Address—Bill Brockmeier
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.
That's open with an old favorite 318.
318 Olam was gone. Still keep us close to thy pierced side.
Pull. I'm a godsend.
And all prepared in the sand and and he sprayed it down on the floor.
Turn first, if you would please, to Proverbs chapter 14.
Thought I had something before me and uh.
I told uh, brother Robert yesterday. I said, you know, it's on occasion. I'm sure many of us have experienced it with him. That's been on our heart, perhaps in the breaking of bread or another time. And for whatever reason, we may not have given it out and someone else has. And that's fine. It's nice to be in current thoughts with our brother. We don't have to give out every him anyway. But I said Robert, I said, it's the first time I've ever had a brother speak on what I was to speak about. I said, what are the.
Of a brother speaking about David and Akish and then speaking on, on Paul. You know how the Lord stood by him and the Lord stood with him. Those are a couple of the portions that, uh, been before me of late and I don't know if we'll get to them or not. Uh, brother encouraged me to go on with, with, uh, what I have before me. I guess what it would be is the Lord's care for us in low points in our life.
Just care for us, over us and to us. And often we feel how much depends upon us. But as you get older, we realize how much it all depends upon Him.
And I have said of late that it seems like some of my greatest answers to prayer are prayers that I've never made, perhaps because of the lack of devotedness, perhaps because of a lack of confidence in God, perhaps because of lack of love and affection for others. But I haven't had, I haven't prayed these prayers. And yet I've seen, we've seen the Lord's hand work and say my, how marvelous this has been. I could take no credit for it. We just, we just rejoice in the work of God.
And so we they like to see in the Scriptures the Lord's care for his own.
And low points in their life. And I say low points in the life because not only, shall we say, external trials, when something tragic falls upon you, it's one thing to say it's the hand of God. But you know, other low points in our life are a direct result of our unfaithfulness, of our failure and our disobedience. And you know the Lord.
00:05:13
Is there for us at the low lows, low points too, so perhaps we'll consider some of those as.
Well, but Proverbs chapter 14 and verse 10.
The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and the stranger does not intermittal with his joy.
There's certain instances in life and perhaps certain scriptures that when we we know exactly where we were when we heard the news and you know the Scripture, I know where I was and I know who brought this verse before me and stuck with me for about 40 years. I was speaking to a teenage boy.
His parents had been killed as a when he was a young boy, and we were in conversation and he quoted this first to me. The heart knows its own bitterness. And as he quoted that to me, I said.
His has been a life of bitterness that I know nothing of.
The trial, the sorrow that he's gone through, I can only observe as a bystander. I often think of that passage in Luke 23. The women that looked upon the cross, they stood afar off, beholding these things.
They couldn't really enter into all that the Lord was passing through, and often we feel that way with our dear brother and when we see them going through trial.
We're whereas it says here the heart knows its own bitterness. There's things that cannot be expressed to others. It must be born and born alone before the Lord, and a stranger does not intrimental with his joy. There are joys that only the most intimate, only the closest can share.
And so our God has to do what? This has already been brought out in the meetings very, very specifically, very individually for each one of us.
And you know, isn't that the great thing of us are being preserved in the path of faith is to stay near our blessed Lord, because as the hymn writer says, prone to wander. Lord, I feel that prone to leave the God I love. Yet I bring this up to begin with the heart nose. His own bitterness in a stranger does not intermittent with his joy says in Leviticus. I think it is think I heard you mentioned that years ago, Brother Dave. Every man knows the plague of his own heart.
And you know, we all have to deal with the flesh within.
You know, a brother said to me, as mentioned to a brother, just before the meeting, an older brother came up to me along with the Lord. Godly man, very help, loving brother. He said to me one day he said, Umm, brother Bill, he says, I believe if we stay faithful, the Lord will preserve us.
It's alright for him to say, I guess, but all I could say is, brother, I trust the Lord will preserve those that are willing to confess their own unfaithfulness. Because I can do that. I cannot claim to faithfulness.
So our God has a unique path for each one of us, and there is that intimate, that strictly individual path we have before the Lord. And so I'm just going to read a few isolated scriptures with a few thoughts, and then maybe we'll get to some more examples. That trust will be for our encouragement.
Turn again to those well known scriptures in Romans chapter 8.
Brother John read before his verse 28 in these meetings. I would like to go back to verse 26, just a second line in that verse for a contrast. It says for we know not what we should pray for as we ought verse 28 And we do or we know or what we do know.
But we do know that all things work together for good to them that love God.
To them who are the called according to his purpose, 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. And there's many things in life we come to him and just say, I, I, I don't know what to say. I I don't know what to do. I don't even know how to pray. And that's what we have in verse 20 says we know not what we should pray for as we ought. I know I have to pray.
I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to pray for in this situation.
You know, I'm so thankful for.
Brethren over the years have been a help. I was privileged to be back, uh, went with a brother back to, uh, maritime provinces all the way up to Newfoundland if I graduated from high school. And it was our privilege to stay for about a week with Cecil and Marjorie rousing. And as young men, we have our opinions. And, uh, the brother I was with said, you know, when we, uh, when we go to Turner meeting, we need a little more information if we're gonna pray intelligently.
00:10:15
And pray for someone we're going to pray about. You need some information so you can pray for them intelligently.
Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?
I still remember dear brother Cecil's comment, he said.
Yeah, she said. But there's something wonderful about just having your name brought before the throne of grace for having the names of your children just brought before the throne of grace. Our God doesn't need to be educated on the needs.
He doesn't need to be encouraged to love a little bit more and I have found that is a great. I just pass this on. Maybe it's something to encourage you. Younger ones help to me sometimes just to mention the names of my brethren before the throne of grace. Not praying for anything specifically. I don't know what to pray for even as we ought, but just to mention our brother's name before the throne of grace. Well here he says we know not what we should pray for as well, but we do know.
There's plenty that we don't know.
But there's things that we do know, and that's Christianity we know. And one of the things we know is that all things work together for good to them that love God. You say explain how it works. I can't explain how it works, but faith rests on what God has said. I will give an example of it.
Years ago our family was a bit younger and.
There's an older couple in the assembly and they brought this older sister, uh, to the, uh, assembly. I don't, I don't remember how it was they came in contact with the sister. She, umm, wasn't as old as she appeared. She was racked in pain from everything from crippling arthritis to a very bad heart, uh, ailments. And she lived a life of suffering.
We visited her in her very simple home, very modest abode.
But she was happy. I just say a little just briefly about this sister. She was saved and she told us one day. She said my mother never told me that she loved me. And she said my my siblings, they couldn't stand her. And she said I was the only one that had anything left to do with her. And if she lay on her death bed, she says all my siblings are out in the party boat. She says I was with my mother.
And she says I told her mom, I love you.
But even that did not proceed and did not produce rather a word of affection on the part of her mother tour.
She'd been married, husband had left her. You name the trial, it seemed that she had it. And so she had a bit of a Walker so she could get to the grocery store and it wasn't in the best part of town. And so that dear sister, she's on the way to the, the grocery store and a couple of thugs knock her to the ground, steal her purse, take her money and she's, uh, banged up real bad.
And, umm, we got there to the, uh, little Sunday school hour.
That the next large day and there was the older couple and that was sister Mary with two shiners. I've never seen someone too literal black eyes and had a beaming face and all I can say is God bless you Mary. And she said with a beaming face. He's conforming me more to his image every day.
That's when the abstract academic truth becomes.
Real and practical in the life we know that all things work together for good and what is the purpose of God here is that we will be conformed to the image of his son. It's a process that he's beginning even now. Turn over to another verse in Hebrews chapter 12. And as I say, I'm just reading a few isolated scriptures here for a few thoughts to begin with.
Sometimes my problem is to rush, and so I'm gonna seek not to rush, but to take the time.
That these scriptures should.
Should have wrote Hebrews chapter 12. We know this is the the great chapter of the Lord's chastening and the life of his own discipline for profit, but we'll just pick out one ver verse here, and that's verse 9. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits?
And live.
00:15:01
Hebrews was written to Jews that believe the gospel. It doesn't give us the full light of Christian teaching. And we, uh, need to understand that when we read an epistle, all the epistles do not contain the fullness of Paul's doctrine. They have a special place in them, but they, they, they don't all embrace all of Paul's teaching, which is the essence of Christianity. And so when we come to Hebrews, there's something very interesting. We don't have the truth as God is our father brought out in Hebrews.
The only time you have reference to God is Father in Hebrews is the verse I just read, and there is connected as the father of spirits. In the Old Testament we would read, and you have that in connection with the rebellion of Korah, the God of spirits. But here is the father of spirits says in Proverbs that the spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
And sometimes there's things that come in among the people of God and.
You hear an argument and you just might not be able to answer it adequately and.
But you say something's not right here, and then you say.
It's the spirit that's not right here. The spirit of The thing is wrong. There's something that work here that's not right. And so we know it. Even in the raising of children, we've had fathers of the flesh that corrected us, gave them reverence. And what is it often with the raising of children, what you're looking for? Why is there this chasing? Why is there this discipline? Well, you look for generally is the change in the spirit, isn't it?
You mean yes, you want to stop bad behavior, but all ultimately and optimally you wanna see a change in spirit?
A spirit that's of a willing a cheerful response of love and obedience. And so often on this trials that are brought in, it is the spirits that the Lord would chasten us and and work towards and how often we've been so encouraged when we see the Lord's working with his people and what is brought out in the lives of his people is just beauty.
It's just Christ that's brought out in their life and that's John 15, isn't it? The fruit bearing chapter? What's fruit? It's not activity, but fruit is.
Christ produced in our life by the Spirit for the Father's pleasure. And so we see sometimes where else we go. One of the earliest memories I had when I began to visit in some hospitals, I visited an older brother. He was battling cancer and he was not a brother that took much part of the assembly. He's showing me some kindness and I wanted to go visit that brother. And I don't remember him ever opening the Scriptures or being helped to me in this way.
So I saw him, I went to see him in the hospital there and it, uh, he did that. He did come home to his daughter's house ultimately before the Lord took him home.
But I wanted to see him as I don't know what am I going to, what am I going to say? What am I going to do going to the hospital to visit this brother. But I didn't have to say anything. I just showed up and he said, Billy, he said I have perfect piece. I have perfect piece. He's submitted to the Lord And I saw a work in his spirit that was just beautiful. And so this is what our Lord is one of the another reasons why our Lord brings trials in.
Couple more verses. Let's go back to Isaiah chapter 63.
Paragraph really begins, I think in verse 7, but we'll just read verse 9.
And all their affliction he was afflicted, And the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
I was speaking to someone on the phone and a umm, a sister and umm.
Had a, had a lot of, had a lot of trials that were going on. And I, I mentioned this, this verse and all the reflections he was afflicted and now some of the problems that she had come into.
Were of her own doing. You know, you go contrary to this book, you're gonna prove the reality of what it says. I can't go to contrary to the word of God and prosper in my soul. If I go contrary to it, it'll prove itself right time and again at my expense.
But I said, isn't this beautiful, this verse and all the reflections, he was afflicted. Why were they afflicted? Why were they going through the wilderness journey? God desired to bring them into the land. They said no. And then he said no. And they said go. And so, but everything they're supposed to do, they didn't do. And they're, they're wandering to this wilderness to 40 or 38 years. But in all their afflictions he was afflicted. And I and I said to her, I said, you know, the Lord entered into the afflictions of his people that they had brought on themselves.
00:20:08
She said that just makes me feel worse.
Mm-hmm. But that's our Lord. He enters into those sorrows, even those that we've brought in ourselves. He bare them and carry them. That sounds repetitious, doesn't it? And I, I looked at the original to try to see the distinction, and even there I, I, I not, not, not sure I've got it, but perhaps one of them has the lifting one up and then just carrying us through. But in these trials and these heartaches, the Lord enters into it.
And is with us in the trial. Uh, one more verse. Let's go back to Deuteronomy now, chapter 25.
Deuteronomy 25 and verse 17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt, how he met thee by the way, and smote the hind most of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou is faint and weary. And he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given the arrest from all thine enemies roundabout in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Possess it that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Thou shalt not forget it.
Remember what Amalek did?
He smote the hind most of thee, all that were feeble, when thou was faint and weary.
When I was a young man, there was an old brother that uh, I really took to and had some nice times of fellowship with him. And his name was AC Brown. And, uh, at the time I was in large assembly and he came in and I was sitting in the back row and Brother Brown came up to me, leaned down and said Amalek smoked the hindmost. I guess that was his word to get out of the back row and move up. But.
It stuck with me, but it's an app picture of the work of Satan. You know, there's different enemies.
In the Old Testament.
I didn't too intro and we're not gonna turn to it now. Moab is an example. We know there's different enemies, but they represent things and it says about Moab. Moab have been at ease from his youth.
He's not been emptied from vessel to vessel, therefore his scent remains in him. I'm not quoting that exactly, but the picture is this. The uh, is they would, would filter the wine in, in these vessels. They would pour it from 1 vessel to another, as I understand it, to purify it. And if it was not poured from vessel to vessel, the sediment that would accrue at the bottom of the with of the of the vessel would cause that that stench to remain in it would become strong.
And this is a mob he's never gone through.
Shall I put it this way and honest exercise?
They never even bothered about anything, not worked up about anything, just sits there.
He's been at ease from his youth.
Therefore a cent remains in him. You know the Lord would bring us porous from vessel to vessel that are sent. What we are naturally doesn't remain in is that again in the spirit of Romans 828 that he conforms us to the image of Christ, but Moab speaks of the lethargy of the flesh.
Eat them you remember, eat them, they eat them. I seesaw Jacob's brother eat them. And what was he known for? Well, do I need them? I killed what was it 80 men that wore the linen ephod priest personal enmity against the people of God. Herod of Ida Mia. He was a he was an Edomite. You know about the slaughter of the innocents those two years old and younger when Harris saw to it that he would in order to try to kill the baby Jesus that that uh that they killed. He was just just.
Enmity. And there's a book in the Bible. What's the book of Obadiah about? It's about the destruction of Edom.
And the reason is because their brother was down and out, and when he was down and out, they went after him with a vengeance. And God says that's unforgivable.
And they're gonna be cut off and they're gonna have no place in the millennial Kingdom, the personal enmity of the flesh. And it's a troubling thing if we should see such an attitude, a personal enmity against the people of God.
You know, Egypt's a type of the world and all its empty glory and so on. Jericho type of the world under the curse, City of palm trees, like a resort. But there's a curse connected with it. Well, we're not gonna go through all the enemies. But my point is that sometimes you say, well, speaks to the world or speaks of the flesh. I believe this. We can. We can.
Refine it a little bit better to get specific applications from these enemies. Now Amalek. And again, from that same AC Brown, I learned that Amalek speaks of Satan's operations on the flesh. Satan is opposed to us, but he also works in the flesh within to bring us down.
00:25:10
And Satan is a vicious and a vindictive foe.
Amalek came after the people of God, the hindmost, the weak, the feeble, the faint, the weary. My mind, I see the the Caribou purge going across the tundra in Alaska, and there's the wolves on the side that look to pick off the weak and the feeble, the easy Pickens. And that's the enemy to get us when we're down well. But our God has desires to come in and help us.
In these weak moments, whether it's because of the sorrow and trial we're going through.
Uh, or it's again something as a result of our own doing.
But uh.
I would like to go back to uh.
First Samuel. Now again, if you'll bear with me for touching just briefly on David and Akash, a little different passage than what Brother Robert brought out, but the same two individuals. First Samuel, chapter 21.
And as you're turning to this, you recall just a few chapters before David had the mighty victory over the giant Goliath. He ran to meet him, and he brought him down, and there was great victory for Israel.
But during the time of victory, sometimes other things come in. And Saul, it said he, he eyed David from that day forward, as we used to speak of it, is the green eyed monster Envy. Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous. But who is able to stand before envy? And Saul could not stand to hear David's praise. A song. I suppose it wasn't so bad when they say Saul is slain thousands, that's all right.
But to hear David as saying is 10 thousands. Those are fighting words, especially when the comparison is made against you and you're on the on the wrong end of the stick. Well, we know that David runs and not to get too deep into the chapter let's or into the story, Let's, uh, this actually occurs before the passages we have the other day for first Samuel 21.
And verse 10 David arose and fled that day for fear of salt, and went to Akish the king of Gath. And the servants of Akish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land?
Did they not shing 1 to another of him, and dances, saying, Solace slainest thousands, and David is 10 thousands. And David laid up these words in his heart, and is sore afraid of Akish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled or scratched on the doors of the gate. And let us spittle fall down upon his beard, thence it ached unto his servants. Lo, you see, this man is mad.
Wherefore then, have you brought him to me? Have I need of Mad Men?
Since you have brought this fellow to play the Mad Men in my presence, so this fellow come into my house, David. Therefore depart a fence and escaped to the gate of a dull and hold your place there, please. And let's turn to Psalm 34.
I learned when I was young that the titles of the Psalms are inspired. You know, chapters and verses aren't inspired, but the titles of the Psalms are.
Psalm 34 Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Drop down to verse six. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him. Out of all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamped the roundabout. Them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is that man that trusteth in him. Could read the whole Psalm. We don't have time to. It's a beautiful, solemn sure. Many here probably memorized it.
But I read this passage here because.
It's interesting. David's life, of course, is so interesting to consider and his successes and also his failures.
You know, day one of David's worst sins was numbering the people at the end of his, uh, the end of his end of the end of his reign. And because he numbered the people, there's no atonement connected with it was fairly something that was based on pride. And even Joab, who, uh, who was really a mother shrewd politician and even he sized up this wasn't the thing to do. He wanted, but David went ahead and said, go ahead and do it. And the Lord sent a plague because of this. And it was.
00:30:02
Many thousand people died.
But you know, we, we, we look at things often times is, we don't look upon pride perhaps as being the evil that it really is. God hates it. He hates the proud. Look, this was read to us the other day. And then of course, we know in the, in the, uh, case of Bathsheba, when, uh, David, uh.
Committed adultery with her and set up her husband Uriah. Faithful man, loyal to David. Set him up to be killed.
That perhaps is more shocking to us and perhaps is more shame connected with it, understand it, but there's a great shame connected with it. But this chapter, it's the Psalm rather this, uh, this portion here is something that you might call it more of a, an embarrassment. And what was it that led to this failure with David? It was not pride. It was not lust.
It was fear.
None of us like to be thought of as a feckless coward, but here is David. He he was in fear. He had acted for God and God had been with him in a remarkable way. But it says in verse 10, he fled that day for fear of Saul. And now he comes to find refuge in the strangest of places down in the Philistine camp. And he's brought before a kish.
And.
The service that they can say, well, isn't, isn't this David? Isn't he the one they said Saul is playing this?
Thousands. And David is 10 thousands. You know, that passage is repeated three times in David's history. I think it's very instructive because especially not that anybody here would have our younger ones that any issue with this whatsoever. But sometimes, maybe especially when we're younger, there's a desire to want to be praised or put in a very favorable light. And that sounds like music to our ears to be likened.
Their souls laying 1000. There's David with 10,000. Do you know the first time?
That was said, it resulted in Saul's enmity being directed towards David. David, because I can do without that praise because Saul was out to kill him. And now here the second time he hears it and again, it's not something pleasant. Here are these enemies of of David. They're saying to a kiss, this is David. And So what does he do? Now I'm caught, now I'm in a jam. And So what does David do?
He's resourceful, all right? He feigns himself mad. Think of the man that ran down there against the glass. Now he's against the giant Goliath. And now he's scratching on the closet, spit running down his cheek.
It says get this lunatic out of here.
You know, there's, uh, the ways of God in restoration are wonderful, though. I so encouraged with the 34th Psalm, you know, the 51St Psalm, David's or Psalm of the Psalm of repentance from the sin of the Uriah against Orion and, and Bathsheba took a little bit longer, but here this Psalm comes out of David's mouth.
Perhaps in ours, perhaps he's as he's on the run to The Cave of the Dome, and he can say I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. David, how can you say such a thing? Remember what you're doing.
8 hours ago. But as he goes through this Psalm, he refers to himself here. And I know there's a prophetic application to our Lord as well. But this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. He gives thanks to the Lord for a Psalm of his of deliverance. And he can say, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him, and you know one of the greatest works of the enemy.
Is when you have failed and.
You can take that from the whole spectrum, fail whatever the failure is, but the work of the enemy is to seek to get you, to restore your own soul. And it'll never happen. And it'll be to doubt the goodness of the Lord until you've earned it.
No, that's not grace. And so is he, David. The restoration that comes into his soul, he, he embarrassed himself in what he did. Yeah, we've done that, haven't we? And yet he's speaking about his confidence in the Lord. O taste and see that the Lord is good. And it's the work of the enemy to get us to doubt the goodness of the Lord.
Especially during times of failure.
We understand the grace of God being shown to us when we are wretched and undone as we sing as sinners, but how about when we stumbled and blown it as believers. Now the 34th Psalm, this wonderful Psalm is restored to the Lord. He says come children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord restoration. So his soul is he turns into praising the Lord despite.
00:35:21
Promptly after.
This very sad failure. Now let's go over to 1St Kings chapter.
I think it's 20.
No, in chapter 19, first Kings chapter 19 again, this is the story of Elijah we.
Marvel at this man of faith and his faithfulness to.
The people of God and faithfulness to Jehovah believe his name means whose God is Jehovah is Jehovah's their God. And the burden of Elijah was that the people of God would turn away from Baal and back to Jehovah. And it does seem in the prior chapter, in the 18th chapter, how it seemed that the people acknowledge that Jehovah's God, but it didn't stick.
Instead of Jezebel comes after him and now she's after his life.
In the first Kings chapter 19.
And they have told Jezebel versus one all that Elijah had done, and with all how he had slain all the prophets with a sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I may not, Thy life is the life of one of them by tomorrow. About this time when he saw that, he arose and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But himself when a day's journey into the wilderness.
And came and sat down under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die and said it is enough.
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him, and said in him horizon he. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake bacon with the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the Angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights into Horeb.
The mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, enlarged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said in him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel. Forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with a sword, an eye even. I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.
And he said, Go and stand upon the mount before the Lord, And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind and earthquake, but the Lord is not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, And after the fire is still small voice. And it was so. And Elijah heard that he wrapped his face in the mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering into the gate. And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou hear, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, a God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slaying thy prophets with a sword.
And I even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said in him, Go return on the way to the wilderness of Damascus. And thou comest anoint Hazel, Hazel to be king over Syria, and Jiu the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel.
In the life of the Son of Shaphat, of Abel Mahola, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that him that escape of the sort of Hazel shall Jesus lay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jesus shall Elijah slay. Yet I have left me 7000 in Israel all the needs which have not bowed into bail in every mouth which hath not kissed him.
We've often heard that in Romans Chapter 11, where.
Speaks about Elijah interceding the people of God that unlike the 11Th of Hebrews where we read of many of the Saints of God and who failed their failures aren't recorded their faith, their acts of faith are recorded with Elijah's just three verse he is mentioned in the 5th of James in a very positive light but in Romans Chapter 11 his failure is mentioned perhaps singular in this way of interceding against the people of God. You've heard that I've heard that for a long time but I will say going up I really struggle with that I really.
Gold without it just seemed like it really wasn't fair to Elijah for, uh, he was, he was singular and his unique in his testimony. And he's there standing alone looking Ahab in the eye. And when anybody else with him, even Obadiah was there is Obadiah. I'm, I'm not going to go in there. Yeah, you're going to hang me out to draw and then what am I going to do? And Elijah was very faithful.
00:40:15
But.
You know he likewise he steps in fear the man that had.
Look they have in the eye and it's faithfully stood up to the false prophets, the prophets of bail. Now he's on the run and now he's discouraged and the Lord ministers to him in tender care with the through the Angel, arise and eat. And uh, he says the journey is too great for they. The Lord does not pull back his grace to his discourage and his disheartened servant.
And then he comes to a cave and I think the imagery there is.
Very powerful, A dark damp.
Discouraging place and he goes into this cave. It's really a a mark, I believe of his state of soul. And then the Lord comes and says, what do us stop here, Elijah. Now what I find is very striking here.
Elijah had a little speech already rehearsed in his mind. He just lays it out there before the Lord. He he just out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. These are thoughts that he was having and and you know, self pity.
It's very, very destructive.
We need to acknowledge it. Some say throw yourself a pity party, but get over it. But self pity is very destructive. And and we see here with Elijah that this is he. He, he lays it out before the Lord, but I find so the Lord's dealings with the servants is so gracious and he he says go stand before the mount before the Lord and he has the wind.
Great strong wind, and then the earthquake, and then the fire, these mighty acts of nature, but the Lord is not in any of them. And after all that, those things that would, you might say, get His attention. Then there is the still small voice, I think similar to what we had before us this morning. The old I stand at the door and knock. If any man here, my knock. No, if any man hear my voice, I will open the door.
And come into him, and stop with him, and he with me.
You know, it's been noted. It says I stand at the door and knock. It's not if any man hear the knock, but if any man hear his voice.
The knock here is the wind and the fire and the earthquake. That'll get your attention, but it's just not a knock. We're listening for us. It's not a fire and wind and earthquake. It's that still small voice to have an ear to hear. He that hears my voice. This is where the instruction comes in. This brings back a good memory. I, uh, used to go down to my father occasionally some brothers that would go to the, uh, Theolaci Institute in Orange County and.
A prison. It wasn't a high security, but there was definite security. There was no really intermingling with the prisoners of them. He greeted them as they filed in and out.
And umm, Brother Ken Brummel spoke from this passage.
He said that the prisoners out one night, he said, you know, you might not get shaken up by the earthquake, you're blown over by the wind or be impressed with the fire. But he said, what do you do when you go back? You're a bunk at night and hear that still small voice that comes to you and says, I love you.
We're filing out and there's an old prisoner there. He leans over to me as we're walking out. He says that man knows how to reach these men. Yeah, there's still small voice that comes in the quiet of night and that appeals to your, to your, to your heart.
And so the Lord speaks to Elijah again. What doest thou hear, Elijah? I think this was the moment for recovery for Elijah. But no, he just defaults back into his prepared speech, word for word. Same thing. The Lord is working in grace. Do not, did not touch him and move him. And uh, effectively the Lord says, all right, Elijah, that's the way you want it. That's the way we'll go about doing it.
You're done knowing Hazel, king of Syrian, knowing Elijah, or Anoint Jihu and anoint, uh.
Elisha.
But I mentioned this here because maybe you've not heard it. I, I, I've heard this thought before, expressed that after this failure on a part of Elijah, the Lord couldn't use him anymore and therefore he had to know an Elijah, and Elijah becomes the prominent servant of the Lord.
Well, I believe here in this end of the chapter we find first of all we find we will find as you you, you read subsequent chapters as well, I believe. What's proof of Elijah's restoration? He'd never anointed Hazel. He did not anoint Jihu. The only one that he anointed was the prophet of grace.
00:45:08
Oh, I sure.
Elijah deferred to Elijah anointed the prophet of grace to follow him behind him. He would not anoint a man that would slaughter the people of God. And even when Jihu the king of Israel was anointed, it was one of the sons of the prophets that anointed him, not Elijah. And I believe this is the first mark of the restoration of Elijah. And you know something else, perhaps we can be discouraged. So I I just failed and lost and lost my way, so to speak.
You know, there was a great evil that happened.
Subsequently, and that's when Naboth, you remember who he went to sell his vineyard to Ahab, and through Jezebel's instrumentality, they set up Naboff and they take him out and stone him. They lie against him. He's died. He dies under a false charge and Ahab gets Naboff's vineyard, a great injustice, a travesty among the people of God. And these things, if we have a righteous bone in our body, we just, we just become indignant when we see these things.
We have a righteous God. He hates iniquity, He hates unrighteousness. And while we act in grace, we're not indifferent of these things. But I find so wonderful here that Ahab's got what he wanted. God's not going to let it pass. Who is he? Who is it that he's gonna raise up and send to Ahab with a message of judgment? Elijah.
And let's say it's Elijah I haven't worked for you to do. I'm gonna go back to that man, Ahab. And I love the dignity of the man. As one brother said, here's Elijah got nothing to lose. It's already lost. He's not a prophet anymore. He comes back. You know, it says the wicked flee when no man pursueth. But the righteous are bold as a line. And there's Elijah coming into the presence of Ahab and Ahab system. Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?
I love Elijah's response.
And he said, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I'm not your enemy. Your own worst enemy? No, he just says, I found me.
I'm not here to explain, I'm not here to clarify I found the and this is the message that I have for you such as the honor that God would render the name off. He sent Elijah on a special mission to deliver that message to Ahab who is slain one of the Lord's faithful servants, one of the 7000 that had not found the need to bail find subsequently as well that Elijah called fire down from heaven story that the disciples were familiar with so Elijah.
Was used in a way according to the character of his his ministry. His was more the ministry of of law and recovery to the people of God under law. But if the people needed grace, but I bring this out here because it was a low point and sometimes you go into a low point and I would say this, I take it this is a low point in service.
Throw his hands up. He just said nothing. Nothing's materializing. Well, it wasn't. So maybe the outward appearances it was, but it was not.
We've got a little time left. I'm just, umm.
I would like to.
Go to another passage.
Go to Nehemiah please. Chapter 2.
And I say this, you know, it's just wonderful to go through the Word of God. It's wonderful to read the Scriptures.
Just to read the scriptures, to enjoy them for their own sake. This is my something be more of a collective way. And, and uh, we, we do feel it in the, in the day of weakness that we're in. And Nehemiah, you know, he was the King's cup bear and his burden for what he hears about the condition of Jerusalem weighs upon him and the God in a sovereign ways works and moves and sends Nehemiah back. And I just like to bring this up now.
In the sense of disheartening days among the people of God in the collective way.
And how God would raise one up to provide encouragement at this low point.
Says in I'll just jump in at verse 10 of chapter 2 when send ballot the horror night and Tobiah the servant the Ammonite heard of it. It grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of God. You can be sure of it as soon as you have a desire to serve the Lord and help his people. The enemy is going to dispute its fleece and it says here agree them exceedingly. So I came to Jerusalem and we was there three days and I rose in the night. I and some few men with me neither told I any man what.
God had put in my heart to do with Jerusalem, neither was there any beast with me save the beast that I wrote upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well or the Jackal fountain, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates are over consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain and to the King's pool, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
00:50:16
Then when I up in the night by the broken view of the wall, and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
And the rulers knew whether I went, knew not whether I went or what I did. Neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more or approach. Then I told them, In the hand of my God which is upon me, is also the King's words that he's spoken unto me. And they said.
Let us rise up and build so they strengthen their hands for this good work.
Can't miss verse 19 Go and send Bella the horror night, until by the servant and Ammonite and yeast from the Arabian heard it. They laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you do? Will you rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, therefore we his servants will rise and build. But ye have no portion, no right nor memorial.
In Jerusalem.
So we've noted David and his personal failure, faith, lack of courage or Elijah disconsolate in the service for the Lord. And here we now have a collective view. Nehemiah comes back to Jerusalem. And uh, I would say it's been a great encouragement just having visits and observations here this last few days. It's.
It's such an encouragement to see younger brother that have a desire to go on for the Lord, raise your family for the Lord and to be a help in your local assemblies. I just say this bit of an encouragement.
Uh, we're in a different assembly at the time, but, umm, there is a sister that was, uh, in the assembly there. And, and this goes back a few years, there was many older sisters, many widows, they're all all now with the Lord And she would take her children up to make sure they greeted each of the, of the widows there.
And I commented on what it her cheerful spirit helped. She was there wasn't any other young children there. And my father just said to me, he said she just doesn't know the joy encouragement that she is to us. And you know, it's that way. Sometimes we don't adequately express the encouragement. The younger brother, Nora, they have a desire to please the Lord and serve the Lord. It's huge. It's a great encouragement to us even if we don't say it.
But do we find here that?
We live in days of reproach. We lives in, in days of, of, you know, small assemblies and, and there, there's many challenges and needs that we have, even some unique to this day. I was reading, uh, brother in the assembly and older brother loaned me this. I had never seen this before. It was a typed up pamphlet on something about the early days of the recovery of the truth, the first decade, the second day decade and so on, how the truth expanded.
There was a number of things I found very interesting, and one of them was this little excerpt from GV Wiggram.
He wrote to ministry and it may have been taken from I think volume three of his memorials of Ministry, but he made a comment. We think of a very large assemblies and assemblies up to 700 plus. He said the first three years he was in fellowship at the Lord's Table that was three where he was in the City of London. He said after a while there was six, then nine, then 15.
But he put in that little excerpt, he says I mentioned this.
To show that I am, paraphrase, very sympathetic with those who come from small assemblies. He understood what it was, what it was like, and so sometimes we perhaps compare and contrast with what might have been and what might have been maybe always wasn't necessarily what we think it was. Well, here we have a condition of Jerusalem and the reason it's in the state of destruction is God raised up the.
Nebuchadnezzar and the and the Babylonians, the Chaldeans to to destroy it. But what I find is interesting here.
A recognition of where we are. And he does that. He goes out to the valley gate, that little place, he observe it, he weighs it all, and then he comes back and reports it to the people, and he says, you see the distress, but he speaks of the hand of God that was upon him and the result of His ministry and we.
Would so desire, whatever our sphere might be, that the result of whatever our conversation might be, the result would be, the people said. Let us rise up and build.
He didn't say it, they said it.
In response to the hand of God that was upon him for good, he encouraged them and they responded in an initiative. Let's rise up and build. Oh yeah, the work of the enemy is there.
00:55:08
Yeah, they'll they'll always be. The enemy will always be nipping at our heels or worse. But we go on in this good work.
So back in, umm, little assembly in Fullerton, we just finished First and Second Timothy, and now we're in the Epistle to Titus. And I just want to pass this on for our encouragement because we say, and rightfully so, First Timothy gives us the House of God in order when things are as they should be there Brother Gordon Hill put it once, the model home. This is what the House of God should be like.
So come to Second Timothy. It's like into a great house where there's all kinds of things.
Topsy turvy, and things are not as they should be. And we read in that epistle that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. And we say things are gonna get weaker and weaker and weaker, and so on. 100 fold, 60 fold, 30 fold, and so on. It's a downward slide until the Lord comes. Umm, that's the testimony of Christendom. But this is the encouragement. I'd like to leave it when you turn to Titus.
Paul sent Titus to Creek. Why? For what reason? To set in order the things.
That were lacking.
Titus is gonna go there, that there might be improvement there. There can be.
Restoration in a collective way and in a local way. And I just mentioned that I believe in, as you and you look at the book of Titus, the principles that would help encourage and build up and strengthen us in these last days. Because we don't wanna communicate the thought that we take the broadview of Christendom's downward spiral and say therefore we must follow the same down recourse. No, you know, Mark, it says 3060 a hundredfold. For us individually, there can be growth.
Even after failure and collectively to in a local way, there can be improvement. There can be. We can, as our dear brother used to pray back home to give us the the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. So we just leave those few thoughts with you, but that we might be mindful of the Lord's care for us at all times, truly, but.
Even and especially at low points in our life.
After we failed or those things, the sorrows that our God has been pleased in His wisdom to bring into our life, that He is working towards a desired end and as hard as upon us.
I always think it's nice to sing him 23 before a conference ends, so maybe we could do that right now #23.