Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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John 3 in verse 16.
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. And then in John chapter 15 and verse 9, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
Well, I was thinking first of all that we have His love from eternity. It says that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. And that is God is love, we are told, and God would have us to know that love. He had eternal counsels in His own heart that He was going to make known that love, that He was going to have those who would share in that love.
And enter into it in an association with His beloved Son. And oh, how wonderful this is when we stop to think of it that way back before this world was made, God had purposes of love toward you and toward me. It's almost stupendous for us to think of. We talked quite a bit in the meeting this morning about the creation and how wonderful it is. But to me, it's far more wonderful that before any of these things were made, God had.
Those whom He had chosen in Christ, whom He had in His eternal counsels, plan to share in the enjoyment of what was in His heart. And so He chose us, that we should be in that position before ever sin entered the world. And then as soon as sin entered the world, then God made a promise. He said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. No sooner had Satan come in to spoil that which God had made.
Then God showed that nothing could frustrate or change that purpose that He had in His heart, that purpose for your blessing and for mine. And so He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. And the work of redemption, brethren, is a far, far greater work than creation, because in creation, as we had the verse this morning, He spake and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. Those mighty orbs that are.
US and this earth and every detail connected with it. He could make the whole thing. He could create it all just by the word of His mouth. But not so with the salvation of our souls. Not so if He was going to show that love when sin had entered to spoil it. Nothing could change those counsels but all the cost, all the cost to Himself. When we think of it, we think of how when He created this world.
Why he was looking down.
Preparing a beautiful place for a man to enjoy something of his love in the marvelous provision. I like that word that's given in Genesis where it says the Lord God planted the garden. He created everything, but just to think with his own hands, He planted a garden because he was going to place man there. To know that love, to know that joy, to be in a scene undisturbed by sin, a scene of peace.
And so he was rejoicing.
In the habitable parts of His earth, He was thinking about you and about me, and how we would inhabit this earth, and how we could know what was in His heart. And then sin came in and spoiled it. He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. But then from the time the promise was made in the Garden of Eden, 4000 years passed by. Did man appreciate all the displays of goodness and kindness that God had shown? Saying to.
People when they sin so grievously. Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Yes. He. He showed that love to the nation of Israel after their wilderness journey. It says, yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand.
And then, after 4000 years of man's history, God hadn't changed his thoughts one bit.
We change, we say, well, I, I really love that person, but the way they've acted, it's killed the love that's in my heart. But it didn't kill his love. Those eternal counsels this world made beautiful for man to enjoy. The promise that there would be a Redeemer. Many, many displays of God's love through the Old Testament. But God sent his own son into this world. It says God was in Christ.
Reconciling the world unto himself, that means that when?
The Lord Jesus was here upon earth. God was saying, as it were, Well, I want them to see what's in my heart. They've brought in sickness, but I'll heal all the sickness. If there's some hungry people, I'll feed the hungry people. If there are those under the power of Satan, I'll set them free. I'll do everything to show out the heart of God my Father to them. And God was in Christ.
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Reconciling the world, that is, would man when he saw that perfect display in this.
World of God revealed in Christ. Would he change his attitude? Would that reconcile him? No, but God still loved man. He still loved him. He sent his Son and the Lord Jesus comes to the moment of that cross. It says the time came that he should be received up and he set his face to go to Jerusalem. He was like the Hebrew servant. He served his time.
His master said you can go out free if you're willing to go alone, but if you want.
The company of your wife and your children, then you must be a servant forever. And I think of that time when the Lord Jesus, that moment came when he must go to the cross if he was to have your company in mind. And he said, I love my Master came to do his Father's will to tell out his heart. I love my wife, the church, I love my children. Every individual believer. I will not go out free. And we see him in that agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
As He prayed, not my will but thine be done, and He goes on in perfect obedience. What it cost him to display that love will never really fully know, but we do know He displayed it. He displayed that love so fully by what He endured.
We sing a little hymn sometimes. Justice had withstood the purposes of love, But just as now withstands no more, And mercy yields her boundless store. And so the barriers removed, And I enjoy the way that another hymn puts it. The river of thy grace, through righteousness supplied, is flowing o'er the barren place where Jesus died. Supposing there's a little stream coming down the mountainside?
And you say, well, I'm going to stop that stream, so you'll build a little dam. Well, it's only a question of time. As long as there's plenty of water in the source that it overflows that dam, what is that? I'm going to build a bigger one. Well, you'd build a bigger one. And as long as there's plenty of water, it keeps rising until it goes over the top. And this world, as it were, sought to put the greatest barrier in the way of the display of God's love. But what happened? His love overflowed all the banks that went right.
Over the top of all that man did, and God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. All I want to say to anyone here that is not saved. Oh, if you only knew the love that's in the heart of God, you couldn't turn away.
Love isn't overlooking sin. What love does is find a way that the question of sin can be settled so that love can flow. That applies to a family. It applies to the assembly too. Love seeks to find a way. The difficulty arises. Love seeks to find a way. If you don't love the person, you say, oh, I don't care. But if you love the person, you try to find a way so that the question can be settled, whether it's life or children.
Whatever, you try to find a way, and God found a way. The cost was great to Himself, but Jesus paid it all. Now what does He want you and I to enjoy? Well, John 15, which we read says in the ninth verse.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
That I might mention another verse that has already been mentioned in our meetings in Jude where it says keep yourselves in the love of God.
Oh, may I say to each one here, the devil is at work to try to bring doubts into your mind about God's love.
Difficulty or a trouble comes into our life as believers lie. Immediately the devil tries to suggest why should this happen to me? Does God really love me, or does he love some other person better than me? And he tries to establish, if he possibly can, a doubt in our mind about God's love. But isn't this precious, as the Father hath loved me?
Could any of us try to measure the love of the Father to the Son? But any of us ever doubt the love of the Father?
To the son. But he says, so have I loved you? Can you measure love like that?
As I say in natural things, very often we see we haven't always acted the way we should. We haven't always displayed love the way we should. But God is love. He had eternal purposes of love to bring us before Him wholly and without blaming love. He made this world for us to enjoy. We spoil it by sin. And I sometimes said, it's as though God looked down when sin entered and said, well, you spoiled everything I made for you to enjoy.
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All that was in my heart. So I want to invite you to something better than what you spoiled because I still love you. Just think of love like that, brethren. And that's the love that he has. Oh, may the Lord grant that we won't allow one single doubt in our mind because the moment we do, we're going to be unhappy Christians. Many, many people in this world feel unloved and unwanted, but.
The Sinner is brought through the gospel to know that God does love him and that God at infinite cost has provided a way to display that love. But I'm speaking largely to brethren here, those who know the Lord as Savior. I'm speaking to you, dear young people. It's very frustrating and disappointing when maybe some friend disappoints you, somebody hurts you.
And the enemy begins to whisper in your ear. And why did God?
Allow this to happen. If He loves you, He's working out things better in somebody else's life than yours. Why is it? But never allow a doubt in your mind about God's love. He loves you, and He's going to continue to love you through everything.
Have often mentioned that in that in Hebrews Chapter 11 we have two different groups of people brought before us in the end of that chapter he says, what shall I say more time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Jephthah and Iraq and all these different people and it says who through face of Jude kingdoms wrought righteousness obtain promises. And we have a whole multitude of people who had wonderful.
Answers to prayer they were in real problems as our brother brought before us right in the fire and God preserved their life in the fire, but.
In that very portion there's a change and it says others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, not one mention of any deliverance for them at all. God, as it were, withheld his hand and allowed that second group to go through all kinds of problems that he didn't explain to them. And.
He just let them go through it and they might say, well, how is it that there were such wonderful answers that others received and we didn't get the answers. Does God love us? I I think the comment is so beautiful of the Spirit of God. These all obtained a good report through faith. Maybe some of you dear young people, God may put you in the group where you say, well, things just don't work out in my life like they do in other people, but you can obtain a good report.
You can obtain a good report and it says our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh before us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When you get to glory and see how God worked through those circumstances, think of Joseph. Nothing seemed to work out. He went to please his father and his brother's soul and put him in a pit and then sold him. He got falsely accused.
In the court in Potiphar's house.
Then the the Butler forgot, forgot him. Why? Over again? It just seemed that what he tried to do ended in disappointment. But when you beat Joseph in heaven and you say to him, Joseph, which one of the boys in that family would you like to be? Do you think he'll say, oh, I wish I was one of the others. They didn't have half the problems that I did. No, I don't think so. I think he's going to say.
We never knew it, I never understood it, but I see now that.
My life was just a picture of my blessed Savior. He'll he'll find out he's got he got a good report through faith, but he didn't get miraculous deliverances at least for a good long time in his life. Oh brethren, his love is the same as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If you lose the sense of that, you've lost all it's worthwhile in your Christian life. The devil is going to do his very best to get.
God's love. And if you can just bring those kind of thoughts into your mind and make you think that God has forgotten you or that he's not dealing fairly with you, he's accomplished a great purpose and you're robbed of what God intends for you. Now at the end of the journey, every believer is going to be supremely happy. I'll never meet anybody in heaven who's going to doubt God's love.
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Everyone in heaven is going to say, oh, it's wonderful. I never knew that he loved me this much.
When I see what he has prepared for those that love him. But down here the devil's busy. He's trying to get a doubt in our minds about God's love. Say it over and over again. My father used to say, Say that verse to yourself every day. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. Perhaps I hear someone say, But I've been wilful. I've been very self willed.
But he still loves you. He still loves you. It doesn't.
It doesn't change his love at all. It may change the enjoyment of his love, but not his love. A disobedient child is love. The disobedient, willful child doesn't know how much his parents love him. But the parents parts are just broken because they're longing to display the love that the child won't accept It won't realize that what the parent is trying to do is because they love it. Oh how wonderful. Well, we parents make mistakes, but God, my Father never does.
Well, may the Lord grant that this love may get hold of us in our inmost souls and really mean something to us.
Well, I'd like to read that in Proverbs again. Just.
Chapter 8.
Because this particularly brings in the thought of rejoicing.
Verse 30.
Then I was by Him as one, Proverbs 8, verse 30. Then I was by him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, And my delights were with the sons of men. Now let's turn over to the Gospel of Luke, 2nd chapter, the 10th verse.
Than the Angel of the Lord, and the angels of the Lord, No, pardon me, the And the Angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David as Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And I'd like you to turn to Luke chapter 15.
And verse.
6 Verse 5. And when he hath found that, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Now when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found thy sheep which was lost. For I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over 1 Sinner that repenteth more than over, and 90 and 9 just persons, which need no repoy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Well, here again we see that way back in the very beginning, God was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth. But as we mentioned before, sin had come in. But now this brings us to the gospel of Luke and we find the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and he's seeking the lost. He's seeking the lost. And it says here there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner that.
Repentance is not a very blessed thing for us to know, and that is we're loved. And that heaven would rejoice when he laid the foundations of the earth. It tells us in Job the sons of God shouted for joy. There was a great time of rejoicing when the foundations of this earth were laid. But man and his self will he departed. And then tells us here in Luke about the joy that the Lord has in one Sinner.
That repenteth, they'll then rejoices over new discoveries and science in progress. In many things that happen. We rejoice often at good news. But I think this is stupendous to think that if there was 1 Sinner last night who accepted the Lord Jesus as his or her Savior, the whole of heaven rejoiced. It just made those angels in heaven.
And I think it's so wonderful that they're unselfish.
You know when the when the angels fell, because there were some that fell with Satan tells us the devil and his angels, God didn't offer any pardon to those fallen angels. There's no pardon offered to them. But when men fell, God chose to act in marvelous grace and offer a pardon. The fallen man and the angels looked down and they see how men have spoiled this world.
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Tells us in Ephesians.
To the intent, but now under the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. That is, they look down and they see the ways of God with man.
They actually rejoiced when the Lord Jesus was born, says there was a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God. And so that they looked down and they see one person offered a pardon which was never offered to them, and that person receives the pardon and all the angels in heaven rejoice. And the heart of God rejoices too, because it's his delight to show blessing to man.
How wonderful it is.
And so shall I say man, sin hasn't spoiled that joy, because God has found a way that rises above man's sin, first for the display of his love, and then that there might be joy. Are you and I happy Christians? We ought to be the happiest people on earth, knowing that our sins are forgiven, knowing that heaven is our home. It ought indeed to make us happy people. And yet so often.
We're sad the world looks at us and they don't see.
That we're really happy, Mr. Darby once said. Our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord.
And I think it's so beautiful that we can go through this world as a rejoicing people of heaven rejoices when a Sinner gets saved. How much more we who are the subjects of that love and who have been brought into blessing, we should be rejoicing too. It ought to reflect in our faces. Moses went up to the mountains.
When the people had broken the law.
And he went up very sad. He said, peradventure I shall make an atonement for you. Well, he couldn't make an atonement for the people, but God did through the Tabernacle give him a little picture of what he would do for that people. Because it tells us that the Tabernacle was a pattern of things in the heavens. And that little display of God's goodness that could meet a guilty people caused Moses face to shine so much that when he came down it says.
The people couldn't behold him for the glory of his countenance, and so he put a veil over his face. And you and I know the heart of God in a much, much greater way than Moses ever knew. And yet we go through this world and if the world looked at us, instead of saying, well, they're a group of happy people, they often see that we're reflecting sadness in our faces where Moses face actually shines so much that he had to put a cover over it when he only knew half as much as we know of what's in the heart of God.
All brethren, we need to dwell upon this wonderful, wonderful grace of God that has met us in all our need.
But then when we turned over to 3rd John, we found there that there was a greater joy than just salvation.
So many do indeed rejoice when they're first saved, but they perhaps stop short of knowing how wonderful God's salvation is.
In our meetings we've been considering a little bit of how largely we are blessed and how wonderful and glorious is this person that we look to. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and he is the head of the body, the Church.
And there are many, many dear Christians who don't enter into these precious things and enjoy them. Well, we have been, through the goodness of God, been meditating on these things. And if there's joy when a person is saved, we who have been talking not about the way of salvation, because we believe that most are saved, but we've been just meditating in these meetings about how wonderfully we are blessed, as I said, in the Tabernacle.
Only the high Priest once every year could go in, but the veil has been rent, and every believer has been brought into a place so near that it says having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. We are accepted in the Beloved. We're holy and without blame before Him in love. Don't these things thrill our hearts? And heaven looks down, as it says.
No greater joy than when my children walk.
In the truth.
Would we be satisfied if we wanted to do something for our child and we just started to do it and we just had done the very first thing that we intended to do and the child said, oh, I don't want to hear anymore. Always say, oh please, there's a lot more to you, for you than what I have told you of. And that's what it means.
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When we read let's turn over to it in Ephesians chapter 3, I'd like to read from the 17th verse that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
That she, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now under Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I believe we have two thoughts brought before us here in this passage. I believe in verses 17 and 18. It's to comprehend or to lay hold of how large our blessings are in Christ, not just forgiven, justified from all things, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. He wants us to know it all and then which passes knowledge.
I've used a little illustration just to try and bring out what I mean.
Supposing there is a young man, he's going to get married.
And he has tremendous wealth and he prepares a beautiful home to share with his bride. It's all ready for her.
She comes to see this poem and it's just so marvelous that when she steps inside the door, she said, oh, I've seen enough. That's all I want to see. I'm just so glad to be inside the door. I think the hymn writer had that in mind, trembling. We had hoped for mercy, some low place within his door. But the crown, the throne, the mansion already long before. And she says, well, I'm just satisfied. So I'm just going to sit down here. It's so beautiful at the entry.
Oh, but he says, dear, I want you to.
At all. So he takes her from room to room and shows her all that he has prepared for her. And each room is more beautiful than the one before, just filled with admiration as she sees the lengths and breadth and depth and height of the thing. And then after he's shown it all to her, he says, oh, but there's more than what I've shown you. And he puts his armor on her and he says, I want you to know the love that goes with it all.
And brethren, that's what God wants us to know.
It's not only that he has prepared things that are far beyond our minds to enter into, but that love that goes with us. Can we help but be happy? Couldn't you? Could you say that that girl would go out on the street looking sad and unhappy? I think her face would just be beaming up because she looked in the mirror and tried to perform a smiling face, but because she was inwardly happy. And so, as we were saying this morning.
We want to be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, there's joy when a Sinner gets saved. There's greater joy, just like that husband. I can just see him as he sees how his new bride is appreciating all these things as he takes you through his joys increasing too, because he is sharing it with her, because he wants to enjoy it, not alone. It's nothing to him. It's an empty house to him, but it's a House of love. It's a House of joy to share.
And brethren, God's not satisfied that we should just.
No, we're saying he wants us to know the unsearchable riches of Christ, and he says keep yourselves in the love of God.
Now we can't keep ourselves from stumbling. It says he's able to keep us from stumbling. But it's to me, it's just like saying on a very cold day, oh, just keeping the sunshine. It's always bright and warm when you're in the sunshine. And here we are, brethren, in a cold world. We're in a world that Satan has done his best to keep men from knowing the love of God, the joy that God wants to bestow and the peace that he can bring. Satan's at work to try and keep people from knowing.
And after we get saved, He does His very best to keep us from enjoying our portion, But it tells us that there's joy when we walk in the truth. But then in the end of Jude, it says unto him that is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy. And I look forward to the time when his joy will anticipate any joy I've ever known down here.
When he introduces us to the Father's house.
And as we sing sometimes he who loves us leads the singing, says in the midst of the congregation, will I praise thee? And as he looks, he's not going to be disappointed with one. No, it tells us, he shall see of the travel of his soul, and shall be satisfied. Could God have done any more to display his love? Could he have done any more to display the joy that he has in US and that he wants us to?
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Joy, she is true in this world. He's given us all things richly to enjoy. Sometimes people are afraid to be saved because they're afraid they're going to have to give up something.
I often say, well, all you give up is your sins, and all that you get is nothing but joy. He's given us in this world all things richly to enjoy. When you try to enjoy the world in disobedience to your Creator, it's like a child and you give them a toy and you say, now I'll show you how you can have a lot of fun with this toy, but there is also a warning connected with it. If you don't use it the right way, it could harm you. And the child says, I don't need any of that kind of instruction. I'll use it.
The way I like the child doesn't have the joy you intended, does it? And when we use this world, when we use our bodies contrary to the will of God, why we only spoil what God intended. He gave us all this world to enjoy.
Food, sunshine, everything. We've often said why could have made all our food taste alike, but he made it differently because he wanted us to enjoy variety. Could have made the world all one color, but he gave a variety. In this world, when they discovered the planets, they don't see all those varieties. But in this world he was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and his delights were with the sons of men. Could have made food and nourish our body without giving us the enjoyment of eating it.
Hello friends, what a God. We have Lovejoy and he wants us to know these things and he wants us to look forward to that time and then he also wants us to enjoy peace. I'd like to look at a few scriptures in connection with peace.
First of all.
Just like to turn to Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis.
Chapter 1 and verse 31 and God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the 6th day. Well, I was thinking particularly in connection with peace. If you don't find peace mentioned here, but I believe it's implied. Now if you turn over with me to Luke's gospel a second chapter.
Verse 13 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly holy.
Praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to man and over to Colossians chapter 1 where we've been reading. If you notice this verse, but I just like to read it again, the 20th verse. And having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.
And then in First Corinthians 14.
1St Corinthians 14.
And verse 33.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints.
Well, when God had created everything, sin hadn't come in. It was a scene of peace, and God provided to help meet for Adam so that he could enjoy that scene where there was absolutely nothing to disturb. There wasn't anything there that he couldn't say. Well, I have to hold back on that. He could enjoy it. Of all the trees of the garden, thou mayest freely eat, but there was one that God gave to test his obedience, and that is would he recognize the rights of.
His Creator who had made everything for his good and for his happiness, well, He chose to reach out to that one forbidden thing. As someone has said, how often does 1 hidden one forbidden thing hide from our view? 1000 blessings. We go after something that's forbidden, and we just hide from our view all the good things that we can enjoy from the hand of God because we wanted one forbidden thing.
Thing it was a scene of peace and God thinking of man. I think it's so lovely. He thought of how he needed a companion to enjoy it though I traveled alone for a good many years. Beautiful things I saw didn't mean too much to me because I was alone. I felt, oh, it's not too much fun or pleasure when your partner's not alone to enjoy it with you. But when there was somebody to enjoy it with you, then it just seemed so much nicer And God said, well, I'll give him a.
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So he can enjoy what I have provided for him. But he chose to try and find peace in another way. He went after something that God had forbidden. May I say to you, dear young people, if God has forbidden anything in His word, it's because He loves you, not because He hates you. It's because He knows that that forbidden thing would not bring the happiness you expect.
How often we've experienced that we've reached out for something, we got it.
And it didn't bring what we expected. Oh, may the Lord give us to value obedience to His word. It says, if ye love me, keep my commandments. May He give us to experience this more in our lives. Well, sin did enter. Man chose to, shall I say, deserve the peace of the creation. He chose to listen to Satan and immediately the peace of the situation is spoiled.
He's driven out from the garden, driven out to toil the ground. His wife is tall. She's going to bring forth children with sorrow and thorns and thistles the earth would bring forth. Oh, how sad it was. Did God still care? Yes, O Lord Jesus bore the crown of thorns. The Lord Jesus came down and he said, I love man so much that I'll bear the crown of thorns. I'll take his.
Place so that he can be blessed. And when the Lord Jesus was born into this world, there was a multitude of the heavenly horse saying glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill to man if he disturbed the peace through his sin. Here was the one who came, the one who is the Prince of Peace, the one who alone can and will in the coming day bring peace to this world. But the world wouldn't have him.
Finally, when the Lord Jesus enters Jerusalem on his way to Calvary.
The message is peace in heaven. They wouldn't have the Prince of Peace, but peace is in heaven. He's made peace, brethren, through the blood of His cross. Does any Sinner that doesn't have peace, Peace is at God's right hand. There's a Savior, in spite of all our sin and guilt, who settled a question of sin that we might have peace, Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And he said, My peace I give unto you. He wants us to not only have.
Piece about the question of sin, but peace too, in all the circumstances of life, because absolutely nothing happens by chance in your life. And mine says about the Lord Jesus, My peace I give unto you. As the Lord Jesus walked through this world, did he face rejection? Did he face hatred? Was he hungry? Was he thirsty? Was he weary?
Yes, but he walked in peace through this world. And why? Because he said even.
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight, and next time something happens to disturb your peace and upset you, I just think the Lord says you can have peace in the midst of this. I've ordered it all. I'm planning for your blessing. And if you have failed, He's provided a way back. He says if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The psalmist could say, even though it's sin very grievously.
When he would come and confess his sin, then he says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. So here we find that He's born to this world. He brings peace. And every believer who knows the Lord Jesus the Savior has the peace with God, but we don't always have the peace of God. And I believe it's because we do not take things as from His hand when we receive them as from His hand.
Then we have peace.
In our souls, just to illustrate it by a little story I remember reading about.
A little girl and her mother was with her husband who was the captain of the ship, and they were on board this ship. And a big storm came up and the little girl was down in the room and she was asleep there when the storm came up. And the boat tossed so much she woke up. And when she woke up then she knew there was a storm because the boat was tossing so much.
Was just asked one question.
It's still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia. That thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith. So do I just like to mention the way this next phrase is in the Darby translation. Seems to me it makes it a lot clearer now the purpose of what is enjoined.
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Is love out of a pure heart?
And of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned, from which some, having swerved, have turned aside into vain jangling.
This verse strikes me very much. Here was the assembly that received the very highest truth. I believe the assembly at Ephesus received the very highest line of truth in the Bible, seated in the heavenlies in Christ. But here there were those in the assembly with all this wonderful unfolding of truth, and they were occupied with other things and the precious things of God.
They were ministering questions and bringing in a lot of things that were not for the encouragement of the Saints. And so that when people went away, they said, oh, that question wasn't answered, but there were many positive things that could have been said. It could have been happily enjoyed by the people of God. And now may I say this little word in a practical way to all of us who perhaps take part in the Assembly of God and try and help our brethren. I think this is very.
Important what it says in this fifth verse.
The purpose of what is enjoined, that is, the purpose of ministry, is 3 things here. Love out of a pure heart, of a good conscience, and of faith uncain.
I believe, brethren, that this ought to be the character of ministry. I believe that ministry ought to stir up our hearts in more affection for the Lord Jesus.
It ought to strengthen our faith.
It ought to exercise our conscience. If we have allowed anything that has hindered growth in the things of God, then I believe if each one of us were exercised, what a blessing our Bible readings would be. What a blessing our ministry meetings would be. The purpose of what is enjoying is love out of a pure heart.
A good conscience and faith unfeigned or unpretended or when we go to meetings when that purpose is in our perspective view, isn't it true that we come away and we say, oh, I got something from that and I see that there's a little hindrance I've been allowing in my life. It's not worthwhile. It's just hiding from me what God has for me to enjoy in Christ. Well, there's love, then there's joy and then there's peace and I believe we can as.
Said at the beginning, we can apply this in the three different ways individually. I just like to say in connection with law, I'm just going to quote these verses, love in an individual way. Paul enjoyed that. He said the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Isn't that beautiful? He was as an individual. You say, well, the assemblies, not all this should be well, I'm sure all of us have to hang our heads and say we've contributed to it too.
We're not perfect ourselves, but are are we coming to the meeting, brethren, and repeating this to ourselves? The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me the personal enjoyment of his life.
We have a little picture of a family love if we were to turn to Genesis 22, and there the Lord said to Abram, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest. We need to cultivate that love and affection for our children.
When you're when you're employed and with all the things that turn up in this world, it's very easy for us to forget that display of love to our children is so important, so necessary.
Really cost Abraham something because he really loved that boy. That was a family love and you read about that kind of a family. When the Lord came with the angels, that was a home of love. And they sat down and tells us about the meal that was served and how Abram pledged.
For his brother-in-law, oh so beautiful. It was a family of love. And then we see too in the assembly. If you turn over to 2nd Corinthians 13 I I just like to call attention to this.
2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 11.
Finally, my brethren, farewell. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Isn't that a nice, shall I say, recipe for an assembly? Was everything the way it should be in Coram? Well, we all know that there are a lot of sad things in Corum, but isn't it lovely that he closed the letter that way? Could have said, well, you can get all upset about things in that in your assembly. But he says, finally, my brethren, farewell, be perfect. That is, God sets before us a perfect standard. We never attain to a down here, but God never lowers the standard he never sees.
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That we should be anything less than having a perfect model before us. The Lord Jesus. Be of good comfort. Are there trials in the assembly? Be of good comfort, be of one mind. We need to the exercise about this too, brethren, to seek to go on as much as possible in oneness of mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Here we see the assembly, and it's particularly the thought of love. Then I was thinking of joy too. Paul is an individual.
In Philippians 3 he could say, I rejoice in the Lord all the way, and again I say rejoice. When he was in prison in the 16th of Acts, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. All the difficulties he went through didn't change his joy. It was in the Lord, not in his circumstances. We can't always be happy in our circumstances, but we can always have joy in the Lord.
Then in the 16th of Acts, we have a family.
The grace of God had come to that family and it tells us about that jail keeper tells us kind of a man he was before, but grace came to that household. He believed in the Lord with all his house. And what does it say? He rejoiced believing in God with all his hearts. So there was joy brought not just to an individual but to a family. And so there was joy together in that family. And then in Romans 15, I'd just like to turn to this in connection.
With collectively in regard to joy. Romans 15.
Romans 15 and verse 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope.
Through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Here we find a joy that Paul desired for the assembly at Rome.
Full joy and peace in believing and abounding in hope. He desired that there would be that joy in their midst collectively. And I just call your attention to what He said here.
I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Now I just suggest a little thought in connection with that verse.
Sometimes we might want to admonish a brother. I think it would be good if we asked ourselves the questions here, he says here.
Full of goodness.
When I go to that speak to that brother.
Does he know me as a critic, or does he know me as a person that normally shows goodness?
There's quite a difference. I'm sure you found the same. If it's a person you've shown a lot of kindness to and you go to speak to him, he's usually willing to listen because he knows you. In that character isn't this beautiful, full of all goodness and then filled with all knowledge. Sometimes we speak to people and we only know half the facts. We talk as if we knew them all, but we really don't, and we get ourselves into a lot of trouble because we take it. We act as if we knew the whole situation when we don't.
Full of all knowledge and more than that, we need to know the scriptures that we apply to the situation.
Because our opinion won't mean much unless we have the knowledge of God's Word.
We're not able to admonish one another. Next time that we want to admonish a brother or sister, let's think of those things. And I believe that it will help in the joy of the assembly. You know, just to mention, before we close piece 2, I'd like to think of what the Lord Jesus said there. My peace I give unto you in John 14. We won't turn to it. And then I will turn to a verse in Esther, because you might not all recall this.
The last chapter of Esther. Last chapter.
Of Esther and the.
Third verse, 10th chapter, and third verse. For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
I like to think of that as a family, that is the father and the mother in the family. That ought to characterize teaching the good of everybody in the family and seeking peace and blessing for them. And Mordecai had a lot of ups and downs in his life. You only have to read the book and see how conditions were in Israel. He almost got hanged on a gallows. But here we find this man now. What is he doing at the end of his life? Why he's accepted by.
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Altitude of His brethren speaking peace to all His seed. Oh, how beautiful these things are in connection with peace. And then in the assembly, let's turn to Acts 15, the 30th verse.
So when they were dismissed they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the Epistle, which, when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
A really serious matter came up there about law keeping that could have easily divided the Gentiles and the Jews.
And they didn't treat this matter lately, but in the wisdom of God and in the love of God, they sought to settle this matter in such a way that, shall I say, both sides would be happy and see that it was settled according to the mind and will of God. It was very beautiful the way they did it, because if they had settled at Antioch, the brethren at Jerusalem would have said, we don't like the way that was handled down there. So we find that they came up from Antioch and.
Talked about at Jerusalem. They considered the matter before the Lord, they brought Scripture to bear on it, and it was settled in such a way that peace was maintained between Antioch and Jerusalem. And when they came to Antioch and told what had been decided, instead of all being disturbed and upset, why there was peace, there was joy. God maintained it well. Broken. The Lord is able for these days in which we live. Let me say again.
That God is a God of love. He seeks our joy.
He seeks our peace. He's provided a way for it individually, in family life and in the assembly. Everything is going to be perfect in heaven, but He wants us to enjoy, at least in measure, what He has for us down here. He's given us directions in His Word. May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to carry them out. We'll be surprised it really works. It's God's plan. May the Lord give us grace so to do.