Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1974. Address by Gordon Hayhoe.
316.
We are by Christ redeemed the cost, His precious blood be nothing by our souls esteemed like this great good, where the vast world our own with all its varied star, and thou, Lord Jesus, word unknown, we still were poor 316.
Cry straight.
Back.
Our souls are the same like.
The spray.
25, right? We're graduating.
Lah operation.
Whoever. Crystal. Almost.
00:05:24
Shall we ask the Lord?
Isaiah Chapter 8.
And the sixth verse.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and could return also to Galatians, Chapter 2.
Galatians, chapter 2.
And the 20th verse.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Well, do young people what I had on my heart this afternoon?
Was to speak about the cost by which we have been redeemed, to speak a little of the cost of following Christ, and then to that there is a cost in not following him when we consider what he has done for us. And the reason I have read these first scriptures is because it brings before us the person who has brought us, bought us at so great a cost.
Now there is another verse that I might mention, and that is that verse in First Corinthians chapter 6. It says ye are bought with a price. All what a wonderful thing it is when we think of this person who has bought us. You know, there's a tendency in the world today to go on in utter independence of God, but you and I are dependent creatures. We have received our life from God.
And as it was said to Belshazzar long ago, the God in whom thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified? And Paul too, speaking to the philosophers on Mars Hill, he said, in him we live.
And move and have our being, you know, we'd like to go on, perhaps independently of God.
It's so natural to our human hearts. In fact, it's something that develops in us as we get older. If we're not watchful, that is the spirit of independence. We know how a child, as soon as it can walk, how it likes to go out on its own, push away mother's hand and walk by itself, gets a little older and goes to school. And the child comes home very pleased that he can now tell his mother something that he has learned apart from his parents.
A little older, he begins to earn his own living, and he can say to his father and mother why I've got my own money now. And then a little farther. I can make my own plans. I have my own home. It's my life, all dear young people. And May God grant that as we consider these things, we may realize we are not your own. You are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
And in your spirits, which are gods, and you know, it's not a difficult path, it's a very blessed path. In fact, this is being acknowledged in some ways, Although men are leaning upon man instead of upon the Lord in school, there are more counselors and guidance teachers continually. And why is this? If we're independent creatures, why is it necessary to have a guidance teacher?
Why have counselors, if we're independent, always say, but we need a little bit of help?
00:10:01
Yes, that's true. Do we acknowledge it and think that the only source of help is from man and then to I suppose there are more psychiatrists than ever before. And why is this? Well, people are becoming more and more confused about life and what it's all about, and they're trying to find the answers. But the point is, are they turning to God? And what do I wish to bring before you, dear young people?
And it's a very blessed thing to learn it when we're young. That is the marvelous, wonderful resource we have in our creator. It says, remember now, thy creator, in the days of my youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. Why wait until troubles come and overwhelm you? Why not right here in the bloom of youth?
Turn to the Lord and find what a resource you have in him. And has me proved his love. Our brother read to us this morning from Proverbs chapter 8. And there we see God as the Creator God in his Son, and when all the foundations of the earth were laid, his delights were with the sons of men. And I love to think as we gaze upon the wonders of God's creation.
As we think of the blessings of health and all the things that can be enjoyed in a land like this, who was it provided? All these things? It was a creator God. It was one who cared for you. And who cared for me has given you and I life and breath and all things. And more than this, when we spoil this world, he showed that he still had an interest in US. He didn't want to have the joys of having alone.
I've enjoyed that verse where when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, it says when the time came that he should be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. What is the force of this? First the time came that he should be received up? Oh well, he had so perfectly glorified God, his Father in every step of his pathway that he could have gone back to heaven in his own right.
He could have gone back and had the joys of heaven alone, because he was worthy, and those gates would open to him that the King of Glory might come in. But oh, he would have had the joys of heaven alone. And who did he want to have there? He wanted you. He wanted you. And what for? Because he wanted to share all the joys of heaven with you, And he will find more delight.
In that eternal day, in your blessing, then you and I will find in being there.
There's a little song that says He and I, in that bright glory, 1 deep joy, shall share mine to be forever with him. His that I am there. And so if I can speak in this way, I want you to hear young people to make a better acquaintance with this wonderful person, the one whose name is mentioned here unto us. A child is born. Yes, there was one born into this world.
Different from any other child because every other child born into this world was born in sin.
But he was born, He was born, as we're told about Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. God come down a heavenly stranger love to sinners to proclaim. So it says unto us, a child is born. And there as Simeon looked at that babe and took him up in his arms, he said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant, depart in peace.
Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, and dear young person, you will never have peace in your pathway.
You'll never have that wonderful joy that you're entitled to if you don't know that blessed one. If you haven't, as it were, taken him to yourself. All I trust you've taken him as your savior. About that you might see that he wants to be more than just your savior. He wants to be everything to you. And isn't this verse a lovely unto us? A child is born. Unto us, a son doesn't say is born but is given.
Why? Well, it was God's Son that was given. God so loved the world that He gave. His only begotten Son truly was born a child, but from all eternity he was the Son, and the Son was given. Yes, God's beloved Son came down here in order that, as the little hymn says, dwells in that bosom, knoweth all in that bosom lies, and came to earth to make it known that we might share His joys.
00:15:27
And the government shall be upon his shoulder. Well, we're living in days when.
Wise men, concerned man, are wondering what is going to happen. His government going to crumble. Are we going to see a complete breakdown? Well, there's one who can set everything right and he's going to set everything right, but he can carry the government upon his shoulder. Just one shoulder is enough.
To manage all difficulties of government, and the problems multiply continually. But here's one that beef of Bethlehem Manger. That one The eternal Son of God. He can and he will carry the government upon his shoulder another day. But he's doing something more wonderful right now. He's carrying the lambs upon his shoulders. Oh, have you been?
Brought to him.
Is there a young person here that's not saved and you've never yet received the Lord Jesus?
Oh, I beseech you this afternoon. He wants to take you up and place you upon his shoulders of strength, carry you upon his heart of love, and carry you all the way home. He wants to do that the government was upon, is upon his shoulder about the lamb is placed, as we're told in the 15th of Luke. He picked up that lost sheep, and he carried it upon his shoulders.
Rejoicing, rejoicing all the joy of his heart in having one brought to himself. How do you know that place of security? Are you rejoicing in that? Well, I say again, we'd like to bring before you something of the glory of this person. His name shall be called Wonderful. We all love that little chorus that we sing. His name is wonderful.
And all how it brings before us as something of the glory, how that person.
I remember one of the brothers telling us about our lake a good many years ago, that someone was visiting from Europe. And he didn't know the English language too well, but he noticed how often they used the word wonderful was a wonderful day. It was wonderful food, it was wonderful soup, it was wonderful just about everything. And he said in his broken English, he said, don't you have some word that belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Well, he said. I was quite struck by that expression. And it is very interesting, friends, and that I don't believe that the word wonderful is associated with anything else but the Lord himself and the work that He does. Oh, how blessed of them. His name is wonderful. He's a wonderful savior. He can save the violence. That doesn't matter how far you have sunk in sin, how far you have got away.
How much you have disappointed your parents, how much you have got away from him, perhaps into things that they don't, they don't know about, but you know only too well in your own heart. Well, I tell you, he's a wonderful savior. He's able to save the violence. He's able to bring such to himself. But he's more than that. He's a wonderful friend. Friends of this world often disappoint us.
I'm sure we have all said at times, well, who can you trust? Because you've told some friends something and he disappointed you. He let you down all that. There's one, a wonderful friend of that little song. What a friend we have in Jesus.
All our sins and griefs to bear sometime perhaps you've gone to an earthly friend. You've tried to unburden your heart.
And then that friend has disappointed you. But all you can go to the Lord, and you can unburden your heart. He invites us in these words. Pour out your heart before him is not a lovely expression. Pour out your heart before him. All those things that are bothering you right now, those things that seem so insurmountable, and you say nobody knows. No one understands my inner feelings.
00:20:15
Perhaps there isn't a human, but there's one whose name is wonderful. Wonderful friend. Yeah, he's wonderful in everything we've been having in our meetings, all his. He's wonderful as a gathering center. What a wonderful thing that we can be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that wonderful? The person who says heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him.
And to think that he would deign to be in our midst, like he did to the disciples of old, and showed them his hands and his side, and said, Peace be unto you, Oh, his name is wonderful. And then Counselor.
All life is full of problems. We often don't know what to do, but his name is Counselor because he knows everything ahead of time. As someone has said, prophecy is history written ahead of time. And the one who can foretell the future of this world and who could tell things that were going to happen to the prophets of old. Doesn't he know your future and mine?
Doesn't he know what's just around the corner in life for us? Doesn't he know everything that's ahead? Yes, he does. And he can be. And he wants to be your counselor. He wants you to turn to him and find that he is acquainted with all your ways. As it says in the 139 Sam, Whither shall I flee from thy presence? There's not a thought in my mind. But no law, Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
All he knows everything. And his name is Counselor. Oh, you say? Well, I've often asked him, and he doesn't reveal things to me. Well, just let me suggest this one little verse to you. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. Notice that little word all you know, Sometimes we have a big problem and we go to the Lord and we want the answer.
But there's a great many other things in life that we really don't want His answer. We prefer our own choice. We've made our own decision and we're going to go our own way. But some big decision that we think might affect our happiness?
We come to the Lord. We want to know His mind well. He says In all thy ways acknowledge him. That speaks to my heart.
Are we just looking up to him and acknowledging him in all our ways and saying, Lord, I don't want to make one single move in life. He's interested in your friends. He's interested in the food that you eat. I've always enjoyed the fact that when the Lord visited Abraham at his tent, even described the meal.
And said that the food was tender and good. Told about the trouble of preparation. He's interested in everything and he's interested in your friends. He's interested in every single decision of your life. And his name is Counselor.
And who is he? The mighty God. Sometimes we can give counsel to another person, but we can't work things out for them. We can suggest that they do something, but we just can't work it out. And we say this would be a good idea, but I don't know whether it'll workout. But here's one whose name is Counselor, and he's the Mighty God. He's in control of everything. There isn't a single heart.
In the universe that he isn't able to move, it says he fashions the hearts of all. And when it says that I believe it's the 32nd Psalm, he fashions their hearts now. That is, the hearts of people are controlled by the Lord, and he can make some people friendly to us or otherwise. And so the one who is wonderful, the one who is counselor.
Is the Mighty God, the Mighty God? And then it says the Everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity? The Father of eternity. There isn't a thing in the past that he doesn't know. There isn't a thing in the future that's going to happen that he doesn't know all about. The whole thing is all completed in his counsels and purposes, and that's the one to whom we go or can go for counsel.
00:25:23
Oh, what a wonderful person that says all dear young people Again, I say I want to make a better acquaintance with him, don't you? Oh, you say, if I could find an earthly friend that was anything like what this is describing why, he would surely be my best friend. Well, this one wants to be your best friend. He's living. He's not a dead Christ.
Living Christ, he says, I am he that liveth and became dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.
Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Yes, he is a living savior and he's interested in you. And then it says the Prince of peace. All he's going to make everything work out all right in the end. Isn't this blessed Sunday is going to reign as Prince of Peace?
And I love to look forward to that time when, just like the Queen of Sheba, when she came to King Solomon, she had a great many hard questions, questions for whom she could find no, for which she could find no answer. But when she came to Solomon, she asked him all the hard questions and it says there was nothing hid from him that he told her not. And I like to look forward. There are hard questions in my life.
Brought perhaps through hard questions in yours. And you say, why doesn't the Lord answer to them for me now? Well, he doesn't always promise to do this. There are some things that just aren't explained in this life. How about he's going to give us the answer to all these questions? And what about the answers? Were they very frustrating and disappointing when she found out the answers? Oh no, when she found out the answer, she said the half has not been told me.
Thou exceed us the fame that I heard. Happy are these thy men, and happy are these thy servants that stand continually before thee. Sometime to our hard questions the answer may seem unpleasant about when he explains them all in another day. Why, we're going to be like the Queen of Sheba. Oh, dear young people, can we trust him now? Can we trust him now? You may have heard me comment before, but perhaps it bears repeating.
That I love to read Romans 8 verse 28 and 29 together.
We all know Romans 8 and 28, I think it says, For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. And what is the next verse for whom he did foreknow? He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Well, you notice the preposition 4 there commencing that 29th verse. Why does that come in?
While I like to just illustrate it like this, did you ever start to read a storybook and you came to a very sad chapter and you just couldn't figure out how it would ever work out? There was such sadness that the tears ran down your face as you read the chapter. At last, you couldn't contain yourself anymore and you turned over to the end of the book. What did you do that for? Well, you wanted to see how the story ended and if it ended all right.
You could read that sad chapter with confidence, and when you read the 28th chat verse, the 8th of Romans, don't forget to read the 29th. God knew just how inquisitive we were and how we want to know how things would ever work out for good. So he tells us the end of the story. He says you're going to be conformed to the image of his son and he's working this out in your life and mine, and he wants us to have that confidence in him.
And this person, I say, is so wonderful. And how much did he think of us?
I know some wonderful people, but maybe they don't think I'm very wonderful. They don't think so much about me. You know, even though I think they're wonderful, not. This isn't the way it is. This person who is so wonderful, he also thinks a great deal of me. He thinks so much of me that he loved me.
00:30:08
And he gave himself for me. His love couldn't give more.
And would not give less. Oh, isn't that wonderful? Isn't it very blessed? And so when you think of this person so wonderful, he doesn't want you to think of him as someone who is a God afar off, a God who just doesn't have any personal interest in you. But now it reduces it down to personal pronoun in that lovely verse in Galatians 2 That we read.
The Son of God.
Who loved me and gave himself for me? John called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. But he didn't have any monopoly on that because the scripture tells us having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them under the end. What was the difference with John? Well, he just knew it and enjoyed it, that's all. And it's true of you dear young person, the Son of God loved you.
And he gave himself for you, if you know him as your savior, and he has an interest in you. And so the commencement of that verse in Galatians 2 is I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I. But Christ liveth in me. And that is when we realize the glory of this wonderful person, when we realize that he loved us and gave himself for us. What about self?
Where the self come in here? Well, Paul says I am crucified with Christ. He said I see in that place where he displayed his love in such a wonderful way. I see the end of old Paul. I see that he's come to an end there. And he said I am crucified with Christ. But he said I'm still living. But he said Christ lives in me. Oh isn't this blessed that Christ lives in you?
That Christ lives in me and that in our hearts now.
The very blessed Savior lives there, and that you and I can rejoice in the company of this one and our pathway. Here it's often been remarked we're not going to have a different new life when we get to heaven. We already possess the life of Christ. We already possess the life that's suited to heaven.
And I just like to think that when we get to heaven, we're going to say, well, at last we're in our element. At last we're in the place where we always wanted to be and where we can totally relax. You know the feeling when you get home, you take off your shoes and you feel this is home. I can relax now. I'm sort of tired. It's been difficult talking to people, but now I can just relax. That's what heaven's going to be.
Heaven's going to be home, and we're not going to be strangers there. We possess the life that's suited to us.
And the person we're talking about is the person whose presence fills that lamb. And that's what will make heaven heaven to us and dear young people. We we can know this now, We can enjoy it now. Enoch walked with God in a difficult day. And my desire for myself and for you is that we might know something of walking in his company here. Now I would like to say something about the cost and if you would turn with me to.
Galatians or to 1St Corinthians 6. I'd just like to read that verse that I read.
Galatians, chapter 6.
Verse 19.
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods, which also turn with me to lamentations. That's immediately following Jeremiah.
Lamentations, Chapter One.
Verse 12.
Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me. Wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger from above, hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevailed against them. He has spread a net for my feet. He hath turned me back, and hath made me desolate and faint all day.
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The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. They are wreathed and come up upon my neck. He hath made my strength to fall. The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
And would you turn with me also to the Gospel of Luke and the 22nd chapter?
Luke 22 and verse 41.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood.
Falling down to the ground.
Well, as I said, I wanted to speak to you of the glory of this person who had bought us. And these verses perhaps bring before us in some little way the cost of our redemption, the cost of our redemption. We first of all think of the person, if I received a gift, we'll say from the President or from the Queen of England. Why, this would be very wonderful that such a gift came from a person like that.
But if I realized that the cost was great, why I would value it the more? And so, when we think of what it costs the Lord Jesus to make us His very own, surely our hearts feel a debt of gratitude.
And in the passage speaking prophetically of his sufferings in Lamentation chapter one.
He calls attention and asks, is it nothing to you all ye that pass by? I wonder how much it means to us. Have we really stopped your young people to consider what it costs the Lord Jesus to make us his very own? You know, he could create this world by just speaking. It says he speak and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast. It only took the word of his mouth.
To create this universe, this whole vast system of stars, and this earth in which we live, the heavens and the earth.
He just spoke. But to save one soul, to fit for one soul, for heaven cost him the agony of those hours on Calvary's cross when he was made sin for us. And oh, when we think of the Lord Jesus Speaking of this and the sorrow, was there ever any sorrow like his? And we ever think of anything comparable to what the Lord Jesus went through?
When he suffered there for our sins, the very anticipation of it in the Garden of Gethsemane caused him to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground, and there upon the cross, that cry that wrung out from the darkness. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Thank God, we'll never fully know.
What it meant to him to bear all the judgment, It's impossible for us to enter into it, because all solemn thought of those who die without Christ, those who die in their sins, will have to drink the cup of judgment for their sins, and they'll never be able to exhaust it. Those who die in their sins will never, through an endless eternity, be able to honor those 3 words. It is finished.
Now they will never be able to say that, but for you and for me.
There was one upon Calvary's cross who so completely exhausted all the judgment due to our sins, that he could say it is finished. Oh, what a wonderful thing, What a cost, I say. And the anticipation of it causes it were him to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
00:40:20
Perhaps there's been some trouble in your life and you say I just broke out in a sweat. But all nothing compares to what the Lord Jesus went through in his holy soul in that garden of Gethsemane. Nothing compares to what he endured when he was forsaken of God there upon the cross.
Dear young people, that was the cost. Can we hesitate someone through a little?
Catalog in our door and there was some jewelry there. One of the pieces of jewelry, I believe it was a necklace was valued and being offered for sale for $30,000. We thought, what a tremendous price for a necklace. And if anyone received a necklace that cost that much, what would you think of the person that was willing to spend that much on you?
In order to give you a necklace. But all dear young people we have been redeemed at a tremendous price. And it says in First Corinthians 7 he are bought with a price. Be not the servants of men. Are you a slave to your friends?
Are you afraid to say no to those friends of yours? You'd rather say no to the Lord Jesus?
Then say no to your friends. You'd rather say no to him because he's up there and you can't see the look in his blessed face when you say no to him. But you know what? One of your friends would frown and would call you foolish. And so rather than say no to your friend, you say no to the Lord Jesus.
Oh, when we think of the cost, I say again, let's meditate a little on the cost. This morning we were gathered for the express purpose.
Remembering the cause, the Lord Jesus didn't want us to forget it, and he himself instituted the Feast of Remembrance so that we wouldn't forget the cost of our redemption. It didn't move my heart like it should. I would desire that it would move my heart more, but surely it did move our hearts some. This morning, as we saw that bread broken, we particular that cup and we realized that it was just a symbol.
What He went through, when He bore our sins in his own body, on the tree, when He shed His precious Blood to put away our sins, we are by Christ redeemed the cost His precious Blood. And I appeal to you, dear young people.
To consider the cost, as my father used to often say, if the love of Christ doesn't constrain our hearts to live to please him, nothing else will.
Nothing else. Well, I could stand here and tell you all the things that are our duties as Christians, and it wouldn't move your heart or mine either, unless we realize how that the Lord Jesus has a claim of love upon us. He's paid the price, and the price is far, far beyond our comprehension. I can't dwell upon it because I might add some words to God's blessed holy book, but I just ask you.
To just sit for a few moments and think of what the Lord Jesus went through.
Because he loved you, and because he wanted you to be his companion there in the glory forever. And then hear him say to you how this very afternoon he are not your own. He are bought with a price. And the Spirit of God has come to indwell your body to make sure, if I can use that expression, how, that the work that he has begun will be completed, and that you will be up there beyond all sorrow and sin and misery in his presence.
To enjoy forever the fullness of that work that he has accomplished, because his love won't have its rest until he has us and all the redeemed, a little hymn says.
Nor I alone, thy loved ones all complete around thee, there in glory there shall meet. And may the Lord cause us to meditate a little on the cost to him. How could we turn to a couple of scriptures about the cost to us?
00:45:02
In Luke.
Chapter 14.
Luke, Chapter 14.
Verse 26 If any man come unto me and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, yeah, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciples.
And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me, he cannot be my disciple.
For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down 1St, and counteth the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it? Lest haply after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all it behold it begin to mock him saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. For what king going to make war against another sitteth not down 1St, and consulteth whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against him with 20,000?
Or else, whether the other, while the other is yet a great way off. He sendeth an ambassador and desireth conditions of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsake, if not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Now let's turn over to Hebrews chapter 10.
Verse 32.
But call to remembrance the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst she became companions of them which were so used. For ye had compassion of me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves.
That you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance, cast not away. Therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward for ye of need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, he might receive the promise for yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.
Well, perhaps in these two were passages we have brought before us the cost of following Christ. I call your attention to the fact that it doesn't say you can't be saved. It says he cannot be my disciple, and a disciple is a follower.
There are those who are trusting in Christ as their Savior. Something like Lot, He had a saved soul but a lost life.
But the Lord wants us, as we consider what it cost him to and make us His very own, to think about that it's going to cost us something to be identified with a rejected Christ here in this world. And the Lord Jesus never set before His disciples an easy path. Over and over again He warned them that they would be despised, that they would be rejected, that they would be set aside.
But they would be put in prison and that some of them would be put to death. For Christ's sake and dear young people, it's a great mistake for us to think that if we accept Christ as our savior, that we're promised an easy path. We are promised a path of joy and peace, but we're not promised that it's going to be an easy path. And if prices are ascending everywhere in this world and everything that we go to buy, I believe we could say there's something else.
That is ascending to It's going to cost more to follow Christ. It's going to cost more to follow Christ. As the end approaches, as the darkness comes in and the true character of this world comes out in its opposition to Christ, it's going to cost us something to be followers of him. And so the Lord Jesus spoke very faithfully. You say, didn't he use a strong word, hate. Yes, he used a very strong word.
And he wanted us to see that sometimes we are going to be misunderstood even by those who were nearest and dearest to us one time when Samson, and had one who was very dear to him. And yet, because he was called to be a Nazarite, he wouldn't tell her the secret between his soul and God. She said, You don't love me, you hate me.
00:50:20
Yes, She didn't understand what the what was that secret between his soul and God? And, you know, sometimes if we're really going to follow Christ, there has to be a secret between our souls and God, which we have to be content that perhaps others may not understand, perhaps those that we love may not understand either. And the Lord Jesus spoke very faithfully here about what it was going to cost to follow him.
Or does that mean that he is robbing us of joy? Oh no. The joy of his company is the most marvelous thing on earth. The Lord Jesus, the law. He was the man of sorrows, rejoiced in spirit. Why did he rejoice in spirit? All because he found in his Father's will a path that was one of peace. He said. The good pleasure of thy will, O God, is my delight.
And so it's quite interesting here that he tells us to sit down and count the cost. You know, there's some young people. And because they get with a group of young people and you have a good time and maybe you get together for a weekend and you just have a wonderful time of fellowship. And so you think, well, I'm going to follow Christ. Well, it's very nice to have a good time with the young people. It's a good time when we're singing together and when we're enjoying the things of the Lord together.
But remember, if that is what is sustaining your Christian life, it's going to break down. It's going to break down because that'll never keep you in the day of adversity and in the day of trouble. You and I as Christians need to count the cost. Dear young people, it's not always going to be gathering for skates and sings and all this kind of thing. It's going to be sometimes suffering, being persecuted.
Being misunderstood, missing a promotion in the office, missing some friend that seems very nice, but he doesn't or she doesn't want to follow Christ. And so you say the Lord Jesus must be first in my life. He must have the first place.
And so the Lord Jesus tells them here, sit down and count the cost. And when he says here, whosoever does not bear his cross, in the 27th verse of the 14th of Luke, he doesn't say my cross, He says his cross.
That is, your life is different from mine, and my life is different from yours. You have things to bear in life that I don't have to bear. Perhaps I don't understand.
When Ezekiel was sent to prophecy to the ones by the river Chibar, it tells us that he sat where they sat for seven days before he said a word. Some of us are too prone to say what other people have done, should do when we've never have been in their position, we've never sat where they sat. But here we find that when Ezekiel was sent, he sat where they sat. And you have across the bear. I have a cross to bear.
And you know what it is.
And I know perhaps what mine is. And perhaps you think yours is more difficult. Perhaps I think mine is more difficult. But remember, dear young people, it's the cross that He gives. Yes, the Lord is the one, and He gives us just what He sees, is needful for training us in our Christian pathway, as someone has said, the dross to consume and the gold to refine.
And that thing that you think is holding you back, maybe the very best thing in your Christian life. The Lord may have allowed that, and he has a purpose of love in it, but he wants you to count the cost. He wants you to take up your cross and follow him to say, well, whatever he plans in my life, whatever he orders in my life, I take it from him and see grace to say.
Even so, Father foresaw, it seemed good in thy sight.
00:55:00
Because as it goes on to say that if not, if we don't count the cost, then we might start and not be able to finish and we bring dishonor and how often we have seen young people. And because they have just gone along with others in a somewhat easy path. And then when the testing time came, they had never counted the cost and they turned back.
And I would encourage you, dear young people, we're here in these meetings and we're having a fine time for three days. We have many such opportunities to get together. But when you go back to your own little meeting, it may not be just like this. Perhaps there aren't other young people.
Perhaps there are people that seem to snub you a little bit. There are. You say there's nothing going on. And I don't feel that anybody understands. It's easy here by older, young people. Count the cost. It's going to cost something. But what did it cost the Lord Jesus to buy you, to redeem you and me? What did it cost him? Did he have an easy path?
Was the bearing of the cross an easy thing for him? But he loved you and he loved me enough.
To pay the price in full. When he came to the point that he could have had the joys of heaven alone, he said No, I wanted John and I want Mary up there, and I'm going to pay the price to have them there. Dear young person, are you and I going to pay the price to have his approval in our lives, to have his well done?
Oh, if so, it's well worthwhile.
In that coming day, to see the smile on his blessed face.
He says, well done as the little him says, for how will recompense his smile, the sufferings of this little while. Well, you say, I don't like to be misunderstood. It's far harder than you think. Well, he acquiesced us with this situation in Hebrews 10 and he tells us that there were people that were made of gazing stock by reproaches and offences. They became companions of others.
I've heard young people say, well, you don't like to be a gazing stock. You don't like to be misunderstood. No, neither do I. It's awfully hard. But my savior was made a gazing stock. They put him up there on the cross and they spit in his face. They crowned him with thorns. They mocked him. They put on him a scarlet robe and they made him a gazing stock. And Paul said you may be made a gazing stock too.
But he said, Cast not away. Therefore your confidence which hath great recompensive reward. Dear young people, may the Lord encourage you to go on, Don't give up, It's only a little while. And he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Oh, when he comes again and you see his face and see how he valued those little things that you and I could do for him, oh, how well repaid we will be. And he's done so much more for us. He's not going to forget anything that you've done for him. He'll manifest and reward it in that day. But now, just one more. Let us turn to first Peter Chapter one.
First Peter, chapter one and verse.
17 verse 16.
Now perhaps I should begin at the 14th verse as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call him the Father, who without respect of persons judge it according to every man's work, passed the time of your saw journey here in fear.
Well, I mentioned that I just wanted to say a few words about the cost of not following Christ. And in this passage, what does it mean past the time of your side yearning here in fear? What are we to fear? We certainly don't fear the future. We know we're going to be with Christ and that eternal happiness of His presence a dear young people. There is a cost in not following Christ.
01:00:16
There is a cost. There is such a thing as the government of God and I've often said.
A Christian can be the happiest person on earth, or he can be the most miserable.
A young person, after he was saved, an older brother said to him. In these words, he said, The Lord has saved you. You might as well make the best of what he's done for you, because you'll never be able to enjoy the world again in the same way.
You are spoiled for the world, dear young people. You may go back into the world.
You may try the former lusts, the things that you enjoyed in your unconverted days.
But remember, you're in a different position now. You're one of God's children, and whom the Lord loveth. He chased us, and He paid the price that we might be his. It costs something to follow him, but shall I say, it costs far more to go your own way.
It costs far more. And what did I mean when I say a Christian can be the most miserable If he loses the joy of the Lord, and he can't have the joy of the world, what has he got? He can't enjoy the world and he's not enjoying the Lord. There's only one thing for him that is to get back to the Lord, to get back to him. And so I just want to warn you that there is a government of God, dear young people, and.
God tells us in His word about Lot that we mentioned a moment a moment ago.
Lot was a saved man. Lord is going to be in glory, and no true child of God can ever be lost because the price has been paid by the Lord Jesus. But Lot had a lost life. He had a saved soul, but a lost life. And dear young people, as I look into your faces, I desire that you wouldn't have a lost life, that you would have a life that would be preserved and brought out to praise and honor and glory.
At the revelation of Jesus Christ, there is such a thing as losing your life. There is such a thing as coming under the governmental ways of God and the tears and sorrows of many dear children of God who chose their own way. Oh, what sorrow it often brings, Oh, May God grant, as you're in the formative years, as it was pointed out yesterday, the decisions that are often made at times like this.
How far reaching they are. May it be your desire to think of what the Lord Jesus paid for you.
And to look up and say, Lord Jesus, I want to follow thee, dear Mr. Darby made this comment. He said the path of the Christian is worthwhile. If it were 1000 times harder than it is. And I say it's surely true. And no one whoever came to the end of the path was ever sorry that he followed Christ. But now is the time in your youth before you do those things.
That will bring sorrow into your life, that will bring loss into your life. May God grant that the love of Christ may constrain your heart and mine, that we may live not unto ourselves but unto him.