St. Thomas Conference: 2016
Table of Contents
Romans 8:1-5
Hymnsing 1
Hymnsing Talk 1
Romans 8:5-9
Fellowship With the Lord Jesus
Address—Bob Thonney
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Let's begin our meeting this afternoon with #180.
We are but strangers here. Heaven is our home. Earth is a desert drear. Heaven is our home.
That's.
Father, we're so thankful to be able to sing these wonderful words.
Here we are in this world, but this world is not our home.
We're just passing through. Help us to understand it better. Help us to make it a living reality that we're looking momentarily.
To absent planet Earth for our real home, we ask Thy help this afternoon as we open my precious word, confess our own weakness to do justice.
To the preciousness of the truth that we find in these pages, that we thank Thee for the presence and power of Thy Holy Spirit, and ask that He would have liberty and speaker and hears the light in the opening of Thy Word this afternoon. We ask Father, in that most wonderful, that most blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
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Like to start with three verses.
That are in my heart to.
Cheryl this afternoon.
One Corinthians chapter one to begin with.
First Corinthians chapter one and verse 9.
God is faithful.
By whom ye were called.
Unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Last night, uh, our brother Sean shared with us something.
Of the importance of communion or fellowship with the Lord. Here we find we're called to it.
This is not something that's started on your side. No, it was God that wanted to have fellowship with us. Do you and I cultivate fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
Young brother, young sister, older ones too. How much time do you take each day?
To cultivate fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
My wife and I have been married going on 42 years.
If you accompanied me, would you find it strange if I only used 5 minutes a day to talk to her? All the rest?
Didn't even recognize her presence. Would that be normal?
I think it's, uh, there's a problem here.
We're talking yesterday with some of the younger brothers about reading the scriptures and how it's easy to read a chapter in 5 minutes.
Do you read daily the precious Word of God?
Not only reading it, but praying too. The two things are important, necessary, because when we read, he's speaking to us. When we pray, we're speaking to Him. And fellowship is both ways.
It's important to do that. Remember a young brother said to me, I don't have time to read, but I I pray all the time. OK? That's like saying to God, umm, God, I don't really have time to listen to you, but I'd like you to listen to me. Is that does that sound very good to you? No, he says. That's kind of out of balance, isn't it? I said, I agree with you, it's out of balance.
Take time to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
He has called you to that. That's his desire, primarily.
Go to another verse in Hebrews chapter 3 please.
And verse one.
Here we speak, we're talking about what we're called to as well.
Notice carefully.
Wherefore, holy brethren?
Partakers of the heavenly calling consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Here the calling is a heavenly calling. You and I have been called for heaven.
Yes, here we are on planet Earth.
When you're younger, it seems like maybe a long time before you get up to 60-70 years old.
But I'm up above 70 mark now, and let me tell you, it isn't that long a time.
We are here momentarily, but we have a heavenly calling. You know, it's interesting to me to compare earthly glory and heavenly glory. Which is bigger?
Really.
Earth and all that relates to life here occupies our minds so very much that we really don't think that much about heaven and heavenly glory. I ask you sincerely, how much time do you take each day to think about heaven and heavenly glory?
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If I look back at my life, let's take yesterday or the day before.
I would be hard pressed to say that it was 5% of the day that I was thinking about heavenly glory.
Which is greater? You know, things in this world are very interesting, extremely interesting. I'm not denying that. Wonderful.
But heavenly glory.
Far, far exceeds earthly glory. In fact, the apostle Paul was one who went into the glory, and he saw things there and he heard things. You know what? He doesn't say anything about what he saw.
He just says a little note about what he heard. He heard unspeakable words that it is impossible for a man to honor.
It's so beyond us.
That we cannot grasp that in human words. And so I think that's why Scripture speaks so little about heaven. There are things that speak about heaven in scripture. And we should be like we have had ex exhortation this conference, setting our mind on things above. Do you ever do that?
It's wonderful, wonderful to think about. We have been called for heaven, heavenly glory. You know, I really do believe that the affluence, the material affluence of our culture here in North America has been a positive hindrance in laying hold and enjoying heavenly glory. I think I've told it before, but.
It so impressed me, and I tell it again, maybe some haven't heard of an experience I had years ago with our brother Glenn Buchanan in the Dominican Republic. We were in a little town called Michi's, and there's a brother there.
Juan Vasquez was his name.
And, uh, it was.
A privilege to be invited to his house for the new meal. We got to his house.
It consisted in some sticks planted in a line for the walls, and the roofing was made of banana leaves, maybe some other kinds of leaves too. When it rained, you had to situate yourself accordingly so that you didn't get rained on inside.
And it is extremely poor. They'll never forget. We sat down at the dinner table even though the meal wasn't ready. There was no other place to sit in the room in the house and he got out his Bible. He didn't have any nice house to show us around in. He didn't have any nice vehicle to show us outside the house.
He opened his Bible.
And I'll never, never forget breath.
The glory that shines on that black face.
As we sat there and he started, I thought, reading the scriptures.
I found out later he didn't know how to read, but he was quoting it by heart. It was a reality to him. So much so that I just bowed my head right there and said Lord Jesus.
Please, when I go back to the United States, help me not to get blinded by material things so that I can enjoy, as this brother does, the reality of heavenly blessing it is. The reality is far more reality than any material things we could possess down here.
Everything down here gets old and we can lose it, but the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ are forever. You cannot lose it, never.
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Oh brother, we're called to heavenly blessing.
One more verse in first Peter chapter 5.
Verse 10.
But the God of all grace.
Who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus? After that you have suffered a while. Make you perfect, establish strength and settle you to Him. Be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Here it is. We are called to eternal glory. Now, I do not know exactly how to explain eternal glory. Eternal means something that is always been. It's the glory of our God. We're called to it.
Is there anything that you can present to me? Please come up here, show it to me after the meeting that can compare with eternal glory and we're called to it.
This lays hold of my heart. Is there something down here that attracts us more than this?
So First Corinthians one, we're called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ in Hebrews chapter 3 verse one, we have a heavenly calling and here we're called to eternal glory.
I exhort you, dear young brother and sister in the Lord Jesus.
Don't ignore the calling of God on your life. It's not for certain privileged ones. This is for every true believer in the Lord Jesus that we are speaking about. And I want to speak especially about the heavenly side.
This afternoon because we're living in a world that constantly barrages us with earthly things and to be earthly minded and to get involved.
And I don't say we shouldn't be involved.
But dear brother on earth is passing, and its lusts are passing. It's he that does the will of God, that abides forever. And that's the challenge I want to lay before you, to live for that which lasts for all eternity.
Don't put so much emphasis on things that last for Jesus. Just a brief moment of time.
The Lord help us.
You know, it's impressed me in recent times.
There is a doctrine that is quite common in Christian circles. It's called covenant theology.
And basically what it says is that there is one people.
Of God in all times, in all ages.
And they do not distinguish between an earthly people and a heavenly people. And I'd like to point out to you this afternoon the basis for which we believe distinctly that there is a difference between God's earthly people, Israel, and the Church, which is heavenly in its character. And you are aware of the fact that we.
Our believers in the Lord Jesus and as such the Spirit of God has baptized all believers into one body, united to Christ in heaven, and our destiny is heaven, the Father's house forever.
It's a strong movement. I didn't realize how strong it was. And you've had elections here recently in Canada and.
In the United States, that's a big electoral process that's going on now, and Christians are told that they, if they do not get involved in the political process, are shirking their Christian duty.
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And if we're not living, brethren, in the enjoyment of our heavenly calling, we're going to get swept away by it.
There are certain.
Groups.
Of supposedly evangelical.
Christians that so have embraced this that they actually say there is no more future for Israel. God's done with Israel. The church is replaced Israel. Is that true?
I want to show from scripture that that is not the case, that they are two, they are still.
Two distinctly different peoples. It's important we understand that they go back to the Old Testament and they say, look, there was Joseph, he was high in the government of Israel. I mean of Egypt. There was Daniel, he was high in the government of Babylon. They were doing.
The right thing.
Why shouldn't you do your Christian duty too and get involved in the electoral process?
Well, I'd like to show that there is a difference between Israel and the Church, but before we get into that particular difference, I'd like to go back to the Book of Genesis chapter.
Umm 13 I believe it is and C the promise of God.
To Abraham.
Genesis 13 verse 14 The Lord said unto Abraham, after that lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward, eastward and westward.
To for all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
There is the promise of blessing to Abraham. Go over to the 15th chapter now.
And.
Verse one After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abraham, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give? Give me, seeing I go child, less than the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. Abrams said, Be hold to me, thou hast given no seed, and lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, until the stars, that thou be able to number them. And he said unto them, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.
There's a beautiful story of Abraham, he didn't have any son yet and God said come outside, look at the stars. That's the way your descendants are gonna be. So in verse chapter 13, it is the dust of the earth and in chapter 15 it's the stars of the heaven. It's repeated again, both spheres, a blessing in chapter 22.
Really interesting there's always God has always contemplated 2 spheres of blessing, Earth and heaven.
Earthly blessing, heavenly blessing, even when you get to the eternal day. In Revelation chapter 21, it says I saw a new heaven and a new earth, both spheres of blessing for all eternity. To which do we belong? Think it is clear in Scripture and I want to show it to you for your own enjoyment. Brethren, I hope that this is just not something for you to understand.
00:25:13
But I want it to be for your enjoyment, because it's that which sinks down into your heart and you lay hold of it there that will have its proper effect in your life and mind. So I hope it'll be not merely for your head knowledge, but for the enjoyment of your heart. God has promised blessing, and He promised blessing to Abraham like the dust of the earth and like the stars of heaven.
Interesting to me to.
Astronomers now say that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the seashore of the of of this world.
By far the heavenly side is far, far greater.
I'd like to go to Deuteronomy Chapter 7 to show.
What God blessed Israel with, because you know, Abraham begot Isaac and Isaac begot Jacob, and from Jacob are the 12 patriarchs, from which come the 12 tribes of Israel. And there's still 12 tribes. Ten of those tribes were carried away captive into this world and.
Some people speculate where they are, but two tribes, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, were at the divine center, and they were carried away captive to Babylon two. And then a remnant of as came back in the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, and they were there when the Lord Jesus came the first time. Those were the ones we call the Jews the Jewish people.
They are God's earthly people, they're part of God's earthly people, and God has a future in mind for his earthly people. You read chapters 9:10 and 11:00 of book of Romans. It is clear, but I just want to point out here something in Chapter 7 of Deuteronomy.
Verse 13 He's speaking to the Jewish people or to the nation of Israel really. It is here the whole 12 tribes. And it says, And he will love thee and bless thee, and multiply thee. He will also bless the fruit of thy womb and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thine kind, and flocks of thy sheep in the land which.
He swear unto thy Father to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people.
There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your cattle, and the Lord shall take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt which thou knowest upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. Just read that to show that Israel's blessing were material.
Large families, good crops, their animals multiplied freely.
They were healthy people. This was the blessing that was given to Israel.
If they kept the commandments of God and you know the story.
They really lost it all because it was on a conditional basis to keep the law of God.
That's earthly blessing. Today there is a movement that says that if you are prospered economically, it's the blessing of God.
I want to say God does give material things to us, but it's not blessing in the character that we have it today. They are material things, are mercies that the Lord gives us for a brief moment, and He can take him away if he wants to. But those are not properly speaking, our blessings. But you'll notice here when he's talking to Israel.
It's material things. So we have what is called the prosperity gospel and it does not fit with Scripture. It is mixing the old with the new and covenant theology says that the church was in the Old Testament, it was called Israel, and that now the church has replaced Israel. They make it all when people of God at all times. That is not the truth of the Word of God.
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There are two distinct peoples, and it's important to keep those clear.
You know how far it goes. I was shocked not too long ago to hear that. One of those evangelical groups which is pretty strong in the United States.
Actually supports the Hamas terrorist organization against Israel because they think Israel is just causing problems over there. They should get out of there and leave the Palestinians to have their own land. That that shows how far.
Arrive it can get if you do not distinguish these two peoples, that is important. You know, at the beginning of the time when the truth of the church was being rediscovered in the early 1800s, It's interesting they began studying prophecy. Really that's where it started. And as they study prophecy, they started.
Finding out.
That Israel is not the same thing as the Church. That there are two distinct peoples.
And that's what led to the awakening in those early 1800s to the truth of the church as the body of Christ, a living Organism united to Christ in glory. Wonderful thing, wonderful awakening. I'd like to go over to the New Testament now to show you what is characteristic of the church. But before we do, let's go to Matthew chapter 16, the 1St.
Mention of the church in the Word of God it's interesting therefore gospels only one of the four mentioned the church Matthew why Matthew I asked that when I was younger of an older brother he says because Matthew is the introduction to the New Testament and that is the main theme of the New Testament so we have Matthew mentions the church let's.
Read it here. Just want to point out some detail here. The Lord says in verse 13 at the end of the verse, whom do men say that I, the Son of Man AM? And there's a raft of different answers, some sage on the Baptist, Elias or Jeremiah, Sir, one of the prophets. That's human opinion. But then he asked Peter, who say ye that I am? And Peter answers.
I should say he asked the disciples, but Peter answers, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the Lord Jesus said, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven.
And notice verse 18. Now here's the mention of the church, the first mention of it. I say unto thee that thou art Peter, a small stone, and upon this rock, a huge, immense rock, which is the person of the Lord Jesus. I will build my church. Did you notice it? I will build. He doesn't say I am building. No, he wasn't building yet.
Is we're going to be the church? Because he said I will build it sometime in the future.
So the church began on the day of Pentecost. The church could not be formed until Christ had died and paid the price of redemption and then returned to the right hand of God the Father and sat down and there he sent the Holy Spirit to form the church. I will build very clear. I will build. Like to go over to another verse in Ephesians chapter 3 to show you.
That the church was not anything that was known in the Old Testament times.
We sometimes look at it and figure there, but it was nothing that was understood at those times. There were great men of God in the Old Testament mentioned Abraham and Daniel and Moses.
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Those new absolutely nothing of what we know now that God had something in his purposes that was going to be.
Revealed chapter 3 and verse four. The end of the verse speaks to the mystery of Christ.
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
So it was not known in Old Testament times. It's now made known into his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit verse nine, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. You notice that where was it hid hidden. God doesn't say it was hidden in the Old Testament.
Like I said, we go to the Old Testament, we see.
Figures perhaps of the church. Eve was formed from Adam's side. I think we can see a beautiful picture there because we know the truth of the church now. But those in the Old Testament had no clue that that was the case. This was something that was revealed into his holy apostles and prophets. Those are New Testament prophets by the Spirit.
So.
This was something that was formed consequent on the death and resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus to glory and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now I'd like to go back to chapter one of Ephesians and in contrast with what we read in Deuteronomy Chapter 7 to see what it says about our blessing in this present age.
This is a verse that I revel in, brother.
Beautiful, Blessed be the God and Father Ephesians 1/3 of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us. It's a done deal. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
That wonderful brother, how many blessings do you have?
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you have them all. Some people like talk about the second blessing.
Well, you have the second one. Yeah, I have the second one, the third one, the 4th one. Go on, name them. Oh, they're all ours. But notice they are spiritual blessings, and I think sometimes we don't grasp what that means. They are not material blessings, like for Israel that have lots of good crops and their animals.
Multiplied and they had big families. That was the blessing of God.
And that's why the disciples, when the Lord said a rich man can hardly enter the Kingdom of God, they were astonished. They thought that was somebody that was really obedient and was really blessed.
But our blessings are not characteristically material. They are spiritual. And you know, it's far more wonderful because spiritual blessings are forever. You cannot lose them. They are yours. You will not be more blessed in heaven than you are right now sitting on that seat.
You may not enjoy it, you may not understand it as much as you will in that day, but you have those blessings right here and now.
And let me just illustrate what spiritual blessings means.
It speaks in verse seven. One of our spiritual blessings is.
Forgiveness of sins. We have forgiveness of sins.
Brother Michelle, you have forgiveness of sins.
Can you show me some kind of document please to show?
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You only have it by faith, don't you? That's true. And I think that's what it means when it says spiritual. It's not something I can hold out on my hand and say, see, here it is. It's something we enjoy by faith. But there are things that last forever. Those things which are seen are temporal. Those things which are not seen are eternal. And that's our blessings.
Every single one of them. But notice one other detail.
They are in heavenly places in Christ. That's the sphere of our blessing, heavenly places in Christ. O brethren, I don't know how we can make this more vivid and real to our hearts to lay hold of. Like I say, we have our minds so geared and I don't think it's wrong necessarily. We are in business to evaluate.
A particular decision that we have to make to see if this makes sense business wise. We take into account all the factors and we come to a conclusion.
But what's characteristic of the believer is that he walks by faith and not by sight. We are controlled a lot by what we see, by what we look at. That controls us a lot. But that is not characteristic the walk of a believer. He walks by faith and not by sight. In other words, the word of God, the principles of it are what guides him. It doesn't mean you shut your eyes.
When you're walking down the street knowing you use your eyes, but you're not controlled by what you see, you're controlled by the principles of the Word of God. And that's so important if we're going to walk as believers ought to. So that's our blessing. Go over to chapter 2 and verse six and we'll see our position. We've been talking about this somewhat in the reading meetings.
He's speaking about.
What we were by nature in the 1St 3 verses, but then he says in verse four. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together. By grace are ye saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
Where are we sitting?
In heavenly places in Christ? What does that mean? I thought we were sitting in Saint Thomas. Aren't we sitting in Saint Thomas right now? What does this mean? We're sitting in heavenly places in Christ.
Yes, we're sitting in Saint Thomas right now.
But our position is there.
It's so sure. It's as if we were already sitting there. And so the Spirit of God puts it that way.
I sometimes use an illustration that supposing this is not gonna happen, rather supposing I was.
Running for President of the United States.
And I get elected.
Well, the time hasn't come to take office yet, but I could say my position is in the White House.
In the Oval Office of the White House, that's my place. How could I say that because I won the election, you and I too, are elected?
For this position of heavenly glory with Christ.
You see how important it is not to let things down here overpower you?
Let's go on to another verse in Philippians chapter 3.
And verse 20.
For our conversation, alternative word is our citizenship.
Is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our body of humiliation, that it may be fashion like unto His glorious body, according to the working, whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.
Our citizenship is in heaven. Yes, we do have a citizenship down here in this world, but what supersedes completely is that citizenship we have in heaven. Wonderful.
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Precious thing we've already spoken about.
Hebrews chapter 3 where?
We are, we are, uh, we have a heavenly calling. I'd like to go over to Second Timothy chapter 4 where Paul is speaking at the end of his life, and he says this in verse 18.
The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly.
Kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
So in connection with the Church, everything connected with it is heavenly in its perspective. Couple more verses in John's Gospel, chapter 15, please.
Just giving you this so you can be aware of what we base the fact that we say we're a heavenly people. What is it based on? There are very definite clear scriptures that show that we are not of this world. Notice.
Chapter 15 of John verse 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Chapter 17.
And verse.
14 I have given them thy word. This is the Lord Jesus praying for his disciples, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, we're still left here in this world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil they are not.
Of the world, even as I.
Am not of the world. Does it have to be more clear, brethren, that we are not?
Worldly citizens, we have a citizenship in heaven beyond this world.
O brethren, may the Lord grant that this would be more of a reality. We are here for a brief moment of time, and I would like to encourage especially our younger people.
Older ones too, because it all applies to all of us.
To live as heavenly citizens. Don't get involved. We respect earthly authorities. We are told to pray for those in authority and we should. You know, brother, and I don't know why, but.
Quite often prayer meetings go by and we don't pray for those in authority. Do you? And I realize the terrible conflict that is going on in high places today. We get a little glimpse of it in the book of Daniel.
In both the 9th and the 10th chapter of Daniel, Daniel is praying and in the 9th chapter his answer comes immediately, and in the 10th chapter his answers delayed 3 weeks.
Why was it delayed? When the messenger comes to deliver him his answer, he says I was with the Prince of Persia.
And now that I'm going back, I'm going to go back to a different scene, the Prince of Greece. It was the time when the Persian Empire was changing to the Greece Grecian Empire in world history.
And there were emissaries on the part of Satan, and there were emissaries on the part of God.
That were there and there was tremendous conflict and we need to pray for the president, for the Prime Minister of Canada. We should pray for them on a regular basis. It's very important Scripture commands that we do. Sometimes we forget about it. Thankfully we have liberty over here in this country, in these countries, but some parts of the world.
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Lord's people are persecuted to the death.
Brother, I want to encourage our young people to to use your means, your time for that which will last forever.
You're not merely your earthly means, your money, I'm not talking so much about that, but your time, your energies, your intelligence, your talents that you have that God has given you, use them for what will last forever. You're going to invest in that which will prosper down here. It may be prosperous down here, but you're gonna leave it behind at a moment's notice when the Lord calls us.
Never forget the challenge that came to my soul the first time I went to Bolivia with brother Eric Smith. The older ones remember dear brother Eric Smith, he was from New Zealand and he came out.
In 1920 he left New Zealand and he arrived in Bolivia in 1921.
To preach the gospel. He was from a wealthy family in New Zealand, had lots of chances to make good on his life. His father was a personal friend of the Prime Minister of New Zealand and he had a chance, he told me once to become a captain of a ship. And so he had a lot of different opportunities to make his life prosperous and he decided that he was going to Bolivia and when his father.
Heard about it. His father at that time was not a believer. Later on, he became a believer. But when he heard that, that was his decision. He says, if that's your decision, get out of my house. You have no more place here. And he had to get out and finish his education the best he could. And then he went to Bolivia. I was.
Uh, the last time I visited your brother Smith, I was going to tell you about the time I went with him the first time to Bolivia.
We were, uh, in the city of Port OC, which is quite a high city where he had arrived in 1921 and we took it a truck, travel by truck lots of times. They, uh, brother Smith and brother Aler Cohen were up in the cab of the truck and there's a little window there so we could see how they were doing. But Clem Buchanan and Doug Buchanan and I were in the back dancing along the roads all day until about.
Uh, 5:00 in the evening we get to this place called Eulog where he began his work amongst the Quechua Pukachumpe Indian tribe. And when we got there, the brethren were waiting for us, kind of formed a semi circle and they were singing when we got there and.
I was very in interesting to me. It didn't we're going down a river bad. Really it was all it was the road.
And when we got there, the driver turned off the key and we sat there while the brother and were singing and I looked up into the cab and his brother Smith, that was his head down.
Material streaming down his face.
Oh, brother. And if he would have stayed in New New Zealand, he might have had big bank accounts, he might have had lots of wealth, but he turned his back on it all and he wanted to use his means, his life for the Lord.
And now there are.
Don't like to even put the number on the many assemblies there are in Bolivia as the result of him going there with the gospel.
That which will last for all eternity. Last time I saw your brother Smith, he was in a nursing home in.
In, uh, Montreal, and in a wheelchair. And he didn't talk any longer, but he had those little beady eyes. He looked at me as I walked in the door and I greeted him in Quechua. You might. Not yet. And he looked at me, and the only response was a little nod of the head. But it wasn't too long after the Lord called him home.
00:55:09
Just imagine the joy as he goes into that heaven to know that his life counted for eternity. He didn't leave that behind too much down here.
But he had it all sent up ahead. Dear young people, our life is not gonna last that long down here.
Just a few brief years at best, and then we're going to vacate planet Earth to go to our heavenly home. What do you want to do with those years of your life while the Lord gives you time down here?
The Lord grant that you would spend it for that which will last for all eternity, and not for just.
A few brief moments of time.
I'd like to sing in closing #212.
Called from above.
And heavenly men by birth, who once were but the citizens of earth.
As pilgrims here, we seek a heavenly home. Our portion in the age is yet to come.
No.
One found it in your name.
And my boyfriend.
01:00:00
Came on and on the trailer.
I'm getting started crying.
Crying.
May I know?
If you're gay, but I don't know, that's a $4.00 trailer.
That's that's the world. Why are you doing all the time?
Gracious Father, we thank Thee for that heavenly calling, calling to be companions of Thy beloved Son for all eternity. Help us to understand it better. Help us to make it more practical.
In this world of so much need, help us, Father, bless each one of these dear young people, and each one we pray Thy blessing and Thy direction the rest of the afternoon in that most wonderful name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
Romans 8:10-14
Jesus Loves Me
Gospel—Jim Hyland
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.
Most of us, if not all of us in this room sang in the very early days of our youth back in Sunday school that him is. I am so glad that our Father in Heaven tells of his love in the book he has given. We're just going to sing the first verse and the chorus.
Nsnoise.
Now we're going to pray a moment and ask God's help our blessed God and Father. We're thankful for that great love that we have just been singing of. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus, the Savior of sinners. And now we're thankful for each one who has come to hear thy word. And we pray that Thou open our ears to listen. But more than this, we pray that each one.
Would leave here with hearts opened by thee to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. So we ask thy health and blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. I'm going to read to you tonight one verse of scripture, one verse that again, I suppose most of us have heard and even memorized from the very early days of our youth. It's a verse that is perhaps one of the best known verses in the word of God.
And a verse that is used, read and quoted over and over and over again on occasions like this, when the gospel is presented and that verse is found in God's Word, the Bible in John's Gospel, chapter 3.
And it's verse 16.
And this is what it says 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. Before I comment on this verse, and it's very, very precious and simple message, I want to stress for a moment the fact that when we open God's word and read a verse like this, we can with certainty realize.
That it is the absolute truth if God has said it and recorded it in His words, the Bible. It is no exaggeration and it is impossible for God to lie, and it is vital. It is important tonight that if we do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, that we listen to this verse and that we accept the message of what God is saying to us, knowing that it is the truth.
You know, we all hear stories about GP s s leading us the wrong way, and we've heard stories of people who have gone down back roads and ended up in swamps. We've even heard stories in the news of people who have perished or almost perished because they got lost on a logging Rd. in the winter in some remote area of the country. So I'm gonna tell you another little story about AGPS, AGPS on my own Ford Escape.
Because.
Some time ago I was coming out of a small town near Buffalo, NY.
A town I visit quite often.
And I knew I was going home to Smith Falls, which is near Ottawa ON Canada. And I know the way very well. I do it more than once a year. But I thought, you know, I'll turn the GPS on. My wife wasn't with me. I was alone. And I thought, well, turn the GPS on and I'll know how long I have, how far it is and when the next gas station, gas station is or whatever.
And so I turned the GPS on.
00:05:00
And I got to a tee in the road and the GPS told me to turn left. But I said that can't be right. I know this way and I gotta turn right. And so I did. And the GPS kept telling me make AU turn at the closest possible interval. Turn around. That GPS was steaming.
It was exasperated with me and I kept saying no and I was almost ready after 10 miles to turn the GPS off when I realized that the GPS was right and I was wrong.
You know, people may have some idea about how to get to heaven or how to better themselves before God, and there's a way that seems right unto a man. But Scripture says the end thereof are the ways of death.
I was going the wrong way, and I had. I went 20 miles out of my way, 10 miles down the road and 10 miles back. Thankfully, I realized what I was doing and I turned around. And if there's someone here tonight and you're not saved, you're on the Broad Rd. that leads to destruction, and you're trying to get to heaven by some way that you think is right. Oh, listen to the word of God. This is the truth.
Just like the GPS was the truth, so the word of God is. The difference is we can't always trust the GPS, but we can always trust the word of God. And this book tells us God so love the world we sang that old gospel hymn. I am so glad that our Father in Heaven tells of his love in the book he has given. You know that hymn was written many, many years ago.
By a man named Philip Bliss. I've had opportunity to visit his grave in Rome, Pennsylvania. But Philip Bliss wrote many, many hymns and we have a vast heritage of good, solid scriptural hymns as a result of Philip Bliss picking up his pen and writing those precious hymns. And this was one of them. But it's interesting why he wrote this to him one day in the city of Chicago. Philip Bliss attended.
A meeting for men. And at the beginning of the meeting they were singing over and over and over again, that little chorus, oh, how I love Jesus because he first loved me. And Philip Bliss says he joined in the singing of that chorus. He thought, you know, it's wonderful that God has put love in my heart for the Lord Jesus. But, you know, he got thinking during that meeting. There's something even more wonderful. And that is the fact that Jesus loves me.
And he went home and he wrote this hymn.
He was glad for the love of God and the love of the Lord Jesus.
And so God so loved the world. You know, there's an intensity to that, isn't there?
God so loved the world. But you know, a lot of people tell us.
That they love us and they don't always act it. We like someone who not is more than words. You know, people might say, well, I love you or I'm your friend, but time goes on and it shows that really that person doesn't love us like they say. But you know, God has not only told us in his word, the Bible, that he loves us, but He has proved that love beyond a shadow of a doubt.
By giving his Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
To die on Calvary's cross.
Has there ever been love like that? You know, this book we hold in our hands? The Bible is the greatest love story that has ever been told in this world. People will go to the bookstores and they will buy love stories, and they will sit for hours and read those stories. And most of them are just fiction. They're made-up by the author.
But here's a love story, the truest and most precious blessed love story.
That man has ever been given, and yet you know people will read love stories from the drugstore, the bookstore.
And they'll be touched, even to tears. But how many really are willing to listen to the greatest love story that has ever been told? God so loved the world, but what did he do to prove that love that he gave his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? I don't have any sons.
00:10:13
And so I suppose I can't really understand. And I suppose even those who have sons here can't really enter into what it must have meant to the heart of God to send his Son here into this world, knowing exactly what would take place.
God knew when He sent his Son the treatment he would receive by those to whom He was sent.
And God knew exactly what was going to happen.
When his son would go to Calvary's cross.
And there have his hands and feet nailed to a Roman gibbet, there to hang as a spectacle between heaven and earth, there to suffer in the way he did at the hands of man, but more than that.
There was a time in this world.
When at high noon, the sun was darkened and for three hours the Lord Jesus hanging on that cross.
In darkness that I don't believe any eye could penetrate there the Lord Jesus suffered for sin, and I am thrilled to be able to stand before you tonight and tell you that He bore my sins in his own body on the tree.
It is a thrill to my soul to be able to say that Jesus died for me.
And yet I wonder how many in this room can really say that? Could you come up here and stand with me and say with the Apostle Paul, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me? I love to put my name in that verse, the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for Jim, but God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
It's referred to in the Book of Corinthians as an unspeakable gift. It's a gift that surpasses every other gift that even God himself has ever given, because every other gift that God has given to man is based on that unspeakable gift of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe there's someone here in the room and you feel like nobody loves you.
I have opportunity on occasion to be down in the country of Trinidad. It's an island off the coast of Venezuela.
And my missionary friend Garvin Seymour and I, we have opportunity to go to the different schools, and with prearrangement we can often address the student body gathered together in a courtyard. Or we have opportunity to go from class to class, and with 15 or 20 minutes in each class, we can sing a gospel chorus, give a little gospel message, and leave a simple gospel track or Sunday school paper on each desk.
But I'll never forget one particular classroom we were speaking in in Port of Spain, Trinidad. We were speaking to, I think it was probably a grade three class.
And Mr. Seymour, who presents the gospel so lovingly and simply. He was speaking to the boys and girls that morning and he asked them to put up their hand and when questioned to tell him somebody that they knew for sure who loved them. And the boys and girls, many of them put up their hands. Some said mother, some said father, grandmother, different ones that they knew loved them.
But there was 1 little boy with his hand up and when he was questioned as to who it was that loved him, I will never forget with the saddest look I think I have ever seen on a child's face, he said. Nobody loves me. Not sad, not solemn. But you know the wonderful thing was we were able to tell the boys and girls that there is somebody that loves them, God loves them, the Lord Jesus loves them. There was a young man one time came to the Lord Jesus.
And it says Jesus beholding him, loved him. You know, the Lord Jesus looks down into this room this evening.
And he looks at each person as an individual. No one is lost in the crowd to the Lord Jesus.
00:15:04
He knows your name, he knows your circumstances, He knows your family background.
And he loves you.
He loves you as an individual, just as he looked at that man. But sad to say, we never read that that young man ever got the blessing that the Lord Jesus had for him. And so God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. At this juncture, we're going to sing the first verse and chorus of another hymn. Jesus loves me This I know.
No.
I'm in, the Bible tells me.
You know, I have found that that is a universal hymn.
You can give it out in a nursing home, you can give it out at Sunday school, you can give it out at a young people's get together and it is always appreciated.
I was called to Nassau, Bahamas some time ago to take a funeral of a brother my own age. Name was Christopher Kelly. I had stayed in Christopher Kelly's home many times. We enjoyed happy fellowship together. But you know, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and not long after he passed away.
He had asked that if it was possible.
I would come and speak at his funeral because he knew there was going to be a large crowd there of people that had perhaps never sat in a gospel meeting or heard the simple story of salvation. And there was. There was a large crowd. But Christopher made a rather strange request before he passed away. At least his brother Tony, and I thought it was a strange request. He asked that at the end of the funeral service we sing.
Jesus loves me. I thought for a 58 year old man, that's a very interesting request. You know, I really believe this that the Lord laid out on his heart and I will never forget this large crowd of people, old and young. And I said at the end of the service it is the request of Christ. It was the request of Christopher before he passed away that we joined together in the singing of Jesus Loves Me.
I will never forget what happened.
Without so much as a hint of a suggestion, 250 people rose to their feet.
And I have never heard. Jesus loves me, Son, the way it was sung on that occasion. And I believe it really had a solemnizing effect on those that were there, because evidently most, if not all of those that were there, though they may not have been believers in the Lord Jesus they had heard and sung. Jesus loves me at some point in their youth. What a message it gives.
Jesus loves me.
Your love tonight and the Lord Jesus loves you so much. Loved you so much.
That he was willing to come at God the Father's bidding and go to the cross.
And there die, and there shed his precious blood. Oh, I want to stress for a moment the blood of Jesus Christ, because it is the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, that cleanses from all sin. It is the blood of Jesus that washes sins away.
We raised 2 girls in our home and often after playing outdoors on a summer day, they would come in and those white T-shirts would be filthy dirty.
And my wife would take those T-shirts and other laundry and put it in the washer and then put a generous scoop of Tide or cheer or whatever you call it, her favorite detergent, run it through the cycle, bring it out and look at it. And we had what we called clean dirt. And what we really meant was the shirt was clean. It had gone through the cycle, but the dirt was so ground in grass stains, mud, whatever.
00:20:10
That the stains wouldn't come out in spite of using perhaps what was recommended as the best detergent on the market.
But you know, as a person who is washed in the blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus does not just cleanse from sin, it cleanses from all sin. I grew up singing that little gospel chorus. What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. There is no substitute tonight for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm thankful again that I'm redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ.
My sins are forgiven because of the precious blood of Christ. And after the Lord Jesus had died on the cross, laid down his life. I think we've all pictured it in our minds, eyes a soldier with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. Oh, I say, there's nothing else, no substitute. My wife might have substituted her favorite detergent.
For something that was a little cheaper, maybe she went to the store and what she normally bought wasn't on sale and she substituted and it basically did the same job. But I want to stress there is no substitute for the blood of Christ, but it is available tonight to wash your sins away. But there's one other thing I want to stress too, and that is the resurrection, because it is what is unique to Christianity and it tells us if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain and ye are still in your sins.
You know, it's interesting in the four Gospels where you read the life and work of the Lord Jesus.
That in each gospel there are details, some added, some not there for various reasons.
But there is one thing that is stressed at the end of each gospel. It's not left out of any of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And that is a chapter on the resurrection.
Because I say it is a vital part of Christianity what we're presenting tonight.
Is not a savior who's dead. It's a savior who's died, but it is not a savior who's dead.
I've had opportunity to go to other parts of the world where people bow down.
To idols where people pray to someone who's in the tomb. We have a tomb too, in Christianity. But over that tomb are those glorious words that were announced on the resurrection morning. He is not here. He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. There's an old gospel hymn we sang when I was growing up. I love it. There is a Savior on high in the glory.
A savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A savior is willing to save now as ever.
His arm is almighty, His love great and free. And so God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, That whosoever that doesn't leave anybody else. That's you and me and everybody else. Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God is offering to you another gift, the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But we've come to the end of this meeting.
And I think at the end of a gospel meeting, sometimes people wonder, well, how can I really get saved?
The preacher has spoken about the Lord Jesus dying on the cross, his shed blood, his resurrection.
He's warned us that there's judgment in hell at the end of a Christ less life.
He's told us that the Lord Jesus is coming back and he is. At any moment, the Lord Jesus is going to return. The coming of the Lord draws nigh. But how do I get saved? How do I make it right? How do I apply it to myself? It's as simple as this. I'm going to pray to conclude this meeting. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can talk to Him in your heart tonight, confessing that you're a Sinner. He hears whether you say one word aloud or not. He hears what you speak in your heart.
And you can speak to him in your heart, confessing that you're a Sinner, but that you want to receive that wonderful gift of salvation, that you want the Lord Jesus to be your personal Savior. And if you do, by simple faith tonight.
If you do, you can leave through these doors in front of Maine.
00:25:04
A saved person, knowing that you're on your way to heaven, that if you were to die or the Lord Jesus were to come tonight, that you are safe and ready to go to heaven, and that you're sheltered on the under the blood of Christ. And let me tell you, I've known the Lord Jesus as my savior for just over 50 years. I wouldn't trade places with anyone that isn't a Christian. What he's given me as far as salvation, a home in heaven at the end of this life and all the wonderful things he's given me, the blessings and mercies for this life to enjoy now.
I said I wouldn't want to trade places with anyone that is a Christian. I just say at the end of this meeting there's a joy to my soul to be able to confess Christ again and to say I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my precious Savior. And our prayer is that you do too. Let's conclude with a word of prayer our God and Father. We thank Thee for the simplicity of this verse. God so loved the world that whosoever that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Our God and Father, we pray that no one will leave this room tonight unsaved, lost, and in their sins, but that each one might rise out of these chairs with the joy of knowing that they know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. So we ask thy blessing, and we're thankful for each one who's come. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Hymnsing 2
Hymnsing Talk 2
Sin Came and Ruined Everything
Children—Jonathan Martin
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.
Why don't we sing a song while people are coming in and finding their seats? Does anybody, anyone of you guys have a song you want to sing to get us started out of the pamphlet? Yeah.
#2 you might need a hand starting this one.
That was a good one. Does anybody else have another one they'd like to sing? And if, uh, any young guys in the back row want to come up to the front, you're more than welcome to do that. There's plenty of seats. I know it's kind of scary to get up to the middle and the front row, but.
Umm, you're welcome. There's plenty of room. I saw a hand over here and then I'll be you'll be next. What was that?
34.
00:05:04
Nsnoise.
Well, when did you want to sing there, Avi?
45.
Actually, I'm just gonna pray 1St and then we'll keep singing for a little while. How about that?
Our God and Father, we just looked to you this morning on this beautiful morning, this Easter Sunday and this day that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And Lord Jesus to us, it means everything because you rose from the dead and paid for our sins. And we're so thankful for that. And in a few minutes we'll be remembering your death for us. And now just help us in this meeting in this Sunday school just to be listening and just pray for help for me to.
Speak what's on my heart and help us to sing loudly and joyfully. So we just come at this meeting. To you and your name we pray. Amen.
Lost my clip all right. 45 I think.
I mean the ITWO. Yeah, it is that. I don't know what it is. I don't know. I don't have a kidney. I'm always going to adventure differently.
Thanks. Does anybody else have one they want to sing?
We'll go a little further down there.
Who's the furthest one down there with your hand up with in the white hat? You give one out.
46 #46.
1.
All right.
Oh, we got down here. Jordan, do you have one you want to sing?
What was it? 29 sing #29.
Nsnoise.
Nearby Department of Maryland.
That was a good one.
They repeat that a lot. You must be born again, and that's because it's really important.
You must be born again, and if you don't know how to be born again, I'm hoping that by the end of this meeting you'll know how to be born again.
We're going to sing maybe one more and then if any of you guys who have done memory versus want to say them, you can. And if not, that's OK. All right, Caleb, what do you want to sing #5?
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise No.
00:15:21
That was a good singing. So does anybody want to say their verse for this week, whether it's the one out of the the Sunday school paper or when you've been working on for your class? If you wanna say it, it's good to memorize and say verses and you can stand up if you wanna say it, and then we'll know if you wanna say it.
So it's good to memorize verses and say our verses. That is a good thing to get in the habit of doing.
Well, Ari gave us out a song that talked about the word that had two little ears to hear his word. What is the word when it talks about the word? What's the word? Yeah.
The Bible. That's right, the Bible is the Word. And what's the first book in the Bible? Genesis is the first book in the Bible. And what's the first verse in the Bible?
Let me say it.
Somebody you want to say somebody? Can somebody quote the first verse in the Bible? Yeah.
Hold it, I read it. That's good. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So that's the first verse in the Bible. It's in the beginning of the Bible, and it says right in the verse in the beginning. But is that the first thing that ever happened?
Did anything happen before God created the heaven and the earth?
Few things I think we know that happened from reading later in the Bible, but one of them was that God loved you.
Before he even made the world, he saw you and he loved you.
And he, it's almost like he had all this love to give and he had people in mind that he wanted to give it to, to spend time with, to have fellowship, as we say. And that just means spend time with and talk back and forth and enjoy each other's company. And he needed a place to do that. So he created the earth.
And he didn't wait very long after he created the earth and made it able to support people. He didn't wait a very long time before he created people. He couldn't wait to create people and to have a relationship with them and to spend time with them and to love them, to show them how much he loved them.
And who were the first people he created in the Bible? What do you think, Francis?
Adam and Eve, yeah, they were the first people that God created.
And he would come down, says to the earth, and he would spend time with them. He would walk with them. They could hear the voice of the Lord walking with them. He would came down to see what Adam would name the animals. He was interested in what they were doing. He liked spending time with them. But something came in and messed that up, didn't it?
You know what came in and messed that up? What do you think?
Sin. That's right. God gave them this whole creation to enjoy, to play with, to work with, to spend time in. But he said there's one thing you can't do. See that tree over there? Don't eat the fruit from it. Don't go over there.
And what do they do?
What they went over there and they, Satan got them to eat the fruit from the tree. So it wasn't very long before that. What God wanted, what he wanted was to spend time with them, to have a relationship with them, to enjoy company with them. And it wasn't long before they sinned. What would you call that sin that Adam and Eve did if you had to put a name on it?
What do you think?
What do you think?
Disobedience. Yeah, that was the. That's what you call that sin. That was a sin of disobedience. God said don't touch that. You can touch everything else, but don't touch that. And they went over and they touched that which.
It was only a matter of time.
They went over to what they weren't supposed to do, and they touched what God told them not to touch.
And I've kind of noticed from watching.
Kids. So that tends to be the first thing that any of us do.
Even before, well, I know as soon as a kid can walk, even before they can talk, you can see them, their parents say, now don't you touch that.
00:20:08
And they kind of look back at their parents and then they look over at what they're not supposed to touch. Sometimes they get a little half a smile and they go running over to what they're not supposed to touch.
We're all like that. We all disobey, and disobedience is sin.
So almost right off the bat, even though we might have started.
Even if let's say we started without any sin, it's not very long before we disobeyed, and even if we started clean and without sin, pretty soon.
It's hard to write upside down. I should get some help.
Pretty soon we've disobeyed and we have a sin and we're no longer Adam and Eve. Once they sin, we're no longer able to spend time with and enjoy and have fellowship, we'll say, with God, because God is perfect and he's holy and he's just, which is he means he's fair, he's righteous, and he can't.
Be in the presence of sin he can't enjoy.
Company and communion and happiness with you if you have sin, but it's not very long before what are some a good way to find?
Umm, kind of measure ourselves and see if we're perfect or if we're not perfect is to look at the 10 commandments. And one of the 10 commandments is thou shalt not lie. Has anybody ever in here told a lie? You don't have to raise your hand, but I'm going to because I've told a lie.
And so I better write that down.
Umm, so it's not very long before we've told a lie, and I've told a lie, and one of the other ones is Thou shalt not covet. Do you know what it means to covet?
Yes, Caleb does. What does it mean to covet?
No, you're on the right track.
You think a lot about something you really want. You see something and you think, oh, I've got to have that. I want that so bad when you look on.
Lego.com and they come out with the newest Lego set. You think, Oh God, I have that. I wonder if I'll get it today. I wonder if I'll get it tomorrow. I wonder if I've got to have that. I won't be happy till I have that. That's coveting. I better write that one down.
This marker doesn't work very good on shirts. Pretty soon I've coveted. And then what happens next? Then you go over to your friend's house and he's got that exact set.
And you say, man, if I was that kid and if I had his parents and if I was allowed to do what he's allowed to do, I would have that and then I would be happy. And then you're jealous of your friend. And then I better write that one down.
It's not long before we've got sin.
It's hard to talk in right upside down.
We've got all sorts of sins, and now God can't have the relationship and the fellowship and the communion with us that he wants to.
And do we only do each sitting once in our life?
No, we seem to do them over and over and over again, especially lying. One lie seems to lead to another lie, seems to lead to another lie. Mr. Hyland was talking yesterday about Peter denying the Lord and he told one lie. A girl came up to him and said, Hey, you with Jesus? Nope, No, I wasn't, don't, don't know that guy. Nope. That was a lie. But she didn't know really any better. And then somebody else came up to him and said, no, you got the accent. You're definitely, you were definitely one of those guys that was following the Lord. You, you.
That's like saying, no, you have a British accent. You definitely work for the Queen of England. I know it. It's not proof, but it's now Peter has to tell a bigger lie. Nope, never heard of him. Don't know who you're talking about. And then some guy comes up and says, look, buddy, not six hours ago you cut off my cousin's ear with a sword. Now I am going to forget a lot of people that I meet, but I'm not going to forget you. And Peter still has to tell another lie. Even though he's faced with a pretty strong eyewitness, he still has to tell another lie. So she get lie on top of a lie on top of lie.
And how do we get rid of all these?
Sins and lies and coveting another one is stealing. That's one. When I was younger I stole something.
I'm running out of room.
I stole something from a corner store. I don't know what you call it here convenience store in Quebec, we call that death on our I stole a stamp that I really liked. It had a dinosaur on it.
00:25:12
And it wasn't in the right bin. And I thought, well, somebody probably just left this here. I should probably take it home. And I did. And I stole something. But I went back the next afternoon because my dad saw my new stamp that I didn't pay for, and we took it right back and gave it back. So I brought it back. I'm just going to write it back over top of steel. But did that take away my stealing or is it still there? Is it still stuck to me?
I'm still there.
And what if a lot of people will tell you well.
God sees all the sins that you do, but he also sees all the good things that you do. And at the end he kind of balances out. He says, well, as long as you do a good work to cover up the sin, then you're safe. You're even if you do one more good work then all your bad works, then you're safe. That's what a lot of people will say, but I we know that's not true. We know we can't if I write a good work over top of a bad work.
Does it take away the good work or does it take away the bad work?
No, I'm just making a bigger mess on my shirt, aren't I?
I really appreciated what Jordan and Zach's dad said in the gospel one time because he said if you think that God's going to let one sin into heaven, look at what happened in the Garden of Eden. That was perfect. God could spend time with the people he loved and enjoy time. And then once sin came in and ruined everything, he said if you think that God's going to let one sin into heaven because he did a lot of OK things to balance it out, that's not going to happen.
So we get tin on top of tin on top of our tin, and pretty soon.
We just look like this.
I'm gonna change shirt pretty soon. We just look like this. We can't even tell which the fins were and which they weren't, and we don't remember them all, but they just pile on top of each other because that's the way people are. We naturally, we sin, we're naturally contrary to God.
So this doesn't sound very good for us, does it? We're kind of in bad shape. So how do you, what can you do? How do you get? Can God just look at you and say, well?
You did some good things and you did some bad things and we're just going to even it out.
No, there's a place God made.
The Garden of Eden because he wants to spend time. He made the earth because he wanted to spend time with the people he loved. He wanted to enjoy their company. And he's made heaven because he's going to be a new place where he can enjoy the company of the people that are saved, that he's redeemed. But there's also a third place that the Lord has made for people who he's made it for Satan because he has to punish Satan and his angels.
And it's a place called hell, and he has to punish sin there. And if our sins are still stuck to us, then when God punishes our sins, we're going to be the ones that get punished because he can't.
Can't just sort of sweep it under the rug. And he asked to punish sin. He's just, he's a just right God. And we wouldn't want a God that wasn't like that. We wouldn't want a God who was kind of, well, that's OK. And this is this is OK. And he's just and he's holy and that's why he's God. But what do we do? Because we're not just and we're not holy, we're not perfect. We're all sinners, we're all covered in sin. So what do we do?
What could God do? Could he just say, well, we'll let it slide, that's OK.
No, he couldn't do that.
My favorite verse, but he wanted to he wanted to have fellowship with you. He still wants to he wants you to be able to talk to him like Adam and Eve did talk back and forth to him about your day. He wants you to read your Bible so you hear from him. He wants to be involved in your life and he loves you very much. My favorite verse he in the Bible, one of my favorites is in Romans 3 and it's talking about God that says God that he might be just.
And the justifier of him who believed in Jesus, God had to be just. He had to be. He couldn't.
Couldn't just let it slide. He had to be just a righteous judge. It's like if you were in court, God was the judge and all your sins were in front of you. You were accused of all these sins and God has to punish sin. But it says he wanted to be the justifier too. He also wanted to be your defense lawyer. He also is on your side and he wanted to make sure you could get into heaven. He wanted to make sure you didn't have to suffer for your sins. So.
00:30:16
What did he do?
He said his Son, because his Son Jesus came to the earth, He was God and he walked on the earth and he never did any sin. He never sinned. He was a sinless when He went to heaven as He was when He came to earth the first time. He never had a mark of sin on him.
But if and if he had, he wouldn't have been able to die for your sin. If the Lord Jesus had sin and he went to die on the cross, we would have said, yes, that's fair. Sin, die on the cross, sin you punished for your sin. That's fair. But because he was, because he had no sin and he willingly went to die on the cross, He was able to take all of your sin too. He was able to take all of the sin that you've done and will do.
He was able to take the penalty and the punishment for them by dying on the cross.
He took.
A lot of hurt from men and he took a lot of punishment from God for your sin so that you don't have to. But what do you have to do to to have that?
Do you have to work for it? Do you have to do a lot of work to make up for all the bad stuff you might have done?
No, that's that's pride. Thinking I could do enough to earn my way into heaven. That I could be good enough to be with a holy perfect God forever in my own strength.
Impossible. But if you accept that the Lord Jesus was a perfect man and be perfect sinless man, and because of that he was able to take all of your sin and pay for it on the cross so that you wouldn't have to pay for it in hell, then you'll be saved. And then you get to put on a new shirt.
Like Mr. Cross was talking about yesterday.
Mr. Pross was talking about being in Christ yesterday. And if you accept the Lord and you're in Christ, the Bible says put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you accept him as your Savior and you are put on the Lord Jesus Christ, then when you get to heaven, the Lord Jesus or God will look at you and he won't say, well, there's all this bad stuff and there's all this good stuff and this could kind of work out. He's going to either see sin.
Or he's gonna see Jesus.
And if you see sin, he has to punish sin, and that means he has to punish sin in hell. If he sees Jesus, he sees you've accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you've put on the Lord Jesus Christ, then he's going to welcome you into heaven. And he's looking forward to it. When we talked about Adam and Eve and how we created them as soon as it was ready, he didn't wait a hundred 100,000 years to make people. As soon as the earth was ready for people, he made people. He couldn't wait.
To show his love to you. And that's the way it is in heaven. The Lord says, the Lord long-suffering and not waiting for anyone to perish. And as soon as the last person accepts the Lord Jesus, he's going to come back and he's going to take us to heaven with him. And we're all looking forward to that. So make sure you don't leave this room. Don't leave this school. Make sure you know where you're going when you die because everybody's going to die someday.
Or the Lord is going to come back and take us all home because He can't wait to do that. And we can't wait either. But if you're not saved, we want to wait for you. And we hope that you'll do that today because it's very serious. It's eternity. Not just the next few weeks or the next few months. It's where you're going to spend eternity. It's very important. All right, we're going to sing another song and then I'm going to pray. Who hasn't given one out yet?
Trip, do you have one you want to sing #3?
We'll see #3.
Nsnoise.
Well, I'm going to pray here, and I hope that if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior that you'll do that today. And it's easy to do. There's not any work involved and it's all you have to do is to tell the Lord. I recognize that I'm a Sinner and I deserve punishment. And I recognize that the Lord Jesus was uniquely able to take my sin for me and to pay for it. And I accept that, and I want to.
Have a relationship with God and that's an amazing thing that we can have a relationship with God, so.
If you don't know how to do that, you can talk to me or anyone of the people in here and your parents or your grandparents. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to explain more to you, but I'm just gonna close in prayer. Our God and Father, we just would thank you for this time and this reminder of your love for us. And we thank you for the songs that we were able to sing and the verses that we heard. We just thank you.
For loving us and we.
Think of the rest of the day and for the remembrance and this time when we'll sit and remember the incredible pain and, and suffering that was endured on our behalf. And we just would thank you once again for that unmerited favor and the love that was shown to us. And, uh, we thank you for loving us and for dying for us. Your name we pray, Amen.
Ministry of the Spirit of God
No Condemnation in Christ Jesus! He Purposed in His Heart Not to Defile
The Choking Cares of This Life
Romans 8:15-39
Gospel 2
Gospel—Stan Allan
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Could we also saying 47 in the appendix just the 1St 3 verses 47 in the appendix?
God in mercy.
Just ask God's blessing, our God and Father, we just come before thee at the end of these meetings and we thank Thee for the encouragement of all that has been said. And we were just praying now that if there's anyone here in the audience that has never accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
But they might come to a saving knowledge this very afternoon.
We think of how we've had before us that God is for us only. No, blessed God, that thou would desire the blessing of every boy and every girl and every man in this and woman in this room. And Lord, we would just pray that thou would save souls this afternoon for thy glory and for their blessing. And so we would just pray that that would help us in the few minutes that we would speak, that it might be for blessing. And so we ask it now.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know this afternoon when we were reading in Romans 8.
It mentioned there that we are no longer in the spirit of ******* and I would like to look at a chapter in March where we have an example of a person that is in *******. And, uh, it was this particular chapter that was on my heart mark, Chapter 5. I won't, uh, attempt to read it. Our time is very limited, but uh, I've enjoyed this chapter.
In different ways.
We have at the beginning of it the story of a man that was very plainly in ******* to Satan, and then we have the story of a woman that had suffered greatly of a disease. And then we have the story of a girl who was found in death. And in every case the Lord Jesus came in, in a very special way to bless them and to bring them new.
And so we're gonna take a look at those three people because I know in this room there are men, there are women, and there are children. So we're gonna take a look at what it says here. I've enjoyed this too, that. Well, let's just read for a moment a few verses, umm, Mark chapter 5, verse one. And they came over, uh, onto the other side of the sea into this country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately they're messing him out of the tombs.
A man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no man could bind him no knot with chains, because they had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the feathers were broken in pieces. Neither could any man tame him. And always night and day he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus afar off he ran, and.
00:05:12
Worshiped him and cried with a loud voice and said, what have I to do with thee? Jesus, thou son of the most High God, I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. We won't read any farther than that. Well, here we have this man in a very, very sorrowful condition. He was obviously in ******* to demons. And uh, you'll notice here that it says that, umm, he was met. They met him out of the tombs, umm.
A man that had an unclean spirit, you know, you might say to, to me, why are you telling us this story? This doesn't have any relevance to us today, but you know, there's something that I wanna say and that is that this man, uh, Satan had taken possession of him bodily. But if you don't know the Lord Jesus as your savior, Satan has taken possession of your soul. And perhaps you don't know it. And that's why it says in Romans that there was a time when we.
Who are under the spirit of ******* if you don't know the Lord as your savior, you don't realize it, but you're in ******* to the enemy of your soul. You know it says in second Corinthians chapter 4 it says the God with a small G the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not and if you don't understand the gospel or you don't appreciate it, it's because there's an enemy of your soul that is blinding you and it's.
Last thing, that this man here, it says that he was met out of the tombs. That's where he lived. In fact, it tells us in the next verse that his dwelling was among the tombs. And you know, I want to say that that is exactly the situation that you are in, because this world is surrounded by death. You know how often the psalmist said there in Psalm 23?
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Isn't that what we find all around us, everywhere?
I have never forgotten, uh, when I was visiting my son Sean in New York City, we had occasion to go to the meeting in Brooklyn, NY, and we were traveling along the Expressway and we saw a graveyard that literally stretched on for a solid mile. It just seemed that it went on and on and on, reminding us that we're living in the valley of the shadow of death, and that's where this man lived. And not only that.
But it tells us that, umm, it says no man could bind him.
No, not with chains. Every time they tried to restrain him, he was able to break those chains. And you know, man has done much to try and control, umm, the sin that is within him. We know that God Himself gave the 10 commandments. How many people have kept those 10 commandments? We know some of them. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Thou shalt not covet. We've mentioned some of those things today.
We have broken those and the center cannot keep them. The same thing is true. Umm, even in natural surroundings, man has tried to umm, keep man under control. He says umm, you know he's putting pretty, he's put up prisons for people who have umm, who have broken the law. In fact, the very laws that govern Canada were put there to keep men under control. But what happens? Man breaks them.
And men have to be consigned to prison because they break them. Exactly the kind of thing that was going on here.
And so it says that umm, because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him. You know, I think that our brother Jim mentioned this just, uh, yesterday. That man, umm, has tried to introduce many programs to change people who have drug addictions or alcohol problems or violence problems, brought in many programs, but, you know, none of these.
Things have tamed man whatsoever. And so we find that was true of this person. And then it says in the fifth verse, always night and day. He was in the mountains and in the tombs. You know, the mountains might speak of man's pride. Doesn't man love to boast of what he has accomplished? You know, just in the last couple of weeks, they've announced that they're gonna try to build a Hyperloop from Toronto to Montreal.
A Hyperloop is a a super fast train that'll go something like.
700 miles an hour through a tube. And you know, man likes to think of the wonderful progress that he has made. He loves to be in the mountains, and yet at the very same time he's down on the tombs of corruption, the place where it stinks and there's all these terrible things going on. Umm, so that's the way man is. And yet the wonderful thing is that this man, although under the control of demons, he came into contact with the Lord Jesus and there was going to be a complete change.
00:10:26
Well, you know, I wanna say this too, that the very same kind of thing that we're talking about in Mark 5 even happens today, literally. You know, I was just talking to our brother, Dave Van Holstein. He was over in India and I forgot. I don't know if I have the story fully straight, but apparently there was some man that lived in a a remote jungle village and he came out and he heard the gospel and he was saved.
And you know, he said back where I come from, people don't know anything about Jesus whatsoever.
In fact, we live under the control of demons and people are afraid all the time. Would you please come to our village and preach the gospel? And so the brethren, they went into this very remote area and the gospel was preached. I think there were five families in there. And these people heard the gospel for the very first time and they were so happy to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. And you know, Dave said the wonderful thing was.
That the demons that were in that village, they all fled. These people had no peace whatsoever until the gospel was preached. Now that the gospel has been preached, those demons have disappeared. That has happened in the year 2016. You say this can only happen back in the days of the Lord Jesus. No, it can't. It can happen today and it is happening. The Lord Jesus can deliver from the power of seasons. He can deliver from the power of sin.
And if there's anyone here, boys and girls, teenagers, have you come to the Lord Jesus? Have you been delivered from that life of *******? Well, look at the change that took place in them. I know our time is running away. Verse 15, and they come to Jesus and see him. Excuse me.
That was possessed with the devil and had the Legion sitting and clothed in his right mind. Isn't that wonderful, this man who had been rest a restless wanderer?
Going here and there what happens? He umm, it says here that he was sitting, he was at peace and you know we have that wonderful vote, wonderful verse in Romans. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a change in this man. The second thing it says here that he was clothed. We have that wonderful verse.
Umm in Isaiah 61 That says that we are clothed with the garments of salvation.
And here was this man who had been naked, no doubt, for many, many years, and here he is clothed and in his right mind. What a change has taken place. And the Lord wants to make that change in your life. Maybe you're not the vile kind of person outwardly that this man was, but the Lord can bring a change in your life. You know, I'll tell you another story. This story was told by Ravi Zacharias just a couple of weeks ago, I believe.
And uh, he was visiting down in the the Philippines.
And there was a, there was a movie actor down there that was well known throughout the islands of the Philippines. They all thought he was wonderful. But, umm, sometime later they discovered that he lived a very debauched life and the sins and the wickedness that he carried on with, uh, were exposed for everybody to see. And so he went from being the most popular person to the most despised person.
But you know, the wonderful thing was that, umm, he came and he listened to Ravi Zacharias when he was down there.
And he got saved and there was a complete change in his life. And Ravi said, you know this man who had lived such a terrible life and was so despised, he now wanted to travel with me and help in preaching the gospel. There was a complete transformation. And dear young people and children, the Lord can change you. Maybe you have no desire to please him, but he can give you a life that wants to please him.
And he wants to bless you, and he wants to bring encouragement to you. We have that this afternoon. God is for us. Isn't that wonderful?
Well, we see here a man who was delivered, umm, delivered from demons. Now we go on in the chapter and we find a woman who was delivered from disease. Take a look at umm, adverse umm, umm UH-25 and a certain woman which had an issue of blood 12 years and had suffered many things of many physicians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered but rather.
00:15:05
Worse, when she had heard of Jesus, and came and the press behind, and touched his garment, For she said, If I may touch, but his clothes I shall behold. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she fell in her body, that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus immediately, knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging me, and.
Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, Thy face hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and he and be whole of thy plague. Well here was this woman.
By the way, I just want to make another comment when we were doing that, looking at that man who was delivered from the demons.
I counted 12 Things that were true of him. And I've enjoyed this, that when we come now to this girl, this woman, she had had this disease for 12 years, 12 years. Just imagine, you know, if you had looked at her walking down the street, you'd think she was no different than anyone else. Uh, she probably would appear just as healthy as anyone. But what had happened? She had been suffering from this issue of blood for 12 years.
She had done everything possible to get rid of it. She consulted many physicians.
And they weren't able to help her whatsoever. And you know, I believe there's an application here because there are many people who perhaps aren't like this demoniac that we've been reading about. On the surface, they look like anybody else. But inwardly, they have aching hearts. They're plagued by guilt on the inside. Many of them, umm, end their lives in suicide because they're so depressed. I know there's a man that just is back where I come from.
47 years old, found hanged in a barn.
He was just, he had nothing to live for and he gave up his life. Well, here was this poor woman for 12 years in desperation, wanting help. And, uh, the wonderful thing is she heard that the Lord Jesus was, uh, going through town and what did she do? Did she say, oh, well, I think I'll just wait until maybe next week and maybe I'll, I'll be better. No, she didn't. She didn't hesitate. She came right away.
And, you know, her face was very small. She didn't go up to him and try to get him to try to speak to him. She said if I can only touch the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. And so she went up there.
And we know the story so well. She touched the hem of his garment. And you know, the Lord turned around and he said, Who touched me? And the disciples and nose around, they almost laughed and said, what do you mean? Who touched you? Look, everybody's bumping into you. But you know, I think of that verse. All things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do. He knows not only what you look like.
How you live. He knows how you think inside. He knows everything about you.
And he knew that this woman had touched him in faith. And so you'll notice here it says in the 33rd verse, the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done to her are like that, you know, once she had taken that step of faith.
She knew immediately that she'd been made whole. Not that our salvation is based on our feelings, but this woman here, she knew that she had been made whole. And so since she came and fell down before him.
Isn't that nice? You know, it's a wonderful thing when we can kneel at the feet of the Lord Jesus and acknowledge that he has done something for us. And that's what she did. It says here she told him all the truth. She didn't try to hide. And all I want to say, dear friend, this afternoon, if you want to come to Jesus, don't try and hide your sins. He knows all about you. He knows everything. Just acknowledge that you're a Sinner. Just confess him as your Lord and Savior and.
I am that uh, you wanna be saved. Well, the Lord here, what does he say to her? He says, daughter, thy face have made thee whole go in peace and umm, behold of thy plague. What a wonderful verse daughter be umm, how's it go daughter, thy faith have made thee whole. What a wonderful thing. You know, she didn't have to doubt. She didn't have to say, well, maybe this issue of blood will come back tomorrow or next month. No, he said, your faith has made.
You hold. And she took it and she accepted it and she was made whole. Well, then we come to the last person and we're almost done here. We find the next one was a child. The 1St man, we said there were 12 Things about him that we noticed. The next one, uh, the lady was, uh, suffering from this disease for 12 years. Now we come to this child who was 12 years old and uh, I'm not gonna say an awful lot here except this.
00:20:15
That her father was very concerned for her.
She was very sick. He knew that she was on the verge of death And uh, he comes to the Lord Jesus and he says there, umm, in verse, umm 23, he besought Jesus greatly saying, my little daughter lieth at the point of death, I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her. I just want to say this particularly to the boys and girls, maybe even someone older.
You know that if you have a mother or father that is saved.
I have no doubt they've been praying to to the Lord for you. They have spent many hours on their knees asking the Lord to save you. You know, they're concerned. This father here, he was concerned about his daughter and umm, she, she was on the verge of death. In fact, we know she did die and you know, it seemed like her situation was hopeless when the father came home to the house, they said, look, don't even.
Worry anymore? She's gone. She's dead.
There's nothing that any more you can do, but you know the Lord Jesus had been invited by the Father to come and he comes and umm, what does he say in verse 41? He took the damsel by the hand and said unto her to Lithukumai, which is by being interpreted damsel. I say onto the arise. Just imagine the Lord not only can deliver from demons, He cannot only deliver from disease.
He can deliver from death and you know the day is coming.
The day is coming when he's going to say, like he said to the damsel here, I say unto thee, arise. Just take a look at a verse in John chapter 5 for a moment.
Umm John chapter 5 and verse 28. This is Jesus talking. He says marvel not at this for the hour is coming.
In the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice. You know that verse applies to every single person that has died from the days of Adam right up to March 2016. The dead are going to hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who have died in the Lord we know from the first First Thessalonians chapter 4.
That they're going to arise, those that accepted Jesus as Savior, and they're going to be caught up together with us to meet the Lord in the air. Those who have never accepted the Lord as Savior, they'll remain in their grace for another thousand years. And then the day will come, as we're told in Revelation 20, that the dead will rise and they'll stand before the great white throne and the and the dead will be judged, judged according to their works.
And the Lord will have to say to them, Depart from me, for I never knew you.
What a solemn day that will be. But the wonderful thing is the Lord wants to give you new life. Now you know, it says in Ephesians chapter 2 verse one, and you have he made alive who was dead in trespasses and sins. So you know, before you're saved, you're really dead towards God. You're morally dead, but the Lord Jesus can give you life and this afternoon he wants to give you life.
Are you willing to acknowledge Him as your savior?
You know we're living right at the end. The Lord is about to come. Boys and girls, you might not have another opportunity to be saved after this afternoon. Why don't you just bow your head and say, Lord, I know I'm a Sinner. I know I deserve to go to hell, but I know you died on the cross. I know you. You shed your blood to put away my sins, and I accept you as my personal savior. Are you willing to do that?
Why don't you do it this afternoon, right as we bow our heads now and ask the Lord for His help?
Our God and Father, we just come before Thee and again, thank Thee for the happy time we've had these last three days.
But O Lord, our hearts are burdened for any boy or girl or teenager or man or woman here this afternoon who have never taken this step and acknowledge that they are sinners and accept that they as their personal Savior. We pray that this afternoon.
They might come to thee, and Lord Jesus, confess thee as Lord and Savior. We know this could be the very last opportunity, and we just pray that that would come in and blessing.
00:25:04
To boys and girls and men and women this afternoon. We ask it now in the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Open Mtg. 7
Open—M. Payette, J. Nunn, B. Prost
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174.
All patient, spotless one our hearts and meekness train to bear thy yoke and learn of thee, that we may rest. Obtain 174.
OK.
Occupy.
2nd Epistle of John.
Second John and verse 12 having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper any.
But I trust to come into you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. Third John verse.
13.
I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen. Write unto thee.
But I trust I shall shortly see thee.
And we shall speak.
Face to face.
A verse in.
Exodus 25, verse 21 And also put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou shall put the testimony that I shall give thee. Verse 22 and there.
I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee.
From above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims, which are upon the ocular testimony of all things, which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. Exodus 33.
Verse 11.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, face to face.
As a man speaketh upon unto his friend.
There is some numbers chapter 12.
Numbers chapter 12, verse one.
And Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married before he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said that the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses. Had you not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. But the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. And Lord, spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam.
Came out E3 unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, and.
Day three came out, and the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth. And he said, Here now my words, if there be a prophet among you, if the Lord will make thyself known, myself known unto him in a vision, and we speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so who is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth even.
Apparently, and not in dark speeches and.
The similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
And one last verse before I comment in the first Peter.
Chapter 4.
Numbers 11.
First Peter, 411.
If any man speak.
Let him speak.
As the oracles of God.
But encouraged me to come up was Brother Dave's prayer and talking about the lips of the Lord, you know.
00:05:07
That Moses had and his privilege of of speaking face to face, mouth to mouth with the Lord, and and he saw Moses, the Lord spoke with him as with a friend.
And he saw a similar to the Lord, he expressed his face to face. But later on in chapter 33 of Exodus, God says no man can see my face and live. So he was hid in the cleft of the rock and he could see the Lord from behind. He couldn't see his face.
Now when we come to the New Testament, we see through a glass darkly, but then shortly we will see face to face.
You know Moses was a privileged man in the Old Testament.
And we read in the Gospels the words of the Lord that said of those that were born of women, there was no greater than John the Baptist.
But the lesser in the Kingdom of God was greater than He.
And I believe that that refers to the position that God has brought us into to the work of the Lord Jesus.
We had that verse yesterday in Romans chapter 8 and those are led by the Spirit of God, sons of God.
We have this this privilege that we've been brought into through the Lord Jesus that our approach is greater than anything comparable the Old Testament.
Sons of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, God is our Father.
And so we had these, umm, verses from the apostle John.
He wrote 3 epistles, one gospel and the Book of Revelation, yet the scriptures repeat to us in the second and third officially had much more than he would have wanted to communicate and he was going to say that speak to that face to face.
And it's encouraged me to consider.
The ministry of the Spirit of God.
You know, there are extremes that we find in Christianity. We're running, talking with brother, uh.
Timuruga about something called I think it's Sola scriptura and they're very attached to just just the scriptures and do away with the Spirit. And yeah, the other extreme that I do is away with the scriptures and does all sorts of things supposedly and the power of the Spirit of God and the these are extremes that are not in conformity with we have as a teaching in the word of God. But there's this realm of liberty that belongs to us.
As sons of God, the liberty to enter into the holiest.
Anytime in the presence of God Himself.
First Corinthians chapter 12. We talked about that yesterday with someone. Second Corinthians chapter 12.
If also, Paul says.
2nd Corinthians 12 and two.
I knew her. I know a man in Christ about 14 years ago. Whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell. God know it. Such in one caught up to the 3rd heaven and I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell. God know it how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which is not lawful for a man to utter.
Now, obviously, the apostle Paul.
Chosen vessel a particular.
Servant of the Lord and has been mentioned. He's one of the greatest missionaries. Not the greatest missionary for the cause of the gospel and the glory of the Lord Jesus, but he was a man in Christ. It's because he was in Christ that he could be taken up into the 3rd heaven. He didn't know it was in body or just in spirit, but because he was in Christ he had access.
He had liberty to be introduced in the presence of God himself.
And I believe the other one this afternoon, that every one of us here who are in Christ, we have the same liberty.
When the Lord Jesus comes.
He's gonna change our bodies and He's gonna introduce us into the Father's house in the presence of God himself.
And the work of the Lord Jesus so complete and sufficient that these mortal bodies that we live in, that give us so many struggles and the twinkling of an eye can be changed.
No more effect power of sin, no more presence of sin. Be conformed to His glorious body like that.
Best being in Christ and when we are ushered into the presence of God Himself.
Comfortable. There we have a divine nature. Christ is fitted for heaven, of course.
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And so are you and I.
Around the earth, you know, and.
We had that verse in the first Peter chapter 4. If any man speak, let him speak as the Oracle of God.
And the Old Testament, they referred to the Oracle, and I really was the holiest of holies. That's from where the communications of God came. And Moses, he would get it first hand, you know, get it from the Lord himself and then share it with the people.
What about you and I? Can we get it first hand?
Did Moses have greater privileges than you and I have? I don't believe so.
We have greater privileges.
Now I'm gonna go to uh.
A meeting if I'm gonna go to to take a gospel meeting or somebody would ask me to take an address or.
I could do one of two things perhaps.
Of course I pray, but I could go to my library.
Very like good writing, good ministry.
And I could fill my mind and my heart with.
Things that I've read in my library.
And then I could share that to much profit I believe.
For the Saints of God, I believe that.
Or I could get in the presence of God Himself, freely come into His presence.
And yet from him.
What he would have me speak about, what he would want to fill my heart with, to share with another.
And so I do believe near ones that we have.
The greatest privilege ever offered to human being on the face of the earth right now.
To come boldly in the presence of God without fear.
The holiest we enter in perfect peace with God, and it's all because of the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Father.
And I believe if we avail ourselves of this privilege.
I'm the first one to have to take this to heart, that we'll be able to speak.
To communicate to others what comes from the heart of God Himself. That's what the oracles of God is, Is speaking for God. What would God want to tell us? Well, he would want to tell us about his Son, doesn't He?
He wants us to be established and what we have in Christ now we would avail ourselves of the privileges that are ours and use them.
We have access to God by faith.
That's the door is open.
Do we come?
A word for each one of us, younger and old.
Can God speak through a young brother?
Wow, he's been in the presence of the Lord. He's just free to go in the presence of the Lord. The Gray haired ones.
And yet from the Lord something laid on his heart, from God himself.
And God, in this sovereign grace and greatness and mercy, can use human lips.
To communicate his heart.
Is that true?
I believe it's true.
Is it happening? I trust it is.
Could it happen more? I'm sure it could.
So I've enjoyed this thought here in Second and Third John, that there was much more to be shared and enjoyed.
And so God, not that we want to add from to the scriptures. Not my thought at all.
But we need to have timely ministry. We need to have the thoughts of the Lord for us in the times that we're going through right now.
Getting darker and darker.
And if I went to my library and read ministry from the past century, very good ministry. I'm not criticizing that at all, not in any measure.
But the times were different.
And perhaps God has much for us now for these friends, to his word, of course, by his Spirit.
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And we could be hearing, and I trust we are at times and often those things that come from the very heart of God. So the apostle Paul, a man in Christ was taken up into the 3rd heaven. He heard things. And I'm not sure exactly how to interpret what he, what he did here. But you and I, we can go in the presence of the Lord in the 3rd heaven and we can hear things too.
Enjoy things from the heart of our Father. Establish our soul. Rest our souls in a finished work.
You know we're reading Romans chapter 8.
We'd be surprised at the percentage of true believers that are ignorant.
Of the truth in these first eight chapters. Why is that?
There's so much being said about the scriptures, and why aren't the souls established in the basic truth?
But perhaps because the Lord doesn't have ears to listen to what's coming out of his lips for the time that we're living in. So I just want to encourage you there once. I don't want to take much time. I think I've been long enough to share with you that privilege that we have right now. You know, it says in the Numbers chapter 12 That, uh, Miriam and Aaron, they, they spoke against Moses and uh, they use their lips themselves.
And that was their own thoughts, you know, and, uh.
I just like to, I, it's a little play on words, but umm, Miriam got leprosy. You know, it was leprosy, but it's leprosy and I would put you in, uh.
Just watch that literacy, you know, because imagine the same lips that can communicate the oracles of God.
And criticize.
Those through whom?
The Lord is speaking.
I remember your brother in the Lord. He's with the Lord now and the first time I heard him.
I didn't like his voice.
And the Lord kind of had to talk to me, says never mind the voice, listen to what he's saying.
I wanna listen to what he's saying. Oh.
Who is the Lord speaking to me and to others too. You know God could use your lips, my lips. He can do that. We can use our lips too. But let's not be like Miriam and Aaron and have leprosy pronounced upon us that our lips would be filled with praise and adoration that we had this morning to be in the presence of God himself and the Lord Jesus. In a moment, in a quinting of an eye, we're going to be there physically.
As we were this morning spiritually to see him.
Face to face and to worship Him as He is worthy. We can do that now without having seen Him with our eyes. So just to encourage us, dear ones, to if we want to speak in the oracles of God, we have to come in the presence of God and listen to what He has for us and for others. And then we'll be able to administer mouth to mouth to one another. But He'll be coming from the heart of God Himself.
Well, I trust you won't be distracted by my accent. Umm, Simon Peter was recognized by his. I'm here to say maybe I'm recognized by mine. But I'd like to turn to the verse we begin our meetings with the other day, and it is Romans chapter 8.
At first really touched my heart as we were considering it.
It's Romans chapter 8. I'm not going to be here to teach you English. It wouldn't be fair, would it? But in this chapter, in the new translation, there's a full stop. Okay, we're going to read up to that. It says there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus is a full stop there, a full stop. What a wonderful statement.
The apostle Paul by the Spirit was able to give us, dear friend, there's no condemnation.
Wherein Christ, you know, we, we discussed this chapter, didn't we? Some of it we haven't got to the end yet, but there's no condemnation. Why is it that so many of us, and I include myself here, we feel so unsure sometimes. I'm not sure. I don't feel saved. We discussed that for him, didn't we? That it's usually.
That our hearts are divided. That we are allowing things in our lives.
Which?
Are not honoring to the Lord.
I'd like to look back to the Old Testament to a couple of examples. The first one of course is well known to you, I'm sure is in Daniel chapter one.
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Daniel one. I'll read a few verses there.
Chapter, chapter one, verse five, and the king appointed to them, that's the captives from Israel, from Jerusalem.
A daily provision of the King's meat, and of the the wine which he drank, so nourishing them out them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were the children of Judah, Daniel and Ananias, Michel and Azaroya.
Unto whom the Prince of the eunuchs gave names, verse 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the one that he drank, Nor therefore he requested of the Prince of the eunuchs, that he might not devour himself.
Daniel purposed in his heart.
Janta, Ezra. Chapter 7.
Here's your seven. I'm going to read the first few verses.
Now after these things, in the reign of Arctic Xerxes, king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Soraya, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shalom, the son of Sadok, the son of Haito, the son of Amariah, the son of Azaria, the son of Maryoff, the son of Zerah, the son of Ozzie, the son of Aki, the son of Abishai, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron Dupree, the chief priest.
This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was already thriving the law of Moses.
Which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the King granted him all his requests, according to the hand of the his Lord, the Lord his God upon him.
And some of it went up from the children of Israel, of the of the priests, of the Levites, of the singers of the porters, and the Nephians, unto Jerusalem in the seventh year of Arctic Xerxes the king. And he came to Jerusalem in the 5th month, which was in the seventh year of the king. And upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon. And on the first day of the month, on the 5th day of the 5th month he was in Jerusalem, according.
To the good hand of his God upon him. For Israel had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statues and judgments. Just going to compare Daniel and Ezra for a minute.
Daniel very obviously was a young man, maybe a young boy.
It speaks to him earlier in that chapter, certain of the children of Israel, the King's seed. I feel sure he was a child, 12 years old, ten years old, 14 years old. I'm not sure, but I would encourage you at that age.
That you like, Daniel, you need to turn your heart to the Lord. You say, well, I I belong to the Lord. Yes, but how much have you given him? How much have you given him of the Lord? Your life here, Daniel, he, he knew it was wrong. He had a conscience about what he was asked to do.
What does he do well?
He purposes in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's wing. Sometimes when you have a bad conscience about something, as a believer, younger or older, you, you, you know that it's going to offend somebody. You know that others are not going to be happy with you. But dear friends, who do you listen to? Who do you listen to? Is your heart toward the Lord? He has their first place, doesn't he?
You know, going back to the first verse that I read, sometimes we are so unsure.
Of our salvation simply because we have a divided heart. We have a heart that's listening to two masters and that is a is a is a, is a recipe for failure here, Daniel, he's a young man, a young boy, and he purposes in his heart. And you, if you read the chapter, you see how the Lord came in and he was, he didn't have to compromise himself, did he? He made this request and it was proven that he, he, he, he thought that he was requesting was good for him and his friends.
And, uh, go over to, uh, to astronaut Israel. In this chapter, we have a long genealogy of Astra. And I do believe that Asia was an older man. He'd been walking with the Lord and he, his characteristic was that he could speak of the hand of the Lord his God upon him.
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Now if you purpose in your heart to follow the Lord, you too will feel the hand of the Lord upon you.
And verse 10 he prepares his heart to seek the law of the Lord.
You might think, well, Daniel has had a good upbringing. Daniel has descended directly from Aaron the priest, but it wasn't that Daniel was hot, was prepared, sorry. Ezra's heart was prepared to follow the law of the Lord. But it doesn't stop there. What was he doing learning the law of the Lord? He was he was doing it. It says at the end of verse 10 to teach in Israel.
Statutes and judgments, you know, it doesn't start when you're older. It all starts when you're younger. You have to, we have to listen to the word of God. Umm, so.
Many of us as as children, as the Lo, as the Paul spoke to Timothy, we've heard it from our our very young years. What a precious period that is. We, we haven't all heard of God from a very young age, but it's a privilege when you have. May the Lord bless it to you younger ones that you've heard the word of God when you're young and it will stand you in good stead of the Lord's Harris throughout your life.
So I do believe that Ezra was an older person. He'd been in the word of God from his young years, and it was now that he was proving it to the blessing.
Of others.
But it says there that he prepared his heart to seek the Lord.
Both of these men, Daniel and Ezra, it has to do with the heart.
The road speaks in the world, doesn't he? Of the thoughts and intents of the heart. He knows those. But you know, it's the heart speaks of what our intentions are. It speaks of what we what moves us, doesn't it?
May the Lord move your heart and mind day by day and maybe give him that full heart. I'm gonna make, make a story if you like, umm, going back to Israel's history, Umm, no. We've read so often and heard Venice that the, the, uh, the offerings, the sacrifices that were brought to the door of the Tabernacle. Now let's say, uh, there's a young man, we'll call him Joseph. That's my name.
Umm, he comes to with, to the door of the Tabernacle and he has his, his lamb for a sacrifice and uh, he offered it to the priest, whoever it was at that point. Umm, And uh, the priest takes it and uh, what Joseph says, well, priest, is it? Can I, when you've killed him, can I have half of it? I need half of it. Uh, you can have the other half of the Lord.
Is that what I'm doing with my life? Is that what you're doing with your life? Half hearted for the Lord?
Wants the whole sacrifice. And that would be sad, wouldn't it, if we had an account like that in the word of God. But he wants the whole sacrifice. He wants you all. He wants your heart, dear friend, totally. You know, so often we sung some lovely hymns two nights ago in in the thing and there's many more that we in that wonderful we often sing, don't we, so lustily.
The things he was like, well, I am dying, O Lord, I've heard thy voice. You know, when we sing those things, we should question our hearts, and maybe we should sing them a little more quietly as a prayer if they're not really true of our lives. Turn to Matthew's Gospel now, chapter 6.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Again, it's the heart. And dear friend, younger or older.
May the Lord have all your heart. It's it's like that boy that perhaps took his lamb to the priest and said, I want half back. I need half of it. You can have the other half of the priest for the, for the Lord. Umm, the Lord wants it all. He wants you all. He wants your whole life, your whole heart and it will show you know in your heart and life whether you've done that or not, as it says here in this verse.
Where your treasure is there, where your heart be also is your treasure.
With Him do you find treasure in the presence of the Lord day by day as you read His words. May that Lord bless that to heal your heart and to mine how we need that, so that then we can sing those wonderful hymns from the heart. I am thine, O Lord.
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I am dying whether all bless these few words to your heart and eyes. One last verse before we finish First Samuel chapter 16.
First Samuel 16.
Advert.
Seven you know Sammy was a wonderful subject to study.
His name, his very name means he was asked for. His mother went to the priest, she prayed to the Lord for that little boy, and the Lord gave him to her. And so often we see in Samuel's life that the Lord hears his prayers. Well, umm, here we have.
Samuel speaking to Jesse and.
His family are believed at the end of verse seven, we have uh.
So the Lord see us not what men as men see us, for man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Don't forget that. May the Lord bless you as you realize so much that the Lord wants your whole heart, and He looks on our hearts. He sees your intentions, and He loves us.
Permit me to share a real burden that I've had on my heart for some time. Turn with me, please, to a verse in Mark's Gospel, chapter 4.
Mark chapter 4.
Mark chapter 4 and we won't read the whole parable, but going back to the beginning of the chapter.
We find in verse 18 it says.
Mark 4 and 18. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Now turn back to the Old Testament for a verse.
At the latter end of the book of Proverbs.
Chapter 30. Proverbs Chapter 30.
And verse 24.
Proverbs 30 and verse 24.
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.
And then it's the first one that I had on my heart. The ants are a people, not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.
One more verse in the Book of Lamentations.
Lamentations.
Chapter 3.
And verse 27.
Lamentations 3 and 27.
It is good for a man that he bare the yoke in his youth.
Going back to Mark chapter 4, I'm sure most of us are very familiar with what is commonly called the Parable of the Sower. It's repeated several times in the gospels, in Matthew and Mark and Luke, and there we have 4 different kinds of soil.
The seed is always good. Nothing wrong with the seed, but the soil varies.
Most of us are familiar with it.
But in those four kinds of soil, typically speaking, we have the sphere of the devil.
The seed that falls by the wayside on a rough or rather a hard packed pathway, and the birds come and pick it up. We have the sphere of nature or the sphere of the flesh.
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Where the seed falls on Stony ground where it doesn't have much depth of earth.
Because the ground warms quickly, the seed grows immediately. But then when things get a little tough, when there isn't enough moisture, it has no depth of earth, no root going down deeper.
The plant dies.
And then here we have the sphere of the world.
We won't talk so much about the good ground. That's the sphere of the Holy Spirit. There's fruit there.
And I trust everyone who is hearing me as a true believer. We can't count on that, but we're speaking to believers.
And in the world of today, we need the solemn warning that we get in this verse, and we'll just turn back to it in Mark chapter 4.
Because I'm going to apply it to a believer.
Yes, and in in the sphere of the world, often the seed doesn't grow because.
The things of this world choke it out, but there's an application for you and me as believers, and you will notice that the first thing mentioned in that 19th verse of Mark's 4. Mark 4.
Is the cares of this life.
Do we know what they mean? I think we all do.
Even young children today know what the cares of this life are.
Some of you younger ones will probably get a smirk out of this, but I never had a speck of homework until I got to high school. Not a bit. I know back in the dark ages, you're probably saying, but I can remember how hard it hit me when suddenly in high school there was this pile of homework to be done.
Cares of this life and so on. Not that there weren't cares before that, but they weren't the same.
And the world is getting very complicated and very difficult.
And the cares of this life are insidious because they are to some extent necessary, aren't they?
And we can go to an extreme in ignoring the cares of this life. And sometimes we see that happening where individuals say, well, I'm just going to put all that aside and drift along and not worry too much about the future, not worry too much about keeping my life in order, not worry too much about where I'm going, how I'm going to provide for myself.
The world is too complicated, I don't know which way to turn.
Everything is very difficult and it is. It is.
Again, I don't want to reminisce about the good old days, and they weren't always so good, so I don't wanna do that.
The book of Ecclesiastes warns us about that and says, say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these for though just not inquire wisely concerning this matter. Why is that? Because I can't turn back the clock. I can't relive those days. And those who try to are doomed to what we call nostalgia, the pleasure of remembering something in the past.
And the pain of not being able to recreate it, isn't that right?
But in these western lands where you and I live, the world is complicated.
And the cares of this life can overtake us.
And I speak to my own heart. And then following up on that, there are the things called the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in They come too, Brother Bob. Tony was mentioning them in the reading yesterday and in his address. And how that sometimes those dear believers in more simple cultures seem to have an enjoyment of Christ that shines in their faces.
Now, it's not always that way, and it doesn't have to be that way.
There are some in these lands that try to turn back the clock and they work with horses and they refuse to have electricity and all the rest of it, but that really isn't the answer.
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Let's turn back now to that verse in the Proverbs.
We read it there in chapter 30.
And the Lord commends.
The ants, among other things, for being exceedingly wise, because they prepare their meat in the summer.
No, you and I might say, Well, Bill, wait a minute. How does that square with what the Lord Jesus tells us in the New Testament to take no thought for the Morrow what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink?
Or for your raiment, what she we, she what ye shall put on. I'm not quoting that strictly word for word, but you know the Scripture and the Lord warned his disciples that.
Taking too much care for all these things was to be like the people of the world.
And yet God commands the ants for preparing their meat in the summer.
In all, the wonderful thing about the Word of God is that it keeps everything in perfect balance, and much of the precious truth that we get in God's Word consists of keeping truth that would at first glance seem to be in opposition to each other in proper balance.
There is a need not to be too taken up with the cares of this life.
I remember while reading in our written ministry, which Michelle was referring to, and it's good to dig into that written ministry.
But if you're going to speak, don't dig into it the night before you're going to speak. Dig into it a year before, meditate on it, walk in the good of it, and then minister it.
But the point is, the brother said in our written ministry, I never forgot it, he said. Do I walk through this world?
With as few cares on my heart and in my mind as if I were lying on my deathbed and I knew that I would very shortly leave this world.
Even the world recognizes that. I told this story a few days ago, and some here probably heard me tell it. But about a week or two ago I.
Turned on my computer and I have to say, and I'm being honest, I do not make a habit of browsing the Internet to see what I can find, but in the server that I have, sometimes they put little things on that they think you might be interested in, and this one caught my eye.
After I die.
And I thought, that's interesting. I wonder what they're going to say. So I clicked on it, and here were a whole bunch of things that suddenly wouldn't matter anymore. All those emails that are coming into my inbox will remain unanswered. All those texts that people are sending me won't matter at all anymore. That work that I was supposed to finish at my job.
It won't be a problem anymore and it went down through a whole lot of things, including some very real things such as loved ones.
Weeping over my dead body and so on. The world understands that all that won't matter anymore.
Of course, sad to say, the article ended up by saying something that was really very sad. It said, and all those mysteries of life and death that I never understood before will suddenly become clear.
Yes, I thought, if you don't know Christ as your Savior, they will become painfully clear.
If you have rejected Christ.
So this isn't a gospel meeting, we just allude to that.
The point is there is a need to decomplicate our lives, to lay aside those things that aren't going to matter.
In eternity, in order that our hearts and minds can be filled with what really matters. Does that mean I don't do the best at my job? Does that mean I don't study as well as should? Of course not.
Whatever I do, I ought to do it as unto the Lord.
But I do say there there is such a thing.
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As perhaps not getting the highest honors in every sphere in this world in order to seek what someone has called the degree.
Aug And some of you young people guess what that refers to the degree.
Aug found in second Timothy study to show thyself approved unto God.
And I knew a brother, he's long since with the Lord.
Who could have been at the top of his class in engineering, but who gave his time and his energy more to the Lord? He didn't neglect his studies, but he didn't stand at the top of his class and win the gold medal.
Because he used more of his time for the Lord. Was it worth it? Indeed it was. But then going back to this in Proverbs here.
What about preparing our meat in the summer? Oh, God is a God of order. God is not a God of laziness. And we won't take time to refer to them. But I'm sure you're familiar with many verses in the Proverbs where the sluggard and the slothful man is condemned. Time after time after time, on and on the verses go.
Go to the Ant thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.
Same imagery as we have here.
Is it right to order our lives in a proper way? Yes, it is. Is it right? And I say it very specially, not merely because I want to single you out, but for a young man.
You can know the mind of God for your lives. It is God's order that we work and labor with our hand, as we had brought with us, brought before us yesterday, the thing that is good for what purpose? In order that we might provide for our needs. That's understood. But it goes beyond that, doesn't it? That He might have to give to him that needed. That verse is in Ephesians 4 and it was referred to in the readings.
It is important and it's becoming more difficult and I see young people today and.
I don't show my feelings as much as some people do, but it really does make me weep, at least inwardly, to see young people spend time and energy, maybe getting an education, maybe getting training, and then finding that there's no job for them.
And it's not just a problem in North America. A brother in India shared this with me a while ago. He said, brother Bill, it's a real problem where we live because we live in a depressed area and it's not irrigated. So they grow only one crop a year, in contrast to some areas in southern India where they can grow 3-4 crops a year because of irrigation. So he said even young men in the South can work in the fields and although they don't make big money, they.
Survive, but up here, what can you do working for one crop a year that is working for someone not with your own land. And if they want to get work, they have to go away to the big cities and then the housing is expensive and sometimes there's no fellowship, he said. It's a hard issue to face.
It is.
I don't have the answers.
I don't have the answers. I can only say to each one of us that if you and I want to honor what God says in His Word, and I have said that to some of those dear brethren, if the Scripture tells you and me to work.
And to support ourselves and to support our families and to have something leftover to give away. I think we can go to the Lord and say, Lord, I want to obey the Scripture. I want to do that. Show me how.
But then I better be ready to take what the Lord gives me.
I better be ready to take what the Lord gives me to do. I better not be picky and choosy and say, well Lord, I don't like that kind of work.
Or I don't like that sort of thing, but you know, the Lord is good and he generally according to that verse. We won't turn to it what it says, train up a child in the way he should go, but more accurately, it should retrain up a child according to the tenor of his way. And if we look to the Lord, He delights to give that which is not only something we can do.
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But something that is according to the tenor of our way, not always.
I knew those in past generations who had the brains and who had the will to get an education and do perhaps a professional job.
And they did manual labor all their lives because they grew up in poor families and they couldn't afford to go to school. And they did it. And they did it for God's glory.
But where is the verse that?
Caps all this off, turn to a Matthew's Gospel.
We've been there already. We'll turn to it again.
Matthew's Gospel.
Chapter 6. And this verse is repeated elsewhere, but this will do.
Matthew chapter 6 after he has told the people, the Lord Jesus, not to be overly concerned about where their next meal was coming from, where they were going to.
Get something to wear and so on.
He doesn't say.
Don't do anything about it, he says. Don't be anxious about it. That's where the problem comes in. A godly care and a godly concern from the order and godliness of my life is right. Anxiety is wrong. And notice what he says in verse 33 of chapter 6.
Black Sea Key 1St.
The Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
I say to your heart and mind, that is God's promise. Isn't that encouraging? It's God's promise that all these things shall be added unto you. Does that mean that I'll get everything I want? No, it doesn't. And as we had brought before us yesterday, how much better if I don't have everything I want in order that there's more room in my heart?
For the things that the new life really wants.
But if I put the Lord first in my life and seek.
The Kingdom of God. Now maybe, perhaps that phrase needs explaining. What does that mean, the Kingdom of God? Well, in a general way, and we won't take a lot of time to enlarge on it, but in a general way, the Kingdom of God as an expression in Scripture speaks of a moral condition, a moral state in your life and mind which is in keeping with those.
Who recognize the rightful king?
The Lord Jesus came into this world and offered himself as the rightful King and.
And man said we will not have this man to reign over us, and they cast him out.
But now what?
The Lord Jesus has shown us what the moral character of his Kingdom is, and he's left you and me here to display it. And so you will find throughout the New Testament, and very specially in Paul's epistles, that he preaches not only the gospel of the grace of God, but he preaches the things concerning the Kingdom of God. Why?
Oh, because simply.
Knowing Christ is our Savior, wonderful though it is.
Is not in itself going to display Christ to this world. There needs to be a walk in keeping with it.
And so Paul preached the Kingdom of God and preached very clearly that those who carried on with the things of the flesh could not inherit the Kingdom of God and so on. But then he talks about the fruit of the Spirit, talks about that which that Holy Spirit will produce in US, if only we'll let him and if we seek those things.
And his righteousness.
His righteousness.
You know Scripture tells us that we are made the righteousness of God in him, but God expects that righteousness to be practically, practically displayed in you and me. And if we are actively seeking that the Lord makes a promise. All these things shall be added unto you. And you know those who have taken this verse at its face value and trust of the Lord have.
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Found it to be true. Now don't get me wrong.
You and I will be tested.
You and I will be tested and we will all be tested in different ways.
We heard prayer in one of the prayer meetings about those who were out of a wor out of a job.
I have freely to confess to you that I have never had that experience. Usually medical doctors don't get fired and put out of a job unless they behave themselves so badly that their license is revoked or something like that. But the point is, I have never had that experience. But I know.
In my own heart, what it must feel like suddenly not to have that job. And it's a tremendous test, and sometimes it goes on and on. And I've talked and I've prayed with those who have had that experience.
Sometimes. So what am I going to do?
Very, very difficult thing.
The Lord says, All these things shall be added unto you.
Young people, perhaps you find the going very difficult, you say. I'm not sure what to do.
I want to please the Lord.
I can tell you with absolute assurance that he will make a way for you if you are seeking his interests. You never saw a nation that sent an ambassador to another nation.
That didn't normally and in the normal course of events provide for that ambassador to do the work that was given for them to do. Now I know there may be nations that are very, very poor and once in a while that could be a problem. I haven't run across that, but it could happen. But in a normal course of events, if a nation sends.
Its ambassador to another country.
They provide him with what he needs or her with what she needs in order to do the job that is given them to do.
The Lord has left you and me here in this world to look after His interests. The Lord makes a promise.
I say to each one of us, but particularly if I may be allowed to say this to the beloved young people.
You're not working for a poor government.
You're not working for a poor country when you're working for the Lord, you're not sent out.
By a country that says I can't afford to give you anymore.
All the wealth of the world is that the Lord's disposal and he has promised in Philippians chapter 4, and Paul says so with absolute assurance, My God shall supply all your need out of his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Is that what it says?
If the Lord said that, that would be enough for me.
But he doesn't say that, he says according to his riches.
Let me tell you one story that some here are probably familiar with.
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't tell it, but it illustrates the point.
Our brother Jonathan Leben, whose name is somewhat well known because of Morningstar Camp, sometimes gets to do carvings for people in high places and who are categorized by being the rich and the famous.
And I will remember one time.
There was a man there who came to Morningstar Camp for a visit and stayed for the evening and for the gospel meeting.
Whose name was and is? He's still alive. Richard Petty.
Some of you will know who he is has to do with NASCAR and racing and so on car racing.
Very well known name, famous man, multi millionaire.
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I believe the Lord was working with him.
The night he was there, I saw him in that gospel meeting with the tears running down his face, and I believe he got peace and came to Christ.
When he left Morningstar camp, he said you know this has been a unique experience.
He said.
Only one little boy asked me for an autograph that was most unusual.
What was even more unusual, no one passed the collection plate.
Because whenever he'd been to any kind of a meeting before, people had expected him to, expected him to give out of his riches.
And that made him squirm a little bit. He didn't like being singled out like that. Oh, Richard Petty's here, well past the collection. Played around, get a good contribution.
I won't go into detail.
But he was so impressed that later on he wanted to help out Morningstar camp. And I won't give the details because I don't suppose I should, but all I will say is when he gave.
The goodness of his heart.
He didn't give just out of his riches. He gave according to his riches, far more than anyone would ever put in any collection plate.
God is going to look after you and me, not out of his riches merely, but according to his riches.
May He give us the grace and the wisdom in these last days.
On the one hand, to avoid the cares of this life, that's one extreme, one ditch that we can fall into. On the other hand, to avoid that loose, lackadaisical lifestyle that says, So what? Somebody will feed me, somebody you'll look after me. And there are a lot of social safety Nets in North America, which we can be thankful for.
But the answer is to seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
A Christian who is seeking God's interest in this world will never be lazy, but he will look after the Lord's interests, and the Lord will look after him or her. 42 in the appendix.
Romans 8:9-14
Romans 8:15-39