talk to this man and say I saw you talking to the man on the center cross there.
What did he say? He said today I was going to be with him in paradise.
And if I said to him, do you believe that?
I don't know what he would have said. Perhaps he would have said of course I believe that.
Or perhaps he would have said.
I'm not. I'm, you know, you're asking me. I'm not. I'm not sure you know.
But if you ask me if this man, when he died, where did he go? I could tell you he went to paradise.
On the authority of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus said, Today thou shalt be with me, and paradise is unconditional. He called upon the name of the Lord, and he went to be with the Lord whether he had doubts or not.
Not mentioned.
Want you to know, dear ones, here tonight you put your trust in the Lord Jesus. You say Lord Jesus save me. You call upon him from your heart tonight he's going to save you. And maybe you're not going to be sure about things as you read the word of God and you listen to what God says that he's done for us to the gift of his Son.
00:40:06
You can be absolutely sure and you will be able to affirm many things.
From this precious book.
You can know where you're going to go when you pass into eternity.
If we had time to work with this man on the cross, with the word of God, we would say.
Where are you going when you're going to die? I'm going in paradise with Jesus. And why is that? Because that's what Jesus said, the man who cannot lie.
Many in this room tonight, you asked where are you going to go when you're going to die? I'm going in heaven to be with the Lord Jesus.
How do you know? Oh I have the Lord Jesus my Savior? How can you be sure the word of God says it?
Is that your portion tonight? If your time runs out tonight like this, man, it is time run out that very afternoon.
If your time runs out tonight, where are you going to go?
Are you going to go to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven?
Should have heard the gospel many times. I know John 316 by heart. Go to Sunday school and go to conferences. Have a Bible at home. I carry it with me to conferences.
Does it work?
Here's a person. His name is Jesus. He's the Lord. You have to call upon his name. Lord Jesus, save me.
Ever done that, dear young people?
You know it's a mercy when God gives us to know.
That we're going to go into eternity in a certain time. This man, there was number doubt to him that he was going to die and certainly had an effect as to how he took things. And he was serious, solemn about these things.
Sometimes the people we know, people we love to get sick and we'd rather for them not to be sick.
But sometimes they get into terminal illnesses and we know of many accounts and I've heard some recently and it happens all the time. Here's someone that is facing the reality of death.
And perhaps they were boastful before and too proud to admit it, but when they're alone with someone they can confide in?
They'll listen.
They'll listen to the gospel and there'll be millions in the glory, I'm sure that's how the Lord.
Dealt with them so he gave them to know that there was a deadline there within weeks or months whatever and they were having to settle that they were going to meet God and they needed to get ready and many believed the gospel that way. Well this man God used.
Mercy towards him, He allowed him to be there in the presence of the Lord Jesus, and at very day to call upon the name of the Lord and to be saved.
I want you to read a verse with me in Romans chapter 5.
Romans 5 verse 8 But God commanded.
His love toward us.
And that while we were yet sinners.
Christ died for us.
You know, in that scene we had in Luke 23, it's remarkable because we have.
Two aspects, two things happening at the same time. We have God working in this man's heart by his grace to him to become conscious, to wake up, to have his eyes open to his own condition, and to look to the Lord Jesus. And at the same time, here's the Lord Jesus on the cross doing the work. Momentarily. He was going to do the work to save this man's soul and to save mine too.
To save the soul of many people. This all happened in the present, you might say.
And here we are, maybe 2000 years later, something like that, and we go back as we read the scriptures to that scene and we read how people behaved and what happened and the words that were said.
So he says that's just a long time ago, you know, I mean.
Different today.
00:45:01
People today say oh God is love.
God loves me well. Why? Why am I sick? Or why did I lose my job? Or why, why, why?
I want the proof that God loves me.
Well, God.
Is going to give you proof that is love that he loves you.
He's going to prove it to you today.
Not the way you want him to prove it.
God loves me. I want to win the lottery. I want to be a millionaire. I want my business to prosper. I want that person to get better.
God says I'm going to prove my love to you.
Romans 5 and verse 8.
You know that verse there if I had written this book.
Or if Paul himself.
As he wrote this book was not inspired by the Spirit of God. He would have written God had commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died 2000 years ago. That's absolutely true.
By that word, commend it, it means proved.
And that verb is in the present tense.
It's not in the past tense. God proves his love toward us.
In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That's the proof today that God loves you. Christ died for you. And God is telling you, he's telling me today I love you. And there is that proof, the greatest proof he could ever give that he loves you was that he gave the Lord Jesus for you.
He gave the Lord Jesus for these rulers.
He gave the Lord Jesus for the men that spit in his face and hit him with their fists.
He gave the Lord Jesus for Herod and Pilate for those thieves on the cross.
Now all these men have entered eternity.
One I'm sure I'm going to see in the glory.
The rest I'm not sure at all.
That other thief on the cross, He died that afternoon. The soldiers came and they broke his legs. He suffocated. A few minutes later he entered into eternity.
To stand before that one who was on the center cross beside him, the judge of everything now.
To answer not only for his life.
But for how he responded to the privilege God gave him to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus, perhaps for just a few moments.
And he despised that, blasphemed his name, and he mocked him.
Dear young people tonight. Older ones too.
I can say from the authority of God's word, and you should believe it, that God loves you right now.
As love reaches you right in your seat and he says I love you and the proof of it I've given you already.
On the cross of Calgary, when I let my son suffer for you and shed his precious blood so it could have you as my child and bring you into heaven.
How much time have you had in the presence of the Lord Jesus?
How many times have you heard the good news of salvation? How much more do you know than this poor man in Luke 23?
Boys and girls, older ones, young people.
You know.
It's in your head.
You can answer Bible questions.
Brothers said this morning in the Sunday schools. If you can't fake it, if you fake it, you're not going to make it.
I like that little play on words.
Momentarily we're going to go 5-10 minutes.
Back to our homes.
Might be the last gospel meeting.
Momentarily the Lord is going to come and we're going to go forever from this earth to be with Him forever you coming along.
00:50:09
Are you part of those that have been redeemed with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus?
Nobody is good enough to get to heaven without the work of Christ, but anyone?
Can get to heaven with the work of Christ. This man did that very day His Savior was beside him, and momentarily after he asked the Lord to remember him.
The Lord paid for his sins on the cross and brought him in paradise.
Three days later, he rose again.
As we speak this evening, there's a man in flesh and bones.
In heaven itself.
Let's draw numbers. We'll say, come on, billions of galaxies of thousands of late years, and he went up.
Yeah, I believe that. I believe the Word of God. That's where he is in the 3rd heaven, the presence of God as a man there. He's coming back from heaven the same way he went up. He's going to come back. You sure about that? Absolutely. Sure. Says it in this book here.
The Word of God. The Bible.
You have it in your hands, young people, I trust tonight, perhaps you were at these meetings during the weekend. We've heard things that were brought before us.
The only way you could escape what God brings before say OK this book isn't true then.
This book isn't true. I'm not going to believe what this book says because this book says I'm a Sinner and the only savior of sinners is the Lord Jesus. So I'm going to do something else.
Well, whatever you figure out, I'm just sorry for you. I'm just sorry for you because this is the word of God. The Lord Jesus came down here and he was what he said he was. He did these miracles and he died and he rose again. And the disciples and Peter and James and John and 500 brethren, they saw him resurrected and they were ready to give their life for the faith that they had in him. This is no fairy tale. This is not an ordinary book. This is the word of God.
And tonight, as we speak spoke from its pages, I want you to just listen to this verse here in Romans chapter 5 again.
Verse 8.
God commend, it proves his love.
Toward us.
And that while we were yet sinners.
Christ died for us. God has proven His love.
He proves it today. Christ died for sinners.
Want to be qualified to be brought into blessing you have to be fitting in that category, category of people called sinners. God says all of sin and come short of the glory of God. You say I haven't sinned. You make the God a liar because he says you're a Sinner. If you take your place as a Sinner before God, knowing that you're going to have to answer for what those things that you've said and done or even thought as brother was bringing out this morning, the Lord Jesus appeared before God. You might say on the cross for you.
To take all those things away. So the Word of God testifies and says clearly the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And tonight, my friend, if you're not washed in a precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and your time runs out, which I don't know what that's going to be, but it's going to happen.
You're going to stand before God in your sins, and you're going to be judged.
For your sins. And the most terrible thing about that, you know.
Is that you would have been in this room tonight or last night, but Sunday school this morning or at other occasions where you heard God pleading with you to come to him through Christ, and you neglected that this malefactor didn't do much of A life, but he came to the Lord Jesus and I'm going to see him in heaven. I hope I see you all in heaven. Let us bow our heads.
Hymn Sing
Open Meeting
Overcomers
1st Reading
2nd Reading
3rd Reading
2 Corinthians 4:1