Address—J. Brereton
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You turn with me for a moment.
Through one verse in the 13th chapter of.
Acts Chapter 13.
And verse 36.
For David.
Asked if he had saved his own generation by the will of God.
Fell on sleep and was laid unto his father.
And star corruption.
For David asked her. She had paid his own generation by the will of God.
And then one other verse in the 24th chapter of Matthew Gospel.
Matthew, Chapter 24.
And verse 36.
But of that day and our knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
And as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark.
And knew not until the flood came and took the mall away.
So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
And then lastly in the third chapter of the 2nd epistle to Peter.
Second Peter, chapter 3.
This second epistle, beloved.
I now write unto you in both, which I stir up your pure mind by way of remembrance.
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days stoppers walking after their own lust.
And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continuously were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby the world that then was being overplayed with water perished.
But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and tradition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord. It's 1000 years and 1000 years of one day.
The Lord is not flat concerning his promise, as some men count blackness.
That is long-suffering to upward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to attention. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also in the works that are therein, shall be burned up.
Being then that all these things shall be dissolved.
Manner of persons ought you to be in all holy consultation and godliness.
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent peace, Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous. Wherefore, beloved, being that you, look for such things?
The diligence that you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless, and the count that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved Paul, brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you.
As also in all new peoples taking the exam of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood.
Which they that are unlearned and unstable, rest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
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You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest He also being LED away with the error of the wicked, all from their own said person, but growing great and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For Him the glory both now and forever. Amen. In the verse which we read firstly in Acts chapter 13.
You'll notice how it says.
In the 36th verse 4, David asked if he had served his own generation well. What we had before. The love of this afternoon is particularly for those who are young.
Purpose of this meeting is for the young people and it seemed to one's long stole and meditating a little bit about these passages that they had before us this afternoon. How fitting it is that we should comment first of all about our own generation.
We're young people. I'm speaking now to those who are the Lord. You have been placed here in this generation. And just as David served his generation by the will of God, so you and I are called upon to serve our generation by the will of God. But there are certain things that are characteristic of our generation, yours and mine, this generation in which we live.
Today, in this very day, and with your lot and my lot is passed, there are certain things that are peculiar.
To this generation, and this has a marked effect upon how we conduct ourselves.
According to what has been brought before us in the third chapter of Second Peter, what a privilege it is for you and I that belong to Christ to serve our generation according to the will of God.
But what is so special, And I trust those who are older will pardon me, putting it this way, what is so special about our generation? What's your generation and mine? What is so special about this day in which you and I live?
Oh dear young people, there is one thing that is very special about it, and that is that you and I have been privileged to live to be here, to serve our generation according to the will of God, on the very brink of the Lord's return, and on the very brink of the time when this world is to be judged in righteousness.
By that man whom he has ordained you notice how in second Peter three, in the first third verse it says, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days offers walking after their own lusts.
And saying, where is the promise of his coming? Where is the promise of his coming?
Just recently at company where I work in Cleveland, one of the vice presidents of the company sent a memorandum over to me. And this memorandum had to do with something that he never expected to see, a change of events in the company that he thought would never take place. And he put a comment on the side of the letter.
He said this is just like the second coming of the Messiah. All you know, beloved, when I read that, I couldn't help thinking of what we have right here.
In the last days suffer shall come, saying, Where is the promise of His coming?
This world likes to think that they are going to be able to go on their own way without any intervention from God at all, that the Lord is going to allow them to go on as it says in me. Matthew 24, marrying and giving in marriage, eating and drinking completely heedless.
Of the Lord's claim, and they like to think as it tells us in this.
This verse for this they willingly are ignorant of. They want to be ignorant, they want to go on in their own way and leave God claims out entirely. Well what we have before us here dear young people, seems to ones old soul is a definition or a picture of your generation and mind. This is where and when we live.
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In this day when the stompers are here, when the people are here saying where is the promise of coming? When the people Live Today in your generation and mine, the ones that you go to school with, the ones that you go to work with, the ones who are your neighbors and friends, that they want God to intervene. No, they do not. They want the world to be allowed to go on always and.
They're willingly ignorant. They don't want.
But know of what God has ahead for this world. But dear young people, you and I do know. You and I do know, because God has told us in His Word.
Clearly, so each one of us can understand those of us that belong to Christ. God has seen fit to outline His plan for us so that we do know that when our neighbors, when our souls with whom we go to school, those with whom we work, when all their plans, all their hope, their aspirations, their ambitions, everything that they hope for in the future is.
All centered down here. You and I know according to God's own Word that this is all going to disappear at this whole scene around the around. This is all going to be burned up. We know it because God has told us so in His Word. He has laid it out for a soul that we can understand.
Now the question is, how do we conduct ourselves while we wait for the Lord to take us the glory? How do we conduct ourselves knowing what is ahead for this poor world? You notice it says in the sixth verse whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished, but the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store.
Unto fire against the day of judgment and tradition of ungodly man, beloved young people.
You and I, we have had three days of precious ministry over the Word of God. We have had our hearts directed more and more towards our precious failures. It is very rare for us ever to come together, for the Lord people ever to come together, even in a reading meeting at home.
That somewhere during the 4th of the meeting, some references made to the Lord's return. Some references made to what we look forward to. The coming of the Lord Jesus will take us to glory. But the scene around us has no such hope.
Those who whom we come in contact day by day, they have no such hope. They refuse to accept the lesson that God has already recorded. In the days of Noah, here was a scene when people were living as if God had did not exist. They were conducting themselves without any reference to God at all.
And God said the flood would come, and they went on their own way just the same, and the flood came according to the word of God.
It came as God said it would. But now in this day, God has again warned faithfully to His word by the judgment is coming for this world. Judgment is coming. He is going to judge this world in righteousness. All this fair scene that we see around this is going to be utterly destroyed. And yet there are young people, men and women again, the ones that you know and I know the ones that we need day by day.
The ones that you're going to meet tomorrow when you go back to the office and go back to school, go back to business. Those very ones, they are heedless of God's faithful warning and love to their souls. They refuse to accept the solemn truth of what we have in this chapter, that this scene is all going to pass away.
In the meantime, in the meantime, dear young people, it seems to one own soul that while this is true.
While the software's are here, while there are those around us go mock and say where is the promise of His coming, and are heedless of the precious truth that God is long-suffering to us. Word not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to His country. While God in faithfulness and in love is waiting and pleading and calling, and man goes on his own way, refusing to accept.
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Lesson that God gave us in Noah and again refusing to accept the faithful morning that God gives now according to his words. This you and I now in our generation, dear young people, we're called upon in this atmosphere, in an atmosphere where the stoppers live, in an office where the scoffers exist, where there are those around us that have no love for the Lord Jesus at all and no.
Our focus is coming and refusing to accept the faithful warnings that God gives us in His Word.
It's in this atmosphere, in this game, dear young people, that you and I are called upon to serve our generation according to the will of God.
And so you notice it says, But the day of the Lord will come, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervently the earth also in the works that are therein shall be burned up. This is God solemn declaration.
This will come to pass here, young people, young Saints of God.
In our generation, how we speak and how we conduct ourselves with those who are around us, let us remember that this is the truth of God, that while the Lord Jesus has waited 2000 years, while that promised judgment has not yet fallen on the world.
We have the solemn, authoritative statement of the Word of God.
That the day of the Lord will come, That day which brings judgment to this poor benighted world, that day which ushers in all the storm of judgment that is going to fall upon this world, that day will come. And dear young people, as a child of God, God would have you and I know this truth. Believe it, accept it because God says so. This is the truth of God. It will.
According to his prom. But now for that which is particularly before one soul, you notice in the very next verse, in the 11Th verse, if we could put it this way, there, young people, this is our generation. This is the generation in which you and I live. Those ones with whom you're going to sit down at school tomorrow or next week. You look at them when you sit down with them and bear in mind that what we're reading about.
Chapter What we're reading about this solemn storm of judgment is coming from this world. You look into their faces tomorrow and realize that according to God's own word, it is very likely that those very young people, those very fool come to yours will please take place in their generation. This is when we live. This is when we're called upon to be a testimony for the Lord in.
As this storm of judgment is just waiting to break over those who are around, well, God says here, seeing them, that all these things shall be dissolved.
What manner of person ought we need to be in all holy conversation, and gotten all dear young people, dear young Saints of God, with this solemn, solemn truth, with the solemn realization?
That this world in which you and I live, that our generation is hasting on towards judgment, hastening on toward a scene of God's awful, righteous judgment against him. This generation, those whom you know and I know, this is what is before them.
How are we the conductor in town? How are we dear young people, to conduct ourselves? Are we to conduct ourselves at the office? Are we going to go along with those in their ways? Are we going to mix with them as if it didn't matter very much what we did or what they did? Are we going to take the stand that we are in this world?
And so we have to get along as best we can.
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Oh, I've heard that said problem. You have to. And we're in this world and we have to get through it the best way we can. Don't we just go along with the proud? No, dear young Saints of God, in, in view of what this generation has before them, in view of the solemn judgments that are going to fall upon those who are around us. Oh, May God give you and I the great.
The courage, the grace, and the wisdom, and the subjection to his precious words to serve our generation by the will of God. And as it says here to carry on, it says, what manner persons ought you to be in all holy conversation. And Goddess, you'll notice if we go through this chapter, if we have time.
That this expression, seeing them or seeing that appears three times in this chapter.
It seems to me that there's a slightly different emphasis or different point each time here. In this first point, it has to do with those who are around it in all holy conversation and godliness in our contact with those other young people with whom we come in contact.
All dear young Saints of God, are there, those that you and I know, those who are near to us, those whom we come in contact with. And we know that this solemn truth that we have in this chapter is God's word. And we haven't told them. We haven't told them. We haven't told those who are around us about what lies ahead.
Have we given them the faithful warnings that God has revealed to us in His precious words?
This knowledge that He has given to you, dear young St. of God, is precious. He would have you to know what His purposes and plans are, but He is also responsibility for His people to remember that if we serve our generation according to the will of God, may we have grace from Himself to warn that generation of this solemn storm of judgment that lies ahead.
For those that live without Christ. For those.
Who refused to acknowledge the faithful warnings of the Word of God. Seeing then that these things will come to pass, that we know this to be the truth of God, since we know it. May, brethren, you and I, and I say this particular to myself, may we have grace from him, from the Lord Himself, to serve our generation according to the will of God.
And to conduct ourselves with holy conversational godliness.
That those who are around us might know that we know there is a difference between the saved and the young trees, but there is a difference between those who know the more that are looking forward to the glory and this poor world and is pasting on to this very day that we've been reading of the day of the Lord. You notice how it says looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.
In the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, the elements shall melt with fervent peace. Nevertheless we, according to its promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein while its righteousness. I wonder, my friends, and I say this to myself particularly.
Do your thumbs at school, the ones with whom you work, those who are at this office with you, your neighbors and friends and my neighbors, the people that I come in contact with, do they know that I'm looking for a new heaven?
And in Newark, wherein dwells like, Oh dear young Saints of God forsaken, the enemy of your soul and mind is so successful in getting our hearts and our ambitions and our hope all centered in something that is going to be dissolved, something that's going to disappear. We can get we get our eyes off Christ. We can get ourselves so occupied with things down here.
Especially when we're young.
All we see is right from the very time the children start the school, how everything that the world tells them is to get their thoughts and their hearts and their hopes and their ambitions all centered down here. And God says it's all going to be the God. It's all going to disappear. It's all going to be removed. And we look for a new heaven and a newer.
Wherein wall of life still young people? Is this what they look for?
Is this what you and I are looking for? Is this what we're looking forward to, or are we looking for something down here? Are we looking for a better house, a better job? Oh, there's one of the mayors of the level, if there ever was one. A better job, be able to make a little bit more money, be able to have a few more of the luxuries of life as they speak to them.
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Without stopping to weigh how much those luxury costs and the enjoyment of the Lord and in devotional tremendous dear young people, what we had before here is.
That if this is what we're looking for. We say that you're longing to be Lord something we speak of the new heavens and the new earth were indwelled like this. But how it goes around those who immune to young people and I our own generation. How did they see it going on? You know you'll hear the world pretty well.
It's all right when you're older. It's all right when you're old and you're tired. And it's all right then to be thinking about eternity and thinking about what comes after death.
But when you're young, when you've got the world before you, when you've got everything to live for, you ever heard this said you're young people, everything to live for? Of this, what we have here in this chapter is what this world has to look forward to according to the word of God.
According to the word of God. And when God warns them that this is what's coming, I refuse to listen. Just if he warned when the flood was coming and they received. But you and I know it to be the truth. You and I know that this is lost now it says, nevertheless, we according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein? Well, it's like this. Wherefore, beloved?
Being that he looked for thee.
Be diligent that you may be found of sin in peace without spot influence.
Oh, it seems to one's own soul one's neither qualified nor who has led to try to give an exposition of this chapter, but it seems to one's own soul here that we have that with traps which speak to us of our own personal walk, and we might be found of him in peace without spot complaining. We have that knowing that all these things will take place.
And we might be those who are characterized by holy conversation in God's and now, since we look for the new heavens of the new earth.
We own by our confessions for young people, since we own by our confession that we don't belong to this earth at all, that we belong to glory, that we're waiting and longing for the Lord to turn. Since we look for a new heavens and a new earth and have nothing to be attached to down here because it's all going to be resolved. All this is what we speak of.
Made love of those who are coming to come in contact with.
May they see in our own personal watch that we're walking to plead the law that we might be found of him or dear young people found of him. May you and I remember that little clause found of him. You know, I remember a a brother who cleared this afternoon making a comment years ago that I'd never forgotten. He said when a brother gets out of community, when a brother gets away from the Lord and he wants.
Do something and he's got a bad conscience about it. The first thing he does is he goes around to try and find some other brother who will tell him it's OK, He'll hunt until he finds some brother that says that's okay, there's nothing wrong with it. And then he feels to leave so that he can do it. But this says that we might be found of him, of him always in that crisis, and we might be found of him.
In peace, without spot and blank, even when our brethren don't see even what goes around and outside don't see it all.
Old brother, brethren, we know these things. We look for a new heavens and a new earth. We don't speak, but we shouldn't speak something down here. We long for the larger time. We know what the head for the store, the nighted world. But oh, may you and I again, may I, and may you and I both, in serving our generation according to the will of God.
May you and I have grace to be found of Him, Found of him, beloved, the young people found of him. Don't be concerned if the other young people don't see it the same way you do.
Must be found of Him. Let before the Lord about your own pathways, about what you're going on with and what I'm going on with. May we be for the Lord individually as to our own pathways, and we might be found of Him without spot at speech and plan. The 15th was an account that the long-suffering our law of our Lord is salvation.
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Even as our beloved Paul, brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him.
Written on TV all brethren, I tell you I enjoyed this verse. You know that's how in the in the ninth group it says the Lord is not black concerning his promises. Some men count blackness, but it is long-suffering to us not willing that any should cherish, but that all should come to the temple for now, you and I.
In serving our generation, we look for the Lord to come. We look for the Lord to take us out of the sea. They look for that judgment that we know is going to come upon this world.
After were taken home the boy, but let us account the long substance of God. Let us account the long-suffering of our Lord and sounded brethren, it's a wonderful thing for you and I as Christians to look forward to the Lord coming so long for his coming day by day to get up each morning with the realization that perhaps today that this will be the day when the Lord but if the Lord.
If the Lord chooses to wait yet seven days more, if the Lord chooses to wait for just another seven days, that those who are still heedless to his warnings might be warned again, might be given another invitation, might be entreated again to come and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. All beloved, may you and I have.
Common thoughts, as it were.
God about this delay that we might have counted long-suffering of salvation that we might not think of it. Remember how it says about the wicked servant. He says so my Lord delay us is coming. Oh dear Saints of God as the if the Lord does carry and the Lord has waited many years now many many years. We believe you and I I'm sure if I took anyone in this company that belongs to Christ.
Would agree that his coming is near. His coming is eminent. Our brother Bill used to say he's coming in imminent. But in the meantime, may we have the greatest to enter into God's thoughts about this waiting time. At this long-suffering means salvation. He is not flat concerning his promise or he is waiting.
Not willing that any.
Should come to attention.
Why you notice in the 17th verse? We therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things. First of all, it said seeing that all these things shall be dissolved and then indeed what 14 first feeling that you look for section now it says in the 17th, 1St year. Therefore, beloved, do you know these things? People in the 16th verse perhaps I skipped over that.
As also in all his official, his officials speaking in demo things in which are some things hard to be understood.
Which they that are unworn and unstable, rest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved me, know these things before all the faithfulness of our God and Father, to warn us that these things happen to our young people, while the Lord carries, while He waits, while that storm of judgment is suspended over this generation in which you and I live.
This generation that we're called upon to serve.
The danger is that there are both who rise up to restrictive and pride lean others away. And there's a danger for the young Saints of God that being LED away to of being LED away to by those who would restrictions to their own destruction of their young people if they're waiting.
For the Lord, if we're longing for His coming, and if we're willing and ready to serve our generation according to the will of God. And what we have in the last verse is that which should occupy our hearts until He comes in. Notice our time is gone.
But in the last verse, but growing grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all dear young people. I tell you it fills my heart and I know it thrills many of the Lords people here. It's these young people coming to these meetings.
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To see young people sitting in the reading meetings where the truth of God is ministered, where the Spirit of God is free to take His truth and minister to us that we might grow in great and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
For young people today, in the world in which you and I live, everyone is speaking after knowledge. Oh, I don't believe it's ever been a day when knowledge has been put on such a pinnacle as it is today. Right in the office where I work, there are dozens of people that are already working in such good jobs, and they're studying as hard as they can to get more knowledge, to gain more education, to learn more.
Dear young people, this is a generation that you and I live, but generation that has exalted the God of knowledge. But you and I would go on to the law and knowledge that we want to grow in is the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Peace all, beloved. We will find it only in His word. We will find it and only being occupied with the one who loved us and died for the one who is.
You're finished, the one who has saved you and I, the one who loved being occupied with Him. Searching this book from cover to cover to find more about Jesus, more about our classic Savior, more of his ways, more of His purposes, more of His glory. It's all here for sure, young people. And the more we're occupied with Him, the more we're going to be kept from all the players around.
But maybe just go back over this chapter for just one moment before we close.
The burden was upon one's own heart and for one's own walking ways is that we have been put in this world. To the young people who have been put here in the year 1964, in Toronto or in Cleveland. Orange is some little place, some little meeting or some live meeting, but you can put there to serve your generation according to the will of God. And may you and I have breaking the Lord.
Knowing this generation would be laid.
Knowing that this poor world and our generation all around us is hasting on to this terrible being, may you and I have grace from the Lord they young people, to serve our generation according to the will of God. But since we know these things are going to happen, since God says we know them.
May that holy concentration in Godman do that which others see if we look for the new heavens and a new earth. May there be that in our personal walk before the Lord, and we might be found of Him, dear young people, without spot and blame, and while we know that there are those around us who would rest disrepute in our own destruction.
May you and I be kept here, young Saints of God.
Growing in great and in the knowledge of our Lord and Spirit. Or I couldn't help thinking as I was meditating on this chapter, how the difference between the elements which will melt with fermenting and all these things will be resolved, and the precious failure who is the same yesterday and today and forever.
You know, I was thinking, thinking about some of the things that go on at school.
A child goes to school and spends 2 years learning something to school. This is a doctor, for instance. They'll go to college and he'll learn 234 years. This is the way to do this realistic. And by the time he's out of college, it's all changed. Is something new, something different. They don't use that thing at all anymore.
This is what happens to man's knowledge, and it's all going to end up in this whole scene is all. But there is a knowledge that will last for all eternity. The one whom we know and love, the love of young people, our own precious Savior, the one who's the same yesterday and today and forever. And may you and I have the grace just to speak day by day to grow indeed.
And the knowledge of our long agent.