Address—Jim Hyland
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.
I'd like to sing #63 in the blue book.
Hymn #63 in the blue book and again if someone will please start it for it.
Clean up there in my end of thin chains and I think I did find where I found.
But the blessed cross of Christ, one day I came where spring of living water did abound.
Drinking at the springs of living water.
Happy now am I?
From the hills of God, it made me glad and happy all the way.
Now to breathe in what they are.
I shall lean on legally every day.
You're in the end of the spring. Love every morning.
In the meeting this morning, we spoke about the cleansing effect of the Word of God for those who haven't been with us. We're taking up the subject of the practical application of God's Word in our lives and the results that come in our Christian pathway.
As a result of reading and walking in obedience to the word of God. And so we're going to go on this afternoon we spoke about the cleansing effect of the Word of God. And closely related to that is the refreshment that comes from the Word of God. Let's just notice one verse in the book of Song of Solomon.
Chapter 5. Song of Solomon, Chapter 5.
And verse one, I am coming to my garden, My sister, my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey. Now I want to notice this particularly I have drunk my wine with my mouth, eat all friends, drink, drink, yay, drink abundantly, oh beloved.
Now in the Song of Solomon, we have a dialogue. I wish it was differentiated in our English Bibles. Just give you a little hint that was helpful to me in studying Song of Solomon. There's a little book by Hamilton Smith on the Song of Solomon, and in that book he goes through and he tells you who is speaking. And I have made marks in my Bible as to who is speaking, because if we don't understand who's speaking in the Song of Solomon.
00:05:00
We're going to get confused as to different expressions. The Lord Jesus is not the Lily of the valley. It's the bride. That is the Lily of the valley. It's the Lord Jesus. Speaking of the bride, The Lord Jesus is not the Rose of Sharon. It's the bride being referred to in her beauty and freshness by the bridegroom. And if you don't understand that, you're going to get confused. So just a little. That's just a little parenthesis, but it's been helpful to me.
To have these little marks in my Bible to show who's speaking, it's mainly A dialogue between the bride and the bridegroom.
However, there are the daughters of Jerusalem and the friends of the bridegroom that speak up a little bit in between as well.
And what we have in this first verse is the bridegroom speaking to the bride.
And he's encouraging her to drink for her refreshment. And that's what the Lord Jesus is doing with each one of us. He has given us the water of the word, not just to cleanse us morally, but to refresh our spirits as we go through this spiritual wilderness, which we have talked about at some length when we talked about the manna earlier on. You know, there are two things other than air to breathe that we can't live without.
One is food and the other is water. And in the wilderness in the Old Testament God gave them those two things, the man of as food, and he gave them water again. I have driven over a good cross section of the Sinai Peninsula a number of times. You drive and drive and drive, and all you see is shimmering sand and rock to from where you are to the horizon and you drive and more shimmering sand and rock. Every once in a while you come on a little Oasis.
Little spring in the desert, but it is a desert, and so the Lord God gave them water from the rock to refresh them.
And to keep them alive while they were those 40 years in the wilderness. And as we have mentioned, we are in a spiritual wilderness and we need spiritual water. Are you a thirsty Christian today? I don't mean are you thirsty physically, but do you feel a spiritual thirst in your soul? If you do, then I suggest you're not drinking abundantly from the word of God.
I I, I know we've drunk a lot of ice water since we've been here this weekend. And I know because I've been the one that's mostly been responsible to keep that orange cooler.
Filled with ice water. And it just seems as fast as I pour water in the top that's being funneled out the bottom. And that's good. We're glad that you've drunk. But you've come again and again, and I want to make this point. You didn't take a drink of water early in the day and let that satisfy your thirst for the rest of the day. I noticed you came again and again and again and you had those water bottles. In fact, let me look at one just so I get it right.
Are you thirsty for the word? It's a good question to ask them. You know, if you're not thirsty for the word of God today, then there's something wrong. Either you don't have divine life, either you're not a Christian, a believer at all, or there's something in your life that you're trying to satisfy your soul with other than the word of God. It's not really gonna satisfy your soul, but there's something you're going after in this world.
That you're think you think is satisfying you, but it really is only the word of God, the water of the word, that is going to satisfy the third your spiritual inner thirst. And so I want to encourage you again, drink, Drink abundantly. Hear this as the very voice of your bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, speaking to you. If you're drinking from the word of God, you're not a thirsty Christian. And I say say not just once a day.
You didn't just come to the cooler once a day and get a drink. In fact, most of you filled your water bottles and took them with you. And I saw you're drinking even in meeting you. Take a little drink and you're sipping at it all day. I wish I sipped at the word of God the way we sip at our water bottles. Uh, or our cups of uh of uh, ice water. If I did, I wouldn't, uh, have any thirst in my soul. And so we need the word of God in that way.
Now I want to go on, and I want to go back to a verse, a portion we began with at the beginning of these meetings and see what follows. It's in Second Timothy Chapter 3.
00:10:04
Second Timothy Chapter 3.
And let's read verse 16 and 17.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We talked about that at the beginning.
But now I want to notice these next things. It's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Now I want to talk about these things that, uh, he mentions here, because again, they're important. And to to take heed to what we have here is going to have a practical, purifying, preserving effect on your Christian life. Now, I know we already stressed this, but I'm gonna stress it again because I believe it is important. In fact, it's vital.
You know, they say there's three hours to learning, review, review, review. So we're going to review what we I mentioned earlier. The first thing that's mentioned here is doctrine. Now, it's very interesting that when you go through scripture and you find lists of two or more things given to us by God, there's always an order to which in which they're listed. If I can put it this way, God doesn't list things haphazardly.
You know, when I'm home, I like to do the grocery shopping, gets me out and also lets me slip a few extra things in the cart that maybe Faye is too little, too conservative to buy. But I like to do the grocery shopping. I I like to get out and and go walk through the stores and they will often go through the advertisements for the week before She gives me the list. And when I look at the list, if I were to ask her why she lifted those things in that particular order.
She would simply say, well, it's as they came to mind or as I came to them in the advertisement. It's it's really just random in a sense. There's no particular order to what she had. Li has listed on the shopping list, but God doesn't list things in that way. And I want to encourage you when you go through the word of God, if God gives a list of two or more things, stop and consider in the light of other scriptures why it's listed in that way.
The reason I'm telling you this, young people, is because when it comes to things like this, doctrine always is at the head of the list. I'll give you a couple of other examples. If we were to back up in this same epistle, we would find that Paul has said to Timothy, you've fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, and he goes on to list several other things. Why is doctrine at the beginning of the list? It's just what we said the other day.
You can't have a purpose, a proper purpose of life. You can't have good behavior, sound behavior, unless you have sound doctrine at the basis of it. You don't. We we must have the truth of God, the doctrines of the word of God, as the foundation even to go on collectively as gathered to the Lord's name. It's significant that in Acts chapter Two we often quote this verse, but good to see the order of the list, they continued steadfastly. That's the early Christians.
And some different things. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, in breaking of bread and prayers. Now, if I'd been writing that, I might have put breaking a bread first in prayer and maybe doctrine somewhere down the list. Why does the Spirit of God record doctrine first? Because it was the basis for breaking bread and the basis for assembly, Collective prayer. Those are what we might say are the assembly meetings.
Meetings for ministry, meetings for prayer, the breaking of bread. But you have to have sound doctrine at the basis of it.
You know, people say today, well, it doesn't matter anymore. We're all Christians and you know, doctrine really doesn't matter. And we just go on wherever we like the people or wherever we like the format. No, we have to go back to the foundation. The foundation is the apostles doctrine, that which was laid out in the scriptures, the New Testament principles of Christianity laid down in the beginning, and that has not changed. So the first thing that the Word of God is profitable for.
Is for doctrine. Now doctrine is simply teaching.
It's the teaching of the word of God, and doctrine tells us what is right.
00:15:01
How are we going to know how to live? How are we going to know what to do, whether it's individually as young people, whether it's perhaps later on the Lord leaves us here. You have a family. How are we going to know how to go on collectively in the assembly? We have to have doctrine, the doctrines of the word of God, at the basis of it. Now let me just say this too, about sound doctrine. I understand that sometimes when we're dealing with a specific situation.
Maybe someone at school or someone at work. There's a need to have a little outline of some false teaching to know how to deal with someone. But I believe this young people that you don't need to study all the bad doctrines that are out there to know what is right. And I know we often use the illustration, but I think it's helpful. The teller at the bank doesn't recognize counterfeit money. By handling counterfeit money know if they did, they lose their job, but they handle the real money from day-to-day.
They get used to what is real, what is genuine, and when something fake is passed, then hopefully they pick up on it right away. And I believe that the way we detect what is the truth of God is not by knowing what is not the truth of God, but being well rooted and grounded in the fundamental teachings of Scripture. And so, again, as we've been trying to encourage you over these meetings, get into the word, read the word.
Read sound ministry. There's a wealth of good, solid Christ exalting ministry that God has preserved writers of past generations. There are those who are writing good ministry and a a a simple, concise format for today's reader and you need to get into that so that you know what the truth is. You know, I've had some experiences with difficulties amongst the people of God and.
Traveling in other countries and I remember after some real difficulties that affected the people of God in North America on a large scale.
I went down to the Caribbean and I was a little concerned about some of my brethren down in Saint Vincent and Trinidad and some of those places.
But, you know, I needn't have been, because they told me when I got there. You know, we got some letters from some brethren in North America. And, you know, we we kind of scanned them. But it didn't sound like the truth to us. It didn't sound like the Lord, the Lord's voice. Why? How could they say that? Because they were reading their Bibles. They were grounded in the truth. And when something was presented that didn't have the ring of the truth by the Spirit of God, they immediately picked up on it. I thought that was, that was a good lesson for my my own soul. And so.
Be grounded in the doctrines of the Word of God. So doctrine tells us what is right. But then there's something else. There's reproof. Let's go to it. Hold your finger here and let's go to a verse in Proverbs, chapter 10.
Fact we'll we'll read several verses in Proverbs helpful to get this right from the word of God. Proverbs chapter 10.
And verse 17.
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction, but he that refuseth reproof.
Era and then in the 12Th chapter.
Think these verses are pretty self-explanatory.
Chapter 12 and verse one who so loveth instruction loveth knowledge, but he that hateth reproof is brutish. Chapter 15.
Verse 32 He that refuses instruction despises his own soul.
But he that heareth reproof getteth understanding one more verse in the 29th of proverbs.
And I'm not.
Chapter 29 and verse one.
He that being often reproved hardness, his neck shall be suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy, remedy. So if doctrine tells us what is right, we prove tells us what is wrong, you know, this is a day when we don't like to be reproved. You know, the spirit of the age is nobody to tell me I'm wrong and there's no absolutes today. It's whatever I want to make right is is right, and nobody's to tell me. And I suppose none of us naturally speaking.
00:20:04
Like reproof, but God reproves us in His Word, and it's necessary. And when the Word of God is ministered, don't ignore the reproofs of God's Word. It may sting, it may hurt. And I've had brothers and sisters in faithfulness come to me and reprove me from the Word of God. I didn't always appreciate it at the time.
And sometimes it really stung, sometimes it really hurt. But when I look back, I realized it was necessary. I remember.
A sister who one time when I was before I was married, I had a Sunday school class at home in Smith Falls And I was away for a while. And when I came back and this sister was actually my Grade 2 teacher in school and I said to the sister, I said, well, I'm sorry, I've been away from my Sunday school class for a couple of weeks.
She looked me straight in the eye and she said, Jim, remember, nobody's indispensable. That was a little reproof, and I maybe didn't appreciate at the time, but it was necessary. And I learned a great lesson from that was a general reproof. Sometimes reproof is not quite that gentle, but take it as from the Lord and from the word of God. So we need the word of God not only to tell us what is right, but to tell us when we're wrong. Well, then he says it's it's.
For adoption. For reproof. For, for correction. Because not only does the word of God tell us what is wrong, it tells us how to get right. You know, any of us who are parents would be a myth if we reproved our children, admonished our children as to something they were doing wrong, but then didn't seek to guide them or lead them in the right way. Scripture says train up a child in the way he should go.
When he's old, he will not depart from it. Don't just tell him he's going the wrong way, but lead him in the right way. Bring the truth before him. And so the word of God does that. It not only tells us what is what is wrong, but when we're and when we're wrong, but it shows us the way that we we should go. So that's re that's re re correction and we certainly need correction and now in connection with reproof and correction.
Young people.
Don't harden yourself against the reproof and correction of the word of God. I read those verses in Proverbs. I say they're pretty self-explanatory. But those verses show the folly of not listening to the reproof of the word of God, of not listening to the correction of the Word of God and taking heed to it. And there are many.
Many young people, many of my own generation that I know, who were reproved by the word of God, who had correction brought before them from the Scriptures, and they didn't take heed to it.
And it led to very sad things in their life. Just hold your finger here and go to the 13th of Jeremiah for a moment, because perhaps it would be good to read this just to give us a warning.
Jeremiah, chapter 13 and verse 15. Hear ye and give ear. Be not proud, for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he caused darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains. And while he looked for light, he turned it into the shadow of death, and make it grow darkness. But if he will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride, and my eyes shall weep soar and rundown with tears.
Because the Lord's flock is carried away captive, I believe this is a solemn warning in regard to what we're saying.
Jeremiah is really saying it. What Jeremiah is really saying is you had light and instruction for your pathway. We spoke of that at length. You had light and instruction and you refused the light and now you're stumbling on the dark mountains. Jeremiah says All I can do is wait for you. You had the way you had it presented, you refused it, and Jeremiah was weeping for those that he knew in his day who had refused and were now they wanted light.
And they didn't have it. And I know many of my own generation, many of you, some of your generation, who sat in meetings like this, who've been reproved as to a course of things that they were on, and they hardened their neck against it. They wouldn't listen, They wouldn't take the correction. And now they're out there and they're looking for light, but they're stumbling on the dark mountains. All I can do is weep for them. And I don't wanna have to weep for you young people. I don't wanna have to weep for you.
00:25:23
I want to rejoice if when I hear that you're going on for the Lord, you know there's nothing thrilled those of us who are older more than someone comes along and says, you know, that young person, they're really going on for the Lord. That young person has really taken a hold. That young person is a real help in the meeting where they are. I don't wanna have to wait for you. Like Jeremiah had to weep in in his day. And so I believe, as I say, it's a it's a solemn warning.
Now we find something else too here, and that is that the word of God is profitable for instruction in righteousness. Just go. I think we mentioned it the other day, but let's read a verse in Psalm 23. Very familiar verse.
Psalm 23 and verse 3.
He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Now just keep that in mind and let's go back to the Book of Titus, back to the New Testament, to the Book of Titus.
Titus, Chapter 2.
And verse 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world or at this present time. So the Word of God instructs us in the way of righteousness. You wanna know how to live for the Lord? Do you wanna know what is right and proper in your Christian life? Do you want to be able to exhibit practical righteousness? You must go to the to the Word of God.
And so David said, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, because there is a right and a wrong way to go in our Christian pathway. And I read the verses in Titus. Because what Titus is really telling us is that it is the grace of God, the appreciation of the grace of God in our souls, that teaches us to deny that which is unrighteous, and then delivers right soberly, righteously, godly.
In this present age, you know, when I see a young person, or any believer for that matter, who exhibits moral piety, godliness, practical righteousness in their life, I say there's a young person who appreciates the grace of God. You know, grace does not give us liberty to live as we please. In the days when the Lord Jesus was here, there were those that says they were turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.
The root of that word, lasciviousness, is license. In other words, they were taking license from the fact that God was gracious to live the way they pleased, but they didn't have an understanding or appreciation of what grace really is. When we really understand the grace of God in our souls, then it is going to teach us. Grace is a teacher. It teaches us, as I say, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and then to live soberly, righteously, and godly when.
Right now, in this present time, Because I think sometimes when we're young, we look back and we say, well, you know, it's OK for brother Jim to talk like this. And that was OK when he was a young person. Or that was OK back a few generations ago when the world wasn't quite so bad and evil wasn't quite so prevalent and things weren't quite so in our face. But can we really live in a righteous, godly way?
In 2017, this verse tells us we can we can be instructed in righteousness and take that instruction and apply it practically in our lives, right where we are today. And if we're left here a little longer, we can do the same tomorrow. In fact, you and I have the resources in from God, in Christ to live righteously, no matter how dark, spiritually and morally this world becomes.
If this world ever becomes so morally spiritual and dark that we can't live for God's glory in a righteous way, then God will take us out, the Lord will come and take us out. But as long as we are here, we can live soberly, righteously, godly at this present time. Just go back to Timothy for a moment to Second Timothy chapter 2.
00:30:33
Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 22 flee. Also youthful lusts.
But follow righteousness, faith, charity, or love peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. This is very interesting because, you know, we often say when we take up a book like Second Timothy that the last days are characterized by individual faithfulness. And that's true. Timothy is told to continue. We were to back up in the third chapter to the 14th verse. Continue thou, that's individual. But in this second chapter I believe it's a collective thing.
Because again, as I said earlier, people say, well, there's really no corporate or collective testimony and everything is in ruin and it doesn't matter where we meet and how we meet anymore. But it's interesting to me that before Timothy is exhorted to continue as an individual, he's told to go on with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart and he's told to follow what's the first thing righteousness.
Not compromise, but righteousness.
You see again how important the order of God's lists are. If I was listing this, I would have put love at the beginning of the list.
And maybe put righteousness somewhere down near the end, but that's not the way God lists lists it. We are never to compromise the truth of God to go on in in fellowship with with with other believers. You can't have peace and love at the expense of righteousness and truth. Now, young people, don't misunderstand me. I'm glad for any believer I I meet and I often have fellowship with other believers.
Perhaps at the cafe, or just talking as we pass and and so on. And we've had many believers in our home and we've enjoyed happy fellowship. But I'm talking now about being gathered to the Lord's name at the Lord's table. We have to be careful that we maintain righteousness first and faith in the book of Timothy is often used not so much as to.
Confidence in God, but it often has to do with the truth of God.
And those two things must be maintained. Righteousness, faith, then peace and love. Yes, we're to love the whole household of faith. We're to do good to all men and especially those of the household of faith. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about maintaining.
A. A plot maintaining the truth of God, where the Lord Jesus is in the midst and as those gathered to His name by grace, and it's only by grace we must.
Uphold the truth of God. The assembly is to be the pillar and ground of the truth.
And so we're to follow righteousness. OK, so again, we've noticed these four things. The word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness. Now I want to just mention something else in connection with this portion in the 17th verse that we're back in Second Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 17, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Now before I comment on that, go back again to the second chapter.
And let's notice verse 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth. Sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every man that everyone that nameeth the name of the Lord.
Depart from iniquity, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified. And I want you to notice this particularly, and meet for the masters use prepared unto every good work. I want to notice now that it is the word of God that fits us for service. We often speak of service for Christ.
00:35:00
And everyone of us here who know Christ as our Savior today have a little service, a little ministry to perform for him, brothers and sisters alike. You know, I've enjoyed with Samuel. As a young boy, he was brought by his mother up to the temple at a day when things were in appalling condition. The lamp of the Lord was going out, The priesthood was polluted. Things were in an awful condition in the days of Samuel. But his mother, by faith, brought him up and he served in the temple under Eli the priest. And we're not told exactly what he did.
But there, I think there is one thing. We're told he helped open the doors of the temple in the morning. You know, those doors were probably heavy and Eli was getting old. I picture him maybe going around and keeping the ashes swept up from the sacrifices, helping to keep the lamps. Whatever it was, we're not exactly told, but whatever little tasks Samuel as a boy carried out in the tempo under the direction of Eli. At least twice it's referred as ministry to the Lord.
You know, we don't have to wait till we're older to minister before the Lord or to minister to the Lord. Every believer has a little ministry that they can do. When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, there were some ladies that followed the Lord in His pathway. We often think of the disciples, but it tells us about some ladies and it names some of them. It names Johanna, Susanna and Mary Magdalene. And they follow the Lord and it says they ministered to him.
Of their substance, there was. They were there to be a practical help, but it was ministry. You know, we think of MI. Most people think of ministers as somebody who's been to a seminary and they have some letters after their name and they stand up in front of a congregation with the Bible. Are you a minister? You are. If you know the Lord Jesus as your savior, you're a minister of Christ. You have a little ministry. But I wonder if you're fulfilling it. You know what? The end of Colossians.
Paul speaks to a man by the name of Archippus and he says, say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry that thou hast received of the Lord.
That's how fulfill it, you know, I believe there are many people in their local meeting where they come from.
Who are given a ministry, but they're not fulfilling it. When Paul wrote to the Saints at Colossi, he felt that that archipelas was not carrying out the little ministry that the Lord had given him. And he felt that the brethren there were suffering a lot because of it. Timothy was shy too. He had to be stirred up to to carry out his gift and and his ministry. And I want to do that You you're going to go home to your local meeting, your little assembly you come from, you've got a ministry. And I'll just say this in passing, young people, I have noticed.
That those young people who happily get up after the.
Fellowship lunch or some activity and collect the cutlery. Cutlery and go out and help wash the dishes and sweep the floor and that kind of thing. Those are the kind of young people the Lord's gonna use in a greater way later on. It starts with the little things he tests us in the little ministries like Samuel, if you helped open the doors of the meeting room, then he's gonna he's going to use you because he that is faithful and not which is least is faithful and not which is much and so.
Any of us who've been in business know when you hire an employee, you don't start them at the top. Usually you start them at the bottom and sometimes you you have them on probation. And then if they prove themselves after three months or six months, then you hire them full time, they prove themselves after a year. You give them a little promotion, a little raise in pay. Now would God run something more careless than humans if humans are that that careful in running their business or corporation?
How much more God in connection with his, with his assembly. And so we find. What I want to point out here is that there are two things that fit us for service in the second chapter where we read it's separation from evil. That's first. You're going to be prepared to every good work you've got to separate from from evil. Do you want to be prepared on every good work you've got to then go on in the truth of God? Those are the 2 great lessons, I believe, from the 2 verses that we read.
First of all, it's to separate from that which is evil, to keep ourselves pure in every way, and then to go on in the truth of God. Those are the ways that fit us not for just for some good work, but for every good work. You know, if you talk to somebody, another Christian, about some aspect of the truth, and they watch your life and they see that you're not practically carrying that out in your life, it's not gonna have an effect.
00:40:17
You know, I I I heard a a story about a man believer and uh, he interested some other believers in the truth of baptism. And uh really brought the truth before him, before them. But you know, they found out after a while that he hadn't been baptized himself and they were stumbled. They he, they, he, you see he wasn't prepared under every good work. He wasn't walking in obedience.
To the word of God that he himself knew and was seeking, seeking to teach. I heard another story about a believer who interested another group in connection with being gathered to the Lord's name. Separating from that which was not according to the word of God ecclesiastically, and being gathered to the Lord's name, he even brought them to the assembly, where this was expressed in a practical and very real way from week to week, and again they were stumbled.
Because when the loaf in the cup was passed on Lord's tea morning, he wasn't in fellowship with those that were gathered to the Lord's name. And they said, how can this man teach these things when he isn't walking in the truth of them himself? And so if you're going to be prepared under every good work, you've not only got to separate from that which is evil, that which is wrong, but you must act in obedience to the Word, to the word of God. And others are watching. You know, we're epistles known in red of all men.
And so he wants us to be furnished not just to some good work, but he wants us to be furnished to every good work. So it's the word of God then, that fits us for service. Now I want to go to Revelation, chapter one.
Revelation, chapter one and verse three. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.
For the time is at hand. Now I realize that this verse has to do with something very specific. It's that which follows here, the prophecy that John is given and he's telling. He tells us at the beginning there's a blessing for reading. Now before I make a broad application, I would just say that a lot of people shy away from prophecy, the Book of Revelation and prophecy, because they say, well, I just don't understand it and I just can't get the chronology in my mind and all that's gonna happen and the tribulation and and.
The the different battles and how it's all going to work out in the Millennium and what takes place at the end in the introduction of the Eternal State and so on. I don't get it all myself. When there's questions on prophecy, I like, if I can, to refer you to somebody else, and I'm thankful for those who can clearly and concisely lay out prophetic events for us. And there are some very helpful books on that subject.
Just uh uh in passing Brusans. He has a very helpful book on prophetic events and he gives the scriptures and lays it all out.
The few little maps and charts and so on, very, very helpful. And so there was a there's a promise here of a blessing for not necessarily understanding prophecy, but for reading it, for not maybe understanding fully the Book of Revelation, but at least read the Book of Revelation, because there's two things I understand. One thing I understand from Revelation. I may not understand a lot of it, and I may not get all the chronology just correct, but there's one thing I understand.
God's man wins in the end, and if you can get that out of prophetic events, you've got a blessing. And remember, as it says in the 19th chapter of Revelation, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It's not just to be bogged down with an intellectual study and certain events and dates and so on. Not saying that isn't good, but to see that it has to do with the full exaltation of God's Son, the Lord Jesus.
In a coming day here on planet Earth, the Lord Jesus does not have his rightful place on planet Earth. Yet on this planet where they spit in his face and cast him out, he's waiting for his vindication, and the heart of God will never be satisfied until his Son is fully vindicated in this world. His Son has his full place of glory in heaven this afternoon, but not on Earth. So you get that. Now I want to make a broader application.
00:45:19
Because.
Maybe as you go through the word of God, you say, But Jim, there's just a lot of things I don't understand. And what's the point of reading the word of God if I don't understand it? Well, first of all, as we said earlier, none of us would understand the word of God apart from the Spirit of God. It's not a book that can be understood intellectually. Those who've taken it up intellectually have only become stumbled and fallen into error. The word of God is only understood in the power of the Spirit.
As we mentioned the other day, when we preached the gospel, we used the word of God. Explanation is good, but it's the word of God that has the power. You know, a simple verse like John 316 will never be understood apart from a work of the Spirit of God in in the soul. It has to be. If this book is written in a unique way as a living book, it must be spiritually discerned. The other thing young people is you can spend your whole life reading and studying the word of God.
And you'll never get it all, because again, it's a living book. It'll never be exhausted. In fact, I suggest that for all eternity we're gonna have a fresh enjoyment of the word, of the word of God. You know the apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthians in the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, he said, for we know in part and prophecy in part. The apostle Paul said that you'd say of anybody that understood the scriptures, it must have been the apostle Paul.
But even the Apostle Paul said we only know in part and prophecy in part. And I say that's a comfort to me in a way because I say, well, if Paul only understood in part, then I I that that gives me comfort. But the point is we'll never get it all this side of heaven. That's why we need one another. I see some of you young people sharing different things between meetings and so on. That's great because we never get it all. None of us have it all we need to share.
And we are all given different gifts, and we all under are given little different understandings and appreciations of different portions and see things in a little different light and so on. And so we share it in that way. But the Apostle Paul also went on to say, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. There is a day when we're going to understand fully, but I still say in that day we will have a fresh enjoyment of the word of God.
For all, for all eternity. So we need to read the scriptures. We may not understand it all, but we need to read it, Let it sink down into our souls. But young people, there's more than just reading the word of God. And for the few moments that are left, I want to show that there needs to be more than just reading the word of God every day. And as I said earlier in these meetings, more than just casually reading a chapter or two each day.
Let's go to John. We're gonna notice 3 portions now.
And this will take up under the heading of not reading, but searching and so John's Gospel, Chapter 5.
John's Gospel chapter 5 and verse 39.
Just the first three words of the verse. John 539. This is the Lord Jesus speaking. Search the scriptures. Now let's go to Proverbs chapter 25.
Proverbs chapter 25 and verse two. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing. The honor of kings is to search out the matter. Now one more portion and you're familiar with it in Acts 17.
And to get the connection, I'll read verse 10, Acts 17, verse 10. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and search the scriptures daily.
00:50:10
Whether these those things were so, So here we have exhortations not just to read the word of God, but to search the word of God. And I want to encourage you to do that. I was glad to see that these Bible study books I put on the back with little themes and studies I they all went I believe I was glad to see that and those of you who took them I hope you use them because God has woven the truth in a way.
That doesn't encourage laziness. God never encourages laziness in any aspect of our lives. Many years ago, and I know this is just a name to you young people, but many years ago I was on a on an airplane between Ottawa and Fredericton, New Brunswick, Ottawa ON and Fredericton, NB and I happen to be on the same PLA airplane as an elderly brother by the name of Clarence Lundeen. There was a conference in Fredericton that weekend and we were both on our way to the conference. I was a very young man. I wasn't married. He was an older brother who administered to the Saints of God for many, many years.
And on the plane, he was talking about a certain line of truth in connection with Elijah Elisha, one of those Old Testament stories that he was so good at.
And I said to him, I said, Brother Lundine, why is it when you take up those stories or portions that not everything in the story seems to fit a certain line of things? And he quoted me the verse we just read in the book of Proverbs, it's the glory of God to conceal the Mass. The thing, the honor of kings, is to search out the matter. And he said, God weaves the truth in a way where we have to search the scriptures we go through. And he said.
Don't try to make everything in a story fit a certain line of of truth, he said. You'll get into trouble if if you try to force it. And you know, as a young brother that was very, very has been very, very helpful and a real safeguard to me. But it taught me a good lesson that we need to search the scriptures to go through and see how God weaves certain themes of truth throughout the whole word of God, as we said earlier, and you have on your.
Little blue card, we we, we have the foreshadowed.
In the books of Moses, the foretellings, in the book prophets, the feelings of Christ in the songs, the figures of Christ in the historical books, and then to go through the Gospels and so on. You need to see how it's woven, and you'll never get it if you don't study it out. Now, when I was a young person, we had to go to these big concordances and dictionaries and so on to to ferret out those things. But you don't have to. You've got apps and Bible apps and study apps and things that are very helpful computers and so on. And you can do a word search and a phrase search.
Young people, you don't have any excuse. If you're not searching the word of God, you don't have any excuse. You've got it all right on your belt, right here or on your laptop or your iPad or whatever gadgets you you carry every day. You have no excuse not to search out these things, and it'll be a great blessing. And it's interesting that it says of the Bereans that they were more noble than the Thessalonians. Now the Brennan and Thessalonica.
Were noble. They were noble because they listened to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, and we know when Paul wrote to them. Later on they took in what Paul said to them and they learned from Paul and so on. They were noble, but the Bereans were more noble because they didn't just listen to the ministry of the Apostle Paul and accepted at face value. The Bereans, when they heard Paul speak, they went home and got out whatever portions of the word of God. And it wasn't in a nice little book form like this, nor was it the complete word of God.
And they But they got out the word of God. And they searched out to see, notice that if these those things were so, what things? The things that the Apostle Paul was teaching them orally, you'd say, well of anybody's word for it. Couldn't they have just taken Paul's word? Paul was the apostle, uh, the great apostle Paul. Couldn't they have just taken his word for it? No, the Thessalonians did. But the Bereans wanted to make sure that what Paul was teaching them.
Corresponded to the rest of the word of God, for us it says no, scripture is a private interpretation. What that means is don't pull out a scripture and give it a private interpretation if it doesn't fit with the whole pattern, with the whole scheme of things. And so they were more noble because they went home and searched it out. We've run a lot of things by you young people this weekend. And my prayer is that you'll go home and you'll search out these things that you'll S say. Now we wanna be sure that what we were taught at Kentucky camp this year.
00:55:21
Was really according to the word of God. If you do, you'll be a Berean brother and sister. You'll be more noble than those who don't go out home and search the scriptures for themselves. Now I I just want to tell you our time is almost gone. But I do want to take up one other aspect of things, and that is meditation. So we've talked about the importance of reading, of searching. But now I want to.
Uh, read a verse in Uh Psalm 119 again. We've gone back to this Psalm many times. Psalm 119.
And verse 97.
OK.
Oh, how love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day. Well, here the psalmist says I don't just read the word of God. I don't don't. I don't just search it out, but I meditate on it. You remember when we talked about the mana and how they were to get up in the morning and go out and gather the men every day, but it wasn't enough for them to just gather the man and put it in their Homer a certain measure.
No, they had to take it and eat it. And not only did they take it and eat it, they didn't eat it all at once. They took their Omer, and I believe they dipped out of it during the day. And when they did that, here's what it says. He that gathered much had nothing over. He that gathered little had no lack. I believe it speaks to us of the importance of meditation. And so it's not enough young people to read a chapter in the morning, Shut your Bible and never consider what you've read. You know, it's not what we eat that does us good. It's what we digest.
Because what we digest becomes part of our system and nourishes our body. And so we'll never really take in and digest the word of God without meditation. So, as it were, be like the children of Israel, put it into your Omer. Take that measure with you and stop during the day and dip into your Omer. Because it wasn't the amount they gathered that was important, it was what they did with it. He had gathered much, had nothing over it. We learned from that that if you have time to read a couple of chapters in the morning.
You'll have nothing over you. You need all of the word of God you can feed on in the morning. But maybe there's someone here and you say, Jim, I'm not a morning person and I'm just not quite in gear in the morning. And not only that, but I've got to leave the house at 5:30 to get to work or to school. What am I gonna do? Read a few verses, even if it's just two verses. Read those two verses and take it with you and dip into your Omar. Stop during the day and meditate on it. Go over it in your mind and in your soul and you'll be surprised. You'll find God new. Just what you were going to need.
Uh, for for the day. And so I want to encourage you, and I want to encourage you to discipline yourself to meditate. I know again, years ago, a brother maybe could go out and work on the farm or have a Bible propped up on the bench in his shop and read a little and think about it as he worked with his hands. But you can't drive down the freeway like that. You can't run a computer like that. You can't do your office work or your school work like that the minute you step out the door.
It's going to be one activity after another interjected into your life. I don't care whether you're in school, whether you're at work, whatever you're doing, there's going to the enemy is going to be right there to keep your mind busy until you go to bed at night. And that's why I believe we need to stop every once in a while and dip into our Omar. Take a little piece of manna, go over it, enjoy it.
It's often been pointed out that one of the characteristics of a clean animal in the Old Testament under the Levitical order of things, was that they chewed the cut.
And that speaks of the need for meditation in our lives. Well, we've taken up a lot of things in connection with the word of God. Again, I trust you'll go over these things and meditate on them. But my real exercise, young people, that in presenting this line of things, in these three talks that we have shared together is really to impress upon our souls the importance of the Word of God in every sphere.
01:00:10
Of our Christian life. It has a practical effect on our lives in every aspect of it. God has graciously preserved it to us. And I just want you to learn to value it, to get into the habit and the routine of reading it and let it have the effect that it is that God intends it to have on on your life. And if you go home with a greater appreciation, with the word of God.
And a little more discipline in your life to read it and meditate on it and study it each day.
Then I believe that it's been worth our time to be here and to be over the word of God.