Address—E. Pilkington
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The light turns in this afternoon to the 12Th chapter of the Book of Hebrews.
Hebrews, chapter 12.
Wherefore.
Seeing we also are compassed about.
It was so great, a cloud of witnesses.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin with us so easily be sent us.
And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Or the faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endure the cross.
Despise in the shade and is sat down at the right hand.
Of the throne of God.
Or consider him.
That endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.
Lest she be wearied and faint in your mind.
We have here, beloved, this afternoon.
I believe the Christian race spoken of.
And in this first verse we have the cloud of witnesses mentioned, and these cloud of witnesses are those that we have in the 11Th chapter, men of faith.
And it is encouraging as we think of these names that are mentioned here in the 11Th chapter. I believe we have the names of 16 mentioned beside many others.
And it is a source of encouragement to me.
That the Lord knows all about each one of us.
And he knew all about those dear Old Testament Saints. And here in his.
Word here in the 11Th of Hebrews we don't get their failures mentioned at all.
No, we get the record that they were men of faith.
And as we think of the lives of those mentioned in the 11Th chapter, perhaps we might be familiar with some failure in their life.
Why has God been pleased to give us a record of their failure?
All, beloved, I believe so you and I might not get discouraged.
All as I think of David.
And as we think of his life, there are many failures in his life.
That all the word of God has been pleased to tell us that David was a man after God's own heart.
Also, David could say in the 23rd Psalm he restoreth my soul. Well, we have a Christian race and you know, if there's something between your soul and the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a hindrance.
That will hinder you and running the Christian race that we have brought before us here. And so the apostle brings before us these cloud of witnesses.
And he doesn't occupy us with their failures, but know with their faith. And so it speaks whose faith follow.
I know as a young man.
And I think I can speak for others.
As I look back over my life, there are some things that I'm thankful are not recorded on this wall for you to to read.
Yes, God has a record of them.
But I'm thankful he has hidden that record from each one in this company tonight.
This afternoon, and I'm sure that many others can say the same thing.
Oh, it's only by the grace of God.
We're here this afternoon.
And as we think of our past life, oh, is it nice to know that the Lord has been patient with us all. He's been so patient. From the day that He saved us to this very present day, He's been patient with us.
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And so we have the Christian race, and one of the things that would hinder anyone of us from running the race for the glory of God is impatient with others.
I think of.
Some at this present time.
Who have been very critical of others.
Who have been so quick?
To point out failure in others, impatience, and so on.
This afternoon, they're not here.
This afternoon they are not walking and communing with the Lord.
There are those things in their lives, and I believe they love young people. Let us be so careful to set a wife before our lips. Let us be so careful that what we say, we say and love one toward another.
I think of a dear brother who is not here.
And he got his eye on some of his brethren.
And this afternoon, he is an unhappy brother.
And so he has a weight.
He has a hindrance in his life that is a hindrance to him running a race.
And the apostle says, here let us lay aside every weight, and the sin of the death so easy be set up.
It centers in these few verses. I believe we get the hands mentioned and we also get.
Our feet.
We also get our eyes and our whole spirit and body in these few verses.
And without these five things, we certainly cannot run successfully the race set before us.
As I think awakes what is awake.
Our weight is anything that you and I allow in our lives that would hinder us from running the race.
Anything that we allow in our lives that would hinder us from pleasing the Lord and doing those things that would honor His name.
And our weight may not be asset.
Some of us know something about having weight. As a young man, I I had some weights and I thank God for the day He gave me grace to lay aside those weights because they were a hindrance to me.
And so I repeat, a weight may not be a sin.
But if you persist.
Or I persist and carrying those weights.
It may lead us into sin.
And.
The result is loss of communion with the Lord.
I'm thankful this afternoon to see so many young people here, and children too, and older ones.
How good of God to give us this praise of being together.
You know, in the second chapter of Acts, it tells us all that believe we're together.
Yes, the early Christians who believe they were together.
And how sweet it is to be together here. But you know, we have an adversary who is called the devil, and that adversary that we have is also called the God of this world.
And as such, He does control those things around us that we see with our eyes and which we hear with our ears.
And you know, he can use those things that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. He can use those things to be awake to each one of us, to hinder us.
Not only in reading the Word, but in walking in obedience to it.
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Now here we have our hands mentioned, I believe. Let us lay aside every week all the folly to think that anyone would run a natural race with lakes. You know, there are many races today, and some of us when we were young, perhaps we we entered many races.
But too long ago we had a Sunday school picnic and there were some races.
And.
You know, I noticed that.
Some of the young parents.
They had their little ones and they were given a few lessons and running.
And one of the last thing was to keep their eye, look at the head and to look at the end of the race. There was a rope at the end. That race wasn't going to go on and on and on. You know, little ones can't run too far. And so the distance was just a little shorter for them and.
All these dear parents, you know, they they wanted their children to come in first.
They wanted them to get a prize.
And they them had before them all the desire to come in first to get the prize.
Well, if you're going to win a race, run a successful, you must.
Have your eye fixed on the goal, the end of the course.
This afternoon.
I think of some who has started out in the Christian race so successfully all they seem to be making so much progress.
And perhaps there may be some here this afternoon that have made progress.
Oh, there was that time when you were making the excellent progress.
But little by little.
That progress was hindered by something.
Allowed in your life?
And it was such a weight that it hindered you.
In running the race, it hindered you and pleasing the Lord.
Oh, beloved.
How important, then, to lay aside every weight? Every weight?
And the sin that does so easy beset us. I'd like to repeat this again.
I'll wait. May not be a set.
But if you persist.
And carry that weight.
Knowing that the word of God.
Condemns what you are doing.
And alone in your life.
I want to say this.
It might lead you into sin all. Let's be careful.
And so the Lord wants us to run successfully for Him.
And coming here on our travels, we saw.
A couple young men and they were running along the road.
And they were running together. They were trying to outrun the other. They were running and they were running together. And as they ran, I noticed that they were talking together too. Oh, isn't that lovely? Yes. Isn't it lovely to run the Christian race and to have fellows at one with another?
Oh, this is what gives us strength to run the race.
Think of one this afternoon.
Who got on a self willed path?
And on that path.
You know what happened.
He lost the fellowship of other Christians.
He lost the fallacy of his brethren.
And that path he'd get on led him away further and further.
And today?
Is alone, is a Christian, but he's alone. He has no fellowship.
No fellowship. Oh, the sweetest thing on earth, beloved, this fellowship. And we appreciate the fellowship here this afternoon. But you know, we're going to leave this building. We're going to leave this place of blessing, this place of fellowship we've enjoyed. Yes, we're going to leave. Some have already left.
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Others may be leaving today and others tomorrow.
How about it? Are you going to have fellowship?
With God's people, With those who walk in obedience, the Word of God.
Are you going to have fellowship with them?
Or is your fellow she doesn't come to an end when you leave this place. Oh, I want to say this. Satan wants to hinder you and I from heaven fellowship. But all fellowship is so sweet and it's a source of strength, and it will help us to run the race. And so let us lay aside every weight and the sin with us so easy beset us, and let us run with.
That is set before us.
He knows that word patience. Let us run with patience.
Oh, we think of some who have been in this race or many, many years.
I think of an old brother I visited not too long ago. He's been on the race course for many, many years, much longer than I.
And so there are many who are older than we are this afternoon who have been on this racecourse for many, many years.
Oh, isn't that sweet? He says. Here, let us run with patience. We've had the hope of the Lord's coming brought before us.
And I am sure this afternoon there isn't one here who really loves the Lord Jesus in your heart.
If the truth was to come out.
Oh.
I'm sure we all will be so glad when the Lord comes. But I want to say this.
When the Lord comes, we're going to be caught up.
The race will be over.
The only time you and I have to run the race.
Set before us for the Lord's glory is now this very present. Now let us run with peace in the race that is set before us.
Sometimes we see.
Young people running a race.
And.
All of a sudden they some drop out.
They drop up, they get discouraged. They've been lagging behind.
What caused them to lag behind?
Ah, beloved, there was some cause behind it all.
That caused him to lag behind, and when they lag behind, why they didn't have the fellowship of those who were ahead.
Perhaps you might just notice.
Let's turn to 1St Corinthians 9. We'll turn back to our chapter, but.
First Corinthians, Chapter 9.
And the apostle here are speaking.
Let's read from verse 24.
Know you not that they which run in a race run all?
But one receiveth a price, so run that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is tempered in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown. But we an incorruptible I therefore so run not as uncertainly, so fight I. That is one that feedeth the air.
That I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest I by any means, when I preach to others, I myself should be a castaway or reprobate.
Well, I believe this is a verse that would exercise each one here this afternoon.
Because perhaps there may be some in this company.
Who perhaps may break bread?
But perhaps in your heart, you really are not safe.
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Perhaps you can stand on the corner and preach the gospel.
And yet not safe.
Oh, if there's one here like that this afternoon, may I urge you and love for your soul.
Oh, get on the friends of God. Yes, get in the presence of God. It is possible.
As it were, as the apostle says, beyond the race.
And so the apostle says, run that you may obtain.
Well, we know in a natural race there is a prize at the end of it.
And that's why people today under a race, you know, in the world, they want to get the prize.
And they run, and if they're going to be successful, they have to have their whole body in tune, as it were. Yes. They just can't wildly move the arms around. There has to be the whole body engaged. An actor in running. And men of the world recognize this. And so they train, and there's that unison as they move their arms and their legs together.
Ah, the object is to get the prize.
I think of a.
A lot of our Sunday school races.
And the big teenage boys, they can run pretty fast and, you know, they were running. And there was one young man, he, he just seemed to be more athletic than the others and he was leading.
And all he was running, he was taking good strides, he was having good success and he almost got to the goal. He was almost there. He was first.
But he turned around to see who was behind him.
And in doing so, his progress was slowed so that that boy passed him on the other side and came in first.
One looked at his companion cost him the prize.
Asked him that honor of being first. Just one look.
Oh, this got a word for us. Are we looking at our fellow Christians?
Do we have our eye on our brethren? Perhaps some of them may have said something unkind to us.
Do we have our eye upon them? Is there that look from our hearts that really isn't a look of love?
Oh, I want to say this.
That little malice, that unkind look and be such a weight.
And it will slow you up and be a hindrance to you. And so the apostle he speaks about.
The race and we're to run to obtain the prize. That should be our object.
Oh, to please the Lord, because he does have a reward for those who do run the race of faith. And so the apostles as they these do it for corrupt, for crown. But we an incorruptible.
Yes, the coming day is going to manifest the love. Those who have run the race successfully, God is going to have His rewards.
I remember years ago.
And notice in a race in the newspaper.
A certain race and a certain man came in first.
But he was disqualified. He came in first.
To all natural peers in the eyes of spectator.
He was first.
But he was disqualified.
Why? Because he had broken one of the rules.
Oh yes, there were those judges who had an eye on them. And I want to say this, beloved Christian, the eyes of the Lord go to and fro this afternoon.
One said, Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Yes, he will do right.
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And so how important it is if you and I are going to feed the Lord.
To run according to the rules.
Yes.
It's important to be familiar with the rules. One may plead ignorance and say, well, I didn't know that was part of the rules in this race. That would not excuse him from breaking the rules. He would be disqualified. And may I say this no matter how sincere anyone of us may be.
We may be sincere.
But if we are sincerely mistaken.
No matter how sincere we are, we are mistaken. Oh yes.
We must run according to the rules. Are you and I running the race according to the rules that God has given to us in His Word?
And so the apostle says, I therefore so run. That is one that beateth the air.
But I keep it in my body of bringing this objection. Oh, how important it is to keep our bodies in subjection.
I remember many years ago.
A man coming up to me.
And I just like to say this, especially for those young men who perhaps been on the corner preaching the gospel.
I've never forgotten this remark. That's where I was in the corner and the middle-aged man come up to me.
I know him and he said Eric.
I'm glad to see you preached in the gospel. I'd like to do it.
But I can't.
He says I can't years ago.
I turned my back on the truth.
And there are still things that have come into my life that now my mouth is shut.
At dear young, that dear man, all there was sorrow. He said those words with sorrow.
Yes.
All let's be careful.
Let's be careful that we run the race according to the rules.
Let's keep our bodies in subjection.
An athlete.
That doesn't keep his body in subjection is not going to have success naturally.
No, if he just eats everything I set before him, the day will come when he won't be able to run as he did formally. There has to be that denying self. And so, beloved, may each one of us learn to deny ourselves. We still have the old nature, we still have the flesh, and the flesh is the same in any one of us. But if we allow.
The flesh to control our bodies we're going to find.
That we have weights.
And if it's not judged, it will shut our mouths, as that dear man told me his mouth was shut.
Shut.
Oh, I won't go into his history.
Enough to say.
There seemed to be evident repentance.
And I feel that even now, right now, I'm confident that man is with the Lord.
Oh, the Lord will not cast up any who really love him.
But I can think of some.
Who have been in such gallons as this, and have preached the gospel, and today they have given up the word of God.
They've given it up. Oh, I trust this may not be true of any here this afternoon. Why do I speak this way? Oh beloved, is because.
God loves you and we love you too. And the whole sorrow.
It's only those who are older brethren know the real sorrow when one who seemed to be so promised and come along.
His mouth have been shut.
Oh, let's keep our bodies in subjection. Let's lay aside those weights with us. So easy to beset us.
I speak to the young children here this afternoon. We all have two heads. What are we doing with those hats?
Are we using those hands to please the Lord? You know those hands can get us into mischief.
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Those hands can do a lot of harm.
Remember little girl that came to our Sunday school?
She had two eyes, as many have here.
But the day came when another little child.
Rolled up a little pieces paper and as a joke through it. And they hit that little girl in their eye. And today that little girl is a woman, but she's blind in that eye. Grateful the little girl. Oh, a little folly.
We might say, what's the harm in this, or that it's only a little piece of paper, something small. But that little object was a cause of blinding that little girl, and so she has to go through life with one eye.
I can think of a brother.
Who had the same thing happened to him?
An older one. He lost his eye. A little carelessness.
It cost him his eye. Oh, let's be careful. Let's keep our body in subjection.
And let's seek to help one another.
And to be faithful to the Word, now we just turn to Galatians 5.
5th chapter of Galatians. We have a question asked there by the apostle.
And.
Verse 7.
He did run well.
Who did hinder you?
That ye should not obey the truth.
Oh, you notice this, Apostles, Galatians, they did run well.
Yes, he started out fine, but the apostle and right in here says.
He did run well, he gave him credit for running well, but who did hinder you?
How many start out well?
But something comes in. There is a but oh God forbid there would be any butts in our lives.
Or we can get rid of them this afternoon and we get in the friends of God. And so the Galatians, they had that question, asked them, who did hinder you?
I challenge anyone here who has run well and perhaps this afternoon you're not running so well. What is a hindrance? The hindrance in the Galatians was this.
They were going back to the law.
Yes, and the law can only condemn them.
Oh beloved, Satan has his emissaries in this world this afternoon.
And we have false doctrine, we have parts of the word of God denied, and we have compromised, and so on. And so He brings in these things which are hindrance. All the Galatians started well.
But you know, if they insist on going back to the law, they would have to come under the curse of the law.
And the apostle there brings before us in the third chapter that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. He made a curse for us.
Yes, and so we have the whole inspired Word of God.
And I want to say this all scriptures given by inspiration of God.
Beware of those who build a doctrine.
Around one verse.
Ah, we're going to get into trouble. We need the whole Word of God, and the Word of God does not convert. Contradict another verse.
No every word fits in.
Yes, it all fits together. All the Galatians, how sad for the apostle have to write this way. Who did hinder you? There was a hindrance and they love. There may be a hindrance on the lives of some here this afternoon. If that be, let's get rid of the hindrance, let's get rid of it. Yes, let's lay aside these things.
And let's just hold back.
You know we have two hands and what are we to hold? Where to hold fast? The truth.
Don't let anyone take it away from you. And I say this if you and I value the truth.
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There's no one going to take it from.
No one's going to take it from us if we value it, but if we cease to value the truth, we might lose it. It's the young people's meeting, but I see children here.
And I think of a little illustration for children, and for it fits those of us who are older.
Those children like to play and they have toys and some of them have children that have experienced.
And perhaps others who don't have children have never had.
When our children grow up, why we just love to recognize each year that there they live and when they have a birthday, why they have a little present.
And, you know, perhaps the youngest member of the family has this birthday, and so he receives a present.
And the older one, why he looks at it with how much his eyes and in his heart, he doesn't say it with his lips and his heart says I'd like to have that. And so he tries to take it from his little brother or sister, but they hang on to it.
They got something gets theirs and they hang on to it.
But you know.
The older brother or sister has lived a little longer and so they think of something that they have that they don't want anymore.
And.
You don't value it. And so they go and get it. And this little younger brother, sister sees it. And right away let the eye see at once. And that little child, why at once what he sees? And so he puts forth his hand to get it. And then doing it, he, he, let's drop what the other one wants. Yes, he lets it drop. You can't take something with one hand.
When you already have something in that hand and the older one knows and so the little one he drops.
What he had to get, what he saw.
And the other one picked it up.
With a smile and off they go. They got what they want now. We understand this. Boys and girls understand this. We see this every day, almost only.
Now the God of this world, he knows what our hearts are coveting after he knows and perhaps you may seemly may have the truth and hanging on to it.
But He knows our hearts, and if we don't judge those little things in our lives, He can bring something along that will attract our eye or our ear or our hearts.
And the first thing we've let go of that which we didn't value.
All that which we have become unconscious.
I have a hymn book in my hand.
I'm conscious. I have it. You have a Bible. But I want to say it doesn't take us, doesn't take very much, you know, to be unconscious.
No, don't take very much. And when we become unconscious?
Why? It just slips out of our head, doesn't it? What makes us unconscious?
Sometimes we get sleepy and perhaps we may drop a hymn book or reliable, but you know, it's not always sleepiness.
Sometimes it's our hearts somewhere else. Our minds are somewhere else, outside, somewhere.
And so we, I swear our hearts are and we just get unconscious of what we have.
The moment you and I become unconscious that we have the truth of God, we're in danger.
Oh, let's hold on that. Let's value it. And so regulations, the question who did hinder youth that he should not obey the truth. I'm confident this afternoon that everyone here wants to be happy.
And we've had brought before us that verse and John so often. If you know these things, happier if you do them.
Oh, happiness comes from obedience.
And if you and I want to be obedient, we must, we want to be happy, we must be obedient. That's John 13, verse 17.
A little word do it so important.
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Do happy ye, if you do them. And so who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? Well, may we each ask ourselves that? Now I'd like to turn back to Hebrews 12.
We've been speaking about the hands laying aside. We've been speaking about the feet.
Perhaps at this time I might just quote the verse in the first Psalm, because we all have two feet here this afternoon, and the feet are very important if you're going to run a race.
First time says blessed is a man that walketh not, not counts of the ungodly, or stash the way of sinners, or sit in the sea. Is the starred full? Oh, is that true of any one of us this afternoon?
This scripture says Blessed are happy as a man that walketh not in the constantly ungodly. Oh beloved, if you walk in the constant ungodly, you're going to imbibe their false doctrines.
And you're going to imbibe those practices, those evil practices that they're going on with. Yes, if you sit in the seed of the scornful, you're going to hear the name of your savior, blasphemy.
Could it be that we would allow our feet to take us anywhere?
Where we would hear the name of our savior blasphemy, a member of a man once that seemed so kind and wanted to be kind to me and.
You know, every once in a while he used my savior's name in vain.
One day I couldn't stand any longer and I said Jack.
Why do you use the name of Jesus like that? I love that name. He's my savior.
Why do you use that name like that?
Oh, if I hadn't confessed the name of my savior.
Or, beloved, I may not be here this afternoon.
Oh, so important to confess the name of the one you belong to.
And so he said, oh, I didn't realize I was using that name like that.
But the day came.
When that friendship must be terminated. That they came when we could no longer walk together.
We had to separate. Yes, they love. I challenge you this afternoon. Do you love the Lord Jesus?
Do you allow your feet to take you into those places of position where the name of Jesus blasphemy and spoken evil of.
Oh, God forbid. But if you do, I want to warn you the end is going to be sorrow in your life.
Yes.
You won't be able to run the race successful. And so our time has gone. But I just want to notice a few more things about this. It speaks here looking on to Jesus, the author and finish of our faith. Oh, you know, if you're going to run the race, we have two eyes and we must keep our eye on the goal, the end of the race.
We've had the end of the race brought before us in these meetings, the hope of the Lord's coming.
Because when the Lord comes, the race is going to be over when he comes. Oh beloved.
Will be with him.
Won't that be wonderful?
Oh, I believe there will be a special joy to those who are on the race course, who are running the race according to the rules. I believe there's going to be that special joy and I'm confident will be that special recognition of it in the coming day when everything is going to be manifested. Yes, there will be that special joy when those rewards are presented.
And so that looking on to Jesus.
The Arthur and Finish of our faith.
Who, for the joy that was set before him, endure the cross?
Despising the shame and a set down on the right hand of the throne of God.
Where is the Lord Jesus now?
All he sat down. He once trod this world beloved yes, and his pathway took him to the cross of Calvary.
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In love for your soul of mine. That's where his path took him to the cross of Calvary, where he suffered as no one ever suffered.
Were he bled where he died for your sins and mine. And as I think of those three dark hours when God clothed the heaven with darkness, when God refused to allow it a human eye.
To witness.
The sovereign of his son.
Oh beloved, the Lord Jesus endured.
You're those three dark hours.
The wrath of a holy God.
As you and I deserve. Now could it be?
That we would forget that all he's bought us with his own precious blood.
The apostle says you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. Well, I believe when we run the race according to the word of God, to the rules, we are glorifying him. And so how important looking on to Jesus. Oh, if you look to him my faith this afternoon, I want to tell you you're going to get encouraged.
I think I'm a little little boy and a little girl a few weeks ago.
As their mother was a now at the end of this little race course.
And you know, there they, these little children, they stood behind up and the mother, the parents were there at the end.
And you know, there they had their arms out and those little ones who had their eye on their mother or father.
They ran successfully, some got their eye off and they tripped and they fell.
If you're going to run a race, you have to look where you're running.
Yes, I'm brethren, we have to be careful because.
If we don't keep our eyes open, if we don't allow the Word of God to control our eyes, we might.
We might stumble somebody, and so we have.
The hands.
And we have the feet and we have the eyes.
Can we turn to Psalm 119? Just briefly? Psalm 119 and verse 39 believe it is.
Turn away mine eyes from beholden vanity, and quicken thou me in thy ways. Now one more verse. Verse 18. Open thou mine eyes. They may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Oh, what a good prayer for us, each one of us, young and old alike, Turn away mine eyes and the whole infantry. These things will be awake. It will be a hindrance. And run the race. And how good is opened our mine eyes. I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. O beloved, there's some treasures in this book, and God wants us to to find them and to enjoy them.
Now we return to Colossians Chapter 3.
The several verses I'll just perhaps read with very little comment because of time.
Colossians chapter 3 If he then be risen with Christ to seek those things which are above where Christ is in the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. I believe this is so important. Set your affection on things about.
Not on things on the earth. And if we allow our eye, our affections to be on those things down here.
We are going to stumble ourselves and perhaps someone else.
We're going to be hindered in the race.
Now another verse in First Thessalonians 5 and verse.
23.
Perhaps we might just read a little further back without comment.
Verse 17 Because I believe we need this if we're going to run the race.
Pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks, for this is the will of God and Christ. He is concerned in you. Quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesying. Prove all things, Hold fast that which is good have seen from all appearance of evil.
All these things are so important and the very God of peace sanctify you holy.
00:50:05
I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless.
And the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I trust that this will be sold this afternoon. And the lives of each one of us.
And we sing #46 at the back of the book.
Have I an object, Lord below, which would divide my heart with thee, which would divert as even flaw in answer to Thy constancy? Oh, teach me quickly to return, and 'cause my heart afresh to burn #46 at the fact.
Check Lord be long.
Which would divide my heart.
With thee, which would diver.
If he followed.