The Present Testimony

Exodus 15:1
Address—D. Bilisoly
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Exodus 15.
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord.
And spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become.
My salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare him in habitation. My Father's God, and I will exalt him.
Well, you know dear ones here.
We've had before us in these meetings.
This question of salvation, indeed the Lord is our salvation, the captain of our salvation. You certainly see a song of real triumph here in connection with this Red Sea crossing. And it says that then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song it was.
Entered into corporately and it was a song of great victory. That's obvious.
And the Lord gets the glory in connection with it. But now, you know, we're not living in days like this. We're living more in the days of Judges chapter 3. Can we just turn over to the book of Judges in Judges chapter 4 rather?
We have then this question of the failure of Israel as was brought out in our brothers address, and we see how that God.
Had to use a woman in the case of Deborah here in verse four to stir up the leaders in Israel. Well, whatever means the Lord may use, we certainly need to be exercised by it. And in a day of weakness like this, where there may be a godly sister with a burden on her heart, we should have a ready ear to hear what message the Lord may have for us even through.
A dear sister, but of course we notice the caution.
She didn't want to go out of her place. We see rather that she she dwells in the cottage, or rather she's in her place and they come to her.
And so we see that in his weakness Barrack does not want to go out into the battle alone. And she warns him, she says, the honor will not be to thyself in verse 9. But still God gives them a mighty victory. And we see too that an enemy arises against them that we would have thought was a defeated foe.
The names are the same and.
The connection is the same, it seems, in the book of Joshua. It's the same name, Jabin. It's the same place, Canaan. And why is it that this is rising up again? Well, it's like something that was not really judged. And then it comes back again, as we might say. It rears its ugly head. And so we see that this rises up against them.
But God in his great mercy, when they cry to him, independence.
He gives them deliverance. He gives them deliverance. And so we see in the beginning of chapter 5 the singing of the song of triumph. But you know, beloved brethren.
It is not all the people that are singing.
But we see that there are only two people singing. Doesn't that figure to us the day in which we live, a day of small things? Does God value that testimony even though it's true? Indeed he does. He values the testimony of even 2 and, you know, especially where we're from in the Northeast.
There are a good number of small assemblies, not very large.
Small assemblies and a short while ago two brothers were moved circumstantially.
To a city while it was in true Nova Scotia and it became very difficult for them to come in during the winter time with their families.
And it became especially difficulty, difficult when this one family.
Had twins and so they were really before the Lord. What they should do?
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About it. They were going 60 miles into Stellarton, so they were much before the Lord, and the Lord encouraged them to go ahead in his strength and to establish the testimony in Truro. Well, you know, the Lord showed His approval right away. Just there were only two brothers to carry the responsibility, but the Lord showed his approval.
And immediately he raised up another family.
And gave them that kind of encouragement. Oh beloved brethren, I think the Lord greatly values.
The little testimony hold your place and notice in.
Haggai in Haggai, chapter 2.
There's one verse I want you to notice.
Verse eight of Haggai, chapter 2.
The silver is mine.
And the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. It almost seems as though it's out of its context. We notice verses like that in parts of the Word of God that would almost seem as though they were out of their context. There's a verse like that in the middle of Luke 16. But here, what is it all about? Well, to my heart it says this, that God knows all about values.
We don't need to tell him about values.
They had lost heart in the value of a present testimony, as we have brought out here in Haggai, but we noticed in chapter one that the Lord tells them.
To go up to the mountain in verse eight of chapter one and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. He knows the value of the present testimony and he wanted them to understand that it was that which would glorify Him and that which he could take pleasure in. And we need to realize that ourselves, Brother, I'm sure that there's many here that will be going back to small.
Gatherings. Now, you know, when we're together in such a large number as this, we can enjoy the singing of the hymns. We can think a little more of the triumph of what we had in Exodus 15. But then we have to go back to the little assembly. So few and in number. But the Lord is just as much there as He is here. That's the wonderful thing to consider.