Address—C.E. Little
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First of all, I'd like to turn to a verse in the book of Proverbs I've been enjoying.
In my own soul, what our brethren have been bringing before us concerning the four anchors.
And the seven things brought before us.
We just look at Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 21 and we read these words.
My son.
Fear thou the Lord.
And the king.
And I want to call attention to the end of this verse.
And meddle not.
With them that are given to change.
Thinking in the address to the young.
You know, each one of us are children of God, some young, some are young, some are older.
And the attitude in Christendom today, and I'm afraid sometimes in our.
Little gatherings of the twos and threes.
There is a seeking for something new.
Some change must be made in order to go on in our modern.
They shall we say.
Beloved brethren.
This is not necessary. We have the word of God.
And so the warning is given here in the book of Proverbs, and it's a very interesting book. I'm sure you're all aware of the fact that there are 21 Chapters in this book and there's one for each day of the month.
We've suggested to read a chapter, read a proverb each day, very simply done by reading on the first day or today is the is it the second day? Read the 2nd proverb and God has something in it for you.
But further, I was thinking in the epistle to Peter that our beloved brother has just brought before us those seven things. I like to go back there into that first, second Peter chapter, one a little further down in the chapter.
And.
Read verse 12 Wherefore.
I will not be negligent.
To put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present truth, not something new.
Not some innovation, not some change.
But in the present truth, what is the present truth? I believe that our brethren have bringing it, been bringing it before us, the present truth, that which God has revealed.
In his word for us for the very day that we're living in right now, not tomorrow, but today. So Peters exhortation here.
To be established in the present truth, verse 13. Yeah, though I think it meet or fit, as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance.
Verse 15. Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able after my decease.
To have these things always in remembrance. Isn't this blessed? God has not given us some new thing. He wants to establish us in the present truth. Peter had brought these things before them, as our brother has said in his restored life. Now he wrote an epistle. He wrote 2 epistles.
And brings truth before them of course again.
Paul's truth rises above, but Peter brings before us.
The things that are needed for our pathway. Now a Peters ministry takes us through this world and points us to that inheritance up there on high. And so we need the ministry of Peter, but it's a it's ministry that he says you already know, but I want you to remember. I want to bring it to your remembrance.
00:05:02
And you know, beloved brethren, in order to remember.
Something.
The thought of remembrance brings before something that we've already learned, something that we presently know. And so Peter's ministry is brings us before us. He says. I will put you not be negligent, negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things.
And so when we've had the thought of remembrance, isn't it true to that as we remember the blessed Savior in his death?
That thought is remembrance, isn't it? We look back at Calvary's cross and we see that Blessed One who bore the judgment for us. We remember him as he was there. We know he's glorified now at God's right hand. He's seated on the Father's throne, awaiting the moment when he will come to take his own throne and share that throne with his own beloved Saints. But how precious to know that.
He says remembrance. That is, we go back in our memory, and we remember him as he was here, that man that hung up on Calvary's cross, with those blessed hands nailed there, and his head crowned the thorns. We remember him in those hours of darkness, though we can't penetrate them. But here Peter wants us to be established in the present truth.
Remember, he says.
The things though, ye know them now. I'm sure there isn't one in this audience.
That hasn't heard all of these things before. We've all heard them over many, many, many years.
But how much of it do we remember? God would have us to be established in this.
Not just to.
Well, we're gathered to the Lord's name, to the name of the Lord Jesus, and this is a different day than it was when the church was born on the day of Pentecost, as we've had in Acts chapter two. Different today we need to.
In inject some new ideas, some new forms or ceremonies, something else to excite more well, the apostle Peter says.
I will put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them.
It isn't something new He's bringing out. He wants to tell us of the old, old paths, the old truth, and be established in that. What is it to be established? Stand firm in that which we know to be the truth of God. Not new things, not ideas, not innovations, not thoughts of our own.
You know man's thoughts. Our thoughts are not his thoughts.
And neither are his thoughts our thoughts. But I thought, how precious it is that our brethren bringing before us those anchors that are so necessary for us to anchor us and fasten us in the truth, Not anchored in some tossed area, but anchored firmly in the truth of God.
And so here he says, though ye know these things.
And be established in the present truth. And so Peter was on his way. He was leaving, he was going to leave this world. And he says here, yeah, I think it in verse 13. As long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. We need to be stirred up as to the truth of God. Does it mean anything to us?
Is there anyone here who is just sort of drifting along and saying, well, if I go to the meetings, that's perhaps?
A good place to go and there's there's quietness there and so on. But does it mean anything to you? Have you been stirred up?
As to know personally contact with the blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus, to whom we are gathered.
That one Peter could say to to whom shall we go? It was the person of Christ, wasn't it? He was gathered to him and so with us and put you in remembrance and stir you up. And then he says in verse 15, well, 14 tells us that he must shortly put off. I must put off my Tabernacle, even as the Lord Jesus has showed me.
We know how the death was before him, that is his leaving this scene, his deceased.
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Verse.
Well, verse 15 moreover.
I will endeavor that she may be able, after my deceased, to have these things always in remembrance. Isn't that blessed after my decease? Peter has been long gone. The apostles and many of our beloved brethren have been long gone. But what was the truth? What was, what were the things that they brought before us?
All the truth of God, that which was basic, which was fundamental.
Which was necessary to keep us in the place that God has chosen. The Lord has chosen to place His name there. If you carefully read through the book of Deuteronomy, you will find that over 21 Times in that book, the name the place the Lord says in the place where I have chosen to place my name there. This beloved brother is present truth.
Not some new idea, but something that Peter would keep before us.
And again, Peter didn't take us as far as Paul did. Paul takes us right into the glory, doesn't he? Peter takes us up to that and says, you have an inheritance. It's undefiled that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you. But while we're here, we need to be established now in the present truth, that which God has given us.
Not what we think.
Not what others think, not what we read on some of these book stands. We need to read ministry.
Of those gathered together unto the precious name of the Lord Jesus, we need ministry. We need the ministry of the Apostle Paul and Peter and those in our early days who walked in the path.
And walked in the enjoyment of the present truth. And so we find here we just like to refer in closing to a verse over in Jeremiah.
Chapter 6.
Jeremiah and verse 16. Now I'm not seeking to.
Bring something that you haven't heard before. These are all truths.
And that's the old established word of God, isn't it? And so in Jeremiah 6, verse 16, thus saith the Lord.
Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths.
Where is the good way? And walk therein, and you shall find rest for your souls.
Well, I'm not going to read the end of that verse just now, but isn't it? Isn't this lovely? The Lord says, this is Jehovah here saying, stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths. Wherein is the good way? This is God's way.
Their old paths and their established paths. And it says and walk therein, I believe, beloved brethren, again repeating.
Walk is very, very important.
You know we have much in our heads, we know many things, we know many doctrines. But what is our walk? Does it comport with that which we know?
Well, here, he says, walk therein, walk in the old paths.
And it says, And ye shall find rest for your souls. You know, I have found this in my experience, and you perhaps have too, that those who are seeking some new thing or seeking to inject some new idea.
Their restless souls. They're not happy, they're restless.
But if we rest in the old paths and the truth of God and the good way, we find rest.
It's peace and rest for the soul. We're resting in the truth of God, in that which God has established. For just in closing we see here, but they said we will not walk therein. This is a sad, sorrowful statement.
Oh, I just pray that there isn't one here today that would have that thought.
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We will not walk. We want something different, we want something new. We want to change.
All, beloved, God's Word will never change. And all the unbelief.
And all the ideas of men will never change the truth of this precious book. It remains intact, it remains firm, it remains sure, it remains solid. And so how lovely it is to be able to follow the injunctions, as we have in Peter, to remember the old paths.
To stand in the good way and to walk therein.
Well, I'm sure that no one is unfamiliar with the truth of God here.
So we can stand in the ways that which is the good way and walk therein. And you know what happens? We're in a path then that pleases God. Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him. Then we read he had this testimony that he pleased God. He didn't walk in some new ideas.
He walked in the old ways, and this is what God wants.
For each one of us.